Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master!

Chapter 448 Want to play the innocent card? No way! Get in the water, all of you!

in the audience.

"The First Hokage... Uchiha Madara?"

Itachi and Obito exchanged a glance.

So that's how it is! It's this world!

The two were now certain that Kakuzu had entered the same dream world that Danzo and Madara Uchiha had entered before.

However, the others were unaware of this dream world, and were therefore somewhat surprised.

"These dreams are always so unexpected," Orochimaru licked his lips, but he wasn't too surprised.

After all, he had already witnessed too many settings in this dream that were different from reality.

Hidan scratched his head, completely uninterested in historical questions like who the First Hokage was.

He just thought that the old guy in Kakuzu's dream was really annoying.

……

on the screen.

Kenji and Maki, who had just been vying to pledge their loyalty and shouting that it was their duty, froze instantly upon hearing the name Uchiha Madara.

"Assassinate... Uchiha Madara?" Kenji's voice trembled.

He instinctively took a half step back, his lips trembling.

"This...shouldn't we reconsider?"

Maki's face also turned pale.

She didn't even dare to look Takikawa in the eye, her gaze shifting as she said, "I...I'm suddenly feeling a little unwell...Boss, I'm sorry."

The two men were incoherent, their previous bravery completely gone, leaving only fear.

Takikawa looked at his two subordinates who had instantly cowered, a look of disdain and disappointment flashing in his eyes.

But he didn't insist, and he hadn't expected the two guys to be of any use anyway.

They were merely pawns used to create atmosphere; his true target was always Kakuzu.

Kakuzu took in the ugly behavior of his two useless teammates, and his disdain for them grew even stronger.

A coward who fears death, betrays morality for personal gain, and has no sense of responsibility—a good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing.

Kakuzu sneered inwardly.

He was born in that era and had a deeper understanding of the legendary ninjas Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha than anyone else in reality.

Hashirama Senju was incredibly powerful and was known as the God of Shinobi, but he was kind-hearted and did not kill ordinary enemies.

But Madara Uchiha was completely different.

He was a domineering and ruthless strongman who regarded his enemies as worthless.

He would show no mercy to any enemy who dared to provoke him.

If assassinating Hashirama Senju was a near-death experience, then assassinating Madara Uchiha was a certain death!

"That old bastard really wants me to go and die."

Kakuzu understood perfectly.

He remained standing there expressionless, showing no reaction to Takikawa's expectant gaze.

Seeing Kakuzu's lack of tact, Takikawa grew increasingly anxious.

This was not what he had expected.

Everyone should be fired up and volunteering under his instigation, so why are they acting so stubbornly now?

"Kakuzu," Takikawa had to speak again, his tone earnest, "Uchiha Madara's strength is indeed unfathomable. That's why ordinary ninjas would only be throwing their lives away and wouldn't be able to shake him in the slightest. Instead, they would alert him and bring even greater disaster to the village."

"But you are different, Kakuzu. You are a genius that our Takigakure village has only seen once in a century. Only you have a chance to find an opportunity in this desperate situation. Only you have a chance to complete this almost impossible task and fight for a future for the village!"

Upon seeing that the leader seemed determined to send Kakuzu, and that his words had already made Kakuzu the only hope, it became clear that the leader was determined to send him.

Kenji and Maki, who were standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged a glance and immediately changed their attitudes in tacit understanding.

Kenji quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, we know Kakuzu's strength best. If it weren't for Kakuzu, we wouldn't have made it back from this mission. Madara Uchiha is powerful, but Kakuzu is both intelligent and brave; he might actually find a way!"

Maki nodded vigorously, sincerely saying, "Kakuzu has always been our role model! Who else but Kakuzu could shoulder such a heavy responsibility concerning the survival of the village? We believe Kakuzu can definitely do it!"

The two of them worked together, trying their best to elevate Kakuzu to a higher position.

Kakuzu watched the three men's performance with a cold eye.

One is a hypocrite inciting others, and the other two are opportunists.

He felt nothing at all, and even found it somewhat ridiculous.

Kakuzu coldly replied, "I'm not interested in this mission."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Takikawa's increasingly stiff face, and added, "Chief, you should find someone else."

The air froze instantly.

Takikawa frowned, and his face darkened.

His tone was no longer gentle; he said coldly, "Kakuzu, what kind of attitude is this? This isn't a matter of whether you're interested or not; this is a crucial mission entrusted to you by the village, a matter of life and death! I hope you can prioritize the greater good and cooperate fully."

However, upon hearing this, Kakuzu merely laughed dismissively, "What can you do if I don't cooperate?"

"You..." Takikawa was so choked that he almost couldn't catch his breath, his face turning pale and then red.

There's really nothing he can do.

