Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 887: The price hasn't changed over the years; the prison can truly be considered a mode

"Oh!"

With a gloomy expression, Onoki ignored the silver knight's ramblings, and with a sudden swing of his arm, he used the opportunity to retreat to Komurasaki and the other two's side.

"Is your Land of Waterfalls also preparing to become enemies with the Land of Earth?"

Glancing at his unconscious disciple, Onoki frowned and questioned him.

"I'm just trying to earn some extra money; it's purely a personal thing."

The silver-clad knight, with a short blade slung over his shoulder, retorted in a relaxed tone.

"You're Hanzo?"

As he spoke, he turned around and instantly appeared in front of the dilapidated Hanzo. Based on the information provided by Hydrangea, he could barely recognize that this pile of soon-to-be-scrap metal was the target of his mission.

"You're the powerful support that Hydrangea mentioned?"

Because his electronic eyes were destroyed, Hanzo could not see the other person's appearance clearly. He could only rely on his senses to recognize him. In just a few breaths, he could smell the profound aura emanating from the person in front of him, as well as a faint, barely perceptible stench of money.

"Tsk tsk tsk~ No wonder your subordinates made me come here urgently."

After successfully connecting with the mission target, the silver-white knight's tone was full of regret. If he had arrived a few minutes later, he probably would have had to rummage through the junkyard to find Hanzo.

"You are... the legendary Hunter Knight Sword!"

Xiu, lying beside Hanzo, stared wide-eyed and immediately recognized the man's identity.

"That's right, redhead, do you need any roadside assistance? Second order is half price!"

The Silver Knight, who had been hiding for so long, straightened up upon hearing this, skillfully pulled a business card from the card box beside him, and handed it to the bewildered Xiu.

"Didn't you come here to help us?"

Xiu subconsciously stuffed Kakuzu's business card into his pocket, glancing at Hanzo beside him with a puzzled look.

"No, no, no, the only person I need to rescue is him."

Kakuzu waved his hand and gestured with his chin towards the equally bewildered Hanzo.

"He paid."

"what?"

"Grandpa, I've caught a customer!"

Just as Kakuzu was trying to sell the rescue package to Shu, Chihiro landed carrying the weakened Danzo, his fair face filled with excitement.

"Hunter Knight Sword, I didn't expect you to be a grandfather."

Looking at the familiar silver herringbone armor, Danzo's eyes were filled with a strange sense of realization.

"You are."

Kakuzu noticed Danzo's strange gaze, stroked his chin, and sized up the muscular man with the enormous buttocks before him. Several youthful faces gradually surfaced in his mind.

"That cowardly, big-butt kid from back then?"

"."

"Grandpa Laodu, do you know him?"

Chihiro shifted her curious gaze from Danzo, whose face was ashen, and asked Kakuzu,

"I've met him a few times. By the way, your dad and mom know him too."

Kakuzu nodded slightly, a hint of teasing amusement in his voice.

"Is he that couple's child?"

Upon hearing this, Danzo instantly deduced Chihiro's identity and subconsciously distanced himself from her, his eyes filled with an even more inexplicable glint.

"Then he'll eat it."

"Don't worry, Qianyi is different from his mother."

However, before he could ask a question, Kakuzu interrupted him, saying it was best not to let the children know about their parents' dark past.

"What are you talking about? What happened to my mother?"

Qianyi was completely confused, her dark eyes filled with doubt and curiosity.

"It's nothing, just some old news. By the way, you said he's your client?"

Kakuzu dodged the question, glossing over the past while changing the subject by mentioning Danzo.

“That’s right, this gentleman has just agreed to purchase my rescue service.”

Sure enough, upon hearing this question, Qianyi immediately forgot about his mother's matter and excitedly produced a signed and sealed contract.

“Good, once you finish this order, you can go solo.”

Kakuzu glanced at the 35 million rescue fee written in large letters on the contract, nodded with a puzzled expression, and then looked at Danzo with a slight smile.

"Are you paying for it yourself this time, or are you waiting for that curly-haired kid with the hefty New Year's money to pay for it?"

A curly-haired brat who's throwing away a lot of New Year's money?

Kakuzu's words pulled Danzo back decades to that alleyway where the frail figure resolutely stood up to pay for him and the monkey, and once again appeared several times taller.

Godfather, I'll pay the 35 million this time!

"The mirror isn't here, and besides, I can easily afford to pay this amount right now, okay?"

"That's fine."

Looking at Danzo's deeply wrinkled old face, Kakuzu nodded and muttered to himself,

Now you can't refund minors anymore, right?

"Xiao Yi, since he's your client, you'd better protect him well later, and don't ruin my reputation."

