NCCnovel Chapter 349 Oh! Isn't that Mr. 17 and Mr. Kakuzu?!
Chapter 349 Oh! Isn't that Mr. 17 and Mr. Kakuzu?!
Chapter 349 Oh! Isn't that Daiichi-san and Kakuzu-san?!
time flies.
Before we knew it, night had fallen again.
Kakashi slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a cramped and small space.
He frowned, quickly regained his senses, and warily scanned his surroundings.
This is an extremely shabby room.
The walls were covered with cheap, yellowed wallpaper, many of which had peeled off at the edges, revealing the mottled paint underneath. The corners of the ceiling were covered with dusty cobwebs.
A single bed was placed in the center of the room, next to a simple wooden table.
The air was filled with an unpleasant musty smell, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible stench of decay.
Kakashi let out a silent sigh of relief. Then, his gaze fell on the headboard of the wooden bed, where a set of clothes and a straw hat were neatly folded.
The black robe with red clouds and the wind chimes and tassels on the conical hat—this series of iconic patterns immediately catches the eye.
It's the Akatsuki's uniform and straw hat!
Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly, a look of surprise and seriousness flashing through his mind.
Beside the clothes lay a short knife, which had been sheathed and lay quietly.
The scabbard was simple and unadorned, appearing to be just a common design.
However, Kakashi's gaze was fixed on the scabbard as if drawn by a magnet.
The design of this short knife looks very familiar.
He suddenly stood up, strode to the table, and grabbed the short knife.
Upon first touch, the heavy weight and cool touch transmitted through the palm of your hand—a familiar sensation.
Kakashi slowly drew the short sword from its sheath, revealing inch by inch the beautifully curved blade and its sharp, cold edge.
It didn't take him long to confirm his judgment; it was indeed the white-toothed dagger his father had left behind!
As Kakashi gently traced the marks of time on the blade with his fingers, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.
In the real world, the father's belongings were accidentally broken in a battle.
Because he was not skilled with a knife, the short sword was never able to unleash the power his father had once possessed. In the end, he could only keep the broken blade to ease his guilt and longing.
Yet at this very moment, within this bizarre dream, it reappeared before him, perfectly intact—
Kakashi took a deep breath, sheathed the short sword again, and slowly carried it on his back.
His gaze swept over the black robe with red clouds on the bedside table, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Seeing all this, how could he not understand? It seemed that this time it was his turn to enter this chaotic dream.
Recalling how he had been so busy trying to resolve Obito's inner conflict, Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his forehead.
I haven't even had a chance to catch my breath, and now, I have to clean up the mess for another version of myself in my dreams.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
Despite his complaints, Kakashi knew very well that standing there in a daze wouldn't solve anything.
After sighing, he quickly composed himself, secured the white dagger behind his back, and then picked up the black robe with red clouds.
The fabric of the robe felt slightly cool to the touch, and when draped over my body, it had an unfamiliar heaviness.
Kakashi didn't stop moving; in no time, he had put on the red robe and tightened the belt.
The large robes concealed his original figure, and even his usually exposed silver-white hair was hidden under the collar and hood.
To be honest, whether it's because he understands Nagato's predicament or because he has witnessed Obito's repentance, Kakashi no longer has the same intense hatred and hostility towards the Akatsuki as he used to.
Wearing this red cloud uniform at this moment, he didn't feel much resistance; instead, he unexpectedly felt calm and peaceful.
Perhaps—he even had to admit that the quality and cut of the robe were indeed quite good, and it was loose and comfortable to wear.
Finally, Kakashi picked up the straw hat and put it securely on his head.
The wide brim of his straw hat cast a heavy shadow on the upper half of his face, hiding most of his features in darkness.
Everything is ready.
He took a deep breath, reached out and grabbed the doorknob, then twisted it sharply.
With a soft click, the dilapidated door was pushed open a crack.
Kakashi slipped out of the room without making a sound and stepped into the equally dark and cramped corridor outside.
The dimly lit corridor was just as dilapidated as the room itself. Kakashi tiptoed along the corridor for a few steps and soon found the exit leading outside at the end.
Pushing open the mottled wooden door, an even stronger stench of corpses wafted out.