Kakuzu was one of the village's top Jonin, with numerous battle achievements and a high reputation among the villagers and ordinary ninjas.

He couldn't possibly force Kakuzu to carry out such a suicidal mission.

"What on earth is going on? What's wrong with Kakuzu today?"

Takikawa was shocked, angry, and flustered by the disruption of his plans, and was momentarily speechless.

The situation reached an awkward stalemate.

Meanwhile, the two opportunistic teammates next to him, seeing that Kakuzu dared to so rudely defy the leader, and that the leader seemed unable to do anything about him for the time being, rolled their eyes and thought they had found a good opportunity to show their loyalty.

They immediately jumped out, their faces adopting righteous expressions, and began to accuse Kakuzu:

"Kakuzu, how could you speak to the leader like that!" Kenji exclaimed excitedly. "Entrusting you with such an important mission shows the leader's trust and high regard for you. How could you refuse?!"

"Exactly!" Maki chimed in. "Kakuzu, you've disappointed us so much! The village has nurtured you for so many years, given you the best resources, raised you to adulthood. Now is the time when the village needs you, the time for you to repay the village's kindness! How can you back down? How can you say you're not interested? You should agree immediately! For the village, I'd even sacrifice my life without hesitation—that's the kind of resolve a Takigakure ninja should have!"

Seeing the performance of his two awful teammates, Kakuzu not only didn't get angry, but actually laughed.

Hehe...you haven't changed at all.

The scene before him perfectly overlapped with the image deep in his memory.

It's ironic how history always repeats itself.

Even in dreams, these people's true colors remain unchanged.

In reality, when he accepted the mission to assassinate Hashirama Senju, those two guys immediately backed down and pushed the danger onto him.

When he returned from his mission in serious injury, he was met not with comfort, but with imprisonment and accusations.

At that time, the two good teammates in front of him were the ones who were most eager to distance themselves from him.

"What a pity..."

"When I betrayed Takigakure back then, I couldn't find these two idiots. I suppose, with your kind of trash, without me blocking your way, you'd probably be long gone, dead in some insignificant, trashy quest, wouldn't you?"

Looking at the ugly faces of his two teammates, Kakuzu suddenly had an interesting thought.

Since this dream wants me to relive this past.

Since these two idiots are still behaving in this disgusting way, I might as well do something more interesting.

A malicious plan quickly took shape in his mind.

A cruel smile slowly appeared on Kakuzu's face: "I've changed my mind."

Takikawa was taken aback, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"Kakuzu, you..."

"That's right." Kakuzu flashed his gleaming white teeth. "I'll take this mission."

……

in the audience.

Obito was somewhat surprised to hear that Kakuzu had actually agreed to assassinate Madara Uchiha.

"Is Kakuzu... serious? He actually agreed to assassinate Uchiha Madara? What's the difference between that and just going to his death?"

Based on his understanding of Madara Uchiha, the chances of such an assassination succeeding were extremely slim, and the probability of survival was almost zero.

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha, who was standing nearby, nodded silently.

Having personally encountered Madara Uchiha, Itachi surprisingly agreed with Obito's words.

But... Itachi looked at Kakuzu in the picture.

Itachi's observation skills are very sharp. Judging from Kakuzu's previous reaction, he clearly knows what kind of person Madara Uchiha is.

Hidan, upon hearing Obito's words, curled his lip dismissively and said, "Hey, you guys are underestimating that old miser Kakuzu too much, aren't you? How could he really go and die? He agreed, there must be a scheme behind it! Maybe he wants to kill those two annoying teammates halfway and then run away or something."

Obito nodded and said in Tobi's tone, "Hidan-senpai makes a lot of sense. Kakuzu-senpai must have his own reasons."

After all, Obito also felt that Kakuzu was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Hidan shrugged: "Anyway, based on what I know about him, he wouldn't do something so obviously thankless and low-return, high-risk, it's not his style."

However, upon hearing Hidan's confident words, Itachi Uchiha gave Hidan a subtle, indifferent glance.

Will you not do things that are thankless and difficult?

That's hard to say.

He agreed with the first half of Hidan's statement, but as for the second half... Itachi felt it was debatable.

……

on the screen.

"Really?!" Takikawa's face instantly lit up with immense joy.

Kakuzu nodded and said, "Really, but I have one condition."

Seeing this, Takikawa, fearing that Kakuzu might change his mind, quickly patted his chest and assured him, "That's great! Kakuzu, I knew you wouldn't let the village down. Just tell me what you need! Just tell me what support you require! I'll give you my full support and make sure it's all provided!"

Kenji and Maki, standing nearby, breathed a huge sigh of relief the moment they heard Kakuzu agree, their faces beaming with smiles of relief.

"That's more like it, Kakuzu! That's a true hero of Takigakure!"

