It's likely that even Shinji never imagined that, after so many twists and turns, this job would end up in Kakuzu's hands after all.
The power behind the Underground Exchange had originally sent a group of elite, loyal warriors to carry out the mission, and had even made use of a spy hidden deep inside the Hidden Cloud Village.
The result had been a total disaster.
Not only was the team completely wiped out, but they never even managed to lay eyes on the target corpse.
Fortunately for them, this failure meant the Hidden Cloud never realized what their true objective had been.
After intense discussions, the organization behind the Exchange finally decided to hand the job over to true professionals.
Shinji had turned the assignment down, instead proposing a different kind of partnership.
So in the end, they chose the Akatsuki organization as their collaborator.
And taking advantage of the fact that Kakuzu regularly sold valuable corpses to them, they reached a preliminary agreement — offering the Crystal Heart, obtained earlier from Shinji, as part of his payment.
That was what led to the final scene of their meeting.
Kakuzu had already confirmed through experiments exactly what the Crystal Heart could do — and he was determined to have it, no matter what.
For all the centuries he had lived, his power had been stagnant for years, unable to advance any further.
The truth was: the Earth Grudge Fear technique had made him what he was… but it had also placed a ceiling on his growth.
He needed something stronger. And this Crystal Heart satisfied every single one of his requirements perfectly.
It granted access to the powerful Crystal Release jutsu.
It possessed indestructible defensive properties.
And it offered the flexibility to be swapped in or out whenever needed.
Every one of these advantages drew him in deeply.
The hearts of ordinary people could not be preserved. Once they lost their vitality, they became useless. But this one was different — it could be swapped and reused endlessly.
He could carry it with him normally, then insert it as a backup at a critical moment… and surprise his enemies with power they could never expect.
Yes — Kakuzu was absolutely set on obtaining it.
---
Within a few days, Kakuzu and his sinister‑looking partner Muramasa arrived at the Hidden Cloud Village and began putting their plan into action.
Although the Exchange's first attempt had failed, their spy had successfully sent out information regarding exactly where the corpse was being kept.
Thwack!
With a single strike from a dark, blood‑red cursed blade, Muramasa swiftly killed two Cloud ninja patrolling nearby.
Then something strange happened.
As a red glow radiated from the weapon, the two dead shinobi stiffly rose back to their feet. Eyes empty and lifeless, they continued patrolling the area as if nothing had happened.
Kakuzu glanced at them and said nothing.
Over the time they had been paired, he had seen this eerie ability of Muramasa's more than once.
It seemed that anyone killed by that sword became enslaved — rising again as the undead, bound to obey his commands.
However, Kakuzu suspected there were limits regarding how long they could last and how many could be controlled at once.
He had never confirmed it, but once he had seen several older bodies suddenly collapse and rot away the moment Muramasa summoned new ones.
Since this mission required stealth, Muramasa had been extremely careful with every kill.
He aimed for vital spots that wouldn't draw attention, and made sure to disguise the bodies afterward.
As a result, they met almost no meaningful resistance on their way in, and there was no chance they would be noticed anytime soon.
"We're here. According to the map, this is the place."
Kakuzu checked his coordinates and pushed the door open.
Inside was a morgue — a cold storage facility built specifically to preserve numerous corpses.
He located Cryogenic Unit No. 33 and pulled it open. There lay the body of Han, silent and still.
This must be it.
Kakuzu took out a sealing scroll and quickly stored Han's body inside. Then his eyes gleamed. He went around opening every other storage unit in the room.
"What are you doing?"
Muramasa had expected to leave the moment they secured their objective, only to find Kakuzu frantically gathering more corpses.
"Since we're already here, it'd be a waste not to take advantage!"
Greed was written all over Kakuzu's face. Some of these bodies were once Cursed Spirits, others were humans.
He sealed away every one that looked 'valuable' — planning to sell them to the Exchange later for a massive profit. Opportunities like this were extremely rare.
Muramasa was thoroughly displeased. He had never thought highly of Kakuzu to begin with, but seeing him go to such lengths just to earn extra cash filled him with disgust.
Kakuzu noticed his reaction… but didn't care.
A few minutes later, Muramasa frowned.
"My puppets have been discovered. You can keep playing with your corpses — I'm leaving."
Hearing that, Kakuzu glanced regretfully at the remaining bodies he hadn't managed to pack away, then put all his scrolls safely away.
"Fine. Let's go."
They had barely stepped out of the building when a group of Cloud ninja surrounded them.
"This mess is your own fault," Muramasa said coldly, showing no sign of wanting to fight.
"If you hadn't wasted so much time, we would have been safely gone by now."
Kakuzu knew he was in the wrong, so he offered no argument. Instead, he let his actions speak.
Countless thick, black threads erupted from his body like a tidal wave. They pierced through every ninja in their path, lifting them into the air, ripping their hearts out while they were still alive.
"A bunch of useless trash. Apart from the Raikage himself… no one here can stop me from leaving."
"This way."
Muramasa shot him a look, then gestured for one of his undead puppets to lead the way.
The best thing about these revenants was that they retained a degree of their memories from when they were alive. Even in death, they acted and thought according to their living habits.
It was more accurate to call them living dead rather than just corpses.
They moved quickly and efficiently. By the the time reinforcements arrived, it was already too late — they found nothing but bodies scattered across the ground.
Alarms blared instantly!
Every shinobi remaining in the village mobilized to search for the intruders.
But by then, Kakuzu and Muramasa had already slipped away. Guided by the undead, they quietly made their way toward the mountain range behind the village.
"This isn't the way out," Kakuzu said, his voice turning grim.
Muramasa simply nodded. "I never said we were leaving just yet."
"What are you planning?"
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Kakuzu's chest.
Muramasa broke into a grin. "Earlier, I helped you get all those extra bodies… now it's your turn to help me."
Just then, they arrived before the entrance to an underground chamber.
"The Two‑Tails Jinchuriki is hiding inside… and I can hardly wait."
A twisted, maniacal smile spread across Muramasa's face.
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