The former site of the Ninja Sect was too desolate, so the cultists could only simply carve out a cave to temporarily house everyone.
Out of ninja caution, although the carved cave was not very large, the paths within it were somewhat complex; a normal person would easily get lost here.
Ninjas would sometimes set traps in such terrain; for invaders, unless they directly destroyed the cave with large-scale ninjutsu, they would have to avoid or disarm the traps.
Apart from the cultists patrolling outside, the rest were resting in the cave.
They wore loose black robes, looking very eerie.
Kakuzu, the only one who wasn't a cultist, was also dressed this way, mainly because he didn't want to expose his true identity.
Although hired by the cultists, Kakuzu had no interest in talking to them; they would only impart some inexplicable doctrines to him.
So, he simply lit an oil lamp to the side and read a book by its light.
Perhaps no one would have imagined that a ninja like Kakuzu, who had killed countless people, was privately a middle-aged man who loved literature.
If he had no mission, he would spend an entire day reading books alone, which could enrich his knowledge and relax his mind, preventing him from being tense all day.
Gently turning a page, Kakuzu looked up at the other cultists.
They were muttering, exchanging their evil god (evil god) doctrines, and he truly didn't know where they originated.
As far as he knew, the worship of the evil god (evil god) appeared in the late Warring States period and developed on a large scale during the Shinobi World War, with even people in Yugakure (Hot Water Village) believing in it.
The original source was already untraceable.
However, he thought to himself, it must have been an incredibly boring person.
The purpose of these cultists was to perform rituals and offer sacrifices to the evil god (evil god) in order to gain power bestowed by the evil god (evil god).
However, these cultists didn't even know what that so-called power was.
To expend so much energy for an unknown thing seemed very worthless to him.
However, whether it was worth it was not Kakuzu's concern, but whether the cultists were willing to pay such a price.
Apparently, they were willing, so Kakuzu naturally had nothing to say; he was just a hired ninja, and treating the mission as the most important thing was enough.
Shortly after Kakuzu shifted his gaze back to the book, a cultist rushed in, holding a scroll, and said to the leader inside the cave, "There's unexpected news from the capital."
Everyone else immediately looked up, Kakuzu included.
Staying with these mentally unstable people was truly boring.
Although he loved reading, the desire for battle also grew in his heart, eager to be unleashed.
He truly hoped that the Land of Demons could produce worthy opponents, so he wouldn't just be watching a bunch of madmen perform monkey tricks here.
"Listen, the Priestess of the Land of Demons has entrusted people from Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) to come here; their target seems to be us," the person said as he handed the scroll to the leader.
The leader silently opened the scroll, and after reading the intelligence, he closed the scroll and said, "Hmm, the opponent seems to be a student of the Second Hokage.
The Priestess really thinks highly of us, to invite such a ninja, haha!"
— A student of the Second Hokage?
Hearing this, Kakuzu's eyes narrowed slightly.
He could never forget that ninja village.
Back when he was still in Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village), as an elite ninja of the village, he received orders from the higher-ups to assassinate the First Hokage, who had ended the Warring States period.
The result was a disastrous defeat, and if the other party hadn't been unwilling to pursue, he would have died on the spot.
The higher-ups, fearing that Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) would pursue the matter, planned to betray Kakuzu.
Kakuzu killed the higher-ups first and then escaped.
Over the years, Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) had not sent anyone to find him, presumably because Kakuzu had not threatened the First Hokage.
They might have thought about him at first, but over time, they let it go, even bothering to spend energy on him.
This was, of course, a good thing for Kakuzu; he didn't want to be endlessly hunted.
Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village), due to historical reasons, could not let Kakuzu go, but they were all trash.
Even if they acquired the Seven-Tails through financial and other means, in Kakuzu's eyes, they were still insignificant guys, and he wasn't afraid no matter how many came.
But the people from Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) were different.
That ninja village was founded by Hashirama Senju, known as the God of Shinobi—this was not self-proclaimed, but a title acknowledged by the entire ninja world—and it itself represented a certain heavy weight.
The Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, and other ninja clans renowned in the ninja world were all its members.
And the Shinobi World War further proved the strength of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village).
Even with the assistance of Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) alone bore the pressure of two battlefields and defeated the opponents with a huge advantage, becoming the most profitable ninja village among the Five Great Nations.
Kakuzu's fighting spirit was stirring.
The one who came to accept the mission was a student of the Second Hokage.
As far as he knew, the Second Hokage's students performed exceptionally well in the Shinobi World War, especially Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fumori Masaki.
He wondered what their hearts would feel like.
Kakuzu reached out and stroked his chest, where five strong hearts were beating.
This was not because his physique was different from ordinary people, but due to the effect of the secret technique he stole from Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village) — Earth Grudge Fear.
It could not only plunder others' hearts, bringing new vitality to his own body, but also transplant their chakra pathways onto himself.
Even if he had never learned other nature transformations, he could use others' chakra pathways to perform them.
Now, Kakuzu had five types of chakra pathways in his body; in other words, he, like Hiruzen Sarutobi, could use five chakra natures.
The difference was that Hiruzen Sarutobi mastered them through his astonishing talent, while Kakuzu relied on a secret technique akin to an evil art.
Earth Grudge Fear was undoubtedly a cruel secret technique, but Kakuzu didn't care.
Ninjas were not a profession with lofty morals; their only concern was the mission.
As long as the mission could be completed, any means were acceptable; this was the most traditional image of a ninja.
Although new ideas gradually emerged after the establishment of ninja villages, and the new generation of ninjas began to understand what the right path was, Kakuzu, born in the Warring States period, was a thorough traditional ninja.
He was most disdainful of such things; as long as he could survive, he wouldn't frown no matter how many hearts he plundered.
"Hey, Kakuzu, is there a way to take down that Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) ninja?" the leader asked Kakuzu.
"Do you know his name?" Kakuzu replied calmly.
"It seems to be Fumori Masaki," the leader reopened the scroll to confirm, then nodded and said, "That's right, it's Fumori Masaki."
Kakuzu's eyes lit up slightly.
It just so happened to be one of the two best performers in the Shinobi World War.
If he remembered correctly, this person was a master of wind release, and performed exceptionally well in the war against the Land of Lightning.
He wondered which one was stronger compared to his current wind-attribute heart.
"No problem, as long as the opponent dares to come, I will keep him here; no need to worry about affecting your plans," Kakuzu said.
"That's great.
As expected of someone who once assassinated the First Hokage, you wouldn't be afraid of the Second Hokage's student," the leader said, perhaps intentionally or unintentionally.
Kakuzu glanced at the leader and softly snorted.
The outcome of assassinating the First Hokage was not good, although the event itself was legendary.
Kakuzu would probably cherish that assassination experience in the future, but now, he considered it a shameful assassination, not worth mentioning.
"It's no fun just waiting.
This Fumori Masaki intends to directly attack us; we should preempt him and give him a big surprise," the leader pondered.
"He seems to have others with him.
Should we use one of them as a sacrifice for the great evil god (evil god)?"
"Three of them are Fumori Masaki's students, so capturing them would be a bit troublesome, but the other person is an ordinary person, which should be relatively easy," said the cultist, who seemed to be the second-in-command, taking the scroll and examining it carefully.
"Kana? I think I've heard that name somewhere?" The cultist stroked his chin, lost in thought, as he saw the person's name.
"Kana..." Kakuzu mused upon hearing this, "She seems to be the author of the widely circulated book, 'Travels of the Sage.'"