It's said that the village suffered huge losses in Amegakure, and as Kazekage, Rasa bears a lot of responsibility.
Because of that, the time spent mining in the desert kept getting longer, and the mining business became busier than ever.
Yagura was glad he didn't have to go through the same thing as Rasa, struggling in the desert to dig up minerals.
The Land of Water's Daimyo wasn't exactly satisfied with the village's development, and the funding wasn't great either.
But at least he was still providing some money.
Unlike the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who not only refused to give funding but also dumped most of the country's mission requests onto Konohagakure.
This made Sunagakure's already struggling economy even worse.
"So, this is Kirigakure Village?"
The Akatsuki had been doing dirty work for years, taking on assassination missions targeting important figures from various nations.
However, they rarely took jobs involving the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The organization also preferred not to provoke these major villages, so they mainly operated within smaller countries.
Amegakure had a bad environment and poor living conditions, and Kirigakure wasn't much better.
Constantly shrouded in thick fog and suffering from poor transportation, both the country's and the village's external trade were difficult to develop.
Fortunately, in the past two years, they had started working with Konohagakure on trade routes and seafood exports.
Without that cooperation, Kirigakure would still be stuck in its old ways, completely isolated.
Amegakure was always covered in rain, so most of its buildings were made of towering iron structures.
Kirigakure, on the other hand… well, its buildings were mostly covered in creeping plants.
Because of the constant fog, moss and vines grew all over the village structures, making it feel like people were living inside plant-covered houses.
If Amegakure gave the impression of being soaked in water, Kirigakure felt damp, stuffy, and humid.
This unique environment also made the people of the Land of Water look a little… different.
The most recognizable feature was their sharp teeth, and some even looked like fish or crabs.
Anyone unaware might mistake them for having animal blood in their veins.
Compared to other nations, the Land of Water was far from the mainland, deep in the ocean, so there weren't many outsiders.
Over time, this led to a strong sense of distrust toward foreigners in the village.
And sure enough, as soon as Kakuzu and Sasori arrived, they were met with stares from the villagers.
"…I feel like they're looking at us like zoo animals."
The way the Kirigakure villagers stared at them really irritated Kakuzu.
When had the great Kakuzu ever been looked at like some kind of spectacle?
In other places, he was the one who looked strange. But after coming to Kirigakure, he realized—he wasn't the odd one. Everyone else was.
"Maybe you should take out the word 'feel' because you really do look like a monkey."
Sasori was already annoyed at being dragged into this mission by Kakuzu for no reason. Hearing that, he immediately fired back.
Just because he usually talked about art and was obsessed with puppet-making didn't mean he couldn't throw insults.
"You bastard, do you even know what you're saying?"
Sasori's words hit a nerve. Did he just call me a monkey?!
"I don't think I'm wrong. Just look at the way they're staring at you."
Sasori looked around expressionlessly. Now that he had taken off his disguise, his delicate features and pale skin only drew admiration and envy.
Most of the strange looks, however, were directed at Kakuzu.
Calling him a monkey wasn't an exaggeration—yet he refused to admit it.
"Damn it, you've really pissed me off."
Kakuzu never expected Sasori to have such a sharp tongue. Just a few words, and he was already fuming.
Before Kakuzu could snap back, the Kirigakure ninja had already stepped forward.
"Stop! Who are you? Why have you come to Kirigakure? Show your ninja ID and entry permit!"
Their distrust of outsiders didn't mean they were completely closed off—after all, the economy still needed to grow.
But without proper identification, any outsider would be treated as an enemy spy.
"Get lost!!!"
Already in a foul mood, Kakuzu couldn't care less.
His fist, covered in black threads, shot forward at lightning speed, punching straight through the chest of the questioning Kirigakure ninja. He pulled out the man's heart, holding it in his hand.
"They're enemies!!!"
Kakuzu's sudden attack left the Kirigakure ninja in shock.
In just a blink, their comrade had been killed—his heart ripped out before he even had time to react.
The unexpected violence sent nearby villagers screaming as they ran for safety.
More and more Kirigakure ninja rushed to the scene, but the most attention-grabbing group was the Anbu squad.
"It's the Akatsuki! Notify the Mizukage immediately!
Akatsuki members have infiltrated the village and killed our comrades!"
Ordinary villagers and low-ranking ninja might not recognize Kakuzu and Sasori, but the Anbu immediately identified the red cloud on their black cloaks.
"Die, all of you!!!"
After years of being forced underground, with barely any missions before being ordered to lie low, Kakuzu felt like he was about to go insane.
Tearing off his cloak, he unleashed his fury. The hearts he had lost in Amegakure had already been replaced.
To the Kirigakure ninja, he no longer looked like a green-skinned monster—he was a full-blown nightmare.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Screams filled the air as Kakuzu went on a rampage.
The ordinary ninja stood no chance against him. It was a completely one-sided massacre.
As Kakuzu slaughtered his way forward, Sasori didn't just stand idly by. He threw out several scrolls, and from them, a swarm of puppets flew out. Under Sasori's precise control, the puppets worked alongside Kakuzu, taking down one Kirigakure ninja after another.
Sasori lost most of his puppets in the battle at Kirigakure. His most prized ones were nearly all destroyed, crushed by Rasa's Magnet Release.
Because of that, his combat strength had taken a major hit.
Fortunately, the Akatsuki had provided him with plenty of high-level corpses from the Five Great Nations—Jonin and Special Jonin—to use as materials. Thanks to that, he hadn't been reduced to a background character.
The battle inside Kirigakure erupted into complete chaos. The surrounding areas descended into panic, with villagers fleeing in terror while more ninja poured into the fight.
But no matter how many came, they simply weren't a match for Sasori and Kakuzu.
Against these two, Kirigakure suffered devastating losses.
"Mizukage-sama! Akatsuki members have infiltrated the village—they're here for revenge!"
The Anbu ninja burst into the Mizukage's office.
"I already know. These chakra signatures… Sasori and Kakuzu."
Yagura had already sensed the chakra fluctuations and guessed who the intruders were.
Setting his hat down on the table, he grabbed his weapon and leaped out the window.
The Anbu and the Mizukage's guards followed close behind.
Ever since he had been sold out by Yan, Obito's grudge had shifted, and Yagura had been on high alert for his revenge ever since.
Unfortunately, this defense lasted for years, yet the enemy never made a move.
What puzzled Yagura even more was that the ones attacking weren't Obito, but rather Kakuzu and Sasori—two key members of the Akatsuki.
Something was clearly off.
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