In the ninja world, for most people, the Kages of the Five Great Ninja Villages are beings beyond reach, let alone assassination.
For some, however, as long as the money is right, whether it's the Kazekage, Mizukage, or Hokage, they'll give it a try!
Take Kakuzu, for example…
"So-and-so ninja, bounty five million... Kazekage Rasa, bounty sixteen million Ryo... No, the reward doesn't match the effort."
At a bounty exchange, Kakuzu was pondering his next target while flipping through the bounty book.
"Konoha Village's Hokage, Minato Namikaze, bounty eighty million Ryo... Now that's something worth considering!"
Kakuzu's olive-green eyes gleamed, as if he saw piles of cash flowing into his pockets.
Closing the bounty book, he left with the bounties he had earned that day under the respectful gaze of the receptionist.
He needed to return to the organization and find a teammate, as invading Konoha Village wouldn't be easy!
...
At the base of the Eternal Organization, Yakura slumped onto Mei Terumi's bed, looking utterly dejected. Seeing the room filled with beautiful clothes, she couldn't help but envy.
"What do you think? Is my taste great or what!" Mei Terumi held up a blue qipao, trying it on in front of herself. Yakura couldn't help but steal a glance at her voluptuous figure.
"So, you're really out of money?"
Mei Terumi pouted, "Isn't money meant to be spent? And what's wrong with spending my own money? One must know how to enjoy life! Youth is fleeting!"
Yakura sighed. It seemed their plastic sisterhood wasn't reliable. She'd better take on more missions.
Thinking of this, Yakura recalled the high-bounty targets she'd seen on the bounty board.
"Kirigakure's S-rank rogue ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki, bounty sixty million Ryo. Takigakure's S-rank rogue ninja, Kakuzu, bounty seventy million Ryo... Sigh, if only I could complete one of these missions!"
"Kisame Hoshigaki? If you choose him, I can help you."
Mei Terumi slightly exhaled from her ruby-red lips. Although she had left Kirigakure a long time ago, she would still consider taking action against a Kirigakure rogue ninja.
Yakura gave a bitter smile, "But can the two of us really do it?"
Mei Terumi put her hands on her hips, her beautiful eyes glaring at Yakura, "Are you looking down on me? If it wasn't for a certain scoundrel, I might have already become the Fifth Mizukage!"
Yakura hesitated for a long time, biting her lips tightly, and then made a resolute decision, "Then let's go for something big!"
"Why don't you... spend some more money to hire Kimimaro and the others?"
"Mei Terumi, you woman! You're making me so angry!"
...
Two days later, Kakuzu returned to the Akatsuki base in Amegakure. Without rushing to ask Nagato for a teammate, he hurried to the finance room to submit the money he had earned!
Kakuzu loved the thrill of making money, the thrill of counting money, and the thrill of submitting money!
These three were the foundation of him becoming the ultimate working man!
"Here's the bounty from the past two days."
Kakuzu placed two large boxes overflowing with cash on the table and left without looking back.
"Wait."
Konan opened a box, took out a few thin, green banknotes, and said in a clear, cold voice, "This is your reward."
"..."
Kakuzu looked at the two boxes of cash he had just submitted, then at the easily countable salary in Konan's hand, and felt something was amiss!
However, Kakuzu happily accepted his salary, a smile creasing the corners of his mouth under his mask. Getting paid was the happiest moment of his day. It felt great to get paid!
After Kakuzu left, Konan carried the two boxes of cash and opened a secret door in the finance room, casually tossing them inside. Her light orange pupils remained unblinking, as if it were a mundane affair.
The secret door slowly closed. Through a sliver of light, one could see that the boxes, similar to the ones from before, were piled as high as a small mountain, with at least several hundred of them.
Konan returned to her seat and began folding paper, her slender hand propping up her chin, patiently awaiting the arrival of the next victim.
...
After receiving his salary, Kakuzu was ecstatic, greeting everyone he met along the way.
Scorpion, on the other hand, was silent, meticulously repairing his puppets. He was currently poor and couldn't understand Kakuzu's mood; puppet repairs were too expensive!
He wondered if Konan-nee could grant him a loan. He had a new research idea recently that required a substantial amount of funds. He also wondered how things were going with Orochimaru.
Compared to Scorpion's silence, Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't understand why Kakuzu was always so happy after receiving his salary. He submitted tens of millions of Ryo, yet his salary was only a few hundred or thousand Ryo. Wasn't that something only an idiot would do?!
Kisame Hoshigaki took out two green banknotes from his pocket, his expression growing grimmer. It seemed he was the idiot he was talking about!
He couldn't help it. He didn't earn as much as Kakuzu, and a portion of his salary was also deducted. Life was truly difficult!
However, Kisame Hoshigaki then thought of the organization next door that didn't pay any salaries, and his mood instantly improved. There were people worse off than him, which made him feel more balanced.
Kisame Hoshigaki looked at his faded clothes, then fumbled in his pockets, muttering, "It's been almost three to four years since I wore new clothes. It's time to treat myself!"
Kisame Hoshigaki decided to go to a large city to buy clothes. The most prosperous place now was naturally the Land of Fire. He could also visit his teammate, that serious and mature Uchiha Itachi.
"I hope these two and a half years can change his poker face; otherwise, he's really hard to get along with."
On the other side, Kakuzu climbed to the top of the tower to find Nagato, only to discover the masked man was also there. Kakuzu didn't know Obito's identity, but he knew that his status was higher than that of the core members.
This was evident from the fact that he could banter with the leader, Nagato. The fact that Nagato, in his chuunibyo phase, could restrain himself from acting indicated that his strength was definitely superior.
"Leader, I want to take on a big job!"
Kakuzu stated his intention to Nagato directly.
"A big job?"
Nagato frowned and said coldly, "Be more specific, explain clearly!"
Kakuzu glanced at Obito and said gravely, "I want to go to Konoha and claim the bounty for the Fourth Hokage. I'll need a teammate."
"Pfft!"
Obito couldn't help but burst into laughter. Going after Minato Namikaze's head? Wasn't that going to his death?
Nagato's expression remained indifferent as he asked, "Do you have confidence?"
"As long as it's not that idiot Kisame, I have about a seventy percent chance of success!"
"Alright, then Kisame will team up with you," Nagato said, turning his back and looking down from above, exuding an imposing aura.
"Leader, I..."
Kakuzu's tone faltered. His good mood after getting paid was gone. How could the leader treat him like this!
He, Kakuzu, was also a loyal man who devoted himself to the organization!