Hayashi's attack had drawn chaos across Konoha, but if there was anyone truly excited about the situation, it was probably Kakuzu.
He had attacked Konoha twice before and could be considered a veteran when it came to invading the village.
The first time was a story of its own. After narrowly escaping, he was branded a failure by Takigakure and eventually imprisoned.
His second attempt came after the death of the Second Hokage. By then, his strength had grown considerably, and he had acquired his greatest survival tool, Jiongu.
With both the First and Second Hokage gone, his confidence had soared.
Unfortunately, before he could even reach the village gates, he was discovered by Uzumaki Mito.
To survive, he was forced to sacrifice four hearts and feign death. Only then did he barely escape with his life.
From that day onward, Kakuzu never dared set foot in Konoha again.
Until today.
This was his third infiltration.
And also his smoothest.
Most of Konoha's shinobi had been drawn away by Fugaku, while the village's barrier had already been destroyed during the meteor shower. No one paid attention to him as he moved through the streets.
Following the road, Kakuzu headed directly toward the Senju Clan Compound.
The reason was simple.
There was barely anyone there.
As one of the most prestigious clans in history and the clan of the First Hokage himself, the Senju's accumulated wealth had to be enormous.
Otherwise, how could it have supported Tsunade's extravagant lifestyle and endless gambling debts for so many years?
Others had come to Konoha for revenge.
Kakuzu had come for money.
"Pfft!"
His elongated arm shot forward, piercing straight through a Konoha shinobi's chest.
With a brutal tug, he ripped out the man's heart.
Any shinobi unfortunate enough to cross his path was killed without hesitation.
As the strongest village among the Five Great Nations, Konoha naturally produced superior hearts compared to other villages.
Unfortunately, none of the ones he had collected so far satisfied him.
Beneath his black hood, his emerald eyes suddenly narrowed.
Another Konoha shinobi had entered his sight.
Whoosh!
Kakuzu burst forward.
The shinobi had no time to react.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A massive torrent surged from the distance.
Water rose into a towering wall several meters high, blocking Kakuzu's advance.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently.
Kakuzu immediately retreated.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
The earth split apart.
An enormous earthen dragon burst from the ground, opening its jaws and firing a barrage of earth bullets toward him.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Snake!"
Kakuzu completed his hand seals instantly.
More than a dozen lightning snakes shot forward.
Bang!
The lightning collided with the incoming earth projectiles.
For a brief moment they resisted, but the earth bullets quickly shattered.
The power of both techniques was comparable, but Lightning Release naturally countered Earth Release.
After destroying the projectiles, the remaining lightning struck both the earthen dragon and the massive water wall.
The techniques canceled one another out.
The lightning dissipated.
The water wall collapsed.
Kakuzu fixed his gaze on the young man standing ahead.
"To use Water Release of this scale in an area without a natural water source, you must be Konoha's Sea King, Senju Nawaki."
Nawaki allowed the rescued shinobi to withdraw before speaking with interest.
"Fifty million ryō. Seems my head is worth quite a bit. What about my sister, Tsunade?"
Kakuzu shook his head.
"Tsunade isn't worth much."
He paused.
"That gambling addict is worth more alive."
"..."
Had the black market started running casinos?
Nawaki resisted the urge to complain.
"Then what about Hayashi?" he asked.
"Him..."
Kakuzu immediately recalled that unforgettable night.
Back then, Konoha's Lightning Flash had still been one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Despite being only fourteen or fifteen years old, his bounty had already reached one hundred million ryō.
Part of that was probably due to special circumstances.
After all, far too many people wanted him dead.
Yet only a few short years later, Hayashi's bounty had increased several times over.
After the death of the Third Raikage, Hayashi's value had surpassed even that of the Third Hokage, approaching the level once placed on the First Hokage himself.
A shinobi like that...
Was someone Kakuzu knew he could never defeat in his lifetime.
Seeing the silence, Nawaki raised an eyebrow.
"Then how much is your head worth?"
The question was serious.
Kakuzu answered just as seriously.
"My head is worth eighty million ryō."
A grin appeared beneath his mask.
"If you have the ability, come and collect it."
His eyes turned cold.
"If you don't, I'll be taking both your head and your heart."
"Eighty million ryō..."
Nawaki swung Samehada onto his shoulder.
"That should cover the wedding expenses for my two sisters."
The moment he finished speaking, he charged forward.
...
...
At the same time, another battle was unfolding at the Hatake Clan Compound.
Sasori had come to Konoha for one reason alone.
Revenge.
Revenge against Konoha's White Fang.
Unfortunately, he had greatly overestimated himself and severely underestimated his opponent.
The silver-haired man showed no intention of retreating.
He allowed Hiruko's poisonous tail to pierce straight toward his chest.
Just as the deadly stinger was about to reach Sakumo's heart, a short sword flashed across.
Clang!
The tail slammed into the blade.
The impact felt as though it had struck a mountain.
It was like throwing an egg against solid steel.
Realizing something was wrong, Sasori immediately attempted to retreat.
But Sakumo was already moving.
His sword thrust forward.
Hidden inside Hiruko, Sasori felt as though he had been rammed by a charging beast.
Before he could properly adjust his position, the force caved in his chest.
"A puppet?"
Sakumo frowned slightly.
If his opponent had been an ordinary shinobi, that strike would have crippled or killed them instantly.
Judging by the texture and resistance, the strange figure before him was clearly a puppet.
Sasori was sent flying backward, skidding across the ground.
After stabilizing himself, he immediately unfurled a scroll.
Poof!
Hundreds of puppets appeared in midair.
A fierce battle intent flashed through Sakumo's eyes.
He stepped forward with one foot and shifted the other behind him.
His knees bent slightly.
The White Fang short sword rested in his right hand, its tip angled upward.
With two fingers of his left hand pressed against the blade, he quietly spoke:
"Hatake Style: Break."
The sword rose.
A torrent of blue chakra mixed with overwhelming sword intent erupted forth like a roaring dragon, crashing into the sea of puppets.
Sakumo launched himself into the air.
One slash severed a puppet's neck.
The next strike pierced another through the shoulder.
A puppet that leapt toward him with a blade was split cleanly in half.
The short sword traced elegant arcs through the battlefield.
Whether attacking or defending, every puppet caught within those arcs shattered instantly.
As Sakumo's chakra surged, the constant sounds of splintering wood and breaking mechanisms echoed through the air.
Sasori controlled hundreds of puppets, surrounding the White Fang from every direction.
Yet despite the overwhelming numbers, he could not even touch the corner of Sakumo's clothing.
Five minutes later, nearly a quarter of the puppet army had been destroyed.
Sasori drew a slow breath.
Then he summoned another puppet.
His strongest puppet.
The Third Kazekage.
===
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