Hunt
"I have confidence in my ability to complete this mission."
Still bowing, Jun's expression remained calm as he spoke in an assured tone.
Hearing his confident words, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"Can you prove it?" Tapping his fingers on the desk, Hiruzen reclined on his chair with a doubtful expression.
"Here." Nodding, Jun walked back to the door and opened it. What happened afterward shocked Hiruzen to the core.
Two of Jun's clones entered the office with multiple Anbu corpses in their hands. Sitting them on the floor, the clones nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"What is the meaning of this...?" Hiruzen's eyes were open so wide he felt them burn. At his words, three Anbu flickered next to Jun, all holding a sword near his neck. One of them even made contact with Jun's skin as he angrily yelled. "Explain yourself!"
Smiling, Jun used his index finger to push the Anbu's sword away. Shrugging, he spoke casually.
"They're the squadron that was stationed around the vicinity of the Hokage mansion. Don't worry; I simply put them under a light genjutsu, they'll wake up soon." As he spoke, Jun crossed his arms as if this weren't a big deal.
"You did this without us noticing...?" Hiruzen was at a loss for words. Although the evidence was there for him to see, it just didn't fit in his brain. A part of him was unable to accept such a turn of events. "Men, release him."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." nodding the three Anbu flickered away, disappearing as fast as they appeared. Reclining on his chair, Hiruzen let out a hearty laugh.
"To think that such a great genius would appear in our village!" Grinning from ear to ear, the Hokage turned to Jun. "You have my permission to go on this subjugation. I am not short-sighted, and things like age don't matter in my assessment of a shinobi."
"Needless to say, this is an S-rank mission. So you must return with proof of the target's death to receive your reward."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Bowing once more, Jun spoke. "I shall swiftly return with the man's corpse."
Seeing Hiruzen nod in response, Jun took the cue and flickered away, leaving the Hokage by himself.
Sarutobi knew that Jun possessed a technique capable of even evading his senses... At least, he wouldn't have to worry about him dying.
'Did I make the right decision?' Hiruzen suddenly lost the need to smoke as he massaged his forehead.
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Unknown location, Land of Grass.
Inside a secret exchange point, two people were currently holding a conversation.
One had countless stitches covering his bare upper body, and the lower part of his face was hidden away by a mask. He wore green, torn pants and his brown hair was parted in the middle of his forehead, hiding the sides of his face.
It was none other than Kakuzu, a missing-nin from Takigakure; the village hidden in waterfalls.
"You caught a big fish this time... Kakuzu-san, it's always a pleasure doing business with you." Rubbing his hands in anticipation, the other person made an ingratiating smile. He was a bald man with clear eyes and a thick, black beard.
He had a big scar running from his lower lip to his glass eye, and wore a light grey cloak, with black buttons. His name was Yasuo; A prominent dealer in the black market.
"Same here..." Kakuzu responded in an eerie voice as he picked up a suitcase filled with cash. In between the two of them was a dead body, seemingly pertaining to a ninja from the hidden mist.
If one looked close enough, they would notice that there was a gaping hole where the heart used to be.
After confirming the man's identity, Yasuo placed the body inside one of the coffins on the nearby wall, pushing it in. "To think that you could take out one of the seven swordsmen of the mist..."[1]
"It was nothing... It's like I just went fishing." Counting the money, Kakuzu closed the suitcase and turned around.
"Forty million in cash, like we agreed. I'll take my leave now."
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[1] Don't confuse this swordsman of the mist with Either Kushimaru or Fuguki. Both of them are (Or were, in Kushmaru's case) young, and still not part of that legendary squad. The person who Kakuzu killed is one of the past members, who the fandom has no information on. Anyways, he's just a corpse, so I won't elaborate.
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Special thanks to Frozoka Swaggins, God Erebos, and Daniil!
Don't forget to drop some stones!
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