"Danzo, the Earth Grudge Fear you're looking for… we've got intel."
Danzo Shimura placed the report on the desk. "It's in the hands of a troublesome individual."
"His name is Kakuzu. Current identity: bounty hunter. He's active in Bounty Stations across multiple countries."
"It's highly suspected that he's the former Hidden Waterfall Village ninja Lady Mito mentioned."
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the file and began reading.
He had to admit, the efficiency pleased him.
If Danzo's ambition could be kept in check, his operational ability was solid. At least when it came to external matters.
But as Hiruzen flipped through the pages, it felt like a giant question mark appeared over his head.
Had I praised him too soon?
"Obsessed with money? Takes on any job for cash, even something like finding a lost cat?" Hiruzen looked up, puzzled. "Are you sure you didn't mix up some of Might Duy's information with his?"
"No," Danzo replied flatly. "I'm a professional."
"So you're telling me that a dangerous Rogue Ninja who stole a secret technique from the Hidden Waterfall Village and slaughtered a large portion of its upper ranks…"
"After entering the underground black market, he suddenly started following rules, working diligently, earning excellent reviews, never betraying clients, and completing all kinds of missions like a model employee?"
"This has continued for over twenty years. And he's at least seventy years old now?" Hiruzen's expression remained blank as he added, "You think that makes sense?"
Rogue Ninja, wandering shinobi… they were among the most dangerous people in the entire shinobi world.
Not necessarily because of raw strength.
But once someone betrayed their hidden village, the atmosphere of the current era ensured one thing. They would never be trusted again.
No organization liked a tool that bit the hand that held it.
The idea that ninja were tools had not formed overnight. It was a mindset built over centuries.
And inertia created by time was powerful.
Once they became individuals despised by the entire shinobi world, most Rogue Ninja grew fiercely aggressive. They followed no order, respected no structure. True desperadoes.
Yet this man named Kakuzu behaved more like a model mission specialist from one of the great hidden villages.
According to the intel, his record in the black market was flawless. Zero complaints. If he failed a mission, he even refunded the deposit.
A gentleman who loved wealth but acquired it through proper means?
"Danzo, I can't believe this report is wrong. It's been verified multiple times," Danzo insisted. His voice carried the faintest trace of frustration.
He had thought the same when he first read Kakuzu's profile.
What kind of Rogue Ninja was this?
After personally investigating, he had to admit. Kakuzu truly was this strange.
"He's extremely cautious. He rarely clashes with the Five Great Hidden Villages. His combat ability and experience surpass that of ordinary Jonin."
"If we intend to capture him, we must prepare thoroughly, Hiruzen."
Danzo added, "If we fail, it could damage our reputation. Especially considering the First…"
"Why?" Hiruzen frowned. "What does this have to do with the First?"
"Didn't Lady Mito say he once attacked Hashirama Senju?" Danzo shot back, as if the answer were obvious.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
"Danzo, imagine you subdued an enemy who once opposed you. You spared him to show magnanimity. The entire shinobi world quietly admired your tolerance."
"Then one of your subordinates killed him anyway. What would you think?"
Danzo's face darkened. "I'd cut that subordinate down myself. That's sabotage."
Hiruzen spread his hands. "You see? Lord Hashirama's reputation and credibility weren't built on strength alone. They were shaped by countless details like that."
"When I invoke the First Hokage's name, even those great villages that act like wolves have to show a measure of respect. That's why."
"Lady Mito's description of Kakuzu was a pitiful young man, forced to challenge him in what was essentially a spar."
To use a somewhat clumsy analogy.
If Hashirama Senju were a great king, Kakuzu was merely a brazen commoner who threw a rock at his carriage—spared to prove the king's magnanimity. He wasn't an arrogant, scheming lord who actively threatened the throne and needed to be executed.
Danzo nodded slowly.
Being Hokage was this complicated?
He had privately mocked the First Hokage's straightforwardness before.
Turns out it was wisdom disguised as simplicity.
"So what do we do, Hiruzen?"
"It's been so many years. Hardly anyone remembers anymore. It should be fine, right?" Danzo asked, uncertainty creeping in.
Hiruzen ignored the question and lit his pipe, narrowing his eyes.
He was thinking about the contradictions surrounding Kakuzu.
"A Rogue Ninja who gained an immortal body… yet he's obsessed with money."
"Logically, money should mean almost nothing to him. So why does he treat it like his life? And yet, if he loves money that much, why refund deposits when he fails?"
Hiruzen went back to the beginning of the file and read carefully.
Assigned by the Hidden Waterfall Village to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Imprisoned upon returning. Acquired Earth Grudge Fear. Massacred the village's higher-ups.
Obsessed with money. Diligent in missions. Refunds deposits. Enjoys reading ancient texts.
Thanks to Danzo's network, even someone buried in history like Kakuzu had been thoroughly dug up.
As Hiruzen connected the dots, considering everything he understood about ninja…
A realization began to form.
The shinobi world was brutal. Oppressive.
Most ninja did not possess what one would call a beautiful state of mind. Nearly all of them clung to some kind of fixation.
Take the bandaged middle-aged man sitting across from him.
On the surface, Danzo claimed to care about the Hokage position.
But dig deeper, and his behavior looked more like a desperate attempt to prove he was no longer a cowardly youth. To the point of obsession.
Kakuzu loved money.
Perhaps what he truly loved was not the currency itself.
Perhaps it was the sense of order behind money. Equal exchange. A system where everything had a price. A rule that did not shift based on betrayal or loyalty.
After witnessing the cruelty of the shinobi world as a traitor, perhaps that was the only structure he trusted.
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened.
"Danzo… why do I have the feeling Kakuzu might still be someone who could be influenced by the Will of Fire?"
"Let me be clear. I admit the Will of Fire in your hands is something special," Danzo said, shaking his head. "But it isn't a cure-all."
"Want to make a bet?" Hiruzen asked with a grin.
"If you lose, you'll keep a smile on your face for an entire day. Like Might Duy. Patrol the village and greet everyone enthusiastically. That includes the Uchiha."
Danzo's expression turned dark.
How could this old monkey still say such unserious things at his age?
He was the Hokage.
And the bet itself was absurdly childish.
Who would agree to something like that?
"Hmph. Fine. I'll teach you a lesson."
Danzo's voice went cold.
"No vague terms. If Kakuzu actively helps Konoha, even once, you win."
"If I win, then the next time I render meritorious service to Konoha, you will be the first to stand and applaud."
Hiruzen chuckled and shook his head.
"That takes the fun out of it. I'd do that anyway."
"Then handle it however you want," Danzo said, maintaining his stoic mask. Inside, however, he felt oddly satisfied.
When Hiruzen spoke like that, it was like drinking fine wine.
Some of it was his own merit, of course. Still… perhaps there was something worth learning.
"Back to the matter at hand."
Danzo cleared his throat, hiding the trace of a smile. "What's our move?"