Chapter 162: Kakuzu's Attack
Tokuhei said with a smile, "The reward for completing the mission has already been sent to Konoha. As for the bounties, the Daimyo will transfer them to Konoha as soon as possible."
Kaito asked, "What bounties?"
Tokuhei replied, "Because this group caused so much chaos, the Daimyo put bounties on their heads. Mitsutsuka's bounty is 20 million ryo. The jonin in the rogue organization have bounties of 10 million ryo each, and the chunin have 2 million ryo each."
He looked at the children and said, "Kaito, you killed two chunin. Mieko and Hodaka, you each killed one. The three of you also helped Shusaku kill his opponent, so that reward will be split evenly among the four of you."
Kaito thought in astonishment, "What? I can get 4.5 million ryo for such a straightforward mission?"
Seeing Kaito's reaction, Tokuhei smiled.
Hodaka and Mieko didn't react much.
Kaito looked at Renjiro, thinking, "He killed Mitsutsuka. Plus, he killed two gatekeepers and four chunin before the battle even started! He'll get an incredible 32 million ryo!"
Renjiro noticed Kaito's gaze but didn't react. Tokuhei said, "I'll take my team to search for bodies under the ruins."
Renjiro said, "Alright, then we'll head out."
Tokuhei asked, "Don't you want to rest in town for a bit?"
Renjiro replied, "No need—we've already rested. Besides, it's closer to the Land of Fire border from here than from town."
Tokuhei nodded. "Okay, it was a pleasure working with you."
Renjiro smiled. "Likewise."
Tokuhei left. Renjiro looked at his squad and said, "Pack your things. We're leaving."
The three nodded and immediately packed up their tents.
After gathering everything, they departed. As they traveled through the forest, Kaito asked, "Sensei, are the rewards for A-rank missions always this high?"
Renjiro replied, "It depends on how important the mission is to whoever issued it. This time, the Daimyo was under serious public pressure, which is why he posted these bounties."
Kaito nodded. Mieko asked, "Sensei, how difficult are S-rank missions?"
Renjiro replied, "Hmm, imagine if only a squad of four ninja had to complete this mission. If this wasn't a joint operation, it would've been close to S-rank."
"Usually, S-rank missions aren't classified that way just because of difficulty, but because of their importance. When they are S-rank due to difficulty, our opponents would be elite jonin—people who can fight me on equal terms."
Mieko, Kaito, and Hodaka listened carefully to Renjiro. Since this might be their last mission together, they asked him many questions, which he patiently answered.
As they traveled, Kaito occasionally activated his Chakra Field while Hodaka activated his Byakugan.
At some point, Kaito sensed something that shocked him! He shouted, "Stop! Two massive chakra signatures approaching—one's slightly lower than Sensei's, while the other's more than twice Sensei's!"
This greatly shocked them. Hodaka immediately activated his Byakugan, while Mieko activated her Sharingan. Renjiro became serious, thinking, "My chakra is naturally high from being Senju. Those with chakra equal to or higher than mine are usually S-rank ninja!"
Renjiro said, "Hodaka, check the situation."
Hodaka replied, "One's a ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, and one's from Takigakure. Both are rogue ninja..."
Suddenly, Hodaka stopped speaking, an expression of shock on his face. Renjiro asked, "What did you see?"
Hodaka said in horror, "The one with high chakra has a different body... It's grotesque!"
This greatly surprised them. Kaito thought to himself, "Grotesque body?"
Several faces appeared in his mind.
About eight hundred meters from Renjiro's squad, two ninja were moving quickly.
One was about 1.7 meters tall and very slender. The other was over 1.8 meters tall and well-built.
The thin man asked, "Are you sure that cash cow will pass through here?"
The tall man replied, "My information is never wrong. Now shut up and keep moving."
Suddenly, both their eyes widened. The thin man chuckled. "Looks like you were right, monster. Let's hurry."
Both had sensed Kaito's perception of them and quickly moved toward Renjiro's squad.
Renjiro's squad waited to see who was approaching so quickly. Kaito had a very bad feeling.
A few seconds later, two figures appeared before them.
Kaito's eyes widened continuously. They were both wearing long black cloaks with red clouds, red interiors, and collars that reached their chins.
Kaito didn't recognize one of them. But the other, he recognized very clearly.
Kaito was scared—no, terrified! He had only one thought: "Damn it, it's Kakuzu!"
Renjiro looked at them. He didn't recognize Kakuzu, but he recognized the other. He said in surprise, "Shinjo, I heard you disappeared from the Land of Lightning. Didn't know you became a rogue ninja. Seems the Hidden Cloud Village hid your information well."
Displeasure appeared on Shinjo's face. He didn't like people bringing up his days in the Hidden Cloud Village.
Although Renjiro spoke casually, he was already on full alert.
Kaito looked at Mieko and exchanged glances. Mieko noticed and understood what he wanted.
Meanwhile, Hodaka had been observing Kakuzu's body. When he saw the five hearts inside Kakuzu's body, he was immediately shocked.
Kakuzu said, "Senju Renjiro, I've heard about your battle record for a long time. Today, I'm claiming the 45 million ryo bounty on your head."
Kakuzu didn't waste time and attacked after speaking.
Shinjo joined him. Renjiro quickly drew his sword to meet them. At the same time, Mieko and Kaito rapidly performed ninjutsu.
Mieko immediately formed hand seals and used Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, releasing a huge fireball.
At the same time, Kaito activated his enhanced ninjutsu, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
The two jutsu combined. The fireball spread throughout the wind technique, creating a devastating attack.
Kakuzu and Shinjo, whose attention was on Renjiro, were startled.
Kakuzu had used such combination jutsu many times before and understood its lethality. So did Shinjo.
Both used Body Flicker backward. Kakuzu formed hand seals, and an Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart appeared, covering both of them.
Renjiro noticed the earth dome and sneered. He formed hand seals and was about to press his hand on the ground.
Mieko and Hodaka were also ready to attack. However, Kaito shouted, "Run!"
Everyone's eyes widened at this.
Kakuzu and Shinjo were protected by the earth dome. However, needle-like protrusions began forming on the dome's inner surface.
Kakuzu noticed these needles and snorted coldly. He formed hand seals, and all the needles shattered into dust and dirt.
They sensed the combination jutsu had passed, so they released the earth dome.
But what greeted them wasn't an empty battlefield—it was a sloth over six meters tall, attacking them with its massive claws. Both used Body Flicker backward to dodge.
Realizing Kakuzu would be the greater threat, Renjiro flashed in front of him and attacked with his sword.
Kakuzu saw Renjiro, formed hand seals, and performed Earth Release: Earth Spear.
Kakuzu's skin turned black. He raised his fist and blocked Renjiro's sword. Chakra flowed through Renjiro's blade.
It struck Kakuzu's fist, leaving a small wound.
Kakuzu was surprised. "It's been a long time since anyone could hurt me. I'm going to enjoy killing you!"
Renjiro and the sloth were about to attack but suddenly retreated.
Renjiro looked at Kakuzu. It was as if monsters were under his clothes—or rather, under his skin—trying to break out.
Four black creatures appeared around Kakuzu, each wearing a different colored mask.
Despite his extensive experience, Renjiro was still stunned. He thought, "What exactly is this? Who is this guy? And why wasn't such a powerful ninja mentioned in the previous wars?"
Kakuzu and the four masked creatures attacked Renjiro and his summon with perfect coordination.
Renjiro kept his distance and did his best to protect himself, often having to retreat underground for safety.
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