Entrusting Danzo's safety to his grandson, Sen no Tsubasa, Kakuzu turned back to Shu, smiling as he pulled out a standardized contract.

"Now you're the only one left. Do you want to buy it? If you don't, and we end up with broken arms, legs, or limbs, I won't be responsible."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Xiu's limbs, his tone gentle yet sending chills down one's spine.

"I'll buy it! I'll buy it!"

Feeling a chill beneath his crotch, Xiu snatched the contract from Kakuzu's hand, glanced at it briefly, and his brow furrowed sharply.

"Why am I worth 70 million?"

He had just seen the contract signed by Danzo, which only required 35 million, so why was it doubled for him?

"That's what happens when you hesitate! The second order at half price is limited!"

Upon hearing this, Xiu gritted his teeth. Given the current situation, if he didn't sign, he would most likely be targeted by an unknown area-of-effect attack in the upcoming battle.

Actually, the cost isn't much; in today's inflationary climate, you could even call it a bargain. But having to pay double the price just doesn't feel right.

"Mr. Xiu, please rest assured, I will reimburse you for these expenses."

Just as he picked up his pen, Hanzo suddenly spoke up, his words warming Xiu's heart.

It was worth the long journey he took to come and help; Hanzo is truly generous.

"Including me?"

Danzo, who was rummaging through his wallet, looked up in surprise, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he gazed at Hanzo.

“That’s right. Since Lord Danzo is here to aid the Land of Rain, how can I let you pay for it yourself?”

"You and me."

Hearing Hanzo's sincere words and recalling his own ugly face as a bystander, Danzo felt only shame in his heart.

He suddenly realized that if he wanted to become the leader of a village, there was still a lot he needed to learn.

"You have a broad perspective; I like clients like you."

Kakuzu smiled as he took the still-wet contract from Shu's hand, carefully placing it into his ninja tool pouch behind him. He then turned and stood in front of the group, staring intently at Onoki not far away.

"Third Tsuchikage, if you turn around and leave now, I..."

"impossible!"

Onoki was now furious and would never give up the cutting-edge technology he was about to acquire just because of Kakuzu's few words. If he were to leave in such a sorry state, he might as well give up his position as Tsuchikage.

"We've known each other for a long time, and you won't even give me this much face." As if he had already anticipated Onoki's tough attitude, Kakuzu shook his head and held his short sword in front of him, a sharp aura bursting out from his body.

"Pah! What old acquaintance? I haven't settled the score with you from last time, this is the perfect opportunity to put an end to it!"

It would have been better if Kakuzu hadn't mentioned it, because Kakuzu's words instantly brought back memories of being betrayed by the Takigakure ninja a few years ago.

If it weren't for Kakuzu's return, which gave those useless people confidence, Takigakure would still be his scapegoat, and the war wouldn't have progressed so slowly.

"teacher?"

Just then, Komurasaki and Han, who were standing at Onoki's feet, were awakened by the scorching heat emanating from him. Seeing their teacher's furious expression, the two instinctively shrank back.

"Finally awake. Such a minor injury required so much rest. Han, you've been neglecting your training."

Looking at the man's slightly pale face, Onoki reprimanded him in a displeased tone.

Xiao Zi might not be able to tell, but as a veteran Tailed Beast Rider, he knew very well that as long as it wasn't a fatal wound like a severed head or ripped out the heart, the suitable person could recover after a good night's sleep.

"It's my fault, teacher."

Upon hearing this, Han immediately stood up, lowered his head, and dared not utter a single complaint.

"Are you capable of fighting?"

Seeing his sincere remorse, Onoki's expression softened somewhat.

The Five-Tails in the Tailed Beast Card looked at the newly grown layer of light downy fur on its body and gently nodded to Han.

"Lao Mu said there was no problem."

"Then when the fight breaks out, I'll hold off that greedy money-grubber, and the rest are your two."

"Yes!" *2

Xiao Zi and Han exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. With three people with low health and a frail young man, the two of them could easily take them down.

As soon as he finished speaking, Onoki's feet instantly left the ground, and with the help of the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, he transformed into a red cannonball, crashing straight into Kakuzu, who was standing with his sword.

"Bah!"

With clients behind him, Kakuzu naturally couldn't avoid the attack, so he chose to confront them head-on. Insect wings extended from his back, and with a flap, Danzo and the others only saw a blur before their eyes as two completely different streaks of light, silver and red, collided, emitting a piercing explosion.

"Smack!—"

"Snap!—"

"Sizzle!—"

The two figures clashed in the center of the battlefield at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, the aftershocks of the battle tearing everything around them to shreds.

Whether it was a tree that took three people to encircle or a boulder that had stood firm for many years, they were all reduced to ashes by the attacks of Kakuzu and Onoki.

