Chapter 242: Kakuzu: The Black Pot from the Sky

Inside the base behind the giant waterfall, the middle-aged man who was the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas was waiting anxiously. The ninja squad he had dispatched had been gone for quite some time, but there was still no news, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"Leader! Leader! They're back!"

Just as he was pacing back and forth, his subordinate's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door. Excited, he immediately pulled the door open and walked out, wanting to see what kind of background that mysterious intruder had.

However, the scene that greeted him after stepping out of the room truly made his jaw drop.

He saw his elite subordinates, whom he was so proud of, lying on stretchers, one by one, black and blue. There wasn't a single patch of good skin on their bodies. After being wrapped in bandages, each one was swollen like a pig's head.

"Ouch~ Ouch~"

The painful moans brought the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas back to reality. Scanning the area, he found the squad captain he had personally appointed.

He rushed to his side in two steps, looking with some unbearable pity at this subordinate, who was swollen to the point where even his mother wouldn't recognize him. He patted his thigh hard and asked anxiously.

"Clunk!"

"Yuda, how many people did the other party bring?"

The ninja squad captain, Yuda, was his most capable subordinate, and his strength was not to be underestimated. After drinking the Hero's Water a few years ago, he had even advanced to elite strength. In the entire base, only he and the eccentric Kakuzu could suppress him.

But now, he had actually been beaten into this state, and it was a case of being injured but not killed—there wasn't a single fatal wound on his body. From this, one could see that the attacker's strength must far exceed theirs.

"Wooo... Leader, I'm not Captain Yuda, I'm Ouchou. The captain is over there!"

The man who had been mistaken for someone else was now in tears. His thigh had been fine, but after the leader's pat, it was completely ruined. But he still endured the pain, pointed a trembling finger at the creature wrapped like a mummy nearby, and identified him.

"Uh... so it's Ouchou..."

The leader, who had recognized the wrong person, said with shifty eyes. Ouchou, although he had many tricks, was only average in strength. His pat just now had probably crippled his leg. He then turned his gaze to the medical personnel who were bandaging them and ordered.

"After you're done, build a high-quality wheelchair for Ouchou, you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Yuda, what exactly happened? Did you encounter an ambush?"

This time, he had found the right person. Yuda, wrapped like a mummy with only his mouth and nose exposed, began to tremble violently upon hearing the leader's question, as if he had remembered something terrifying. Then, he struggled to let out a sound.

"One person... the other party only had one person..."

"What? What kind of ninjutsu did he use?"

"One punch... just one punch."

"With so many of you, how could you be beaten into this state by one punch?"

Hearing Yuda's description, the leader expressed doubt immediately, even suspecting if his subordinates had been controlled by genjutsu.

"... That punch... it covered the sky and the sun."

Recalling the punch Senju Hashirama had thrown into the air at him, the ninja named Yuda felt his voice filled with genuine, heartfelt fear. He hadn't seen fists the size of sandbags before, but this was the first time in his life he had seen a fist bigger than a mountain.

"Sigh... did you get any intelligence on the other party?"

Seeing his capable subordinate start to ramble, the leader sighed slightly. This Yuda was probably brain-damaged from the beating. He then asked a routine question without holding much hope.

"Senju Hashirama! He said his name was Senju Hashirama!"

The name was the only useful intelligence their squad had obtained. As for the other party's purpose—a seven-tailed green caterpillar?

He was afraid that saying it out loud would make the leader laugh his teeth off.

"Senju... Senju Hashirama."

As the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas, his knowledge base was naturally several times higher than others. He only found the name Senju Hashirama somewhat familiar, but he knew a little bit about the surname Senju.

"Why did a guy from the Land of Fire run all the way here?"

A sharp light flashed through his half-closed eyes. The leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas couldn't figure it out. Although their Land of Waterfalls was adjacent to the Land of Fire, there was no interaction between the two countries. They were separated by several natural canyons and had always been in a state of non-interference, and there had never been any conflict.

