Just as the Slug Sage had said, the two of them would have plenty of chances to meet again, so this farewell wasn't particularly bittersweet.
The distance between Shikkotsu Forest and Konoha wasn't exactly near, but it wasn't terribly far either. Without riding Lobo, it would still take Hoshiyomi about two or three days to make it back to the village.
Since nothing major was happening in Konoha recently, Hoshiyomi didn't rush. On his way back, he wandered through nearby towns like any ordinary traveler, sampling local food and taking in the sights.
Unlike in Konoha, where his name carried weight and fame, these small remote towns had no idea what the legendary "Konoha's Silver Moon" or the "God of War of Konoha" looked like.
No one greeted him specially, no one stared. Instead, Hoshiyomi got to enjoy the long-missed pleasure of being ordinary and unremarkable.
Unfortunately, the peace didn't last long. Just as Hoshiyomi was preparing to leave one such town and resume his journey, he suddenly sensed a strong chakra presence locking onto him.
The chakra belonged to someone with Kage-level strength—and their stealth skills were exceptional. If it had been the old Hoshiyomi, he might never have noticed.
But after his Sage Mode training, Hoshiyomi's perception and overall ability had reached a new level. Even without entering Sage Mode, he could sense the presence clearly now.
That meant the unknown enemy had already lost his one chance at a perfect sneak attack.
Tsk tsk tsk… talk about timing. I'd just been thinking how I hadn't had a real fight to test out my new Sage Mode… and now someone's delivering themselves right to my doorstep.
Feigning ignorance, Hoshiyomi walked out of the town and strolled into the dense forests of the Land of Fire. At that exact moment, a ferocious Fire Release technique suddenly roared toward him from behind.
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Ninja Art: Chaotic Wind and Fire Wave!"
In an instant, two powerful techniques overlapped, merging into a raging inferno of fire that surged toward Hoshiyomi like an unstoppable tidal wave.
Though they were only B-rank techniques, the user's mastery over chakra nature transformation was terrifying. By combining Wind Release and Fire Release into a composite ninjutsu, the destructive power had reached the level of an S-rank technique!
The blazing sea of flames warped the very air with scorching heat, carrying the aura of annihilation, as though it could reduce everything in existence to ash.
Yet, facing such overwhelming fire, Hoshiyomi showed no fear or concern. His right hand calmly rested on the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika. A moment later, he drew in a single decisive slash—
Piercing Sky Draw Slash!
A ring of water-blue sword energy roared outward, colliding head-on with the raging inferno. A chilling sssshhhhh echoed as steam burst forth.
But it lasted only a moment. The water-aspected chakra infused in Xingye'sPiercing Sky Draw Slash sliced the firestorm clean apart, splitting the blaze in two and scattering it into fragments of flame and scalding vapor.
Hoshiyomi had expected such a display to terrify his attacker into fleeing. But instead, the man didn't retreat. On the contrary, he pressed forward, using the steam as cover to close in rapidly.
From within the boiling haze, a deep, raspy voice growled:
"A heart worth five hundred million… I'll be taking it."
"Tentacle Fist!"
As the words fell, a grotesque, jet-black fist came whistling through the air toward Hoshiyomi with incredible force.
But Hoshiyomi had already sensed its exact position long before. Instead of dodging with Shunpo, he gripped Mikazuki Munechika tightly—
—and slashed down with all his might.
"You've fallen for it."
The deep voice sounded again. The fist that had suddenly flown toward Hoshiyomi twisted unnaturally midair, evading his blade and instead striking toward Hoshiyomi's back.
"Fallen for it?"
Hoshiyomi gave a cold snort. His grip on Mikazuki Munechika shifted, and with a swift motion, he slashed toward the strange black threads wrapped around the fist.
Mikazuki Munechika was one of the sharpest divine blades in existence, and in Hoshiyomi's hands its edge was enhanced to an even greater level. With a single swish, those seemingly unbreakable black threads were all sliced apart.
The attacker was clearly taken aback and tried to hurriedly reel the threads back in—but Hoshiyomi wasn't about to give him the chance. Before the threads could withdraw, Hoshiyomi's left hand shot out like lightning, seizing them.
"Now, who's the one who's fallen for it?"
With that, Hoshiyomi gave a savage yank, using raw brute strength to drag the would-be ambusher straight toward him.
Glancing at the black threads in his grip, Hoshiyomi already had a good idea of his opponent's identity. From the earlier Wind and Fire Release combo, and that line about "a heart worth five hundred million," he had already suspected.
This strange ability, this mercenary greed for bounty over life—there was no mistaking it. The attacker was none other than Kakuzu, one half of the infamous Immortal Duo partnered with Hidan in the original story.
Hoshiyomi's right hand, already prepared, thrust Mikazuki Munechika forward the instant Kakuzu was dragged in.
But Kakuzu's reflexes were just as sharp. Seeing himself yanked forward, he gritted his teeth and severed his own black threads, forcibly halting the pull.
Hoshiyomi's stab cut only air. He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, while Kakuzu, having narrowly avoided being impaled, finally revealed his true body. His eerie green eyes locked onto Hoshiyomi as he muttered in a low voice:
"To cut through my composite ninjutsu so easily, and with such monstrous strength… you're even stronger than the reports say."
Seeing Kakuzu's real form, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but remark:
"So it really is you."
At this point in time, the Akatsuki had yet to become the terrifying organization they would in the future. Kakuzu hadn't joined them yet—he was still active in the underground black market, working freelance, taking assassination contracts.
If anyone in the shinobi world would dare take Hoshiyomi's head for a bounty, it could only be him.
After all, Kakuzu had once even fought the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Sure, it was only from eight hundred meters away, throwing shuriken—but still, compared to the God of Shinobi, Hoshiyomi's fame didn't quite measure up.
"You know me?" Kakuzu's movements paused slightly at Hoshiyomi's words.
Hoshiyomi shrugged:
"The legendary assassin who once crossed blades with the First Hokage himself, the ace killer of the underground. Oh, by the way, I've been dying to ask—back when you fought Lord Hashirama, just how far away were you when you threw that shuriken? Was it really eight hundred meters?"
At that, Kakuzu's eye twitched uncontrollably. Other people praising him for "fighting Hashirama" was one thing—but when it came from Hoshiyomi's mouth, why did it sound so much like he was just mocking him with the truth?