Kakuzu stood rooted to the spot, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He hadn't even made a move, yet his body was already refusing to obey him.
This was the legendary Ninja God!
He had a premonition that if he made a move, he would surely die!
Renye and Hashirama naturally noticed Kakuzu standing in a daze not far away.
Renye instinctively gripped the hilt of his Tachi; he recognized Kakuzu's Ninja identity from his attire.
One had to be cautious when encountering fellow Ninja outside, as no one knew if the other party harbored ill intentions.
As soon as the guy in front of him made the slightest move, he would strike without hesitation.
Senju Hashirama, on the other hand, had no such concerns; he even offered Kakuzu a kind smile.
It was just that this smile appeared terrifying in Kakuzu's eyes.
Watching the two approach from a distance, Kakuzu's legs turned to jelly, and he nearly turned to run.
Make him assassinate the Ninja God? What a joke!
This couldn't be blamed on Kakuzu; Senju Hashirama was simply too oppressive.
He began to doubt himself: "Can I really assassinate the Ninja God? Is this not a suicide mission? Perhaps I haven't actually encountered him..."
But soon, he mustered his courage again: "No, I am the pride of Takigakure Village! If I successfully assassinate Senju Hashirama, I will be the Village's hero!"
Thinking this, a fighting spirit ignited in Kakuzu's eyes.
However, when he saw Hashirama, the fighting spirit that had just appeared vanished without a trace.
Even after the two passed him, Kakuzu still lacked the courage to make a move.
Renye gave Kakuzu a strange look, feeling that there was something odd about this guy, but since he showed no malice, Renye didn't pay it much mind.
At this time, Kakuzu had not yet obtained Earth Grudge Fear, and his appearance was vastly different from his Akatsuki Organization period, so it was normal for Renye not to recognize him.
Just then, he saw the portrait in Kakuzu's hand, and his eyes flickered as he suddenly remembered something...
So this guy was Kakuzu!
Renye had seen a bit of him in the memories of the Takigakure Village Elder, but he hadn't clearly seen Kakuzu's appearance until he saw this portrait.
But he didn't alert the enemy, pretending not to know.
After the two had completely walked away, Kakuzu's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
The oppressive feeling from Senju Hashirama just now had almost suffocated him.
"This... is this the Ninja God?"
Just a smile was enough to extinguish any thought of resistance in him.
Kakuzu pounded his fist on the ground, annoyed, "Damn it, how useless am I!"
He was, after all, a genius of Takigakure Village, yet he didn't even have the courage to make a move.
It would have been fine if he hadn't encountered Senju Hashirama, but having encountered him and then lacking the courage to strike, how would he explain himself to the higher-ups of the Village when he returned?
Thinking this, Kakuzu stood up from the ground and looked in the direction Hashirama had left, "For the glory of Takigakure Village, I'm going all out!"
So, he took out the intelligence given by the higher-ups from his waist.
Previously, he hadn't taken Senju Hashirama seriously and had no intention of checking the scroll.
But after personally facing Hashirama, he realized the disparity between them.
"Let me see the Ninja God's weakness!" Kakuzu slowly opened the scroll, then completely froze.
"Why is there nothing?!" Kakuzu said in disbelief.
He thought he was seeing things, so he closed the scroll and opened it again.
It was still blank.
Only then did Kakuzu realize: where would Senju Hashirama have any so-called weakness?
If he had weaknesses, would he still be called the "Ninja God"?
After understanding, he threw the scroll on the ground and chased in the direction Hashirama had left.
...
"Little Renye, was that person just now Kakuzu of Takigakure Village?" Hashirama asked curiously.
"Yes, Uncle Hashirama," Renye nodded, "I saw a bit of him in the memories of that old man from Takigakure Village."
"Haha, so that's how it is." Hashirama didn't care about the matter at all.
After all, he could even let go of people who attacked him, let alone Kakuzu, who hadn't even made a move.
This was also why Renye hadn't made a move earlier...
Since the person involved didn't care, why should he worry unnecessarily?
If he caused trouble for no reason, Uncle Hashirama would start preaching his philosophy of peace again.
At this moment, both of them turned their heads simultaneously.
They saw Kakuzu running towards them at an extremely fast speed.
Renye was a bit astonished; Kakuzu actually dared to make a move!
He had thought the other party had already given up the mission and fled.
He didn't expect him to come back, unafraid of death...
"Earth Release: Earth Grudge Spear!"
Kakuzu didn't waste words and directly launched an attack towards the two.
He knew that a frontal confrontation was no match for Hashirama, so he could only hope to heavily injure him with a sneak attack.
He was thinking too much, though; the two easily dodged the attack.
"You're called Kakuzu, right?" Senju Hashirama asked.
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's pupils suddenly constricted, and he was greatly shocked.
How did the Ninja God know his name?
He hadn't said a single word!
"I advise you to stop; I don't want to hurt you," Hashirama advised.
From Kakuzu's earlier attack, he could tell that the opponent only had the strength of an Elite Jonin, which was no match for him.
Kakuzu ignored him and continued to attack.
Seeing this, Hashirama was a bit helpless; why did these guys never listen to advice?
Just as he was about to make a move, he heard Renye's words.
"Uncle Hashirama, let me handle it."
Renye drew his Tachi, looking a bit eager to try.
Kakuzu was strong, and he could use him for practice.
Even if he couldn't beat him, it didn't matter; Uncle Hashirama was right beside him anyway.
"Alright, but be careful," Hashirama said.
With himself watching, there was naturally no need to worry about Renye being in danger, but he still couldn't help but remind him.
"I understand, Uncle Hashirama."
Kakuzu looked at Renye, who had stepped forward, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, his opponent was the young man in front of him, not the Ninja God...
"Brat, do you think you can stop me?" Kakuzu bared his pale teeth.
He couldn't beat the Ninja God, but couldn't he beat the young man in front of him?
Before his words finished, the Earth Grudge Spear thrust directly at Renye's throat.
Renye activated his Sharingan, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, capturing the attack trajectory, allowing him to easily dodge.
"Sharingan?" Kakuzu was a bit surprised.
Renye Instant appeared in front of Kakuzu, his Tachi slashing at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu quickly dodged sideways.
But Renye had already predicted his movements with his Sharingan; his wrist twisted, and the blade grazed Kakuzu's neck, leaving a thin cut on his skin.
Kakuzu quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and Renye, his face filled with shock.
If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, his head would have been separated from his body.
Kakuzu looked at Renye with a solemn expression, his voice hoarse: "Brat, I have to admit you have some skill... but compared to me, there's still a gap."
Renye's gaze fell on Kakuzu's neck, where a thin line of blood slowly appeared.
Only, the blood wasn't red, but black...
Kakuzu was a bit puzzled; what was this brat looking at?
He followed Renye's gaze and subconsciously touched his neck; a sticky sensation appeared in his hand.
He looked down and saw that the blood on his fingertip was black.
Kakuzu: "???"
PS: Dadas, send more power, I want to add more chapters!