But this time, the other party had actually taken the initiative to come to their door.

It was 99% likely that he had heard rumors about the Hero's Water.

"He didn't come early or late, but chose this specific time. There must be a mole!"

The spring that nurtured the Hero's Water only produced a small amount of essence every few decades. Calculating the time, this year should be the time for the Hero's Water to be produced. The other party choosing this specific moment to come must be aiming for their secret treasure.

"Check for me who has been going out recently."

The seed of suspicion had already been planted. The leader ordered his confidant calmly.

"Leader, recently, only Kakuzu has been going out frequently."

Before long, the confidant returned with the investigation results. According to the base's records, only the youth named Kakuzu had been going out recently.

"Is there anything suspicious?"

The leader's heart skipped a beat. Kakuzu was one of the subordinates he thought very highly of. His talent was extraordinary, and he was young but possessed superior strength. He had originally planned to bestow a portion of the Hero's Water upon that kid after it was produced this time. He never expected the other party to be more anxious than him, even going so far as to commit treason.

"Uh... according to the guards' description, Kakuzu always goes out empty-handed and comes back carrying a big bag..."

As expected! To commit treason so blatantly, not even bothering to cover it up—did he not take him seriously?

Although the leader hated him in his heart, he didn't make it public. Now that the other party was working from the inside and out, and Yuda was injured in bed, he couldn't handle it alone if they really started fighting.

Hmph! Why use force when you can use strategy?

On the other side of the base,

After polishing the rusted kunai until it looked brand new, the youth named Kakuzu looked at the dense pile of kunai emitting a cold glint before him with satisfaction and revealed a gratified smile.

"Heh heh, I can make a big profit again!"

Golden light flickered in Kakuzu's eyes. Each of these kunai was a green banknote.

It wasn't in vain that he went out day and night to clean up the battlefield and loot corpses, digging out one broken kunai after another from layers of severed limbs.

"However, why has the Land of Fire stopped fighting recently? I can only go to the Land of Earth to make a fortune next time."

Stroking the kunai that were emitting a cold light, Kakuzu felt puzzled. In the past few years, the Land of Fire had been his treasure trove. There were battlefields everywhere; he could get a big bag just by looting randomly.

But now, things were a bit sluggish. After wandering around a big circle, he only managed to loot a few, which wasn't even as much as he earned from doing a mission.

"Next time, unless I receive a mission, I definitely won't go to the Land of Fire."

"Clatter~"

Behind the largest waterfall in the Land of Waterfalls, a long-haired man with a conflicted expression looked around.

"Could the intelligence really be wrong? That shouldn't be... it was always quite accurate before~"

At this moment, Senju Hashirama stood somewhat dejectedly atop a giant, snow-white cocoon, his eyes filled with annoyance as he muttered to himself.

One had to know that his trip to the Land of Waterfalls hadn't been easy. The remaining Tailed Beasts were either in the eastern sea area or near the Land of Hot Water. He had originally planned to take down all the Tailed Beasts in the west of the Land of Fire before turning his attention to the east, but he had actually come up empty-handed here.

"Truly hateful!"

"Thud!!"

Hashirama stomped his feet in anger. His giant foot, containing immense strength, stepped heavily onto the giant cocoon beneath him, emitting a violent thudding sound.

Chomei: Use Harden!

"Kurama, don't come over here, there's a terrifying guy here!"

Chomei, inside the cocoon, gritted his teeth, not daring to make a sound for fear of arousing the suspicion of the star of disaster above his head. He could only call out to Kurama in the chat room to give him a heads-up.

"What? Is he moving that fast?"

Kurama, who had already entered the Land of Waterfalls, couldn't help but cry out in disbelief upon hearing Chomei's words.

"Is the other party that red-eye disease Indra?"

Kurama's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked for confirmation.

"Uh... there's no Indra aura, it's just..."

