Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

In the year 11 of the New Calendar, the Shinobi World had only experienced about a decade of peace since the end of the Warring States Period. Over these ten years, the various nations worked tirelessly to rebuild and grow their economies. With economic development came rising prosperity. However, the more money circulated, the more issues of inflation began to surface. Although inflation was not yet severe at this point, the devaluation of currency was becoming noticeable.

Still, 2 million ryō was no small sum. For reference, the monthly salary of an average Genin was only a few tens of thousands of ryō. A diligent one might make about 100,000 through missions. Chūnin could earn several hundred thousand, though rarely exceeding four or five hundred thousand. Jōnin, on the other hand, had significantly higher earnings. A Jōnin capable of completing S-rank missions could earn over a million in a month.

Thus, 2 million ryō was effectively the equivalent of a month's salary for an elite Jōnin.

And now, this substantial amount of money was scattered before Kakuzu's eyes, fluttering down like leaves. He stood there, stunned by the sight.

Below, the shinobi known as Retsu urged him impatiently.

"Hey, hurry up and collect the money so we can leave already!"

For a moment, Kakuzu's worldview seemed to shatter. His gaze drifted lazily downward to where Retsu was.

"As a shinobi, killing and bloodshed are a norm. But flaunting the backing of your village while blatantly disrespecting others? That's repulsive. And to think you don't even have the decency to respect the lady you've just wronged. Heh, people like you…I'd call you nothing but scum."

"And another thing," Kakuzu added, shifting his gaze to the scattered money.

"A person who doesn't value money is trash. And someone who wastes money? They're worse than trash."

"You have one minute. Apologize to the lady and pick up every last coin."

"What?!?"

The three Iwagakure shinobi were dumbfounded. The words "scum," "trash," and "worse than trash" echoed clearly in their ears.

Two of them immediately broke into a cold sweat, fear evident in their eyes. They could sense Kakuzu's overwhelming strength—at least Jōnin-level, far beyond their ability to contend with. If a fight broke out, they would undoubtedly be the ones to suffer.

Retsu, however, bristled with fury. Those words were clearly directed at him.

'You bastard!'

Retsu clenched his fists, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Kakuzu. He couldn't comprehend where this man had come from, much less why he dared to speak to him like that.

Though seething with anger, Retsu didn't dare to make the first move. Kakuzu's strength was undeniable. No matter how enraged he was, he knew he couldn't win.

Suppressing his fury, Retsu glanced at the young woman, Hanabusa, lying pitifully on the ground, utterly defenseless. His frustration grew. He couldn't believe that the prey he had almost captured was slipping away.

"Fine!"

Retsu shot Kakuzu a venomous glare, his face dark with suppressed rage. He didn't want to provoke Kakuzu further today. But this insult, this humiliation—he would remember it. And he would repay it one day.

'Consider yourself lucky today! Men, let's go!'

In his mind, Retsu rationalized that Kakuzu must have intervened not for the money, but for the woman.

But just as he turned to leave—

"Who said you could leave?"

Kakuzu's calm yet chilling voice stopped them in their tracks. Retsu's face darkened.

"What else do you want?!"

"I told you to apologize to the lady and pick up the money," Kakuzu replied evenly.

Retsu sneered, mockery etched across his face. "And what if I don't? You think you can just order me around because you're stronger?"

He straightened, his voice growing louder. "Do you know who I am? I'm part of a prominent clan in Iwagakure! You'd better think twice before crossing me!"

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, Kakuzu moved, appearing directly in front of Retsu. The sudden movement startled the latter, causing him to stumble back a step.

Kakuzu's lips curled into an amused smirk. He'd seen his fair share of people like this—arrogant shinobi flaunting their backgrounds as if it granted them immunity.

"So you're from one of Iwagakure's 'prominent clans,' huh? Sorry, never heard of it. But I have met Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, and that old schemer Mu," Kakuzu said with a chuckle.

Retsu's face paled slightly at the mention of those names.

Ignoring his reaction, Kakuzu continued, "Now, are you going to apologize and pick up the money? Or do I have to make you?"

Retsu gritted his teeth, his fists trembling. But in the end, he knew he had no choice. Under Kakuzu's oppressive presence, resistance was futile.

He crouched down, muttering an insincere apology to Hanabusa while hastily gathering the scattered coins.

Kakuzu watched in satisfaction, his smirk deepening.

"Good. Now get lost."

With humiliation etched into their faces, the three Iwagakure shinobi left, their defeat complete.

Kakuzu turned to Hanabusa, who was still lying on the ground.

"Can you stand?"

Her wide, teary eyes met his, and she nodded hesitantly.

"Then let's get you somewhere safe," he said, his voice unusually gentle.

He shifted his focus to targeting Konoha instead. He declared that choosing Konoha as the negotiation site had been a terrible decision. For any future Five Kage Summits, unless the location was outside the Five Great Nations, Iwagakure would absolutely refuse to attend. After delivering a harsh condemnation of Konoha, the Tsuchikage had left with his entourage.

This was Kakuzu's impression of Iwagakure.

These thoughts flashed briefly through Kakuzu's mind before he pulled himself back to the present. His gaze landed on Retsu standing before him.

Since the other party clearly had no intention of following his instructions, Kakuzu decided to handle it himself.

Extending a hand, he grabbed Retsu by the collar and, with a powerful throw, sent him flying.

Boom!!!

Like a cannonball, the man smashed through the ceiling, his entire body shooting out of sight. Witnessing this, the two Iwa-nin nearby were utterly stunned. At that trajectory, even if Retsu survived, he was likely to be permanently crippled.

Without pausing, Kakuzu turned to the next Iwa-nin, who had also attacked the woman earlier.

With a casual motion, Kakuzu reached out and grabbed him.

"Ughhhhhh!!"

A blood-curdling scream tore from the man's throat as Kakuzu wrenched his arm clean off.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You're a grown man—what are you crying about? If you're going to cry, do it outside!" Kakuzu said impatiently. Annoyed by the noise, he threw the man out as well.

Whether he lived or died after landing was no longer Kakuzu's concern.

After dealing with them, Kakuzu clapped his hands and turned back. The last remaining Iwa-nin was trembling uncontrollably, clutching a kunai in his hands. His arms and legs were shaking so much that he couldn't keep a steady grip, and the kunai fell to the ground with a clang.

Embarrassment was the least of his concerns. Scrambling, the Iwa-nin picked the kunai back up, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Kakuzu.

The fate of his two companions had made one thing abundantly clear: for Kakuzu, killing them was as effortless as crushing an ant.

Overwhelmed by fear, the Iwa-nin tried to maintain a combat stance befitting a ninja, though his trembling gave him away.

Seeing this, Kakuzu let out a dry laugh.

"Go on, get out of here!" he said, waving his hand dismissively. This one wouldn't suffer the same miserable fate as the others—solely because he hadn't joined in on attacking the woman.

Before letting him leave, however, Kakuzu added one final warning:

"Oh, and tell your Iwa-nin friends when you get back: I'll be stationed here permanently. Unless they want trouble, they'd better stay out of my way. Got it?"

"Y-yes! Got it!" The last Iwa-nin swallowed hard, his legs feeling like lead as he forced himself to move.

Once he confirmed that Kakuzu wasn't about to attack, he bolted from the underground chamber like his life depended on it.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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