Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

A true warrior dares to face the overwhelming might of the tailed beasts and confront the peril of being utterly shattered. Just like those two men from Konoha, who traveled great distances to capture all nine tailed beasts as if they were nothing more than chicks. In later generations, another fearless hero once swatted away a Tailed Beast Bomb as though it were a tennis ball.

Moments like these, whether in the past or the future, are legendary and destined to go down in history, revered by countless generations.

But now, another miracle had unfolded.

The waters of Lake were steaming, with wisps of smoke curling into the air. The sheer evaporation of such a massive body of water was a testament to the devastating force of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

At the center of the lake, however, stood a resolute man.

His hair hung in disarray, his face caked with grime, and his clothes lay in tatters around him. His muscles had withered to the bone, exposing patches of white, while his expression teetered on the brink of collapse.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Labored breaths racked his frame. His body was so frail that even a gust of wind might topple him.

Moments ago, the enormous Tailed Beast Bomb had been split between him and Kakuzu, each enduring half its devastating force.

The First Mizukage, Byakuren, had desperately absorbed the overwhelming chakra of the bomb. Unlike a certain tragic successor from Kirigakure, Byakuren managed to take the attack head-on, absorbing a significant portion of its energy.

Though his disheveled state and ragged breathing spoke volumes about the toll it took, Byakuren's survival stood as irrefutable proof of his strength.

Had Byakuren not been weakened by his grueling battle with Kakuzu beforehand, he might have fully absorbed the Tailed Beast Bomb with his mastery.

To dare to call tailed beasts mere beasts—such was the confidence of the Mizukage. His strength was not to be underestimated.

But the Mizukage was in a dire state. The colossal chakra within the Tailed Beast Bomb had pushed his limits, tearing through his meridians. Though still alive, he was barely more than a walking corpse.

Byakuren lifted his head with great effort, his remaining teeth chattering as he glared at the Sanbi.

"I... must... leave this place..."

This thought echoed in his mind. If the Sanbi unleashed another Tailed Beast Bomb, it would be the end of him.

Dragging his battered body, Byakuren attempted to turn away.

But in that instant—

Chirp!

A sharp, piercing cry rang out.

Byakuren's eyes widened in disbelief as he glanced toward the lake's surface.

Sizzle!

Electric currents crackled violently, numbing his ankles with an excruciating pain.

"What... what is this!?"

His eyes shot open, his remaining senses detecting a powerful jutsu racing toward him from beneath the water.

He tried to dodge, but in his current state—barely able to shuffle forward—there was no escape.

Crack!

A spear of lightning pierced his abdomen.

Byakuren's body convulsed, his hunched frame trembling. Slowly, his gaze shifted toward the figure emerging from the water.

It was Kakuzu. The jutsu was his devastating Lightning Release: False Darkness Spear.

Kakuzu's own body heaved with exertion, but there wasn't a hint of visible injury.

"You... you..."

Byakuren's body grew tense, his fractured mind struggling to process what was happening. He wanted to speak but lacked the strength to form the words. Instead, his gaze fell on a floating mass of black threads on the water's surface.

"You're wondering about that, aren't you?" Kakuzu said, his breathing steadying as his sharp eyes followed Byakuren's line of sight.

"Underneath that black thread... lies the shattered remains of a heart. A Water Release heart I acquired from Takigakure."

His words carried both cold fact and faint reminiscence.

Years ago, Kakuzu had taken that heart from Chiba Mei, the captain of Takigakure's First Squad. Back then, he'd thought Mei wasn't up to par and had planned to replace him soon after leaving the village. But finding a suitable replacement was easier said than done—besides, someone like Tobirama Senju would've been the ideal candidate, but taking him down was out of the question.

And so, the heart remained. Until today. Faced with the Tailed Beast Bomb, Kakuzu had no choice but to sacrifice it.

But now—

Swish!

Black threads from Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear shot out, swiftly entwining Byakuren's entire body.

The technique required that the heart be taken from a living victim—if the target died first, the process would fail.

The black threads moved with surgical precision, delving into Byakuren's body and extracting what Kakuzu sought before returning to him.

In that moment, Kakuzu's remaining four hearts welcomed a new companion.

As blood from the freshly claimed heart coursed through Kakuzu's veins, a glint of golden light flashed in his eyes.

At this point, Kakuzu's power and chakra had already reached the level of five elite Jonin combined, plus one Kage-level expert. The surging power coursed through his entire body, and his chakra replenished rapidly. Raising his arm and clenching his fist, he could feel the endless flow of strength.

This—this was the true foundation of a ninja's security, the key to Kakuzu's immortality, and the most exhilarating sensation of all.

Taking a deep breath, Kakuzu felt a clarity and vigor unlike anything he had ever experienced. His mood was bold and expansive, though there was still one thing that left him slightly dissatisfied.

While he had absorbed the lifelong Water Release mastery of the First Mizukage, along with a vast amount of chakra, it seemed he had not awakened the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai.

On reflection, it made sense. If the Earth Grudge Fear technique truly had the power to seize Kekkei Genkai, then Kakuzu would have been an even more complete version of Hiruko from the original story.

But that didn't matter. Now that the Forbidden Technique of Chimera was in his hands, Kakuzu had already formed a rough plan in his mind for awakening the Dark Release.

Without delay, Kakuzu crouched down, laying the Mizukage's corpse flat on the water's surface. Reaching behind him, he retrieved a scroll secured at his waist.

The scroll wasn't particularly large—about thirty to forty centimeters wide and several meters long when fully unfurled. As he spread it open, various sealing runes came into view, intricately drawn across its surface.

Adjusting the Mizukage's body so it lay atop the scroll, Kakuzu quickly formed a series of hand seals. Finally, he placed one hand over the center of the sealing array.

"Seal, release!"

With his command, the runes on the scroll erupted in a cloud of white smoke.

Bang!

The smoke billowed upward, rising from the scroll and drifting toward Kakuzu's brow. Moments later, the smoke dissipated, and along with it, the body of the Mizukage, Byakuren, vanished entirely.

Closing the scroll with practiced efficiency, Kakuzu glanced at the tightly sealed parchment in his hand. For a brief moment, irritation flickered across his face.

Even though he had claimed Byakuren's heart and power, Kakuzu could never forget one critical fact: that bastard had swallowed 30 million ryo of his money—and there was no chance of getting it back.

But Kakuzu wasn't about to let it slide. Not a chance.

Even if Byakuren had to work himself to the bone as a ghost in the afterlife, he'd better cough up every last coin.

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