Although wind can fuel fire, if the gale is strong enough, it can halt the flames' advance. Kakuzu's Fire Release was completely blocked by Orochimaru's Great Breakthrough.
'This guy... I can't take him down with just one mask!'
Once the storm passed, both sides remained unharmed, which made Kakuzu frown.
He had already begun gathering Chakra within his body again, while the black threads dancing around him picked up the severed arm that had fallen to the ground and reattached it to his body.
"What a convenient ability."
Seeing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but shine with interest.
"Hmph, Orochimaru, if you die here, don't blame me!"
"Combination Ninjutsu: Strange Mask Exploding Flame!"
The two masks on Kakuzu's shoulders began gathering chakra simultaneously, using Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work and Wind Release: Pressure Damage to create an enormous sea of fire in an instant.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. In this move, he saw the shadow of a familiar figure.
"Hehehe, I've seen someone stronger than you use this technique!"
"Kusanagi Sword: Sky Blade!"
The longsword Orochimaru had shot out earlier suddenly moved again, stabbing toward Kakuzu's back. Meanwhile, Orochimaru himself was completely engulfed by the flames of Kakuzu's Combination Ninjutsu.
Naruto had already moved to the side to watch the show.
Kakuzu hadn't expected the sword Orochimaru had spat out to move on its own, nor had he anticipated that Orochimaru would be willing to sacrifice himself to kill him. Although they had been in the Akatsuki together for some time, this was probably their first real encounter. So he wondered did Orochimaru harbor such intense killing intent.
'Could it be that he also had his eyes on my bounty?'
Kakuzu, who was caught off guard, had no time to use Earth Release to defend himself. The sharp Kusanagi Sword pierced through his chest, striking his heart.
He staggered and fell to one knee. The blue-striped mask representing the wind attribute on his shoulder quickly withered and fell to the ground, turning into a puddle of sludge.
The heart that had been pierced was the one containing Wind Nature Chakra.
However, Kakuzu's main body was largely unharmed. After catching his breath for a moment, he recovered and stood up, pulling the Kusanagi Sword out of his back.
He first glanced at Orochimaru's charred corpse on the ground, then turned his gaze to Naruto, who was watching from a tree. Naruto's appearance felt vaguely familiar, and Kakuzu frowned as he spoke.
"Orochimaru is dead. Aren't you going to make a move?"
Naruto's face showed a look of lingering interest. 'Watching top-tier fighters battle was quite entertaining. The sea of fire that had filled the sky was truly spectacular.'
"That guy isn't so easy to kill. But if an ordinary Ninja didn't know you had five hearts, they'd probably have no way to deal with you."
'However, if someone knew about this weakness, Kakuzu's strength would only be at the lower end of the Kage level… a smaller-scale Hiruzen.'
"Are you from Takigakure?"
Kakuzu's expression darkened. After all, Earth Grudge Fear was a secret technique of Takigakure, known only to the village's higher-ups.
Without waiting for Naruto to answer, Kakuzu's body erupted with black threads again, surging toward Naruto.
"Sure enough, I'll have to beat you up before we can have a proper conversation!"
Naruto's figure vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Kakuzu with a Wind Release: Rasengan already formed in his hand.
"What?"
Against the Flying Thunder God Technique, those who didn't understand it were usually killed on their first encounter. Even those who did understand it could only hold out for a few moments. It was a technique specifically designed to counter individuals.
Kakuzu had no chance to react. He was directly hit by Naruto's Wind Release: Rasengan.
Even with the defense of Earth Release: Earth Spear, his back exploded, and three of his hearts were destroyed simultaneously. The fire-attribute mask on his shoulder withered and fell to the ground. Right now, he was left with only one heart… the Earth Nature one.
Naruto landed beside him, looking down at Kakuzu, who was lying on the ground, his breathing weak. Naruto couldn't help but lightly tap the limp black threads on Kakuzu's body with his foot.
"Can we talk properly now?"
"Cough cough cough."
Kakuzu coughed violently. Although he was severely injured, no blood flowed from his body. All his internal organs had been replaced by black threads. After coughing, he spoke haltingly. After all, losing four hearts at once had dealt him a heavy blow.
"You... are you sent by... those bastards from Takigakure?"
"Kakuzu, I came here specifically for you."
Gurgle gurgle~
At that moment, a sound of flesh squelching suddenly rang out. Both of them turned to see Orochimaru's charred corpse suddenly open its mouth wide, and a completely unharmed Orochimaru crawled out.