Chomei cautiously sensed Senju Hashirama above his head. Upon confirming there was no cold, obscure power unique to Indra, he breathed a sigh of relief and told the good news to Kurama, who was about to arrive.

"It's just what?"

Upon hearing it wasn't Indra, Kurama's hanging heart finally settled. He feared nothing, not even the old man or his two precious sons. So, with a hint of ease and joy in his tone, he asked casually.

"Doo~ doo~ doo~"

However, Chomei, who had just been in the middle of a conversation, suddenly interrupted it. The cold busy signal made Kurama feel a chill throughout his body. His fur stood on end, and his vigorous pace became sluggish.

"Hmph~ Lord Kurama won't be afraid!"

After thinking for a moment, Kurama raised his head and let out a cold snort. As long as it wasn't Indra, who could make anyone faint just by staring, he wouldn't panic. That idiot Chomei must have been controlled by the human because he was in the metamorphosis phase and unable to fight back.

Thinking of this, Kurama stretched out his four limbs again and rushed toward the waterfall not far away. He wanted to save Chomei before he was completely taken down.

Time returned to a few minutes ago.

"Pat~"

Senju Hashirama lifted his foot in confusion. He thought he hadn't used much strength, so why had this uniquely shaped white giant rock beneath his feet been stepped through by him?

"Uh... is this rock hollow?"

Shaking off the unknown liquid covering his foot, Senju Hashirama finally realized that the giant rock he had been standing on for so long was actually hollow.

"Phew~ Phew~"

Just as he was puzzled, a suppressed panting sound slowly drifted out from the hole beneath his feet, making him feel like a cat was scratching his heart. So, he leaned down and pressed his face against it to take a peek inside.

"Holy crap, what a big beetle!"

Senju Hashirama's eyes flashed with excitement as he stared fixedly at Chomei, who had already taken shape inside the cocoon. His saliva was almost dripping out.

"So cool!"

An insect with armor had a fatal attraction for men. Even Senju Hashirama, a father of children, couldn't be an exception.

"If I catch this and bring it back, it'll make Madara drool with envy!"

At this moment, Senju Hashirama, whose mind had been bewitched by the cool beetle, had already tossed the matter of capturing Tailed Beasts to the back of his mind. He rubbed his hands together, preparing to catch this cool giant beetle.

"."

Chomei, feeling offended, didn't dare to show even a hint of displeasure. Because long before Senju Hashirama had stepped through his giant cocoon, he had sensed a familiar power from the man above his head.

As a cautious member of the Tailed Beasts, Chomei upheld the principle of "if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move." Moreover, now that he had been forced to break out of the cocoon prematurely, his state was still very weak. He immediately began to play dead.

"Pity it's not a Tailed Beast, but it's not bad either~"

Senju Hashirama examined Chomei, who was panting slightly, and swept his gaze over the single tail on the other party's butt, revealing a look of disappointment. But he adjusted quickly; after all, the harvest was quite rich—he had captured one cool giant beetle.

Not a Tailed Beast?

Hearing Senju Hashirama's muttering, Chomei, who was playing dead, couldn't help but have his eyes light up. In his heart, he thanked the old man for the shape he had given him. After all, no one would mistake wings for tails, right~

"Rip!"

Suddenly, a harsh sound rang in Chomei's ears. He subconsciously glanced over and was horrified to find Senju Hashirama, with a beaming smile, tearing his giant cocoon open as easily as tearing paper. He clapped his hands and walked toward him step by step.

Sensing danger, Chomei, in his panic, subconsciously used his scales to try and confuse Senju Hashirama's vision.

"Looks like it's quite active, it should be able to hold out until the Hidden Leaf~"

Seeing Chomei start to resist, Senju Hashirama, thinking the other party was about to kick the bucket, nodded with satisfaction. He clapped his hands together and used his signature Wood Style. Several ferocious Wood Dragons, carrying immense power, rolled toward the bewildered Seven-Tails.

Good news: this terrifying man is not Indra.

