"Let's go."
Nagato turned and left.
Black Zetsu shook his head helplessly, disposed of a few White Zetsu corpses, and followed in Nagato's footsteps.
◎
"Mr. Kakuzu, we meet again."
Waking up with a muddled mind, the voice that echoed in my ears was very familiar.
It was that annoying guy who owed me fifty thousand ryo.
Before my consciousness slipped into darkness, I only remembered my body being flung away by that red-haired kid's ninja techniques, and I didn't know what happened after that.
But hearing Insect Man's voice and seeing him appear before me again, I knew that I had been saved by him once more.
This was still a hospital room, but not in the Land of Demons' hospital.
Because this room was sealed off, without windows, and the air inside was quite damp, it was obviously some concealed underground hideout.
"Shut up, or I'll kill you!"
Though his body was extremely weak, Kakuzu still spoke harsh words about killing, with arrogance.
Insect Man didn't care about Kakuzu's threat; with Kakuzu in this state, just recovering from his injuries would take some time, now he could only make empty threats.
"See, I said we'd meet again soon, didn't I? Look, it's been less than three days since we last parted."
"You knew that red-haired kid would target me?"
Kakuzu's voice was filled with anger, having been outwitted.
"You took Hanzou's corpse to exchange for money, the Hidden Rain ninja sought revenge on you; isn't that only natural? Even we can't stop the Hidden Rain ninja from seeking revenge on you for this."
Insect Man retorted.
Kakuzu was left speechless.
Yes, he had ambushed Hanzou on the battlefield that day, stole Hanzou's corpse, and used it to get money. Hanzou's subordinates coming for revenge was perfectly justified.
There was of course some scheming by the Land of Demons military, but the root cause lay with him.
"... Who exactly is that kid? Red hair, could he be a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan?"
Kakuzu fell silent and asked this question.
Remembering Nagato's eyes, with no joy or sorrow, now thinking back, an unnatural chill rose in his heart.
Even when facing relentless pursuit from the Hidden Sand, he didn't feel fear.
Yet, against a young man who could be his grandson, he was defeated so miserably, without any power to fight back.
Even with five hearts intact, there was no chance of victory, still being defeated by the overwhelming force of that young man.
This, Kakuzu was incredibly certain of.
That red-haired kid and his power were entirely on a different level.
It was complete suppression of the superior over the inferior.
A question arose in his heart, since the opponent had such great power, why not break through with Hanzou?
Instead, they came to collect Hanzou's corpse?
No matter how he thought about it, Kakuzu couldn't understand.
"It's not yet fully confirmed if he's related to the Uzumaki Clan, even if he's not, he should carry the Uzumaki bloodline. But one thing is certain, his eyes are the legendary Rinnegan. To have escaped that encounter, you're truly lucky, Mr. Kakuzu."
Insect Man said meaningfully.
In the Land of Demons military, he was the first to make contact with Akatsuki.
But back then, he didn't think much about it. He didn't even know what the Rinnegan represented, let alone know what a Rinnegan was.
It wasn't until later, when Nagato went to the Land of Demons, that he entered the spy network's eyes there.
But to avoid alerting the enemy, they made no moves.
Until Madara started manipulating the war in the Land of Rain from behind the scenes, did they begin to act on the Rinnegan.
The goal was to eliminate Uchiha Madara, this threat, but unexpectedly, the real danger wasn't Madara but Nagato, who now inherited Madara's power.
"Rinnegan!?"
Kakuzu widened his eyes, finally remembering why those eyes of Nagato felt familiar.
He had traveled all over the world for various bounty missions, knew many of the Ninja Realm's secrets, like the Three Great Pupil Techniques.
Sharingan, Byakugan, and the most mysterious, spread by legend alone, the Rinnegan.
Like many others, he thought the Rinnegan was just an intangible legend, just like the Six Paths Sage, not expecting the Rinnegan to truly exist.
If the Rinnegan existed, then perhaps the legend of the Six Paths Sage was also true.
Bringing peace to the war-torn world, the Ninja Sect Leader.
Thinking of that unpreventable Gravity and Repulsive Force Ninjutsu, Kakuzu's body trembled slightly.
If that was power belonging to the Rinnegan, then he indeed lost without any grievance.
"So, Mr. Kakuzu, would you be interested in joining our side? I suppose the money in your passbook isn't enough to buy your life a second time."
Insect Man said with a teasing laugh.
"Shut up, otherwise I'll kill you, you fifty thousand ryo guy!"
Kakuzu, not knowing why, suddenly felt agitated inside.
"We're old acquaintances, no need to be so tsundere, Mr. Kakuzu. And besides, as I mentioned, I've already raised my price to ten million ryo."
Insect Man didn't mind Kakuzu's body, filled with killing intent yet unable to act.
With such an obsession with money, perhaps owing money would make one feel as bad as owing a favor.
"I'll get rid of you sooner or later, and exchange your corpse for a bounty."
"As you wish, if you can manage it."
Insect Man smiled slightly.
"Do you think I can't? A mere fifty thousand ryo isn't worth becoming a significant focus in my little notebook."