Kakashi paused slightly, and his brows furrowed even more imperceptibly beneath his straw hat.
He steadied himself, looked up, and saw that he was in a narrow, dark street.
The sky was leaden gray, with low-hanging, oppressive clouds obscuring any moonlight or starlight.
The streets are lined with crooked and crowded low-rise buildings, the walls covered with graffiti and stains, and some windows still have shards of broken glass.
A few pedestrians walked by sporadically, all wrapped in dark cloaks or large trench coats, their faces covered by hoods or masks, and they were in a hurry.
They maintained a wary distance from each other, and when their eyes occasionally met, they immediately looked away, without making any unnecessary noise.
A tense and mysterious atmosphere permeated the air.
Kakashi silently observed everything, and quickly made a judgment in his mind: "This unique smell—this scene that is full of filth and darkness—it seems that this is the gray area of the ninja world's underworld, a sizable black market exchange."
Thinking this, he couldn't help but wonder: "Why am I in this place in my dream?"
'
Just as Kakashi's mind was racing, trying to piece together more clues from the limited information in the environment, a sudden voice rang out from behind him.
"White Fang-san, you're up early today!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Kakashi's body stiffened beneath the red cloud robe he was wearing.
That voice—he recognized it!
In an instant, Kakashi's brain reacted swiftly.
Kisame Hoshigaki!
A member of the Akatsuki organization, an S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and the wielder of the greatsword Samehada.
He did not turn around immediately, but maintained his original posture of having his back to the person, only slightly tilting his head to make the shadow of the straw hat more completely cover his face.
in the audience.
When the audience saw Kakashi on the screen donning the Akatsuki's black robe with red clouds and a straw hat, transforming into Akatsuki Kakashi, their reactions varied.
"Kakashi---Sensei Kakashi?!" Sakura couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "That outfit—!"
Naruto scratched his head in confusion, then blurted out, "Speaking of which, Kakashi-sensei, he's a member of Akatsuki, right?"
"————?!" Sakura turned around abruptly upon hearing this, staring at Naruto in disbelief. "Naruto! What nonsense are you talking about! How could Kakashi-sensei possibly be a member of Akatsuki?!"
"Naruto!" Jiraiya was startled by Naruto's sudden remark, but he quickly recovered and gave his student a disapproving look. "You can't make jokes like that!"
Even Sasuke, who was usually quiet and didn't participate in idle chatter, couldn't help but sigh and roll his eyes at Naruto with utter disbelief.
"idiot----"
Faced with the unanimous condemnation from his three companions, Naruto surprisingly did not back down. Instead, he muttered in defense, "Have you forgotten the dream Kakashi-sensei had before? In that dream, Kakashi-sensei's father, and Kakashi-sensei himself, both belonged to an organization called Akatsuki, right? Although that Akatsuki organization seemed a little different, Kakashi-sensei was a member of Akatsuki, that's true, isn't it?"
After listening to Naruto's profound discourse, Jiraiya, Sakura, and Sasuke exchanged bewildered glances and fell into a brief silence, momentarily at a loss for words: ————
After a moment of silence, Sakura sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, "These are completely different things!"
"However—" Jiraiya stroked his chin, then suddenly smiled with interest, his gaze returning to the screen. "Looks like this is going to be interesting!"
"And look at this environment—it's a black market gold exchange, isn't it?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the scene on the screen, and couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
As one of the experienced Legendary Sannin, he was no stranger to this kind of underground world and could immediately determine the general nature of the environment Kakashi was in.
As the group was talking, not far away on the other side, Obito, wearing an orange swirling mask, was sitting with Kisame and Itachi.
Obito stared intently at Kakashi on the screen, a barely perceptible smug smile playing on his lips beneath his mask.
"Heh, Kakashi, didn't expect that, did you?"
"Today it's your turn to enjoy the taste of this chaotic dream."
Thinking about how frustrating it was to struggle in his dream yesterday without any results, Obito felt much better now that he could see Kakashi struggling in this distorted world.
However, his good mood didn't last long before it was interrupted by a gasp from the person next to him.
"Huh?!" Kisame's eyes widened, and he pointed at the "himself" on the screen who had just walked out of the inn and met Kakashi, his face full of disbelief. "Why do we look so familiar?"