Bad news: it's his living-hell younger brother.

Chomei was moved to tears. The experience of being sucked dry by Wood Style was still fresh in his memory. Compared to Indra making anyone faint with a stare, Asura wielding a giant Wood Human to give a Thai massage was even more terrifying to them.

"Kurama..."

Although he had just contacted Kurama, he hadn't told him the true identity of the man before him. Now that the Wood Dragon warning had arrived, he had to give Kurama a heads-up.

However, before he could dial, those Wood Dragons had already wrapped around his body. Accompanied by a familiar suction force, Chomei felt his body go limp, and he lay down straight.

Hey, this living hell, I can't beat him, so I might as well lie down~

Anyway, the other party looked silly and naive and hadn't recognized him as a Tailed Beast yet. Once he relaxed his vigilance, he could just spread his wings and run away.

And so, Chomei, without any resistance, was easily taken down.

"This slime..."

After easily taking him down, Senju Hashirama clapped his hands excitedly. This trip hadn't been in vain. Just by having this cool giant beetle, he could brag in front of Madara for a lifetime.

However, just as he lifted his foot, the slime remaining in the cocoon caught his attention. This liquid, rich in some kind of peculiar power, was filled with a violent aura.

Lowering his head, Senju Hashirama discovered an old artificial water channel beside the cocoon. The slime remaining in the cocoon was slowly flowing into it.

Is someone collecting this slime?

Senju Hashirama raised an eyebrow and speculated in his heart.

"Leader, the Hero's Water has started flowing ahead of schedule!"

In the ninja base of the Land of Waterfalls, having just finished comforting the injured ninja squad, the leader's butt hadn't even warmed up when he heard an urgent report. Upon hearing this, he stood up with a start, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"How could it be so much earlier?"

According to their records over many years, the flow cycle of the Hero's Water was very precise, with an error of no more than a month. According to the time, the Hero's Water should have flowed again at the end of this year. Why was it early?

"Take me to see it!"

The leader, feeling suspicious and uneasy, immediately called his confidant and ran toward the direction of the Hero's Water.

"Why is this Hero's Water so viscous?"

Arriving at a hidden gorge, the leader frowned, looking at the viscous liquid slowly flowing down from the cliff, and called out in confusion.

He had been the leader for some years, but he had only witnessed the Hero's Water flow twice. The previous Hero's Water had always been as clear as water, but this time, why had it become so sticky, making one feel physically uncomfortable?

"But the effect hasn't changed, it even seems stronger."

Dipping a finger into the viscous Hero's Water, the leader tasted it carefully. Feeling the violent chakra surging in his meridians, he couldn't help but have his eyes light up. The effect of this Hero's Water was actually better than before.

The Land of Waterfalls is about to take off!

The leader looked excitedly at the viscous Hero's Water before him, his excited mood impossible to suppress. As long as they possessed this pool of Hero's Water, their Land of Waterfalls would definitely rise.

"Eh~ Why are you drinking this?"

Just as the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas was lost in beautiful fantasies, a disgusted voice rang in his ears, making his whole body tense up. He subconsciously assumed a defensive posture and looked at the person who had arrived with vigilance.

"Who are you, and how did you break in!"

This was their forbidden area. Not to mention strangers, even their own people had to go through layers of screening before they were qualified to enter.

"Uh... I am Senju Hashirama, I came down from above~"

After all, he was an outsider, and he still had to show some respect to the locals when on their turf, so he scratched his head with embarrassment and replied with a sincere expression.

"You are Senju Hashirama! Are you the one who beat Yuda and the others into that miserable state?"

The leader, who had originally been full of vigilance, saw his eyes turn red instantly upon hearing Senju Hashirama's self-introduction. This man before him, who looked honest and simple, was a cruel thug!

Moreover, this guy was suspected of plotting against their secret treasure. He definitely couldn't let him off easily.

"Yuda? You mean those guys with bad breath? I just taught them a small lesson, I didn't hurt their lives."

