"What kind of joke is this…"
Kakuzu looked at the two people inside the room, his green eyes widened to the extreme, his mouth hanging open beneath the mask, his face filled with a ghost-seeing expression.
What was he seeing?
The legendary Asura of the ninja world, Uchiha Madara, and the one he hated most, Uchiha Renya!
How could the two of them possibly appear in the same room at the same time?!
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Kakuzu actually wanted to comfort himself—perhaps Uchiha Madara was someone from Konoha in disguise, and Uchiha Renya was just a hallucination brought on by his constant thoughts.
But the terrifying aura emanating from both of them made it impossible for him to deceive himself.
Especially Uchiha Madara—that guy truly intended to kill him!
Faced with the overwhelming pressure radiating from the two, even Kakuzu, who had lived for so many years, felt an urge to kneel.
Too powerful… he was absolutely no match for them!
Damn it, wasn't Uchiha Madara supposed to have died long ago?
Could the rumors be true? Did Konoha really not spread false information—had Uchiha Madara truly come back to life?!
If he had known this earlier, even for a bounty of ten billion ryō, he would never have taken the job!
Money is useless if you're dead.
At this moment, Kakuzu's face was deathly pale as he considered how to escape from the two.
He wasn't even a match for Uchiha Renya, let alone the Asura of the ninja world, Uchiha Madara.
Could it be… that today would be the day he meets his end?
Uchiha Madara had never seen Kakuzu before, and even if he had, he wouldn't remember him.
He stared at the intruder with an unfriendly expression.
Truly courting death!
On the other hand, Renya, upon seeing Kakuzu, withdrew his pressure and revealed a look of surprise.
Yo, isn't this Kakuzu?
Just recently, he had been thinking that it had been a long time since he'd seen that walking ATM.
Back then, Renya had extorted quite a bit of money from Kakuzu.
After so many years, his wealth must have accumulated again, right?
Meeting Renya's gaze filled with greed and calculation, Kakuzu's body stiffened, yet he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Based on his understanding of Renya, that guy was extremely greedy for money—a complete bandit.
Fortunately, he only sought wealth and never took lives.
If he angered Uchiha Madara, there would be only death awaiting him. But if he provoked Uchiha Renya, at worst he would get beaten up and then have all the wealth he had accumulated over the years taken away.
The good news was that his life would be spared. The bad news was that his money would be gone.
"Kakuzu, long time no see."
Renya deactivated his three-tomoe Sharingan and looked at Kakuzu, who stood frozen at the doorway, speaking warmly.
"Kakuzu, why are you standing there? Come in and sit!"
Although he didn't care much for the small change in Kakuzu's pockets, he enjoyed the feeling of obtaining things without effort.
In the future, every few years, he'd come rob Kakuzu a few times.
After all, that guy only knew how to make money and had no idea how to spend it.
Better let him help solve that problem!
Hearing this, Uchiha Madara withdrew his pressure and frowned slightly.
Since when did this brat know someone this ugly?
After gaining Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu's appearance was far from that of a normal human.
Madara had little fondness for such neither-human-nor-ghost creatures.
If not for Renya knowing this person, he would have already acted and eliminated him.
Renya's enthusiastic invitation looked, in Kakuzu's eyes, no different from a demon beckoning to his wallet.
Damn it, after saving money for so many years, was it all going to go down the drain again today?
Even though he was unwilling a hundred times over, facing Renya and Madara in the room, he could only grit his teeth and step forward.
Running was not an option.
If he didn't run, he would likely only lose all his money. If he ran, he would definitely be cut down on the spot by Uchiha Madara!
"Uchiha… Renya."
Kakuzu stood stiffly in front of Renya, subconsciously swallowing as he forced himself to greet him calmly.
Though he appeared composed, inside he was nearly scared out of his wits.
The Asura of the ninja world, Uchiha Madara, had really come back to life!
The aura of a true powerhouse emanating from Madara could not be faked. Konoha's ninjas simply couldn't imitate that unique composure belonging only to the truly strong.
Damn it, Konoha was becoming more and more unreasonable!
Even resurrecting the dead had become possible!
"Kakuzu, it's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"
If he remembered correctly, the last time they met was over a decade ago at a bounty exchange.
There, by chance, Renya had gained the favor of the boss behind the exchange and received a huge sum of money. While he was at it, he also robbed Kakuzu—why not take what was freely available?
From that moment on, he had never lacked money again.
To be honest, Renya was quite grateful to that boss, though he had never met him.
He always felt that the boss wouldn't give him money for no reason—there must be something he needed him to do.
But the man never showed himself, nor did he send anyone to contact him.
That was very strange.
"Yes… more than ten years."
Kakuzu's eyes reddened, tears glimmering within them.
He would never forget how a certain beast had robbed him.
He had always been the one robbing others—this was the first time he had been robbed.
No, not the first time!
Even before that, that same beast had robbed him!
Damn it, so I'm just the sheep you keep shearing over and over?!
Kakuzu felt that Renya was his nemesis—every time he encountered him, nothing good ever happened.
If possible, he would rather avoid Renya entirely.
In front of Renya, he even forgot about the threat of Uchiha Madara.
The most terrifying thing in life is dying while your money still exists.
But the most pitiful thing is being alive while all your money is gone.
Kakuzu knew he was about to experience the second kind of misery.
He didn't think Renya would kill him—otherwise, there would be no more wool to shear in the future.
In truth, there was a third possibility: his money could be taken, and he could still be silenced afterward.
He just didn't want to think about it, nor did he dare to.
He could only hope that after taking his money, Renya would spare his life.
Although Kakuzu loved money, it still couldn't compare to his life.
After all, only by staying alive could he earn more money. If he died, everything would be gone.
"Kakuzu, after so many years apart, have you been working hard to make money?"
Finally, Renya asked the question Kakuzu feared the most.
It seemed his money would soon no longer belong to him.
Damn it, that was all bounty he earned head by head through hard work!
And this guy was going to take it all again!
"It's all here. I hope you'll spare my life."
Kakuzu knew he had no room to negotiate in front of the two, so he simply endured the pain and handed over the storage scroll.
Fortunately, he had more than one heart—otherwise, his heart definitely couldn't take it.
"You're being too polite."
Renya cheerfully pocketed the scroll.
"I was just asking, not eyeing your money."
As the richest man in Konoha, how could he possibly care about such small change?
But it would be rude to refuse such generosity, wouldn't it?
Kakuzu: "…"
Heh. You're stronger than me—whatever you say goes.