In the original storyline, although Kakuzu was a member of the Akatsuki and extremely greedy for money, his real strength lay in the fact that he possessed multiple lives. In that regard, he was somewhat similar to his partner, Hidan.
Thinking of this, Ning Feng curled his lips in disdain.
Honestly speaking, for a small character like Kakuzu, he couldn't even be bothered to take action personally.
Originally, Ning Feng had thought that on the way back he might run into a powerful ninja or even an elite ninja squad—something that would allow him to properly test his newly obtained Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
But unfortunately, the one who came to block his path was merely a Kakuzu.
While Ning Feng was thinking about this, Kakuzu, seeing Ning Feng frowning, immediately assumed that he was afraid.
He let out a cold laugh.
"Hahahaha! Scared already!?"
"Your grandfather here once went to Konoha and attempted to assassinate the high-ranking leader Senju Hashirama!"
"That so-called God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama—he died at my hands!"
As Kakuzu spoke arrogantly, the elite rogue ninjas around him relaxed and began praising him one after another.
With someone like Kakuzu—who had supposedly even dared to kill the God of Shinobi—what was there to fear about Uchiha Feng?
"Oh? You mean the guy who threw a kunai from eight hundred meters away and immediately ran for his life?" Ning Feng chuckled.
Kakuzu was actually quite capable, and he had exceptional talent when it came to managing finances—which was why he handled the accounts within the Akatsuki.
None of Ning Feng's subordinates had particularly strong financial skills.
If he could recruit Kakuzu, it might actually be quite useful.
"You—!"
Having his embarrassing past exposed instantly enraged Kakuzu. Just as he was about to attack—
A pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly lit up.
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Kakuzu's expression changed drastically.
The reason he had managed to survive for so long—even since the early days of Konoha—was because of his keen instincts and ability to escape.
The moment he sensed the terrifying power behind the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakuzu immediately realized that the man before him was not someone easy to deal with.
Just as he was about to unleash one of his techniques—
Ning Feng, wrapped in golden chakra, appeared in front of him without warning.
Kakuzu didn't even have time to use his secret techniques.
"So fast…"
Before Kakuzu could react—
Boom!
He was sent flying like a rocket, smashing through dozens of trees in the forest behind him.
The shockwave from Ning Feng's punch blasted away the surrounding forest, leaving only bare tree stumps standing.
From a distance, the scene was incredibly shocking.
The elite rogue ninjas who had followed Kakuzu were completely stunned.
They could clearly see that Uchiha Feng had already mastered the power of the Tailed Beast chakra.
And not just any level—
It was the terrifying Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
"So the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is this fast…"
Ning Feng quietly observed his own state.
This was his first time using the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
To his surprise, his speed in this state was so incredible that it was not much slower than the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even more astonishing—
A simple punch had produced such terrifying destructive power.
If he fully unleashed the Nine-Tails' strength, how terrifying would that be?
"N-Nine-Tails Chakra Mode…"
Kakuzu inhaled sharply.
Having lived for so long, he had heard about this legendary state.
But until now, it had always been purely theoretical.
Yet he was witnessing it with his own eyes.
The rogue ninjas nearby also realized that Kakuzu's earlier claims about defeating the Nine-Tails were nothing more than bragging.
Looking at his body, Kakuzu noticed that one of his hearts had already been destroyed.
His brows furrowed.
They had barely started fighting, and he had already lost one heart.
If this continued, today might truly be the end of his long life.
"Cough… cough…"
"Well… about that bounty…"
"I don't want it anymore… I don't want it!"
"Lord Feng… how about sparing my life?"
Kakuzu immediately changed his attitude.
Ning Feng blinked in surprise.
He hadn't expected Kakuzu to surrender so quickly.
But then again, if Kakuzu weren't this cautious, he wouldn't have survived for so many decades.
Even with multiple lives, meeting the wrong opponent could still mean death.
The elite rogue ninjas accompanying Kakuzu were equally shocked.
Moments later—
They all dropped to their knees.
They began begging for mercy, afraid they might die if they hesitated even a second longer.
"I can see that you, Kakuzu, have some ability."
"From now on, follow me—the Rain Shadow."
"You seem to have some talent in financial matters."
Ning Feng waved his hand casually.
Recruiting Kakuzu along the way wasn't a bad deal at all.
Hearing this, Kakuzu became extremely grateful.
"Yes, Lord Feng!"
He had always believed in the law of the strong.
Now that a true powerhouse was willing to take him in, how could he not be happy?
However—
Just as Kakuzu was about to join Ning Feng's side—
A cold voice suddenly echoed from the distance.
"It seems that no matter how high the bounty is, hired ninjas are still unreliable."
"Uchiha Feng…"
"Our Great Sun Shrine has been waiting for you for a long time."
As the cold voice rang out, a player with the guild prefix "Great Sun Shrine" slowly appeared on the high ground.
Along with him came a massive crowd of players.
They stretched from one end of the mountain to the other like a dark tide.
Every one of them had the same prefix—Great Sun Shrine—and their equipment looked extremely luxurious.
The leading player was named Yamamoto Jiro.
Above his name was the title Vice President of Great Sun Shrine, and his level had reached a terrifying Level 50.
With a quick glance, Ning Feng immediately noticed that the guild had brought tens of thousands of players, most of them above Level 30.
It was clearly a large and powerful guild.
Previously, Ning Feng had always traveled alone and paid little attention to the various player guilds forming throughout the world.
He hadn't expected that some of them had already grown powerful enough to challenge him directly.
"Oh?"
"And what business do you have with me?"
Ning Feng sneered.
Before the leading island-nation player could even speak—
Ning Feng suddenly grabbed him by the throat.
At the same time—
Before the countless island-nation players surrounding them could react—
A mysterious shockwave suddenly swept through the battlefield.
In an instant, one quarter of the players were wiped out, leaving countless casualties behind.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Claim early access on Patreon: patreon.com/c/LuneWriter
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:
💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter
🔷 200 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.