Gudong~

"So this is his true strength."

Shocked by the extraordinary battle scene, Xiu swallowed hard, his handsome face filled with dejection.

Before witnessing this battle, he had been smug about holding off Onoki for a full minute; now, he realized he was nothing but a clown.

Danzo, standing to the side, frowned with a grim expression. Komurasaki's transformed strength was still within acceptable limits; he could at least put up a fight against her.

However, the strength displayed by Onoki, who is also a Four-Tailed Rider, is worlds apart from that of Komurasaki. Their understanding and application of the Rider System are on completely different levels.

If his Konoha team had encountered Onoki at the beginning, Minato and the others might already be four corpses.

"Don't worry, Grandpa Laodu will not lose."

Sensing the dejection emanating from Shu and Danzo, Chihiro smiled and gave them a reassuring gesture.

"I don't know if your grandpa will lose or not, but you're about to die."

Just as Kakuzu and Onoki were locked in fierce combat, Komurasaki and Han, having received a mission from their teacher, bypassed the battlefield and quietly approached Chihiro. Looking at the thin, shy young man before them, Komurasaki clenched his fist with a sinister grin.

Even without the Knight System, he was still one of the top elite Jonin in Iwagakure, and dealing with a few ordinary people would be a piece of cake for him.

"Han, you've just recovered from your serious injuries, so leave these guys to me."

Raising her hand to stop the man behind her who was about to join her, Komurasaki shook her head and drew a kunai from her ninja tool pouch.

"mean!"

Xiu cursed angrily upon seeing this, but unfortunately, he had very little chakra left, and all the puppets he could rely on had been destroyed. He was powerless to fight against Xiao Zi at full strength.

"Help me up, I can still steam!"

Seeing this, Danzo took a deep breath. His condition wasn't much better than Xiuqian's, but he still had a life-threatening secret technique. Using it might kill him, but it was better than being captured and humiliated by the enemy.

"Spare parts, are there any spare parts left!?"

Hanzo also began roaring into the one-way communicator, desperately trying to get Hydrangea, who could hear him, to come to his aid immediately.

"beep----"

However, all he received in response was a monotonous, silent tone.

"Bah!"

The silver dagger and the red lava fist collided. Onoki took the opportunity to glance at Komurasaki and Han, who had surrounded the four of them not far away, and a smug smile appeared on his lips.

"You lost. It seems you paid someone to artificially inflate Hunter Knight Swords' reputation, didn't you?"

"Really? You'll only know if it's good or not after you try it. Why don't you order one and give it a try?"

Kakuzu didn't even bother to turn his head, seemingly unconcerned about what was happening behind him. Instead, he took a moment to pull out a business card from his waist and waved it in front of Onoki.

"Humph!"

Instead of being grateful, Onoki used the intense heat from his armor to burn Kakuzu's promotional business card to ashes.

"Don't just say it directly, printing this costs a lot of money."

Kakuzu frowned upon seeing this. He hated such extravagant behavior the most. The cost of making a single business card was as high as thirty taels, enough to buy three large steamed buns.

"Once Xiao Zi catches that brat, I'll make you eat all those ridiculous business cards raw!"

"Then you might be disappointed."

With a slight shrug, Kakuzu kicked Onoki in the chest, using the recoil to execute a graceful backflip in mid-air before landing steadily on the ground.

“My great grandson has his mother protecting him, so I don’t have to worry about him at all.”

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Onoki frowned. Although his perception wasn't as sharp as the Second Hokage's, he could still distinguish a few people present.

"Making a mystery out of nothing."

Just as he was preparing to continue fighting Kakuzu to buy time for Komurasaki and the other two, a chilling, bloodthirsty aura suddenly surged into the sky.

Onoki stopped in his tracks, his face filled with shock, and quickly looked in the direction of the aura.

"What?!"

He saw that the little purple he had placed so much hope in was being held by the neck by the seemingly harmless young man, its small body being lifted into the air, while Han held the driver, his face full of vigilance.

"Who exactly are you?"

Han couldn't understand it at all. Just a second ago, this young man had no aura at all and was just an ordinary person. How could he subdue Xiao Zi in the next moment?

"Mmm."

Xiao Zi struggled frantically as his neck was gripped, but Qian Yi's large hand held him firmly like an iron clamp, rendering the elite Jonin's strength useless.

"Holy crap." *3

Danzo and the others were equally stunned. They had been prepared for a desperate fight with Komurasaki, but unexpectedly, Chihiro, this young man who looked like an office worker, suddenly unleashed terrifying power, defeating the enemy with a single hand.

The two men exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"This money was well spent!" *3 (End of Chapter)