Boom!
Kabuto was struck, his entire being engulfed in flames as he slammed violently into the ground.
The fire raged, but Raizen's Shadow Clones frowned. That last hit seemed like a success, but Raizen had a nagging feeling that he hadn't actually hit the real body.
"Kukuku..."
"Uchiha Raizen, you really do have some tricks up your sleeve."
Kabuto's voice drifted from behind a large tree. Moments later, his figure stepped out, watching the clones with a cold, mocking smirk.
"When did you—?" Raizen's clone muttered, narrowing its eyes. He hadn't noticed Kabuto using a clone at any point.
"Hmph!"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "You aren't the only one who knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I slipped one out while I was chasing you. You're clearly no ordinary Genin. If I weren't careful, you might have actually finished me."
Kabuto began to close the distance slowly. "You've used several clones and unleashed consecutive Great Fireballs. Your chakra must be running low, right? Now... it's my turn."
Blue chakra blades flickered to life around Kabuto's hands as he sprinted toward the clones.
He's fast.
Raizen's clone was slightly startled. Kabuto had indeed been hiding his true speed earlier. However, even with normal vision, I can keep up. This speed is much slower than Rock Lee when he fought Gaara, Raizen analyzed internally.
"Kabuto Yakushi, let's call it a day," Raizen said aloud. "Go back and tell Orochimaru: the Uchiha are not for him to covet. If he persists in his obsession, he will eventually burn himself."
With that, Raizen deliberately dispelled all his Shadow Clones, reclaiming the remaining chakra.
Watching Raizen dissolve into puffs of smoke, Kabuto froze for a second before a wave of excitement washed over his face. "Uchiha Raizen... you truly are worthy of becoming Lord Orochimaru's vessel."
The real body escaped using that smoke bomb at the start? He intentionally left a clone behind the others to mislead my judgment? Hmph, a truly cunning Uchiha. But you won't escape Lord Orochimaru's grasp.
The more impressive Raizen performed, the more excited Kabuto became.
Meanwhile, Raizen's true self, already inside the town, received the memories and remaining chakra from the dispelled clones.
Hmph. Kabuto is a slippery one, using a clone like that. If he hadn't, that second fireball would have crippled him. Oh well. I still need him and Orochimaru to perfect the Reanimation Jutsu, so I'll let him go for now.
Kabuto was a specialist in close combat, but compared to the power of the Sharingan, he was still outclassed. If Raizen had activated his Three-Tomoe eyes, he could have easily countered Kabuto's movements. But for now, he let the spy live.
Raizen rested for half an hour until his fatigue vanished, then walked toward the Black Market Exchange.
Inside the main hall of the exchange.
Hidan toyed with his scythe. "Do you think that guy will actually come just because you sent a letter? Sitting here waiting is a waste of time. Let's just go to Konoha."
Kakuzu glanced at him. "Go to Konoha? Do you want to die? Do you think the Leaf is like the Grass Village? The Hidden Leaf has ninjas with all sorts of secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai. If we go in without intel and get caught, we'll pay a heavy price to get back out. I'm not doing a losing business with you. Just wait. This is a massive deal."
"If it goes through, it's worth more than twenty S-rank missions. You won't find that many S-ranks in the black market in a whole year."
Hidan pouted impatiently. "But the guy is taking forever! It shouldn't take this long to get from the village to here. The mail carrier only takes ten minutes to reach the gate. If he wanted the deal, he should be here by now."
Kakuzu snapped, "Boss Raizen manages a massive industry and is a busy man. Have some patience! One more word and I'll rip your head off and kick it like a ball."
"Fine, fine..." Seeing Kakuzu's genuine anger, Hidan shut up. He knew Kakuzu would actually do it. Even if he wouldn't die from being decapitated, it still hurt like hell.
A moment later, a figure walked through the door. Kakuzu's eyes lit up. His "Big Boss" had arrived.
"Boss Raizen, over here!" Kakuzu stood and signaled.
Raizen saw them and walked over with a smile. "We meet again, gentlemen." He sat down with a familiar ease.
"Boss Raizen, you truly are a man of your word for coming personally," Kakuzu said, his eyes crinkling behind his mask.
"The revitalization of the Uchiha is a grand task; I have to be involved personally."
"You're quite lucky, aren't you?" Hidan interjected, a wild, arrogant grin on his face. "To not have been killed by that guy Itachi yet?"
"You know Itachi?" Raizen feigned ignorance of their relationship.
Hidan scoffed. "Itachi... that guy doesn't believe in Lord Jashin. I've wanted to offer his head as a sacrifice for a long time. Too bad he's strong and a bit of a pain to deal with."
"Hidan, shut up. This is a business meeting," Kakuzu growled, glaring at his partner with killing intent.
Raizen laughed. "It's fine. I'm actually interested in hearing about that traitor Itachi."
"Itachi, he—" Hidan started, but Kakuzu's gaze was so murderous that the immortal priest winced.
"Right, right. Shutting up."
Kakuzu turned back to Raizen with a polite smile. "Boss Raizen, ignore him. He's a fool who rambles about 'Jashin' all day. Truly a childish man. Let's talk business. The 'goods' are at the inn. Shall we go and inspect them? I hand-picked them myself; I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Raizen nodded. "Inspecting the goods is fine. But be prepared—in Konoha, over a thousand women applied, and I only chose ten. I am very picky. You should have a mental cushion in case I don't see anyone I like."