Chapter 136: Akatsuki
Kakuzu walked slowly from the cave, accompanied by a gray-haired youth in a black leather jacket. Yoya gently tugged at Kaguya's hem, signaling her mother to lean down.
As a former Akatsuki organization member, Yoya knew these two all too well.
She leaned close to Kaguya's ear and whispered, "That Kakuzu is manageable, but Hidan's ability is troublesome. He can perform curse rituals by obtaining his opponent's blood, synchronously transferring damage he receives to them. And... he possesses an immortal body."
After hearing this, Kaguya's expression remained unchanged, her pure white eyes calmly sweeping over the two figures opposite.
Kakuzu surveyed the five women before him, greed flashing through his eyes. Such exceptionally beautiful women would surely fetch excellent prices at the bounty exchange.
Hidan had no interest in these beauties—he only cared about spreading the Jashin cult's teachings. He said lazily to his companion, "Want me to handle them for you?"
"Unnecessary." Kakuzu waved his hand. "Don't damage these cash cows. I'll handle this."
Kakuzu formed hand seals as four black creatures wearing grotesque masks burst from the ground, each radiating Wind, Fire, Lightning, or Water chakra fluctuations. He himself cautiously retreated several steps, clearly intending to test his opponents' strength first.
"Watch out!" Naruko immediately created multiple shadow clones to protect everyone. "These masked monsters can use different elemental jutsu!"
Sasuko's Sharingan had already activated, her Mangekyo slowly rotating. "I'll take the two on the left."
Hinata assumed her Gentle Fist stance, Byakugan focused on the right side. "I'll handle the ones on the right."
Just as everyone prepared for battle, Kaguya stepped forward. She didn't even glance at the menacing masked creatures, her pure white eyes locking directly on the distant Kakuzu.
She raised her hand lightly. Countless ice crystals instantly condensed in the air, freezing all four masked monsters along with Kakuzu at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
The entire process happened so quickly it caught everyone off guard. Even Hidan froze in shock.
"Kakuzu, you useless bastard!" Hidan hefted his Bloody March Scythe with displeasure. "Looks like I'll have to handle this myself."
He charged toward Kaguya swinging his massive scythe, but saw Kaguya's fingertip lightly tap forward.
A grayish-white bone spike instantly pierced through Hidan's body. Under everyone's astonished gaze, the man directly transformed into grayish-white powder.
Yoya hastily tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mother, show some restraint..."
Kaguya frowned slightly but still stopped her movements.
Sasuko approached the frozen Kakuzu, her Sharingan carefully examining the masked creatures. "These seem to be clones he cultivated using secret techniques."
"So to completely defeat him, we must simultaneously destroy all his hearts?" Naruko's expression grew grave.
The frozen Kakuzu suddenly opened his eyes. Cracks appeared on the ice surface as one of the masks emitted blinding lightning—
"Watch out for Lightning Style!" Hinata cried out.
But Kakuzu's struggles proved meaningless before Kaguya. She merely glanced indifferently as more powerful cold instantly permeated the area, completely sealing Kakuzu along with his final resistance in solid ice.
Naruko muttered while watching this scene, "This strength... practically rivals Yu's..." She wondered: why would someone so powerful come to Konoha to be a genin?
Kaguya turned toward Naruko. "Should I kill him?"
"Question him first," Naruko said cautiously. "See if they have any accomplices."
Kaguya nodded slightly. Rather than being constantly harassed by flies, better to strike at the nest directly. A thousand years ago when known as the Rabbit Goddess, she'd always been accustomed to thoroughly eliminating threats.
Kaguya's fingertip moved slightly as the ice around Kakuzu shattered.
Kakuzu worked his stiff limbs, already understanding in his heart—this woman's strength far exceeded his own. Perhaps only their leader Pain, who called himself "Deva Path" and possessed the legendary Rinnegan, could possibly be her match.
He took a deep breath, his tone moderating. "What do you ladies wish to know? Or... what do you want?"
Kaguya had originally intended to directly control Kakuzu with ocular jutsu but discovered multiple independent consciousness cores seemed to exist within his body, so she abandoned the idea.
"Tell us everything you know." Naruko stepped forward. "Everything about your organization."
Kakuzu weighed his options internally. Money and reputation were certainly important, but preserving his life was fundamental. He cleared his throat and began explaining:
"Our organization is called 'Akatsuki,' currently consisting of nine core members. The leader is Pain, who calls himself 'Deva Path' and possesses the legendary Rinnegan. Konan is his partner, skilled in Paper Style."
He glanced carefully at Kaguya before continuing, "Other members include Kisame Hoshigaki paired with Orochimaru, Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand as one team, Hidan and myself as another, plus Zetsu who handles intelligence..."
When mentioning Zetsu, Kakuzu's voice clearly carried resentment. "But that traitor recently made off with over half the organization's funds, leaving us financially strained. For safety, Pain decided to relocate our base. The new headquarters is in underground caverns beneath Amegakure."
Naruko pressed further. "What's your organization's purpose?"
Kakuzu hesitated but under Kaguya's cold gaze still answered truthfully. "On the surface, we accept commissions from various nations for money. Actually... Pain seems to be planning to capture the tailed beasts. Only core members know the specific details."
He specifically added, "I've already cut contact with the organization. After Zetsu's betrayal, Pain strengthened security measures. All members now operate separately."
Naruko's heart stirred. As the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, she immediately became alert. "You said you're capturing tailed beasts—why not come to Konoha? Konoha has the Nine-Tails."
Kakuzu answered honestly. "The strength Konoha displayed in that desert battle years ago made us afraid to act rashly. So we've been conducting tailed beast captures in other villages instead."
Naruko immediately understood. Yu's actions back then had truly intimidated this organization, forcing them to only pick on weaker targets.
This information left everyone contemplative. Tailed beasts were crucial forces maintaining balance between nations. Akatsuki's purpose in capturing them was disturbing.
After finishing, Kakuzu looked anxiously toward Kaguya. This woman gave him even greater oppression than when he'd fought the First Hokage years ago.
Naruko and Sasuko exchanged glances. The situation was far more complex than they'd imagined. A leader possessing the Rinnegan, ten powerful rogue ninja, plus a conspiracy to capture tailed beasts...
"What else do you know?" Sasuko demanded coldly.
Kakuzu smiled bitterly. "I've told you everything I know. The organization is now internally suspicious of each other, constantly changing even gathering locations."
Kaguya remained silent throughout, listening, her pure white eyes revealing no emotion.
But Yoya, who knew her well, could sense that Mother had developed a trace of interest in that "Deva Path" who possessed the Rinnegan.
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