Chapter 117 Bounty Hunter, Kakuzu

All of a sudden, the crowded hall of the gold exchange became deserted.

A man in black, wearing a black mask, walked in carrying a heavy bundle.

Blood seeped from beneath the bundle—clearly, it was a head.

Seeing the empty hall, a trace of surprise flashed in the man’s pale green pupils.

He tossed the head onto the counter in front of the boss and asked:

“Where did everyone go?”

The boss opened the bundle.

After confirming the identity, he pulled out a ten million tael banknote from the cabinet and handed it to the man.

Then he flashed his large golden teeth and said:

“They’re all out for a bounty.”

“A bounty?”

The man suddenly looked intrigued. As he pocketed the cash, he asked:

“What kind of bounty?”

“Konoha’s Golden Flash.”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. That name was infamous.

The boss slapped two bounty posters on the table.

“Kakuzu, you’re one of the best mercenaries in the underground. Want to give it a try?”

This man was none other than Kakuzu—the immortal ninja, one half of the Akatsuki’s Zombie Duo.

Kakuzu glanced coldly at the two bounty posters on the table.

“An 80 million tael bounty? Not bad prey.”

He slipped the two posters into his coat and said coldly:

“I’ll take the job.”

The boss immediately grinned with satisfaction, his solid gold teeth gleaming in the dim light.

Thousands of bounty hunters closing in, and now Kakuzu—the top-tier mercenary—had joined the hunt.

Even the legendary Konoha Golden Flash couldn’t possibly escape this.

And even if they couldn’t take down the Golden Flash, killing Haruko Kamizumi in the chaos would still bring in a hefty reward!

Late at night.

Uchiha Obito, who was supposed to be on night watch, had already dozed off.

Only Rin and Kakashi were still awake.

“Kakashi, do you think we’ll be in danger tonight?” Rin asked softly.

After all, she was just a fresh graduate from the Ninja Academy.

Jumping straight into A-rank missions—it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.

Kakashi was about to respond, but suddenly his expression changed.

His eyes locked onto the forest nearby.

“Be careful!”

A kunai shot out from the dense foliage.

It was aimed straight at Rin!

Kakashi lunged and tackled her to the ground.

The kunai sliced past his head and embedded itself into the soil.

“Enemy attack!” Kakashi shouted.

Right after that, hundreds of kunai came flying from the forest like a rainstorm, pouring down on the camp.

The guards reacted immediately, drawing their katanas and shouting:

“Protect Miss Haruko!”

Obito woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Compared to the confused Obito, Kakashi was far more composed.

“Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!”

The powerful gust scattered the incoming kunai midair, rendering them harmless as they dropped to the ground.

“Tch... didn’t expect one of the kids to be decent.”

Grim voices came from within the forest.

There were dozens—maybe hundreds—of them.

But oddly, none of them dared to step into the open.

It was as if something—or someone—was stopping them.

Kakashi glanced at Simu’s tent, still quiet and unmoving.

He immediately understood.

Finally, someone shouted from the forest:

“Everyone, charge!”

“Attack!”

Dozens of fierce bounty hunters rushed out of the woods.

“Damn... why are there so many?”

The guard captain’s face stiffened.

Even knowing how strong Simu was, facing so many attackers while protecting three rookie genin was dangerous.

Obito pulled down his goggles.

“Leave it to me!”

His scarlet Sharingan lit up, two tomoe spinning in each eye.

He was about to dash into the fray—

But a large hand grabbed him from behind.

“Are you rushing out just to die?”

A lazy voice came from behind.

Obito turned his head and saw—it was Simu.

“Mr. Simu! Let me go! I can handle these small fries on my own!”

Obito struggled, but Simu easily tossed him back down.

Simu adjusted his sunglasses, then lazily looked at the group of enemies ahead.

“So many people. Let me guess my current bounty?”

“Seventy million? Eighty million? Or maybe a hundred million?”

The aggressive bounty hunters froze.

They just stood there awkwardly, staring at Simu.

“That’s really the Golden Flash... he’s here in person...”

“S-So what if he is? You think one guy can stop all of us?”

“Let’s go!”

“You first!”

“No, you first!”

They stared at each other, deadlocked in silence. The tension thickened.

Simu yawned.

“Hurry up and decide. I’d like to get back to sleep.”

Kakashi, Rin, and Obito behind him were stunned.

So this was the power of the Golden Flash?

Just standing there
 and a thousand bounty hunters didn’t dare to move?

But just because they didn’t dare to attack Simu, didn’t mean they wouldn’t target others.

Suddenly, the ground under Haruko Kamizumi’s carriage began to soften and sink—

A figure emerged from the mud.

Haruko Kamizumi didn’t even have time to scream before—

A laser beam pierced through the figure.

Rei turned his head.

Those hunters had finally overcome their inner fears.

They began forming hand seals almost simultaneously, preparing to kill Rei with a barrage of ninjutsu.

Even if that guy managed to escape alone, the people behind him couldn’t possibly get away, right?

Rei hesitated slightly and muttered,
“There are too many of them. I guess it’s time to do some filtering.”

Just as they were about to complete their hand signs, a majestic red light flashed in Rei’s eyes in the darkness of the night.

A terrifying aura—like a wrathful god—erupted from his body, engulfing everything within a thousand-meter radius!

The overwhelming pressure struck directly at their hearts.

Many people turned pale and trembled uncontrollably.

Most couldn't bear the sheer force and pressure. Their eyes rolled back, and they passed out on the spot.

Silence fell.

Thousands of hunters had come to surround Rei.

Ninety-nine percent of them fainted just from Rei’s Conqueror's Haki alone


Watching the hunters drop one after another, Obito suddenly realized he’d been way too soft in his training.

