The people from Kusagakure and Amegakure all showed looks of joy; the capture of the Tailed Beast was a success.
Nagato also looked at Konan with joy, thinking she truly lived up to being his good sister.
Wait—
Sister?!
While Nagato was in the midst of extreme self-doubt, a gloomy voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears.
"This Village is still as pathetic as it was all those years ago!"
A dark figure appeared immediately after, black tentacles extending from his hand like black threads, grabbing the insect-sealed ceramic jar that Konan had secured with her Paper Release.
Another expert?
Everyone stared at the newly appeared mysterious expert, who wore a black trench coat and a light gray scarf around his neck.
His eyes were a sharp turquoise, his gaze cold and piercing, exuding the ruthlessness and weariness of someone who had lived through ages, as if he could see right through people's hearts.
His entire face was tightly covered by a dark gray mask, leaving only his eyes exposed, giving off a mysterious and unapproachable vibe.
Most shocking of all was the Takigakure forehead protector on his head, which had a distinct horizontal scratch across it—he was a rogue Shinobi of Takigakure.
The Takigakure Leader and the other Shinobi were stunned upon seeing that forehead protector, for they had no idea the Village even had such a rogue Shinobi.
"Who are you?"
This person was Kakuzu, who had rushed to Takigakure from the Land of Fire and Konoha Village.
Kakuzu's era was too distant, dating back fifty years; the Takigakure Leader had changed through several generations. With Kakuzu's sudden appearance, no one recognized him.
While using his Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique to struggle against Konan's Paper Release for the Seven-Tails' sealing tool, Kakuzu sneered at the Takigakure Shinobi: "Don't recognize me? Figures. A rogue Shinobi like me isn't worth your remembrance."
Suddenly, Mizukage pointed at Kakuzu in horror: "I know now! You're Kakuzu, the rogue Shinobi who stole the Village's Forbidden Jutsu and murdered the high-ranking officials fifty years ago!"
"Heavens, how are you still alive?"
Mizukage clutched his head, filled with disbelief.
The people of Takigakure began to realize one by one.
"Kakuzu?! Did the Village have such a person?"
Some older Takigakure Shinobi began to remember Kakuzu.
"I remember now! My grandfather told me the Village used to have a wild and unyielding Shinobi named Kakuzu."
"He overstimated himself and tried to assassinate the First Hokage. The First Hokage was kind and spared his life."
"But after being defeated by the First Hokage, this guy couldn't accept it. His personality changed drastically; he stole the Village's Forbidden Jutsu and even slaughtered the high-ranking elders."
"He's practically the lowliest of beasts!"
Kakuzu was fuming as he listened.
Who? Who made up this unofficial history?!
Who dares to slander me like this?
Regarding the events of the past, Kakuzu was entirely the victim.
At the Five Kage Summit, Hashirama had allocated one Tailed Beast to Takigakure, a small Shinobi Village. Takigakure felt that Hashirama had slighted them.
Why was that?
Look at the Villages Hashirama distributed to. Sunagakure wasn't counted because they already had Shukaku.
Iwagakure received the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.
Kirigakure received the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
Kumogakure received the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
All these Shinobi Villages received two Tailed Beasts. Why did their Takigakure only get one?
Did the First Hokage look down on their Takigakure?
They had to find someone to take care of him.
As an elite of Takigakure, Kakuzu took on the mission to assassinate Hashirama. After the mission failed, the heads of the Takigakure officials finally cleared.
They seemed to have done something extremely stupid.
They actually dared to send someone to assassinate the First Hokage? This was simply the height of audacity.
At that time, the Land of Fire sent an envoy to demand accountability, and the Takigakure officials didn't dare admit they had ever thought of assassinating Hashirama.
So, the high-ranking officials arrested Kakuzu, intending to push him out as a scapegoat, saying Kakuzu had acted alone on his own initiative and it had nothing to do with them.
In a fit of rage, Kakuzu felt betrayed.
He had risked his life to assassinate Hashirama, only to be treated so cruelly by the Village.
Kakuzu turned to the dark side.
With intense hatred, he broke out of prison, stole the Secret Technique Takigakure prized as a treasure—Earth Grudge Fear—and used it to take the hearts of all the high-ranking Jonin in Takigakure at the time, before sweeping up all the money and defecting.
From then on, Kakuzu wandered the world, accompanied only by money.
But within Takigakure's own internal narrative, the assassination of the First Hokage was entirely Kakuzu's own idea, and he was depicted as a pathetic fool who didn't know his place.
How could he tolerate this?
Kakuzu immediately released two masks of Wind and Fire attributes from his back to slaughter the Takigakure Shinobi.
"All of you, go to hell!"
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
(°ﾛ°٥).
Nagato, Konan, and the Kusagakure Shinobi watched dumbfoundedly as Kakuzu slaughtered the Takigakure Shinobi.
Why were they fighting among themselves?
"Summoning Jutsu!"
At the critical moment of the infighting, a massive cloud of summoning smoke exploded, and a giant toad over ten meters tall with deep purple skin appeared on the battlefield.
Its right claw gripped a huge spiked mace, and its left claw held a shield shaped like a bamboo hat, easily suppressing Kakuzu's two large-scale Ninjutsu.
This toad was Gamaken of Mount Myōboku.
A figure stood atop Gamaken's head, wearing a bright red sleeveless overcoat and a forehead protector with the character for 'Oil', with long white hair.
Behind him followed a dozen or so Konoha Anbu wearing animal masks and carrying Shinobi swords.
Konan and Nagato looked at the leading white-haired Shinobi in shock: "Master Jiraiya?!"
The white-haired Shinobi was indeed Jiraiya.
Jiraiya and Kakuzu had set out for Takigakure yesterday; he hadn't expected Kakuzu's warning to actually be proven true.
Madara really had sent people to attack Takigakure and seize their Tailed Beast.
Fortunately, they arrived in time.
Jiraiya frowned as he looked at Kakuzu. A rogue Shinobi was a rogue Shinobi—no organization, no discipline, ready to kill at the slightest disagreement.
The reason the Shinobi World was in such chaos was partly due to rogue Shinobi destroying order everywhere.
However, Jiraiya still tolerated Kakuzu's previous reckless behavior; the two large-scale Ninjutsu Kakuzu had released instantly proved his strength surpassed that of an average Shinobi.
The Shinobi Allied Forces needed him.
Jiraiya urged: "Senior Kakuzu, calm down! Don't lower yourself to the level of these juniors. Uchiha Madara is our true enemy."