Kakuzu was the kind of enemy that made even seasoned jōnin sweat—
not because he was flashy, but because he was complete.
His Earth Grudge Fear let him steal hearts, extending his life and granting him access to multiple chakra natures.
And worse—he'd lived long enough to stack that power with centuries of combat sense.
For Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kurenai, this was the perfect whetstone.
Yusuke decided on the spot:
First target: Kakuzu.
Tsunade's "investigation"
At the border of the Land of Fire, Tsunade arrived in a bustling district… and immediately walked into a hot spring bar.
Genma and the other escorts tried to stop her.
They failed.
"Relaxing during a mission—what's wrong with that?"
"I didn't run straight to a gambling hall, did I? That's already me giving the old man face!"
To Tsunade, slacking off wasn't slacking off.
It was "fieldwork."
"Bars are the easiest place to gather intel."
"You rookies don't understand how the world works."
She held Konoha's purse strings now.
And with her personality, she was never going to not spend.
She drank and soaked for three days.
Annoying as it was, it worked.
She picked up a rumor:
Someone who looked like Orochimaru had recently been seen near Sunagakure.
So Tsunade instantly abandoned the Sound Village route and pivoted toward the Sand.
Yusuke's squad crosses into the Land of Water
Meanwhile, Yusuke's team followed Kakuzu's trail deep into the Land of Water.
Ahead lay a major trade artery—rich merchants and nobles came and went nonstop.
Yusuke wasn't surprised.
Kakuzu loved "side income" more than Akatsuki assignments.
In the original flow of history, even when ordered to hunt tailed beasts, the man still took detours to cash in bounties.
If he ever saw Konan's paper-bomb fortune, he'd probably try to rob Pain himself.
Soon, they got a fresh lead:
A merchant caravan had been attacked and stripped clean not long ago.
Yusuke's conclusion was immediate.
Greed. Murder. Loot.
Classic Kakuzu.
And Akatsuki usually operated in pairs.
The question was: who was Kakuzu's partner right now?
By timeline logic, Hidan shouldn't have joined yet.
Bait plan: disguise as wandering merchants
Yusuke issued orders fast.
They disguised themselves as traveling merchants—and deliberately revealed a few pieces of high-value "goods."
It wasn't a clever plan.
But it didn't need to be.
Because Kakuzu's weakness was simple:
Profit.
He was cautious, yes—
but he was also arrogant enough to walk into a trap if the reward was fat enough.
Contact: the red cloud cloaks appear
On the main road, the "merchant group" moved forward with packs on their backs.
Then two figures blocked the path.
Black cloak. Red clouds.
One wore a black mask and stood at the front—
Kakuzu.
The other carried a huge blade and had the kind of face you'd forget the moment you looked away—
the definition of "extra."
Kakuzu didn't even hide his greed.
"Leave your valuables."
"I might spare your lives."
Kakashi, Guy, and Kurenai all sharpened instantly.
Akatsuki—finally.
But before Yusuke spoke, the sword-carrying partner complained:
"Hey, Kakuzu."
"The leader didn't send us out to rob random people."
Kakuzu glanced at him like he was trash.
"You dare lecture me?"
"Want to die?"
Yusuke silently sighed.
Yep… Kakuzu is Kakuzu.
One wrong word and he'd stab his own teammate.
Guy charges in first
While the Akatsuki pair bickered, Yusuke's team was already coiled.
Guy couldn't hold it.
He launched forward with a shout:
"The enemy has finally appeared!"
"I, Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, will be your opponent!"
Yusuke and Kakashi both got matching black lines across their foreheads.
Muscles for brains… he really just introduced himself.
Guy's flying kick came in hard—
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Kakuzu calmly formed seals and hardened his body.
The sword partner drew his blade and blocked the strike.
Steel and force collided.
Kakuzu watches… coldly
Guy and the sword partner clashed, blade vs. nunchaku—fast, loud, and surprisingly even.
Kakuzu just stood there, arms relaxed, eyes cold.
He didn't help his partner.
He didn't care if his partner lived.
To Kakuzu, teammates were temporary.
Money was eternal.
Kakashi + Kurenai execute a clean combo
Kakashi and Kurenai locked eyes.
If Kakuzu wouldn't come to them—
they'd go to him.
Kurenai's hands flashed through seals.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Kakuzu's vision blurred.
"…Genjutsu?!"
He forced chakra through and broke it—
but it took him a beat longer than he expected.
That beat was all Kakashi needed.
Kakashi slipped behind him like a shadow—ANBU precision, no wasted movement.
Blue lightning screamed into his palm.
"Lightning Blade!"
The thrust drove straight through Kakuzu's heart.
Kakuzu froze, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
I got backstabbed? By someone this shameless?
Kakashi's voice was flat.
"Too bad."
"I already figured out your hardening jutsu… earth-nature, right?"
Kakuzu's gaze sharpened.
"Seal-reading that fast… lightning that strong…"
"So you're Copy Ninja—Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi nodded slightly.
"Just from that, you figured out who I am."
"So you're not ordinary either."
Kakuzu dropped to one knee.
For a moment, it looked finished.
Kakashi and Kurenai both felt a surge of relief.
Now we just capture the other one… and the mission is perfect.
Yusuke warns them: "Don't relax."
A calm voice cut through their easing tension.
"Don't let your guard down."
"He's still alive."
Kakashi and Kurenai's expressions changed instantly.
Heart pierced… still alive?
It sounded impossible—
but neither of them hesitated to trust Yusuke.
Akatsuki wasn't normal.
Kakuzu "revives"
Their shock turned real.
Before their eyes, Kakuzu—who should have been dead—moved again.
He had been trying to play dead and counterattack.
Yusuke ruined it with a single sentence.
Kakuzu stared at Yusuke, suspicion and unease mixing.
Earth Grudge Fear was a Hidden Waterfall Village secret.
How does he know I'm not dead?
Yusuke only smiled—calm, unreadable.
To Kakuzu, it was like reality itself had slipped beyond what he understood.
And for Kakashi and Kurenai, that single reminder saved them from a fatal mistake.
Their hearts turned cold with aftershock.
If Yusuke hadn't spoken, one of them might already be bleeding out.
So they reset—fully focused, fully lethal.
Because now they understood:
This enemy wasn't just strong.
He was the kind of strong that punishes arrogance with death.
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