Shimizu's sudden willingness to stop the fight caught Kakuzu off guard.
Originally, Kakuzu had expected a legendary battle with this young ninja before him. But now, the tension in his body gradually eased. The blazing fighting spirit that had burned within him moments ago began to cool as Shimizu lowered his guard.
Seeing the shift, Shimizu immediately pressed the advantage—quickly adding fuel to the ceasefire.
"Senior Kakuzu, even if you kill me, you gain nothing from it. I'm just an ordinary Konoha ninja. Konoha wouldn't pay a single ryo in ransom for someone like me."
Kakuzu said nothing.
An ordinary Konoha ninja… who knew so many of his secrets and had the strength to push him this far?
A strange light flickered within his dark green eyes.
"I don't even have a bounty in the black market," Shimizu continued. "In other words, my head isn't even worth a single silver coin. If we keep fighting, there's absolutely no benefit for you."
"And besides… my life isn't that easy to take."
At this point, Shimizu lowered his voice, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"I think those two hearts of yours are the best proof of that."
Shimizu deliberately lowered his stance.
A ninja who had already destroyed two of Kakuzu's hearts now taking the initiative to end the fight—this was essentially giving Kakuzu a way to step down without losing face.
Because Shimizu himself didn't have absolute confidence in victory.
How could a monster who had lived since the Warring States era possibly have so few tricks left?
The fact that Kakuzu had survived an explosion of that magnitude alone was proof of his terrifying strength.
As for Kakuzu, the opponents he truly cared about had always been those with bounties in the black market… or the First Hokage himself.
This Konoha ninja in front of him wasn't his prey.
His earlier attack had simply come from underestimating him.
But now, this ninja named Shimizu Uzuki had earned his respect through sheer strength.
"Hey, kid," Kakuzu suddenly spoke. "What was that last technique of yours?"
He was extremely interested in the explosion.
In terms of destructive power and area of effect, it ranked among the very top techniques he had seen in his long life.
"It's a Fire Release technique I created myself," Shimizu replied casually.
He had no intention of saying more—talk too much, and you slip up.
"And what's the name of that technique?"
"It's only been created recently," Shimizu said. "I haven't given it a name yet."
"I see…"
Kakuzu had completely lowered his guard now. Just like Shimizu, he began quietly recovering his chakra.
Clearly, his own expenditure had been enormous.
"You said earlier you were just passing by and happened to see me dealing with those rats… you weren't following me the whole time?"
"That's right," Shimizu replied immediately. "We could've gone our separate ways without trouble. You're the one who forced me to show myself."
"With your speed, if you wanted to leave, you would've been gone long ago. How could I possibly force you out?" Kakuzu sneered.
Then he continued:
"Enough nonsense. Tell me—what do you want from me?"
"As expected of a senior who's survived since the Warring States era…" Shimizu slipped in another sudden compliment.
"Cut the flattery. State your purpose."
"I already said it from the beginning," Shimizu replied with an innocent expression. "I only want to talk about money with you."
"You love money, Senior Kakuzu. And I have money."
"So why can't we sit down… and have a proper conversation?"
"Are you trying to hire me?"
"Not hire," Shimizu replied with a faint smile. "Let's call it cooperation. After all, you're a senior. How could someone like me, a junior, possibly claim the right to hire you?"
"Heh… cooperation, huh?" Kakuzu chuckled darkly. "You've got quite the nerve. So you showed your strength just now to prove you're qualified to speak to me as an equal."
"As expected of the Immortal Ninja Kakuzu. You saw right through me, Senior."
"I'm already tired of your empty flattery," Kakuzu said coldly. "Let's talk about something practical. What do you plan to do about the twenty million ryo I lost this time?"
His tone was aggressive.
Shimizu, however, remained calm and composed.
"All losses from this battle should be borne by you, Senior—whether that's the twenty million ryo or those two hearts of yours. After all, you were the one who started the fight, not me."
He spread his hands slightly.
"I wanted a peaceful conversation. Unfortunately, you didn't give me that chance."
Kakuzu fell silent for a long while before finally speaking again.
"…How do you propose we cooperate?"
"When I have a target, I'll notify you. Then you'll take action," Shimizu explained. "Afterward, we complete the deal—money for the job."
"Heh… and how do I know you won't set up some kind of trap?"
"Senior, there's no benefit for me in doing that," Shimizu said calmly. "If my goal were your life, the first thing I'd do right now would be to gather Konoha ninjas and organize a hunt for you."
"So you should believe in my sincerity. I truly need your help—and I hope for a long-term partnership. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother going through all this effort to explain things to you."
"So you did follow me here," Kakuzu said suddenly, as if realizing something.
"…I really was just passing by," Shimizu replied after a brief pause. "Among the ninjas you killed earlier, one of them happened to be my target—the one with the invisibility technique. He's quite good at escaping."
Shimizu briefly explained how he had been pursuing Daido.
After hearing the explanation, Kakuzu gradually accepted it and finally dropped his suspicions.
First, he was confident no one could have tailed him for that long without him noticing.
Second, his target—the Iwagakure ninja who excelled at invisibility—matched Shimizu's description perfectly.
"So if I need something from you… how am I supposed to find you?" Shimizu asked. "The world is huge. And right now Konoha and Sunagakure are at war…"
"Go to the black market," Kakuzu said plainly. "Ask for the 'Immortal Ninja Kakuzu.' Someone will pass the message along."
"That simple?" Shimizu looked a little surprised. He had expected secret codes or some kind of special contact method.
"The black market is a place where countless eyes are always watching," Kakuzu replied coldly. "If someone goes there looking for trouble, someone else will deal with them. So don't get any strange ideas."
"…Understood." Shimizu nodded.
"I should leave," Kakuzu continued. "The technique you used earlier made far too much noise. It's already drawn the attention of other Konoha ninjas."
With that, Kakuzu turned and left immediately.
He departed cleanly and decisively—without even waiting for Shimizu to respond.
"…Wait!"
But in the brief moment Shimizu hesitated, Kakuzu's figure had already disappeared without a trace.
Only then did Shimizu realize he hadn't finished speaking.
Because there was still one very important question he hadn't asked.
How exactly was he supposed to find the black market?
At the same moment, his sensory perception picked up several chakra signatures rapidly approaching the area.
The massive explosion earlier—the thunderous noise and terrifying shockwave—had finally alerted the nearby Konoha shinobi.
…