Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

"Lord Kakuzu, here's the latest bounty list circulating in the market. Care to take a look? It's quite interesting," teased Hanabusa, lounging on Kakuzu's lap with a playful grin. She was dressed in a revealing outfit, her tone full of mischief.

Kakuzu, seated comfortably in a fur-lined armchair, lazily stroked Hanabusa's shoulder with one hand while holding a wine glass in the other. The scene exuded leisure and indulgence. Seeing Hanabusa's teasing smile, Kakuzu set down his wine glass and accepted the bounty list she handed over.

The first image on the bounty poster depicted a tall, imposing man with spiked black hair slicked back in a perfect pompadour. His sharp eyes and chiseled features radiated determination, while his muscular physique, with its defined and interwoven contours, made him look both powerful and intimidating.

Raising an eyebrow, Kakuzu's interest was piqued.

"Hmm, this artist has some skill. They've managed to capture about three parts of my handsomeness and three parts of my imposing presence. Perhaps I'll let them off the hook this time."

Hanabusa giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Indeed, Lord Kakuzu. Quite the masterpiece," she replied with a smirk.

Kakuzu didn't say more, his gaze shifting down to the bounty amount listed below the portrait. The relaxed expression on his face quickly turned to a frown. His sharp eyes scanned the number several times to confirm it.

5,190,000 ryo.

Yes, that was the figure. Kakuzu's current bounty on the black market.

"What the hell... Is that all I'm worth?" Kakuzu muttered, pinching Hanabusa's cheek with his calloused hand, eliciting a playful squeal from her.

Truth be told, seeing that number left Kakuzu feeling a bit dejected. As someone who had reincarnated into this world, he couldn't help but compare his value against others on the black market.

Take, for instance, Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the future Third Hokage. In the original timeline, Asuma was defeated by Kakuzu, yet his bounty was a solid 3.5 million ryo.

In other words, Kakuzu's value was only a little more than one and a half Asumas?

Of course, this comparison wasn't entirely fair. Decades of inflation would surely impact bounty values. Still, using Asuma as a benchmark, it was clear that back in his father's era, Konoha was filled with shinobi of equal or greater renown: Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Anko Mitarashi, Ibiki Morino, Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Tsume Inuzuka, and Shibi Aburame—all loyal subordinates to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Not to mention Hiruzen's rebellious three disciples and the numerous skilled operatives in the ANBU and Root.

With such a lineage of talent under his command, it wouldn't be surprising if Hiruzen's own bounty was five or six tiers above Asuma's. That would place the Third Hokage's value at approximately 200 million ryo.

Lost in his thoughts, Kakuzu snapped back to reality and patted Hanabusa's back. She understood the gesture and retrieved a few more bounty posters, setting them before him before settling back onto his lap.

Kakuzu glanced at the next poster.

The face on it was unmistakable: long, flowing hair and a strong, angular jawline—the very image of Senju Hashirama. The bounty listed for the First Hokage was a staggering 170 million ryo.

Kakuzu chuckled bitterly. "The inflation of future bounties has truly gone through the roof. I wonder how Sarutobi would feel seeing his bounty surpassing the First Hokage's in a few decades."

He pondered the question for a moment and arrived at a conclusion.

"Sarutobi would probably be overjoyed. By then, he'd have grown into the strongest Hokage, surpassing his predecessors. How delightful."

Kakuzu placed the poster aside and took another sip of wine.

"My bounty still has room for improvement, doesn't it?" he remarked casually.

Hanabusa nodded in agreement. "Lord Kakuzu, we still have the corpse of the First Mizukage, do we not?"

Kirigakure had publicly announced that the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, had taken over leadership. However, they avoided discussing the fate of the First Mizukage, leading to rampant speculation.

Some believed the First Mizukage's death involved a massive conspiracy. Others thought he had retired from the shinobi world in secret. Whatever the case, the mystery only fueled public curiosity, making him a hot topic of discussion.

Ironically, even as the First Mizukage's body lay cold in a freezer, his name grew more renowned across the shinobi world. This surge in fame only intensified the demand for his corpse. Numerous enemies declared they would not rest until they saw his body, causing his bounty to soar past 7.1 million ryo.

"Excellent. He no longer holds much strategic value. I'll sell him to a bounty exchange," Kakuzu decided.

However, he paused, his hand on Hanabusa's shoulder.

"I'll take his body to a more distant exchange to avoid unnecessary complications," Kakuzu added thoughtfully.

If word got out that Kakuzu was the one who killed the First Mizukage, his bounty would undoubtedly skyrocket past 7 million ryo, possibly even reaching 8 million ryo.

At this point, Kakuzu's power and chakra had already reached the level of five elite Jonin combined, plus one Kage-level expert. The surging power coursed through his entire body, and his chakra replenished rapidly. Raising his arm and clenching his fist, he could feel the endless flow of strength.

This—this was the true foundation of a ninja's security, the key to Kakuzu's immortality, and the most exhilarating sensation of all.

Taking a deep breath, Kakuzu felt a clarity and vigor unlike anything he had ever experienced. His mood was bold and expansive, though there was still one thing that left him slightly dissatisfied.

While he had absorbed the lifelong Water Release mastery of the First Mizukage, along with a vast amount of chakra, it seemed he had not awakened the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai.

On reflection, it made sense. If the Earth Grudge Fear technique truly had the power to seize Kekkei Genkai, then Kakuzu would have been an even more complete version of Hiruko from the original story.

But that didn't matter. Now that the Forbidden Technique of Shimera was in his hands, Kakuzu had already formed a rough plan in his mind for awakening the Dark Release.

Without delay, Kakuzu crouched down, laying the Mizukage's corpse flat on the water's surface. Reaching behind him, he retrieved a scroll secured at his waist.

The scroll wasn't particularly large—about thirty to forty centimeters wide and several meters long when fully unfurled. As he spread it open, various sealing runes came into view, intricately drawn across its surface.

Adjusting the Mizukage's body so it lay atop the scroll, Kakuzu quickly formed a series of hand seals. Finally, he placed one hand over the center of the sealing array.

"Seal, release!"

With his command, the runes on the scroll erupted in a cloud of white smoke.

Bang!

The smoke billowed upward, rising from the scroll and drifting toward Kakuzu's brow. Moments later, the smoke dissipated, and along with it, the body of the Mizukage, Byakuren, vanished entirely.

Closing the scroll with practiced efficiency, Kakuzu glanced at the tightly sealed parchment in his hand. For a brief moment, irritation flickered across his face.

Even though he had claimed Byakuren's heart and power, Kakuzu could never forget one critical fact: that bastard had swallowed 30 million ryo of his money—and there was no chance of getting it back.

But Kakuzu wasn't about to let it slide. Not a chance.

Even if Byakuren had to work himself to the bone as a ghost in the afterlife, he'd better cough up every last coin.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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