"I agree"
Hearing this, Itachi nodded in satisfaction and then started forming seals.
Sealing Jutsu: Mind Palace Lock
Sealing Jutsu: Chakra Destruction
Sealing Jutsu: Spirit Lock
After Itachi completed the hand seal of one jutsu, he would press his hand on Kakuzu's temple, and this process continued for the next two times.
"I have formed three seals on you. The first one seals your memories, and even the Sage of Six Paths can't see your memories now.
The second one destroys your chakra network or meridians once you betray me, eventually making you a normal person like most of the unfortunate civilians.
The third one protects your soul from any interference, which means that even if Pain uses his Rinnegan to get your soul out of your body, he can't know a single thing.
Very well, now you can fuse the heart here or at your own safe place. Though if it's not a trouble, you can perform the surgery here and maybe I can help you."
Hearing the description of the seals, Kakuzu wilted for the first time. Kakuzu could indeed feel the seals acting on his body, and he couldn't even understand a thing about them.
Kakuzu, though from a small ninja village, had lived long enough to know many things in the ninja world. And he naturally had a little bit of mastery over Fūinjutsu. But the sealing jutsu Itachi used were on a completely different level.
"I will fuse the heart here. Anyway, if you want to harm me, then you can harm me anytime, so it doesn't matter. Maybe you can really help me with it."
The next moment, without another word, Kakuzu's back tore apart, and then four broken masks were thrown aside. Then Kakuzu used his black threads to take the new heart out and then merged it into his back.
The moment the Hashirama cell heart disappeared in the black threads inside Kakuzu's body, a surge of chakra spread from Kakuzu as the center, but the two of them didn't focus on that.
They had expected this result. The next moment, Kakuzu took out a mask and stitched it into his back in the place where the heart originally was.
Ten minutes later
Kakuzu finally stood up, his face full of surprise and slight disappointment.
"It is just as you have said. My chakra has increased multiple times, my regeneration speed has increased, my life force has increased, and now my earth and water chakra natures have gotten a massive boost.
Unfortunately, I didn't get Wood Release, and this heart can only be stable inside my body, so I can't convert this heart into a monster to fight the enemy individually.
Though ultimately, my strength has increased drastically. Once I fill all the hearts once again, I will definitely reach the top strength of the ninja world."
Hearing this, Itachi didn't break Kakuzu's dream. Although Kakuzu's strength had indeed increased, he would at most be a high or peak Kage, not even close to Madara or Hashirama, let alone those aliens.
But if Kakuzu could merge earth and water, and maybe Yang chakra, then he could also use Wood Release. Though it might still be weaker than Hashirama's, it would still be stronger than most bloodline limits.
"Kakuzu, I have heard that Takigakure has something called Hero's Water?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu nodded.
"Indeed, Hero's Water is the sap of the sacred tree formed once every hundred years. Consuming it can drastically increase your chakra tens of times or even more, but it also consumes life force proportionately.
In the Third Great Ninja War, Takigakure was able to fight three minor villages just because of that. But later, there were too many deaths because of it, and the Hero's Water is finally sealed now."
Hearing this, Itachi nodded. It was exactly as he had heard, but the current head of the village was Hisen, which meant that the foreign powers which attacked and caused his death hadn't arrived yet.
"If you want the Hero's Water, it might be difficult. After consuming it, a Jonin possesses the power of a near Kage, and they know they will die, so they usually fight to the death, which is annoying.
They captured the Seven-Tails just like that. It is also the reason they are the only minor ninja village to have a tailed beast. No major village dares to attack Takigakure because they know that if Takigakure is really pushed into destruction, then they might suffer heavy losses."
Hearing this, Itachi nodded. Previously, when he had watched the Naruto episode of Hero's Water, he was confused. How could a Jonin and a few other ninjas capture the entire Takigakure as a hostage? And if that was possible, then how could a Chunin like Sasuke and Naruto defeat him?
Takigakure was also the only minor village capable of capturing the Seven-Tails, so how could they be so weak?
Now Itachi understood. Maybe after the Third Great Ninja War, Takigakure was already weakened. Then they were attacked by some foreign power, and all the remaining strong men including the village leader also died.
"I do have some interest in Hero's Water, and according to my information, there is currently no Seven-Tails Jinchūriki. The Seven-Tails is still free. Why not take it as a summoning beast?
Anyway, you still need a few hearts, right? Why not go there? You can also take your revenge."
"Taking a tailed beast as a summoning beast, you Uchiha are really crazy. But aren't you afraid of the implications it would cause to Konoha?
A tailed beast is a strategic resource in the entire ninja world. If Konoha snatches Takigakure's tailed beast today, then tomorrow they would dare to snatch other villages' tailed beasts.
Other villages won't watch Konoha get another tailed beast and maybe another Jinchūriki and grow stronger. It might even start the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Anyway, it's been nearly a decade since the previous Third Great Ninja War. All the great ninja villages have already recovered from the trauma."
Hearing this, Itachi nearly laughed out loud. Maybe other villages had really recovered, but Konoha was only getting weaker and weaker.
Itachi thought of Konoha with a look of pity. Before, it had the blessings of a pair of the strongest Hokage and the darkness of the ninja world. Now it had the blessings of the strongest Hokage and the strongest Uchiha.
If it could still grow stronger, then Itachi and Sarutobi Hiruzen would have failed their duty as Police Head and Hokage.
"You do not have to worry about that."
"Okay, but first I have to take another heart."
Hearing this, Itachi understood. Genzō's heart was still fresh.
"Hey, Kakuzu, will stronger hearts give you greater strength?
What happens if you all your hearts are Kage-level?"
"Stronger hearts give me more elemental affinity, and my chakra and life force increase.
If I get five Kage-level hearts, then I would be on the same level as those two."
Itachi thought for a bit. Maybe it's really possible. The weakest Super-Kage is still a Super-Kage. With five Jonin-level hearts, Kakuzu is Kage-level, then the other way is also possible.
"Hey, so when you tried to assassinate Hashirama Senju, did you consume Hero's Water?"
"No. To them, Hero's Water is a strategic resource for protecting the village and not for using it as a consumable for assassinating others. If I had Hero's Water, I would have probably fought better, but maybe because of that I would have been dead."
After that Kakuzu took Genzō's heart and did the same process as before. After everything was done, the two of them left the place of destruction for the Takigakure village.
---
Somewhere else in the ninja world
"Obito, Obito, there is urgent news."
In a dark cave, a strange-looking man was sitting on a stone platform, daydreaming about something. Suddenly, from the ground, a white goo came out and then took the appearance of a human-like physique, though he was still all white.
"I told you not to call me Obito. Call me Madara.
What's the news?"
"Just like you expected, Kakuzu and Genzō were not able to assassinate Itachi Uchiha."
Hearing this, Obito nodded as if he had expected this result.
"How did Itachi escape?"
"Escape? No, no, no. He almost defeated Genzō, but suddenly Kakuzu attacked both of them. Genzō died, but the Itachi who died was a strange clone. After that, Kakuzu was somehow trapped in a genjutsu and then captured."
"Hmmm"
Obito, who originally looked like he had expected everything, nearly lost the composure of Madara he had maintained for years.
"What did you say? Did Itachi really defeat the two of them?"
---