"I was planning to ambush you and put on a good show, but I didn't expect Kakuzu to be taken down by you in one move, Master."
Orochimaru walked over with a cold expression. He had intended to use his unique Body Replacement Technique to ambush Kakuzu, but he hadn't expected Kakuzu to attack Naruto directly.
Because of that, what should have been a battle lasting hundreds of exchanges ended in just two moves.
"You... cough cough cough... you're still alive... cough, cough..."
Kakuzu was so agitated that he started coughing again.
"This guy can outlive you."
Naruto quickly injected a bit of Yang Nature Chakra into Kakuzu to prevent him from coughing himself to death.
After a long while, Kakuzu finally recovered, his expression complex as he looked at the two: "What exactly do you want?"
He had figured it out, 'This guy wasn't here to kill me, nor was he from Takigakure. Luring me out and beating me up... was probably just to make negotiations easier.'
'Just like that guy Pain back then.'
"Kakuzu, how do you feel about the Akatsuki's treatment?"
"W-what do you mean? "
Naruto smiled and said, "You've been working for the Akatsuki for so many years. Have they ever paid you a salary? Do you get vacations? Do you have social security and benefits?"
"Salary? Vacations? Social security and benefits?" Kakuzu looked bewildered. Having lived for nearly a century, this was the first time he'd heard these terms. All he had ever cared about was bounties.
Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but look at Kakuzu with pity, 'So, this guy was literally paying to work.'
"You little brat!" Although Kakuzu didn't understand the meaning behind Naruto's gaze, he knew he was being mocked.
Naruto averted his eyes, 'Such a good workhorse, no, employee, couldn't be allowed to escape.'
Naruto then changed the subject. "Have you ever thought about switching jobs?"
Kakuzu finally caught on and asked, "You want to recruit me?"
He had thought Naruto was targeting the Akatsuki, but it turned out he was after him.
"I have a path in the Land of Waves. The risk is low, but the profits are high," Naruto said with a smile.
"The Land of Waves? Isn't that place extremely poor?" Kakuzu looked suspicious.
"This is the employment contract for the Land of Waves. Take a look at the benefits," Naruto said, pulling out a contract and tossing it next to Kakuzu, who was still lying on the ground.
"What is this?" Kakuzu picked up the contract and glanced at it, his eyes widening instantly.
All he could see were two lines.
Gato Company!
Monthly Salary: 10,000,000 ryo!
He immediately scrambled to his feet, staring dumbfounded at the number. After all, that was more than he earned in half a year...
"Are you serious? Do you even know how much 10 million ryo is? It would take an entire suitcase to hold that much. Even for me, earning that much in half a year would be a stretch. "
Kakuzu knew about Gato Company. It was one of the top shipping companies in the Ninja World, and it could definitely afford such a salary.
'But this guy...'
"Of course. Gato Company now belongs to the Land of Waves, and I am the Daimyo of the Land of Waves. If you agree, you'll become the Minister of Finance for the Land of Waves. You'll be in charge of the entire nation's wealth. How does that sound?"
Naruto said with a smile. He wasn't afraid of Kakuzu running off with the money. After all, once the Flying Thunder God's mark was applied, there was no escape. As for Kakuzu's work ethic...
Money was like Kakuzu's lifeline. Naruto knew he would definitely keep a tight grip on every penny and watch over it like a hawk.
"But I don't know how to manage money. My money... my money all goes to the organization..."
Kado swallowed his saliva, his expression torn between hesitation and reluctance, still clutching the contract.
Naruto's smile deepened and he said, "You don't need to know how to manage money. You just need to know not to waste it."
"So Orochimaru joined you because of money too?"
Kakuzu abruptly shifted the topic to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was about to speak, but Naruto answered first.
"Pretty much. Orochimaru loves research, and research requires a lot of money. And I, well, I'm not short on money."
"I see." For some reason, Kakuzu felt a sense of relief. At least this eased his conscience a bit. After all, Naruto's strength was terrifying. He had already lost four hearts. If he didn't agree, he'd probably be staying here forever.
"My former boss is very strong."
'Good guy, already calling him a 'former boss,' huh?'
Naruto's mouth twitched, but he still smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll handle it."
After that, Naruto extended his right hand to Kakuzu.
"Then, a pleasure doing business with you, Kakuzu."
"P-pleasure doing business."
Kakuzu also reached out to shake Naruto's hand, his words stumbling slightly. This was the first time he'd been so formal. It felt... unlike a Ninja.
"By the way, I don't even know your name, boss."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"What!?"