get-shopping Chapter 70 Interests? Ideals?
Chapter 70 Interests? Ideals?
"I think you've misunderstood something, Kakuzu."
Menma's voice came through the fox mask, and his eyes, hidden behind the mask, stared directly at Kakuzu.
"Whether you're interested in my ideology or not, you must join [Jin]."
Kakuzu's muscles tensed as he stared intently at the figure before him, never imagining that his simple task of earning some extra money would lead him to provoke someone of this caliber.
As a bounty hunter who had roamed the black market for many years, Kakuzu knew all too well how terrifying the man before him was. On the black market's bounty list, the Kage and Daimyo of the Five Great Nations had always been the most valuable targets—until a few years ago, when a name surpassed all other bounties with an overwhelming amount.
【Jin】The leader of the organization, with a pockmarked face.
This man's achievements are nothing short of astonishing: annihilating the entire Cloud Village delegation, severely wounding the Raikage to the brink of death, and single-handedly attacking Konoha... Each of these feats is enough to shake the entire ninja world. And he remains at large to this day.
Kakuzu still remembers the shock he felt when he saw that exorbitant bounty. He immediately set off for the area around Konoha, hoping to find this priceless prey.
However, when he stood on the outskirts of Konoha and saw the giant crater that was almost the size of the village, all his greed vanished in an instant.
Even Kakuzu, who had lived for nearly a hundred years, had to admit one fact: wanting to hunt Menma for a bounty was simply a death wish. He had originally thought that after Hashirama Senju's death, monsters of that caliber would never appear in the ninja world again.
Should I say I'm honored?
Kakuzu's voice carried a deliberate sarcasm, "With your power, it wouldn't matter to [Jin] whether I'm there or not."
As he spoke, he glanced around out of the corner of his eye, secretly planning possible escape routes. Although money was his greatest passion, Kakuzu wasn't stupid; no matter how valuable the prey, it wasn't worth risking his life for.
Menma suddenly spoke up, "Kakuzu, you've lived too long... In such a long life, are you content with merely chasing money?"
This sentence caused Kakuzu to freeze almost imperceptibly.
"I know the inside story from back then," Menma's voice continued. "Those parasites gave you a suicide mission, but you actually went and challenged the God of Shinobi."
The green light in Kakuzu's black eyes flashed violently. Those shames he thought had been buried by time were now being laid bare.
Those long-buried fragments of memory suddenly surged up—the faces of the Takigakure high-ranking officials, the chilling atmosphere of the prison, and the twisted pleasure of taking the first heart...
"The ridiculous thing is, they were afraid of Hashirama Senju's revenge, so they used you as a pawn." Menma slowly stepped forward. "Even though the village betrayed you, they ended up labeling you a 'traitor.'"
"How...how do you know all this?"
Kakuzu's voice wavered. For nearly a century, he had thought that the past had been buried with those who knew about it back then.
Could it be that the masked face of [Jin] is also a monster that has lived from that era to the present?
This thought secretly alarmed Kakuzu. He had originally planned to intimidate the other party by saying that he had fought against the First Hokage, but now it seemed that anyone who knew a little about what happened back then would understand that he was able to come back alive purely because Hashirama Senju had shown mercy.
Menma seemed to see through his thoughts, and a soft chuckle came from beneath the mask. "No need to guess, I know more than you think... For example, how many hearts are still beating inside you right now?"
These words struck Kakuzu like a thunderbolt. The secret of the Earth Grudge was his greatest trump card for survival.
"bring it on."
Menma slowly extended his hand towards Kakuzu. "My target is those ambitious individuals who lord it over others while pushing all the danger onto the ninjas."
A gentle breeze ruffled his robes, and the nine-faced beast stirred restlessly behind him. "My organization does not pursue a meaningless peace... I want to build a world where 'the strong need not betray, and the weak need not beg for mercy.'"
Kakuzu clenched his fists, the black stitches on his skin writhing uneasily. These words... decades ago, in the dark prison of Takigakure, were the very salvation he had longed to hear.
"Kakuzu, and you—" Menma's hand remained suspended in the air, "can become its 'foundation'."
"Those who live as long as heaven and earth, cease your wandering..." The voice beneath the fox mask suddenly softened, "It's time to 'put down roots.'"
Kakuzu clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Decades of solitary wandering had transformed the once passionate elite of Takigakure into a ruthless bounty hunter. His life's motto had long since become nothing more than an obsession with money...
"Looks like... you're planning to take me for granted?"
Menma nodded calmly. "Yes, that's right."
"I see... Well, I have one condition." Kakuzu's voice suddenly turned dangerous, and the black stitches began to twist violently. "I know you're strong, but..."
His body suddenly erupted with astonishing chakra, causing the surrounding earth to crack under the force. "Trying to gain my allegiance with mere empty words is too simplistic!"
"Fight me! Let me see what kind of being this bounty target that strikes fear into the hearts of the five great nations."
Menma remained silent for a moment, then his chakra began to fluctuate violently. "I see."
The nine-faced beasts roared simultaneously, "Then let's fight!"
"Now... let me sever your past with my own hands."