It was almost dark.
In the back garden, a certain tanuki was sweeping the ground with a face full of resentment.
"Stinking fox!"
"Stinking tomato brat!"
"Stinking Kizaru! Stinking old man!"
"You bunch of rotten bastards actually made the great Shukaku sweep the floor out here!"
Inside the house, the atmosphere was warm and lively. Everyone was smiling, talking, eating, and laughing happily.
Outside in the garden, however, the only sound was Shukaku's lonely, endless complaining.
For a while, the two places formed a painfully sharp contrast.
"That bastard Kizaru… he's not Shukaku's partner anymore!"
The more Shukaku swept, the angrier he became. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he threw the broom to the ground.
"Shukaku-sama quits!"
"Ooh~ how sad."
Kizaru's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Shukaku's body reacted before his mind could. He immediately grabbed the broom again and started sweeping.
After a few sweeps, Shukaku seemed to realize something.
Why was he afraid of that bastard?
Sure, he could not beat him.
Sure, it hurt when that guy hit someone.
Sure, Kizaru could seal him away.
Sure…
Fine.
He was indeed a little afraid of him.
But only a little!
"Kizaru!" Shukaku stopped sweeping and turned around, angry and aggrieved. "We're partners! You can't treat Shukaku like this!"
"So I came to call you in for dinner." Kizaru walked over and squatted down in front of him.
"Hmph! I don't eat human food!" Shukaku angrily tossed the broom aside, then lifted his chin with a proud little snort.
Kizaru looked at him with a smile and said nothing. He simply reached out, picked Shukaku up, and placed him on his shoulder.
"Tonight's the reunion dinner. You have to be there. We're partners, after all."
"Bastard! Put me down!" Sitting on Kizaru's shoulder, Shukaku pushed at his head with both paws and shouted, though his body did not make any real attempt to struggle.
"You're pretty cute, Shukaku."
"Bastard! Don't call the great Shukaku cute!" Shukaku protested, folding his paws in front of his chest in dissatisfaction.
"Ooh~ that makes you look even cuter."
Kizaru slipped both hands into his pockets and smiled lazily.
"What are you talking about?! Don't call me cute!" Shukaku shouted again, waving his paws around in protest.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Shukaku make such a fuss, Kizaru could not help laughing out loud.
"Bastard!"
"Happy New Year, Shukaku."
Hearing Kizaru's words, Shukaku froze for a moment.
Then, little by little, he stopped moving.
After a brief silence, he turned his head away and muttered, "Happy New Year, Kizaru."
That year's New Year's Eve, under Kizaru's organization and Keiko's arrangements, went very smoothly. Everyone had a wonderful time.
Except for a slightly awkward tanuki and a certain female "gambler" who had lost every bit of cash she had on hand.
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, time passed into the new year.
A new beginning had arrived.
Perhaps it was the new year bringing a new atmosphere with it.
On January 1st, Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi were born.
Might Guy was born in the morning, while Kakashi was born in the afternoon. The difference between their birth times was roughly five hours.
"These eyes… they were born looking like dead fish eyes."
Looking at the baby Kakashi, who had just been cleaned up by the nurse, Kizaru could not help commenting.
Tsunade secretly pinched Kizaru's waist and glared at this man who never knew when to keep quiet.
"This child really looks like you, Sakumo," Tsunade said in a praising tone as she looked at the smiling Hatake Sakumo.
"Hahaha! He really does look a lot like me."
Hatake Sakumo laughed while scratching the back of his head.
Taking advantage of the moment when Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo were talking, Kizaru stretched out his right hand and gently pinched Kakashi's little cheek.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
After being attacked by the strange uncle, Kakashi immediately burst into tears.
"Kizaru! You just made Duy's child cry, and now you're making this little guy cry too? Get out of here already, you idiot!"
The furious Tsunade scolded Kizaru while pushing him toward the door of the ward.
"I was just teasing him, Tsunade."
"Sakumo, I'm really sorry. I'll properly educate this guy."
After turning back and apologizing to Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade dragged Kizaru out of the ward.
Watching the young couple leave, Hatake Sakumo shook his head helplessly before lowering his gaze and comforting his child.
In the Land of Fire, Kakuzu, a model worker among bounty hunters, did not give himself a holiday just because it was the New Year.
Having just completed another bounty mission, Kakuzu walked out of the bounty exchange station in a rather good mood, carrying a cash box in his hand.
Another sum had been added to his treasury.
That alone was enough to make him happy.
Carrying the cash box, Kakuzu headed toward a nearby town, intending to deposit the money.
As he walked, he continued reading through the information in his bounty manual, already preparing to find his next target.
Because of Kizaru's reminder, Kakuzu, who was wary of Uchiha Madara, had recently been wandering around the Land of Fire.
Knowing very well that he was no match for Uchiha Madara, Kakuzu understood that if Madara truly targeted him, his best choice would be to flee to Konoha immediately and seek Kizaru's help.
For that reason, Kakuzu had already decided that, for a long period of time, he would only operate within the Land of Fire and its nearby smaller countries.
As he walked along the path leading to town, Kakuzu, who had always maintained his vigilance, suddenly stopped.
In front of him, a mysterious figure wearing a gray robe and a spiral-patterned mask was standing quietly in the road.
Kakuzu's guard rose instantly. He entered combat readiness and asked coldly, "Who are you?"
"Young man… do you want to dance?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Kakuzu used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished on the spot.
The masked figure remained standing there, slightly confused.
Kakuzu's reaction had clearly exceeded Uchiha Madara's expectations.
He had only said one sentence.
He had not even introduced himself yet.
And this man had already run away?
"Madara-sama, Kakuzu has already gone far."
Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and reminded him.
"He recognized me?" Uchiha Madara asked, his tone carrying a rare trace of uncertainty.
"He should not have any information about you," Black Zetsu replied.
"Track his location. I want to know the reason."
Looking in the direction where Kakuzu had disappeared, Uchiha Madara gave the order.
"Yes."
After answering, Black Zetsu sank back into the ground.
With the assistance of White Zetsu's shell, Uchiha Madara could still maintain a decent level of combat power. However, something like a long-distance pursuit was still rather difficult for his old body.
Young shinobi these days truly had no sense of proper courtesy.
To run away before the conversation was even finished—where was their spirit?
In his heart, Uchiha Madara looked down on the younger generation of the shinobi world, but he did not pursue Kakuzu himself. Instead, he left the trail and went into the woods to wait for Black Zetsu's report.
At the same time, Uchiha Madara silently made up his mind.
The next time he saw Kakuzu, he would attack immediately without saying a word.
Holding the cash box tightly in his hand, Kakuzu swiftly moved through the forest.
For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely nervous.
Damn it!
Uchiha Madara really was targeting him!
While sensing the situation around him, Kakuzu increased his speed and rushed toward Konoha.
Compared to being recruited by Uchiha Madara, Kakuzu felt that he might as well join Kizaru instead.
At the very least, that man was generous.
Born during the Warring States Period, Kakuzu was far too familiar with old monsters like Uchiha Madara.
Men like that were extreme in thought, ruthless in action, and each one was more dangerous and scheming than the last.
There was no need to even think about the kind of organization such an old monster would form.
It would definitely be some terrifying group hiding a massive conspiracy.
If Kakuzu were recruited into that kind of organization, not only would he have to work without proper payment, he might even be thrown away as cannon fodder and sacrificed whenever convenient.
Only a fool would join such an organization.
I, Kakuzu, am not a fool.
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