Hikaru never would've imagined—even in his dreams—that a routine mission would end with him running into Kakuzu.
Missions going sideways was normal. He'd led teams for years and dealt with plenty of unexpected trouble.
But something this nasty?
This was a first.
Hikaru wasn't unfamiliar with Kakuzu in the slightest.
Even though it had been almost fourteen years since he'd arrived in this world, he'd started making notes early on—just in case time dulled his memory.
Of course, he didn't leave those notes lying around. He kept them sealed inside a scroll and carried it with him at all times.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he'd pull it out and reread it, forcing the details to stay sharp.
As a member of Akatsuki, Kakuzu's background and intel were burned into Hikaru's mind.
Originally an elite shinobi from Takigakure, he later betrayed his village.
Rumor said he once tried to assassinate the First Hokage and survived.
As for how he "assassinated" him… Hikaru had no idea. Maybe he threw a kunai from a kilometer away and called it a day.
It was a ridiculous rumor, sure—but Kakuzu's capabilities were very real.
He could steal hearts to extend his lifespan, and he could use the chakra nature of those hearts to unleash matching ninjutsu.
And beyond that, his taijutsu wasn't weak at all.
"Oh?" Kakuzu swept his gaze back with a quiet chuckle. "I'm being followed."
"I'm curious—who exactly is tailing me?"
"Come out on your own… or do I drag you out?"
As he spoke, he casually tossed the corpse off his shoulder, letting it hit the ground with a dull thud.
At the same time, chakra began to gather around him—dense, ominous.
Kakashi frowned. The man felt wrong, like something stitched together and wearing human skin.
And even through Hikaru's mask, Kakashi could tell his captain was tense.
"Captain," Kakashi asked softly as he motioned for Pakkun to withdraw, "you know him?"
"I do." Hikaru nodded, one hand sliding to the hilt of his short sword. "His name is Kakuzu."
"A bounty hunter. He lives in the underground markets. Near-perfect mission success rate."
"Troublesome. Dangerous."
That was all Hikaru could say.
Those were public facts—ANBU could pull that kind of intel easily.
As for the rest…
He didn't dare bring it up.
Not the fact that the cloak Kakuzu wore was the uniform of the most notorious terrorist organization in the shinobi world.
Not the fact that he had multiple hearts, and killing him once meant nothing unless you destroyed them all.
Not the fact that he could likely use multiple chakra natures, possibly even all of them.
"I see." Kakashi gave a small nod, then spoke without hesitation. "Captain—if we fight, I'll handle him. You take the body."
"…Deal." Hikaru answered immediately, almost too pleased.
There's really a deal like this?
Kakashi would eventually be the man who brought Kakuzu down.
Sure, the Kakashi of today couldn't compare to the one more than a decade later—experience, physique, chakra control, even how he used his Sharingan.
But still… Kakuzu had a special kind of bad luck where Kakashi was concerned.
Even if Naruto ended up "stealing the finishing blow" in the future, Kakuzu dying with Kakashi present felt like fate.
A built-in debuff.
A "Kakuzu-killer" buff.
But that wasn't the point right now.
Kakuzu's chakra pressure was rising—he was right on the edge of striking.
Hikaru didn't want to trade blows with a monster like this if he could avoid it.
So negotiation was the obvious first step.
With a light leap, Hikaru and Kakashi dropped from the treetops and landed on the ground below.
Hikaru walked forward calmly and stopped about five meters from Kakuzu.
"Oh?" Kakuzu lifted an eyebrow. Those green eyes were cold as grave glass. "ANBU?"
"Judging by your gear, you're Leaf."
"You want that guy?"
He flicked a finger at the corpse on the ground—Kashiwagi Kawa, long dead.
Only now… the man's face had changed.
A different face entirely.
"Yes, Mr. Kakuzu." Hikaru kept his voice warm and polite. "We do want him."
"If you're willing to help us, we'd appreciate it."
"Help?" Kakuzu let out a scornful laugh. "I'm not a charity."
"Do you have any idea how much trouble it was to kill him?"
"And besides—he wasn't a Konoha ninja, was he?"
"We're willing to pay—"
"But he's our target."
Kakashi cut in, voice flat and sharp as ice.
"We're taking him back."
"Dead or alive."
The moment those words left Kakashi's mouth, Hikaru's face went dark under his mask.
Being firm wasn't the main issue.
The problem was the certainty Kakashi broadcast—like there was no negotiation, no alternate outcome.
In most situations, that was fine.
Here?
It was a disaster.
ANBU hunted targets for all kinds of reasons—traitor executions, assassinations…
And the messy one: cleaning out spies.
"Oh?" Kakuzu's eyes brightened for a fraction of a second.
Then they sharpened into something dangerous.
"So you want to fight, kid?"
"Mr. Kakuzu, don't get angry." Hikaru immediately yanked Kakashi behind him and spoke quickly, still wearing that gentle tone like armor.
"You're right—you're not a charity. So we'll pay the market rate for his head. How about that?"
"Market rate?" Kakuzu looked genuinely amused—like Hikaru had told him a joke.
"You think I'm stupid?"
"Thanks to the brat beside you, I understand exactly what's going on."
"That man was a spy, wasn't he?"
"And he's carrying Leaf intelligence."
"If I leak that information, do you have any idea how many people will pay extra to buy his head?"
"Market rate?" He laughed again, colder this time. "Do you think that makes sense?"
"What do you want, then?" Hikaru asked, not showing any irritation. He shot Kakashi a silent glare, then turned back, still polite.
"Simple."
Kakuzu's expression suddenly became solemn—dead serious.
He spoke each word slowly, as if announcing a sacred law.
"Then you pay extra."
"…"
Hikaru froze for a heartbeat.
Staring at Kakuzu's utterly sincere face, he almost wondered if this bastard was a transmigrator too.
But when Hikaru thought about it, Kakuzu saying this was the least surprising thing in the world.
The man had lived too long.
He'd lost interest in everything else.
Only money still made him feel alive.
In his eyes, there was nothing left but profit.
Hikaru drew in a slow breath.
Without letting his voice change, he subtly moved one hand behind his back and flashed Kakashi a tactical sign.
Then, still calm, he said, "Mr. Kakuzu… Konoha rarely negotiates like this."
"So you do want to fight." Kakuzu's voice dropped into a cold, killing tone. "ANBU are annoying… but even annoying people have bounties."
"That depends," Hikaru replied evenly—yet his chakra was already gathering too, coiling and tightening like a drawn bowstring.
In the next instant, Kakashi burst forward from behind him and snapped his wrist, sending several kunai flying straight at Kakuzu—
And Hikaru moved at the same time.
But he didn't charge Kakuzu.
He shot toward the corpse.