Senju Hashirama suddenly realized and replied with a frown.

"What is your purpose? Are you eyeing our secret treasure?"

Since the other party had already found this place, the leader didn't bother to beat around the bush and laid it all out.

At the same time, his hand behind his back made a subtle gesture to his confidant, wanting him to cooperate and act when the opportunity arose.

"Secret treasure? No, no, I'm just here to find a seven-tailed green caterpillar."

Not expecting the other party to misunderstand his purpose for coming here, Senju Hashirama hurriedly waved his hands to explain.

"Seven tails? Green caterpillar!"

The leader, whose face had been changing between cloudy and sunny, had his pupils shrink instantly upon hearing Senju Hashirama's explanation. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and a surprised voice leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"Does your Excellency know? Please tell me, I, Senju Hashirama, will definitely reward you heavily!"

Senju Hashirama, who had originally wanted to leave, stopped in his tracks upon seeing the expression of the leader opposite him, turned to look at him excitedly, and asked anxiously.

"... We don't have any seven-tailed green caterpillar here. We won't pursue the matter of Yuda for now, so please leave quickly, otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite."

Recovering from his shock, the leader's eyes flashed with an unreadable light, and he issued an order to leave with an expressionless face. At this moment, he couldn't care less why Senju Hashirama had beaten his subordinates or whether he was coveting their secret treasure.

"Then what were you shocked about just now!"

"Isn't it normal to be shocked when hearing about such a mind-boggling insect? Don't you all agree~"

The leader explained with a straight face, and incidentally turned his head to ask his confidants behind him.

"That's right, that's right~"

"It truly shocked me for a hundred years~"

"Alright, sorry to bother you, I'll take my leave first~"

Although he always felt that the other party's attitude was a bit wrong, Senju Hashirama couldn't continue to press him. After all, this was a personal matter now. If it really blew up, it would rise to the national level.

He had just promised the Daimyo of the Land of Fire that he would seek a path of peace, so he couldn't turn around and start a war with his neighbor.

Watching Senju Hashirama's back, the leader finally breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze then turned to the Hero's Water that was slowly flowing. He not only knew about the seven-tailed green caterpillar, but he knew it better than anyone.

The Hero's Water was not water without a source; its secret was only known to the leaders of past generations.

In the giant waterfall of the Land of Waterfalls, there lived a divine beast. It had three forms in total, one of which was the seven-tailed green caterpillar Senju Hashirama had just described.

Initially, the divine beast was in the form of a seven-tailed green caterpillar. After a period of time, the green caterpillar would form a cocoon. The cocoon cycle was very long. After more than ten years, a six-winged beetle would break out of the cocoon and soar for decades. Then, the six-winged beetle would return to shed its skin and turn back into a green caterpillar...

Cycle after cycle, endless.

And the Hero's Water they had always been guarding was what flowed out from the cocoon when the six-winged beetle broke out.

"The Hero's Water is still flowing, which means it's still here. As long as it's here, our Land of Waterfalls will definitely prosper."

"Leader... look at that guy, he jumped off the cliff!"

Just as the leader was staring at the Hero's Water and fantasizing, a surprised voice from his confidant rang out behind him.

"Let him jump if he wants. Can we stop him if he wants to die?"

Interrupted, he looked somewhat displeased. Following the direction his confidant pointed, the scene before him made his heart tremble.

He saw Senju Hashirama, who had just left, leap off the hundred-meter cliff. Just as everyone was surprised, a Wood Human Arhat, comparable to a mountain, stood up from beneath the cliff. Its massive body shook the earth with every step it took.

But this sight wasn't what shocked them the most. When they saw the giant beetle carried on the back of the Wood Human that was slowly leaving, the leader of the Land of Waterfalls ninjas completely lost his composure.

"This guy wasn't coveting the Hero's Water at all; he was clearly here to dig up the roots of our Land of Waterfalls!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 243 =====