He turned to look at Obito, a puzzled expression on his face: "Hey, what's going on?"
Upon hearing this, Obito shrugged and explained rather casually, "Ah, this—this dream is a bit chaotic; all sorts of strange relationships could appear."
Kisame was slightly taken aback, then blinked his small eyes, processing Obito's words: "Hey—confused? Oh, Mosiroy."
"So, in this dream, I actually became partners with Kakashi, the Copy Ninja and technician from Konoha? This is truly a novel experience unlike anything I've ever had!"
His interest was fully piqued, and he continued to stare at the screen with shining eyes.
on the screen.
On the dark street, Kakashi and Kisame walked one after the other toward the exchange shop.
Kisame moved with a casual and unhurried pace, seemingly accustomed to the oppressive and filthy environment around him.
Kakashi remained silent and low-key with his hat hanging low, the shadow cast by the brim perfectly concealing his cautious and inquisitive gaze as he looked around.
The two walked a short distance in silence.
Such silence seemed too unusual if it continued. If they were partners in the dream setting, their silence might arouse suspicion.
After much deliberation, Kakashi decided to break the silence and began talking to Kisame in a seemingly casual but actually probing tone: "We're here for that matter, aren't we?"
"Haha, yeah," Kisame replied with a hearty laugh. "We pulled off that job flawlessly last time. That employer dared not pay us, hmph—"
He chuckled twice, not making his words clear, but the ruthlessness he exuded left no doubt that if anyone dared to owe him money, Kisame would definitely make them understand why the flowers were so red.
In this way, relying on the skills honed from years of experience in the Dark Side and intelligence work, Kakashi casually chatted and joked while subtly extracting useful information from Kisame's responses.
He quickly pieced together the main purpose of their trip: to collect the final payment for the previous commission and, incidentally, to see if there were any new commissions with substantial rewards to take on.
Through this seemingly insignificant conversation, Kakashi gained a clearer understanding of the Akatsuki organization in this dream world.
It seems that in this distorted and reshaped spacetime, Akatsuki is not the mysterious and terrifying extremist organization in reality, but rather a powerful mercenary group.
The organization's members each take on various types of commissioned tasks in exchange for huge rewards, which explains why they were able to swagger into Konoha Village in a certain dream fragment.
As long as the mission requires it, or as long as the employer is willing to pay, they will accept any task, even if it involves infiltrating the ninja villages of the five great nations.
When the nature and purpose of an organization change, its behavioral patterns will naturally be completely different.
"A purely mercenary organization? — What an absurd premise, yet it strangely fits the logic of this chaotic dream."
Kakashi thought to himself.
At least, the Akatsuki organization in this world appears much simpler and more straightforward on the surface, although the content of their black market missions may not have any bottom line whatsoever.
As they spoke, the two arrived in front of the building that emitted a strong stench of corpses.
The main gate facing the street was a heavy iron door with no markings, except for a small peephole at the top for people to look through.
Just as Kakashi and Kisame were about to step onto the steps leading to the gate, a dark shadow came into Kakashi's view.
It was a figure that wasn't particularly tall, and even appeared somewhat thin. He was completely shrouded in a gray cloak, obscuring his features.
At that moment, he was carrying a heavy load of objects and walking towards the iron gate.
Kakashi stared intently, and by the dim light from the doorway, he finally saw what the person was carrying on their shoulder.
There were six corpses!
The six corpses were dressed in different ninja armor and clothing. Judging from their not-yet-completely-stiffened limbs and exposed wounds, they had not been dead for long.
What made Kakashi's pupils shrink even more was that, based on his familiarity with the information of the ninja world, he actually recognized the identities of several of the corpses!
There are members of the Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village) demolition team;
There is an elite Jonin from Kumogakure who is famous for his Storm Release technique;
There were even members of the Hidden Mist Village's ANBU hunting squad—
These are all valuable targets on the black market's bounty list.
They hunted down six elite Jonin from various villages in one go—such efficiency and methods are truly remarkable!
Kakashi gasped inwardly, immediately classifying the gray-robed figure before him as extremely dangerous, and his vigilance instantly rose to its highest level.
"In the real ninja world, I've never heard of such a powerful figure—"
He quickly racked his brain, trying to figure out who the other person could be.