Even Kakashi’s eyes were filled with disbelief, struggling to comprehend the existence of such overwhelming power.

“This is what Haki can do, Kakashi,” Rei said as he put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked forward.

Kakashi was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Among Obito, Rin, and Kakashi, it had to be said—Kakashi had the most talent in learning Haki.

Rei turned to the few remaining hunters he had intentionally spared and asked with a smile:

“Well then, do you still want my head?”

Although these guys hadn't fainted from Rei’s Conqueror's Haki, they were still pale and trembling. Seeing so many of their comrades collapse, they had no desire left to fight.

They hastily replied:

“No, no, no
”

“We didn’t mean to offend you, Lord Golden Flash
”

Suddenly, Rei looked up at the trees.

Countless black tendrils shot out from the thick foliage like a swarm of tentacles, aiming for Rei.

A hint of surprise appeared on Rei’s face.

He opened his hand, and a dazzling flash condensed into a long, radiant cross-shaped sword in his grip—

The Totsuka Cloud Sword!

With a powerful slash, the blade scorched through the tentacles like flames against steel.

“These things are tough
”

Rei raised an eyebrow as Armament Haki wrapped around the Totsuka Cloud Sword.

With a flash of sword light, those steel-strong tendrils were sliced like strands of soft hair.

Rei stabbed the Totsuka Cloud Sword into the ground, pushed up his sunglasses, and calmly looked at the target.

With that stitched-up face, it could only be the man known as the most ruthless mercenary—Kakuzu.

“So you’ve heard of my name,” Kakuzu said in a deep voice, his yellow-green pupils locking onto Rei and Haruko Kamizumi in the carriage.

“This guy
 he’s strong,” Obito muttered, staring at Kakuzu.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Idiot, that guy’s our teacher’s opponent. We just need to protect Haruko Kamizumi.”

“What do you mean, ‘dead fish eyes’?” Obito grumbled.

Rei turned his head slightly toward Obito.
“Obito, protect Miss Haruko.”

Obito wrinkled his nose. “I know.”

Kakashi and Rin had already moved to guard Haruko’s carriage.

With Kakuzu’s appearance, the hunters who were previously ready to retreat now stirred again.

They saw opportunity.

As underground hunters, they were well aware of Kakuzu’s strength.

Even Konoha’s Golden Flash wouldn’t have an easy time with him.

If they could take this chance to deal with Haruko Kamizumi—worth 80 million taels—they’d hit the jackpot!

But Kakuzu didn’t care about those people bypassing him to target Haruko.

To him, only Rei was a threat.

As long as he killed Rei, it wouldn’t matter who claimed Haruko’s head—he would just kill them afterward and take it for himself.

But Rei knew—if Haruko Kamizumi died, his mission would fail.

Kakuzu asked coldly,
“Aren’t you worried about Haruko Kamizumi’s safety? Or do you really think those brats can protect her?”

Rei smiled.

“They’re not just brats—they’re my students.”

His tone held deep confidence.

After all, Rei had deliberately spared these leftover hunters as suitable opponents for Kakashi and Obito.

After a month of special training under Mr. Might Guy, dealing with this level of enemy shouldn’t be a problem.

“I see
”

Kakuzu stopped talking and suddenly launched an attack.

His arms detached from the elbows, and countless black tendrils stretched like rubber, shooting toward Rei.

But Rei remained calm.

Thanks to the predictive power of Observation Haki, he swiftly responded.

With the Totsuka Cloud Sword, Rei sliced through the tendrils with ease.

However, the tendrils twisted again mid-air and exploded like black fireworks, enveloping Rei in a web.

“As expected from the Forbidden Jutsu of Takigakure,” Rei said dramatically.
“Such a terrifying technique.”

Kakuzu’s eyes narrowed in surprise.

“How do you know
?”

Earth Grudge Fear was the secret treasure of Takigakure.

Before he defected, it had never been leaked.

And since he acquired it, no one had survived to talk about it.

So how did this guy know about Earth Grudge Fear?

But Rei wasn’t the type to explain things.

With a swift motion, he turned into a streak of light, dashing through the dense black threads.

Sensing the intense killing intent, Kakuzu didn’t dare hold back anymore.

His cloak tore open, revealing a black vest underneath. His skin was covered with stitches.

Facing Rei’s fierce attack, the sutures on his shoulders burst open.

Two thick black tendrils extended outward, each carrying a strange white mask.

One mask resembled a red-lipped ape.

The other had a more abstract shape, with a bluish hue at the corners of its mouth.

Rei’s flashing form came to a halt mid-air.

Just as he appeared, the red-lipped mask opened its mouth and spewed a scorching torrent of orange flames.

The blue mask beside it released a terrible, foul-smelling wind.

“Fire Style: Head Hard!”

“Wind Style: Harm!”

“Combined Ninjutsu: Flame-Wind Chaos Wave!”

Under the power of the wind, the already terrifying flames grew into an apocalyptic inferno.

First, the flames filled the cage of tendrils.

Then they burst outward, igniting the entire forest beyond.

The crimson glow of the fire lit up the sky.

The terrifying scene made Kakashi and the others freeze.

“Teacher Rei
” Rin's voice trembled with worry.

Obito and Kakashi exchanged a glance.

Compared to this terrifying ninjutsu


Their training exercises were child’s play.

Obito gritted his teeth. “I’m going to help Mr. Rei.”

Kakashi immediately shot him down.

“If Mr. Rei needed your help, he wouldn’t be called the Golden Flash.”

Obito hadn’t even had a chance to reply when—

A silhouette slowly emerged from the inferno.

Rei patted the soot from his clothes and said calmly,

“That was close. I almost died in that sea of flames.”

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