"Kakuzu is a man of great virtue; the village will surely remember your contributions!"

The two were secretly overjoyed.

Kakuzu agreed to go and die, and the crisis was averted.

Moreover, judging from the leader's expression, he clearly believed that their persuasion had worked, which was a great achievement.

When it comes to rewards and honors afterward, they will definitely get a share and gain the leader's favor and promotion!

He might even be able to take the place left by Kakuzu.

However, their joy didn't last long.

"I can accept the mission," Kakuzu said slowly.

He pointed to Kenji and Maki beside him, "I need the two of them to come with me. Without their assistance, I cannot complete this mission."

As soon as the words were spoken, the color drained from Kenji and Maki's faces, leaving them deathly pale.

The two were struck dumb.

"No! Absolutely not!" Kenji was the first to scream. "Kakuzu, are you kidding me?! Assassinating the Hokage, how can we participate in a mission of this level? We'll just hold you back!"

"Yes! Leader, this is too dangerous! We are too weak. If we go, we will only become a burden to Kakuzu and harm him and the mission!" Maki was also terrified and spoke incoherently in her defense.

The two looked at Takikawa with horrified eyes, hoping he could uphold justice and reject Kakuzu's unreasonable demand.

However, Takikawa hesitated for less than a second before making a decision.

As long as Kakuzu can carry out the mission, what does it matter if we bring along these two useless people or even more cannon fodder?

And so, amidst the despair in Kenji and Maki's eyes, Takikawa slowly nodded and said decisively:

"Alright, I promise you. Kenji, Maki, from now on, you will follow Kakuzu's orders in all your actions and fully assist him in completing this top-secret mission!"

"Chief, no! We can't do it!" The two almost burst into tears.

Takikawa's face suddenly turned cold, and his gaze swept over the two of them with icy indifference.

"Shut up! This is an order! Do you intend to disobey the village's decision?!"

For the sake of the village's rise, he was willing to sacrifice even a talent like Kakuzu, let alone these two good-for-nothings who only knew how to flatter.

If bringing them along allows Kakuzu to carry out his assassination mission with peace of mind, then it's worth it.

Kenji and Maki collapsed to the ground.

They then realized that in the eyes of the higher-ups, they were no different from Kakuzu; they were merely pawns that could be discarded at any time.

In fact, they are even more insignificant consumables.

Kakuzu watched this spectacular scene unfold before him and revealed a cruel smile.

"Very good, that's it."

He almost burst out laughing. This dream seemed to be starting to get interesting.

Seeing that everything was settled, Takikawa seemed to finally feel relieved.

He stepped forward, grabbed Kakuzu's arm tightly, and urgently asked:

"Alright, Kakuzu, you truly are a pillar of Takigakure! So, when do you plan to depart? How much preparation time do you need? The village will provide full support!"

The longer the night lasts, the more things could go wrong; he wished Kakuzu could set off immediately.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the undisguised urgency on Takikawa's face.

He sneered inwardly, but said calmly, "Preparation? No need. Although I just returned from a mission, I'm not tired at all. We can set off now, immediately."

Upon hearing this, Takikawa was first taken aback, then burst into uncontrollable ecstasy.

He was initially worried that the cornerstone would delay things, or even secretly do something underhanded.

Unexpectedly, Kakuzu was so decisive and understanding of the bigger picture, taking the initiative to request to set off immediately.

As expected, Kakuzu is still the reliable Kakuzu!

"That's wonderful, Kakuzu! You truly are... a hero of the village!"

Takikawa's voice trembled with excitement as he patted Kakuzu's shoulder forcefully.

"Rest assured, the village will never forget your contributions! We await your triumphant return... no, whatever the outcome, you will always be the pride of Takigakure!"

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He believed that nonsense once, so naturally he wouldn't believe it a second time.

Takikawa turned around impatiently and gave a stern order to a ninja next to him:

"Immediately retrieve all information regarding Uchiha Madara! Deliver it to the village entrance within five minutes, quick!"

"Yes!" The ninja didn't dare to delay and vanished in an instant.

After giving these instructions, Takikawa looked at Kakuzu and said with a serious and concerned expression:

"Kakuzu, be careful on your journey. The village's hopes rest on your shoulders."

Meanwhile, Kenji and Maki, who were lying limp on the ground, had their last shred of hope completely shattered.

Should we set off immediately?

Not even allowed one night's rest?!

The two felt dizzy and their vision went black.

Kakuzu didn't even glance at them, but silently checked his ninja tool pouch and then casually stuffed the hastily delivered intelligence into his pocket.

"I'm gone."

After speaking, he turned around and started walking towards the waterfall.

Kenji and Maki were roughly pulled up by the ninjas next to them, shoved and staggered as they followed.