Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

After all, there was only one experimental subject of the Cursed Seal of Void who had not been completely consumed by the mask and was undergoing a deeper transformation.

The Third Raikage's strength, willpower, soul, and body had evidently withstood the erosion of the Cursed Seal of Void and reached a certain equilibrium with it.

As long as this balance remained unbroken, the battle of souls and devouring within the mask would eventually come to an end over time. The ultimate victor would merge with the body eroded by the Cursed Seal of Void, coexisting as a brand-new being.

What worried Kagetsu was that someone might disrupt this evolution, causing it to halt prematurely.

Although the Cursed Seal of Void was already being upgraded, with the first-generation seals nearing obsolescence, this subject still had the potential for success.

Its data was still highly valuable to Kagetsu!

The Land of Rain, huh?

Reflecting on the direction sensed from the Cursed Seal of Void mask, which matched the location he'd marked on Kakuzu, Kagetsu began piecing things together.

The Akatsuki's base was located in a mountain outside the Hidden Rain Village. They used ninjutsu to hollow out the mountain, creating living quarters for both Akatsuki members and their families.

In the room where Kakuzu rested, a small black snake slithered out from a dark corner. Its tiny head swayed back and forth in front of Kakuzu, who was calculating finances, until it captured his attention. Once it did, the snake opened its mouth, stretching its jaws to an impossible size, and spat out a scroll from its slim body.

After completing this task, the snake coiled itself up on the table, silently observing Kakuzu with unblinking eyes.

"Damned thing!"

Seeing the snake's curious gaze, Kakuzu cursed inwardly, annoyed that it interrupted his accounting.

Ever since he had joined, Yahiko and the others had practically thrown the organization's entire financial responsibility onto him, with an urgency that made Kakuzu feel like they had been waiting for him all along.

At first, Kakuzu assumed the Akatsuki had considerable wealth to manage. However, once he took over the finances, he discovered the organization was dirt poor.

Not only was there no money to count, but Kakuzu had to rack his brain daily to figure out how to save money for the group while ensuring they acquired the necessary supplies in sufficient quantities with the least amount of funds.

To put it bluntly, Kakuzu was astonished the organization hadn't already disbanded due to lack of money.

Especially Yahiko, the founder of the Akatsuki. Even when he could barely afford to feed himself, he would go as far as donating his own blood to provide food for the citizens of the Land of Rain. This kind of behavior was enough to make Kakuzu feel his blood pressure rise.

Yahiko and the members of the Akatsuki acknowledged Kakuzu's skill in managing finances, but whenever they needed to get money out of him, it was an agonizing ordeal.

Kakuzu didn't approve of their actions at all. He believed that spending money and resources on these doomed and worthless citizens was nothing but a waste.

This difference in opinion caused several heated arguments between Kakuzu and Yahiko's group. Yet, in the end, the one who always won was Yahiko, unwavering in his determination.

"I can't abandon them! If the Akatsuki can't even protect the people around us and ensure their survival, then what's the point of our dream for peace in the ninja world? It would be nothing more than a joke!"

Faced with Yahiko's resolute declaration, Kakuzu could only respond, "I'm just the temporary treasurer. You're the leader. If you've made up your mind, then do as you please."

Of course, it was hard to say how much of Kakuzu's eventual retreat was influenced by the supportive and goofy smile of Jiraiya, who stood behind Yahiko with clear approval on his face.

For Kakuzu, this mentally draining work of figuring out how to stretch every ryo to buy more supplies and spending money as efficiently as possible was pure torture. 

He would much rather return to his identity as a bounty hunter, vent his frustrations by taking down a few unlucky targets, and then trade their heads in the black market for cash.

At this point, he didn't want any contact with Yahiko. Yahiko's ideals clashed so strongly with Kakuzu's own survival philosophy that it was unbearable.

"The whereabouts of the Third Raikage's corpse?"

After reading the intelligence on the scroll, Kakuzu destroyed it without hesitation.

"You know, my work doesn't come for free!" Kakuzu said as he finished disposing of the scroll, his gaze landing on a small black snake coiled up on the table.

The black snake seemed to understand Kakuzu's words. Its tail moved swiftly, using chakra to write a number on the table. After finishing, it slashed a line through the middle of the number with its tail.

"Deducting a 30 million ryō debt, huh? Fine, I'll take the job!"

Kakuzu easily understood what the snake intended to convey with its actions. Thirty million ryō was indeed worth the effort for this task.

It's just a matter of finding the location of the Third Raikage's body. 

According to the information revealed on the scroll, the Third Raikage's body is in the possession of a ninja or a ninja organization in the Land of Rain, someone skilled in sealing techniques.

What ninja organizations are there in the Land of Rain? 

The Hidden Rain Village, the Akatsuki organization, and rogue ninjas who either wandered here or defected from their villages.

"What does he mean by help in the scroll?" Kakuzu gestured that he had taken on the mission and then asked.

The black little snake's body moved across the table, and its mouth opened wide once again, this time almost tearing its body in half with how wide it stretched.

A white bone mask was spat out from the snake's mouth, landing on the table.

A strange power began to emanate from the mask, and Kakuzu felt his mind suddenly become heavier. However, the feeling quickly disappeared, almost too fast to tell if it had been real.

"Can this mask help me find the Third Raikage's body?" Kakuzu, enduring the uncomfortable sensation in his soul, picked up the mask and examined it briefly before asking.

The little snake nodded repeatedly under Kakuzu's gaze, its small head moving so quickly that it almost left afterimages in the air.

Enduring a slight feeling of unease, Kakuzu followed the instructions on the scroll and channeled chakra with spiritual intent into the mask. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

Nothing happened.

It seems the body isn't nearby.

Kakuzu opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and then the tendrils formed from his Earth Grudge Fear shot out from his shoulder, binding the mask and pulling it into his skin. A faint face appeared on Kakuzu's right arm.

As long as he was close enough to the target, it would automatically alert the wearer.

****

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