Chapter 123: I Fought with the First Hokage (Original: I've Fought with the First Hokage)

This shuriken flew noiselessly.

It was thin and dark.

At first, it moved steadily. But as it neared the white mist, it suddenly darted forward like lightning, reaching an astonishing speed and leaving a regiment of bursting air in its wake.

"Watch out!"

Tsunade sensed it first and quickly turned around, shouting.

Haruki raised an eyebrow. This shuriken was aimed at him, not Tsunade.

He squinted. The moment his gaze landed on the shuriken, it was already right in front of him.

Haruki reached out and grabbed the shuriken.

The powerful Force made his body shudder.

A Ninja who could throw a shuriken with such Force from eight hundred meters away was definitely no ordinary individual.

Haruki's thoughts flashed through his mind.

Then he smiled. He twirled the shuriken in his hand and, with a powerful throw, sent it flying back at a terrifying velocity.

Chakra gathered in his eyes.

Haruki clearly saw the Ninja on the small hillside outside the town.

The familiar outfit surprised him.

It was Kakuzu, a member of The Akatsuki Organization in the original story, an aged Ninja who had lived for a full 91 years.

If it weren't for the plot twist, he would have lived indefinitely.

As the saying goes, the longer one lives, the more one sees.

He had once fought against the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Of course, there's no need to mention the outcome.

After barely escaping with his life, what awaited him was the Punishment for failing his duties.

So, in a fit of rage, Kakuzu killed the village's high - ranking officials and stole the forbidden jutsu: Earth Grudge Fear.

He was a very pure - hearted Ninja, free from other distractions.

He loved nothing other than money.

Throughout his long life, he had been constantly bustling about for money.

A thunderous noise resounded in the air.

Kakuzu looked solemn. Chakra gushed out from his body, darkening and hardening his skin.

He waved his arms frantically. Finally, just before the shuriken touched his body, he managed to halt it.

The screeching sound of metal clashing echoed.

The terrifying Force carried by the shuriken cracked the black skin on his hands.

Kakuzu felt as if he had been struck by a speeding train.

His Earth Release: Earth Spear could block the power of an Explosive Tag, but it couldn't stop a tiny shuriken.

Damn!

Kakuzu staggered and slid across the ground, leaving a gully in his wake.

When he stopped, he noticed that this was the shuriken he had thrown.

It was exactly the same, unaltered. It was just pure Force.

Without hesitation, Kakuzu turned on his heel and ran.

He loved money, but he needed to stay alive to spend it.

There was no need to throw his life away on this.

But then he stopped short.

He looked at Haruki and Tsunade standing in front of him.

Kakuzu stared blankly and glanced back. Sure enough, all five Ninjas he had incited were lying on the ground, likely dead.

"The beautiful dealer in the casino was you, wasn't it?"

This was the first time Haruki had ever seen Kakuzu in this life.

After becoming a Rogue Ninja, he had been taking on bounties to earn money.

So, Kakuzu must have come after him for money.

But who on earth had hired him?

"It was me."

Kakuzu surveyed the terrain around him. His long years had endowed him with rich combat experience.

After a brief exchange, he concluded that it wouldn't be easy for him to claim the bounty.

Since that's the case, he decided to withdraw.

"Who would have thought that the famous Kakuzu would have such an interest."

"You know me?" Kakuzu was slightly startled and ignored his banter.

"You're the best hunter in the black market," Haruki paused and then said, "If you can tell me the name of the person who put a bounty on me, I'll pay you double the reward."

Kakuzu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have my professional ethics. Besides, I'm only responsible for hunting down the ninjas on the bounty list. As for the bounty - poster, I couldn't care less."

"So, we can't reach an agreement?"

Haruki shrugged.

Kakuzu fell silent, and the chakra in his body began to flow.

Haruki glanced at him and grinned. "If you can beat her, you're free to go."

Kakuzu instinctively looked at Tsunade.

During the previous battle in the mist, he'd seen it clearly. Tsunade's power was intimidating, but she was a Medical Ninja after all, not well - versed in combat.

What he was most worried about was the unfathomable Haruki.

The power of that shuriken brought back some unpleasant memories.

Although Kakuzu wasn't afraid of Haruki, his five lives were valuable, and replenishing them was a hassle.

He stopped talking and put some distance between them.

Suddenly, the air in front of him crackled with chakra. As he moved his hands, a massive dragon's head emerged, spewing a barrage of mud bullets.

"Just use Wood Release," Haruki whispered to Tsunade.

Tsunade immediately put away her fists, formed hand seals with both hands, and a platoon of wooden pillars rose from the ground, curving to form a barrier to protect her body.

Kakuzu's eyes widened suddenly.

He instinctively wanted to run away.

The shadow in his heart resurfaced.

Back then, after struggling with all his might, he finally defeated a Wood Clone of Hashirama Senju, only to get pummeled.

It was his biggest disgrace!

The Earth Dragon Bullet slammed into the wooden stakes, sending up black splashes of mud one after another.

Kakuzu regained his composure because of this.

Tsunade's Wood Release was far inferior to Hashirama Senju's.

He had this; he could win.

He took a deep breath and decided to get serious.

As the chakra swirled around him, black tentacles sprouted from different parts of Kakuzu's body, and two masks materialized on his left and right shoulders.

Tsunade's eyes tightened.

Although she was unfamiliar with the Earth Grudge Fear, this strange sight instinctively made her feel uneasy.

She clasped her hands together, stretched out her right arm, and several thick branches crisscrossed towards Kakuzu.

Kakuzu took a step to the right.

The masks on his shoulders suddenly opened their mouths and spat out a fire - line as thick as an arm.

The flames grew with the wind, spreading across the ground and instantly forming an inferno.

The branches that rushed over immediately caught fire and turned to ashes in a moment.

The searing air was like the approach of the Shinigami.

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Tsunade's forehead. She planted her right hand on the ground.

As the dust flew, huge walls rose around her.

The advance of the flames was halted.

Suddenly, a faint rumble of thunder mixed with the crackling sound.

The next moment, a lightning - formed spear pierced straight through the wooden wall and Tsunade.

There was a loud crash.

Tsunade transformed into wooden twigs, dodged the lightning, and pounced on Kakuzu.

Kakuzu frowned slightly.

So, it's a Wood Clone?

This made the killing intent in his heart intensify a bit more.

He really loathed Wood Clones!

Countless gusts of wind pressure appeared in front of him. The mouth of the mask on his left shoulder widened extremely exaggeratedly, as if it could swallow half a watermelon in one bite.

Spin, and keep spinning.

The wind ball exploded. It was more terrifying than a real hurricane and directly caused devastating damage to this small hillside.

Haruki pushed off with his feet.

He infused Chakra with the wind attribute. Riding on the airflow, he ascended and avoided Kakuzu's Ninjutsu.

Suddenly, Tsunade's body swelled as a towering tree enveloped her.

The exploding storm lashed against the tree trunk, like a series of huge knives slashing down.

A series of extremely harsh sounds rang out continuously.

The branches fell off in unison, leaving only a bare tree trunk covered with knife marks.

But there was no doubt that Tsunade had blocked it.