Chapter 73 - Biwa Jūzō: “Why don’t you ask if I want to join the Akatsuki?”

"Wait, wait, wait, the leader told us to recruit people," Amemiya Kenichi hurriedly stopped Sasori, thinking this wasn't some typical hot-blooded anime where you need to fight before talking.

However, Kenichi quickly paused, recalling the plot of *Naruto*. It did seem like people often fought before using persuasion, so maybe having a fight before recruitment wasn't such a bad idea.

But by now, the commotion had already drawn Biwa Jūzō's attention. He wasn't just any ordinary ninja; he was skilled enough to notice them. So Kenichi and Sasori decided to walk out together.

"Konoha's A-rank rogue ninja, Amemiya Kenichi, and Sunagakure's S-rank rogue ninja, Sasori of the Red Sand. What are you two here for?" Biwa Jūzō squinted his eyes, recognizing the two in front of him.

"Biwa Jūzō, our leader believes you have the strength to join our organization, so we're here to invite you to the Akatsuki," Kenichi said straightforwardly. Sure, they could fight, but that was too troublesome.

"Akatsuki?" Biwa Jūzō had clearly never heard of the group, remaining highly cautious.

"Yeah, our goal is to collect the tailed beasts from all the major ninja villages and bring peace to the world," Kenichi shrugged, casually repeating what Nagato had told him.

Sasori, on the other hand, had already prepared for battle. Though the Akatsuki's goal might sound laughable, their leader, with his Sage Eyes, certainly had the ability to pull it off. 

If the recruitment target didn't want to join, it was best to eliminate them to prevent information from leaking.

"Collect tailed beasts?" Jūzō's eyes narrowed further. This unknown group sure had some big ambitions, talking about collecting tailed beasts like it was nothing.

Seeing Jūzō's reaction, Kenichi sighed inwardly. It seemed like a fight was inevitable, which wasn't necessarily bad—he could also assess whether Jūzō had the strength to join the Akatsuki.

Though Jūzō didn't appear in the future as an Akatsuki member, it's possible he might've joined and died afterward.

"Kenichi, do you know about his sword?" Sasori suddenly asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, the Executioner's Blade. It's said to absorb the blood of its enemies to repair itself, and it supposedly has the ability to restore the wielder's stamina through the blood it absorbs," Kenichi nodded, clearly familiar with the blade.

Even though Kenichi wasn't a huge anime nerd before coming to this world, he had learned a bit about the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist after arriving. 

This wasn't classified information in the ninja world. As one of Kirigakure's elite units, all the major villages would have loved to strip them of their secrets. Unless they killed all their opponents after each battle, it was impossible to keep everything hidden.

"I want that sword. I'm going to modify it for my puppet, Proto One," Sasori said bluntly, which didn't surprise Kenichi, who was used to his direct nature.

Sasori wasn't yet the Sasori of the future. At this stage, he was more straightforward and didn't care much for social niceties. He simply did what he wanted.

At that moment, thick mist began to spread, and Biwa Jūzō's figure vanished.

Jūzō wasn't foolish. The moment he heard Sasori's words, he knew this wouldn't end peacefully, so he decided to strike first.

"Alright, let's get that sword for you to study," Kenichi said casually. After all, Nagato never said they *had* to recruit Jūzō. If he wasn't strong enough and ended up dead, that was on him.

Kenichi gathered Sage Chakra in his mouth and unleashed a massive stream of flames toward the dense fog.

The intense heat instantly evaporated the mist, turning it into steam. At the same time, a Water Dragon surged forward, colliding with Kenichi's flames, causing steam to spread around them.

Sasori wasn't just standing by either. Since this was his first time working with Kenichi, he wanted to show off his strength.

He summoned all his puppets, though there were only about twenty—far fewer than the hundred-puppet technique he'd master in the future.

The battle unfolded without any shouting or naming of jutsus. Jūzō charged at Sasori's Proto One puppet with his Executioner's Blade, leaving a shallow cut.

"Looks like your Proto One needs some upgrades," Kenichi remarked as he watched Jūzō get surrounded by Sasori's puppets.

Kenichi could have used some Sage Art techniques, like the Great Fire Annihilation he had just used to disperse the mist, but that was a wide-range attack. If he used it again, he might end up burning Sasori's puppets.

"Yeah, that's why I need more high-quality metal," Sasori responded without much emotion. Proto One was just a test unit; his main focus was still the Third Kazekage puppet.

Kenichi's Sharingan spun as he studied Jūzō, trying to learn some of the techniques he hadn't yet mastered.

But he quickly realized that Jūzō relied mainly on taijutsu and kenjutsu, which wasn't particularly useful for him.

He decided to finish Jūzō quickly and take the Executioner's Blade. He still had plans to visit the Land of Whirlpools to find the Shinigami mask, as he was quite intrigued by the Death God.

"Sasori, leave an opening for me," Kenichi said as he gathered red-black lightning chakra in his hand.

Sasori blinked in surprise. He had seen this kind of lightning before, and it had left a lasting impression on him.

Before Sasori could ask anything, Kenichi vanished from his sight.

"Impressive reflexes," Kenichi commented as Jūzō blocked his Lightning Blade with the Executioner's Blade.

However, the sword had a gaping hole in it now, and the surrounding metal had turned red-hot and softened from the heat. In the process of blocking the attack, Jūzō was struck in the abdomen by Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet's iron sand triangular spike.

"Ugh," Jūzō spat out a mouthful of blood.

But Jūzō wasn't stupid. He immediately let go of the Executioner's Blade, trying to escape the battle.

"Don't leave just yet," Kenichi smirked as he summoned more lightning chakra and, with Sasori's puppets closing in, delivered a final blow that pierced through Jūzō's chest.