Just as the scene of Hidan's death ended, the screen immediately showed a man wearing a mask, green light gleaming from his eyes, his entire body wrapped in the Akatsuki's uniform.
From the earlier footage, the Shinobi World already knew this was Kakuzu. They also knew he was wealthy—one of the richest shinobis around.
[Kakuzu was originally an elite member of Takigakure. In the Akatsuki, he held the codename "North." He could extract others' hearts, and his body could store up to five hearts, using heart replacements to extend his lifespan.]
[As part of the "Immortal Duo," after Hidan's death, he was defeated by Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru working together, who destroyed all five of his hearts, leading to Kakuzu's death.]
---
[Akatsuki hideout]
Kakuzu remained expressionless. Clearly, from the earlier segments, he had already foreseen that he would be the next to die.
But the older one gets, the more cautious one becomes.
In any case, Kakuzu had made up his mind: he would only stick with the Akatsuki to make money—catching Tailed Beasts was fine too—but he absolutely would not go to Konoha.
As for anything involving Indra, Ashura, the savior of the Shinobi World, or the like, it was best to steer clear entirely.
Who knew what kind of trump cards those beings—who were at least at the Super-Kage level or even Six Paths tier—had up their sleeves?
Even if the leader assigned him to go, he'd leave the Akatsuki halfway through.
[Speaking of which, Kakuzu is one of the most action-oriented characters. He's also the only one who, when faced with the question "What do you do when you have a terrible boss?", gave an answer that actually made people feel a surge of relief deep inside.]
[Kakuzu was originally a Shinobi from Takigakure, and the village's higher-ups sent him to assassinate the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Anyone else given such a mission would have made every excuse to avoid it.]
[Who didn't know what kind of person Hashirama was? Was he really someone who could be assassinated? Could this mission even be done? No way—no one had that kind of ability. But Kakuzu still actually went. Let me say it again: HE ACTUALLY WENT!!]
[The official databook even clearly states that Hashirama defeated Kakuzu using Wood Release and left him at death's door. That means Kakuzu didn't just—as some jokingly put it—"threw a kunai at Hashirama from eight hundred meters away." He had actually infiltrated the Land of Fire and fought Hashirama head-on.]
[Kakuzu was truly tough and unyielding—not afraid at all. Of course, he also didn't win.]
---
[Akatsuki hideout]
Hearing the screen bring up that matter again, Kakuzu couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Alright, I know you're praising me, but do you have to put it that way?
[After failing his mission, Kakuzu returned to his village, but before his wounds had even healed, the Takigakure higher-ups threw him into prison.]
[Up to this point, Kakuzu's story wasn't particularly remarkable. Although the classic tale of a loyal subject being imprisoned by a foolish ruler should evoke sympathy and regret, in the Shinobi World, Kakuzu's experience wasn't all that rare.]
[After all, in the Shinobi World, there are countless people who were used as cannon fodder, betrayed, abused, gave everything for their village, and ended up being chewed to the bone with nothing left.]
[Yamato was captured as an infant for live experimentation, and later taken in by Danzō to do dirty work for Root.]
[Sai grew up alone and was treated as a tool in Root.]
[Kabuto risked his life for Konoha time and again, only to end up on the hit list. The orphanage director devoted her entire life to the village, yet in her old age was threatened into serving again—and was ultimately silenced for good.]
[It is worth noting that in the war-torn world of Shinobis, orphans like Yamato and Sai—their parents were most likely martyrs who died in battle for Konoha in the first place.]
[Not only their parents, but probably their parents' entire social circle—all the relatives and acquaintances—perished collectively. Otherwise, these orphans wouldn't have been left with no one to care for them, ending up as subjects for live experimentation or tools for assassination. These orphans' parents died on the battlefield, yet the children they left behind were treated by the Villages as expendable resources.]
[Needless to say, Minato and Kushina sacrificed themselves for the village, yet Naruto, the child they left behind, was ostracized and bullied. Hizashi willingly gave his life for the village, yet Neji remained of low status within the Hyūga clan. As the son of a martyr, he was still subjected to abuse. Even when he spoke out against the injustice during the Chunin Exams, no one took him seriously—they simply told him: your father died willingly; if you want to break free from fate, keep trying.]
[Sakumo served his entire life as a shinobi on the battlefield, only to be driven to suicide by rumors and gossip. Even the "comrades" he had saved turned around and blamed him.]
[The wielder of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai in Sunagakure was also set up and killed by the Kazekage. They believed they were walking the path of faith, fighting for their village—only to find that the village had paved a road to their own death.]
[Even Gaara was forced to become a Jinchuriki from birth. His father, uncle, brother, and the villagers all tormented him in turn, believing it was all Gaara's fault.]
[Killer B of Kumogakure, as a Jinchuriki, was also constantly targeted for assassination and had to hide in places where the sun didn't shine...]
[Compared to these people, Kakuzu's suffering wasn't actually the worst. But what's surprising is that Kakuzu actually fought back. Not only did he fight back—he massacred every last one of the Takigakure higher-ups who had treated him as cannon fodder!]
[He actually managed to pull off "If the ruler treats his subjects as dirt, the subjects will treat the ruler as an enemy" in the world of Shinobis!]
[Now look at the others who were wronged—almost all of them chose to endure.]
[Yamato and Sai chose to be loyal to Konoha for life, without showing much desire for revenge against the higher-ups who harmed them.]
[After learning that his father had indeed died willingly, Neji went on to "willingly" die as well.]
[Kabuto, after being brainwashed, obediently fell in line again.]
[Kakashi never seemed to dwell on his father's injustice. As for the person his father saved who then turned around and blamed his father—Kakashi didn't seem to hate him either.]
[Naruto, Gaara, Killer B—all of them also genuinely loved the villages that had ostracized and persecuted them.]
[And if you ask them why, they'd say something like "this and that, because of this, therefore that."]
[This mentality of being bullied and oppressed while still willingly giving everything—compared to that, Kakuzu's reaction is far more likable.]
[He alone, when persecuted, struck back hard. When the higher-ups made him cannon fodder, he obliterated them. When Takigakure couldn't accept him, he left and never looked back. Moreover, his revenge was remarkably restrained—he targeted only the higher-ups, without dragging innocent families into it like Pain did, nor trampling on civilians' lives like Obito.]
[More importantly, Kakuzu never regretted his actions. He never regretted wiping out Takigakure's higher-ups. He never regretted betraying Takigakure. He didn't half-defect and then turn back like Kabuto did.]
BOOM!!
After this dense wave of information was unleashed, it instantly caused violent upheaval across countless timelines in the Shinobi World!
*****
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