Could it be a powerful figure living in seclusion, or simply a fictional character existing only in a dream?
"Tsk tsk, it's this guy again." Kisame, who was standing to the side, also recognized the figure in gray robes and couldn't help but click his tongue, sighing with a sense of familiarity, "He always comes carrying a huge load of goods, his efficiency in making money is frighteningly high."
Do you encounter this frequently?
Kakashi's mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged. Following Kisame's words, he asked in a slightly curious tone, "What, Kisame-san, do you know him?"
"I wouldn't say I know him, I've just run into him a lot lately." Kisame waved his hand and chuckled strangely. "That guy is elusive, he never pays attention to anyone, he just delivers the goods, takes the money, and leaves. The big fish we've been eyeing for ages have all been snatched away by him, several times already."
The Lone Ranger is incredibly strong.
Kakashi listened and silently memorized this information.
Just then, the gray-robed corpse-carrying man reached the heavy iron gate and raised a hand to knock on it.
A pair of wary eyes immediately peeked out from behind the small window of the iron gate, scrutinizing him for a few seconds.
Then, with a rough sound, the iron gate slowly opened a crack from the inside.
Without uttering a word, the gray-robed figure swiftly disappeared into the shadows of the door opened by Huan Jin.
A moment later, the heavy door slammed shut again.
"Let's go, White Fang, don't keep our client waiting." Kisame raised his chin, then took a step forward and knocked on the door as well.
Amidst the scraping sound of metal door hinges, a wave of stale, hot air, thicker with the stench of corpses mixed with the smell of cheap tobacco, rushed out.
Kakashi held his breath and followed Kisame into the place where money and sin were traded.
Upon entering, under the dim, flickering lights, Kakashi was greeted by a spacious yet cluttered hall.
Various people were gathered in twos and threes in the hall.
Most of them covered their heads and faces with cloaks and were scattered in groups of three or five in various corners.
Some were talking in hushed tones, exchanging information; some were staring up at the bounty posters and mission notices on the wall; and others were sitting quietly in the shadows, drinking and coldly observing every unfamiliar face that passed by.
The entire hall was filled with a pungent smell of blood and tobacco, as well as an indescribable sense of tension.
As soon as Kakashi stepped into the hall, he immediately attracted several cold and probing gazes.
However, upon seeing his familiar black robe with red clouds, most people quickly looked away, no longer surprised by his presence.
Clearly, in this environment, the appearance of Akatsuki members is not a surprising or unusual occurrence.
Kakashi didn't have time to look more closely. The moment he stood still, Kisame beside him called out enthusiastically towards a corner of the hall, "Yo! Isn't this Daiichi-san and Kakuzu-san? I didn't expect to see you two here, what a coincidence!"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi followed Kisame's gaze.
In the corner of the hall, at a relatively quiet wooden table, sat two people.
One of them was wearing the Akatsuki's black uniform with red clouds, but he was lying listlessly on the greasy table with his chin resting on his crossed arms, looking utterly dejected and lifeless.
Kakashi immediately recognized the man as Ikkaku. The terrifying old man who claimed to have once fought the First Hokage head-on was now listless, looking like a defeated rooster, completely devoid of his usual greedy and fierce demeanor.
Opposite Kakuzu sat another person.
With black hair and red eyes, a handsome face, and sitting upright in a chair, his demeanor was completely different from that of Kakuzu opposite him. This person was none other than Uchiha Itachi.
At this moment, Itachi was radiant, his eyes sparkling with an excitement that even Kakashi found startling.
On the wooden table in front of him lay a bulging bag, with several neatly stacked bundles of banknotes next to it.
Itachi lowered his head slightly, his long, slender, white fingers rapidly flipping and counting the coins in his hand.
His focused expression, his smooth and skillful money-counting movements, and the satisfied and pleasant aura he exuded—anyone who saw him would have to exclaim how professional he was.
Kakashi almost suspected that Itachi had activated his Sharingan to count the amount of each banknote more efficiently.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +300!]
Kakashi: "————"
Even the Copy Ninja, known for his calm and composure, couldn't help but let his lips twitch slightly beneath the mask.
One can't help but marvel at how erratic the personalities of the characters in this dream world are, as always, quite unexpected.