eurekapd Chapter 163 Kado's End
Chapter 163 Kado's End
"They're gone...?"
Kakashi's Sharingan was fixed on the spot where Menma, Zabuza, and Haku had disappeared. He immediately recognized the signature technique—the Flying Thunder God Technique.
This realization instantly relieved his extremely tense nerves. The Flying Thunder God Technique was gone... which means he won't attack us, right? The leader of the [Jin] organization, who possesses the extreme powers of destruction and regeneration and whose thoughts are unfathomable, seems to have truly only completed his "deal" and "cleanup," and has no intention of silencing them, the "witnesses."
Although I still can't understand why Menma would deliberately clean up those corpses—was it to cover up the existence of that regenerative ability?
Or was it simply a matter of not wanting to leave behind unsightly filth? — But at the moment when the threat was confirmed to be temporarily averted, a tremendous sense of security finally returned like a tide, replacing the fear that almost crushed his heart.
He let out a nearly exhausted sigh, and the hand that had been tightly covering Sakura's eyes finally fell limply to his sides. At the same time, the prolonged use of his Sharingan's heightened perception, the fierce battle against Zabuza Momochi, and the immense psychological pressure and rapid decline of his adrenaline surge in those few minutes all came crashing back at him.
Kakashi felt his legs go weak, his vision went slightly black, his body swayed uncontrollably, and then he collapsed to the ground with a thud, panting heavily.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura, whose vision had just returned and who hadn't even had time to take in her surroundings, immediately spotted Kakashi collapsed. She knelt down and carefully supported his almost falling body. "What happened? Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?"
On the other side, Naruto also released his hand from covering Satsuki's eyes. Almost the instant she regained her sight, Satsuki had no time to pay attention to her surroundings; all her attention was immediately focused on Naruto.
"Naruto!" She grabbed Naruto's arm urgently, her dark eyes filled with undisguised anxiety and tension. She began to carefully examine Naruto's body from head to toe, front to back. "What just happened? Are you hurt?! Does anything seem wrong?"
Seeing Satsuki "touching" him, Naruto felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He quickly put on a reassuring gesture, "It's okay, it's okay, Satsuki. Apart from being a little tired from using that chakra earlier, I'm really fine. The new guy who came later... uh, the one with the fox mask, he didn't attack us. Instead, he cleaned up all the bad guys and corpses."
His explanation temporarily calmed Satsuki's emotions, but she still clung tightly to Naruto's sleeve, refusing to let go completely.
Tazna, meanwhile, looked in the direction where Kakuzu had dragged Gato away with a complex expression, his face a mixture of shock, lingering fear, and an indescribable bewilderment.
He had also heard vague legends about the "Ember" organization, a mysterious and powerful terrorist organization that even the five great nations feared.
But in his imagination, it was perhaps just another version of the "Kado Group"—a larger and more ruthless criminal organization.
However, what he saw with his own eyes today completely overturned his understanding.
The one who dragged the entire Land of Waves into hell, crushed countless lives with capital and violence, and made him feel utterly desperate and powerful... was actually as insignificant as an ant in front of the organization called "Jin," in the eyes of the leader wearing a fox mask?
A mere subordinate was enough to drag Kado away like a dead dog? And Kado's seemingly vast power and henchman group were completely wiped out with a wave of his hand...
This absolute difference in power level shocked Tazuna like never before.
A complex mix of melancholy welled up within him, a sense of insignificance in the face of absolute power. But more than that, there was a profound sense of relief, an almost ecstatic joy!
The leader of that organization said it himself... he would never let Kado go!
This means that the suffocating cloud called "Kado" that hangs over the Land of Waves is really going to be completely dispelled!
After the incident on the bridge came to a temporary end, Dazner did not immediately return to the construction site to continue building the bridge. He safely escorted the exhausted and rested Team Seven home.
He immediately gathered a group of workers. The group, carrying various tools and with mixed feelings, headed towards the place they usually avoided like the plague, a place that symbolized oppression and despair—the headquarters of the Kado Group in the Land of Waves.
As they cautiously approached the eerie building, the sounds emanating from within sent chills down their spines, yet they couldn't help but stop.
Inside the Kado Group's headquarters, Kakuzu's "work" was proceeding efficiently and ruthlessly. Those thugs and henchmen who remained behind, relying on Kado's power to bully others, were like paper toys in front of Kakuzu.
For Kakuzu, it wasn't even a warm-up before he was completely "cleaned up".
Then, the real "main course" began. Kakuzu started his terrifying financial interrogation of Gatuna. He didn't use many fancy instruments of torture; for a ninja who was well-versed in human anatomy and the psychology of fear, the simplest and most direct methods were often the most effective.
Dazner and his fellow workers dared not go in to witness it firsthand, and could only hide far away outside the building. But the heart-wrenching, inhuman screams still clearly penetrated the walls and entered their ears, sending chills down their spines.
However, for Dazna, the old man who witnessed his son-in-law Kesha being publicly executed by Kado, the painful wails from his enemy did not seem terrifying at all, but rather like heavenly music!
Each scream made his clenched fist tremble slightly, not out of fear, but because his long-suppressed grief and indignation finally found an outlet.
In the room, Kakuzu watched expressionlessly as Gato writhed and rolled in agony. He simply demonstrated one or two methods to maximize pain receptors without causing immediate fainting, which completely broke the pampered tycoon.
Kakuzu took out an old mechanical alarm clock, wound it up a few times, placed it on the table next to him, and it made a "tick-tock" sound, urging him to give up.
"Tell me, where are the vault passwords, property deeds, hidden accounts... all the valuables hidden?" Kakuzu's voice was as calm as if he were checking ledgers. "If you can't answer within the allotted time, or if I discover any concealment... we'll switch to a more 'deep' interrogation technique."
"Waaaaah!!" Kado cried out incoherently, tears streaming down his face, terrified and unable to urinate.
"Crying? Crying also counts as time."
Under extreme fear and Kakuzu's words of "coaxing and deception, if you honestly hand over all your property, I might consider... secretly letting you live, after all, I only want money."
Having long lost all dignity and reason, Kado, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, revealed without reservation all the information about his bank accounts around the world, the locations of his secret vaults, his hidden jewelry, all his properties and land deeds... all the information about his assets that could be converted into cash.
It has to be said that this guy truly deserves his reputation as one of the world's top billionaires; his wealth accumulation has reached an astonishing level. With Gato's confession and "cooperation," Kakuzu worked tirelessly for several days, using various ninjutsu techniques and underground channels to receive, transfer, and monetize these enormous assets.
After making sure Zabuza and Haku were properly settled, Menma once again used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the Land of Waves. Looking at the boxes of cash, gold bars, and priceless jewelry contracts that Kakuzu had organized, which almost filled a small warehouse, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to safely transport and store all this enormous wealth—enough to shake the economy of a small country—into the secret underground base of the [Jin] organization in the Land of Hot Springs.
After Kakuzu repeatedly confirmed that Kado, this "fat sheep," had been completely squeezed dry and could no longer be given a single penny, he "kept his promise" and fulfilled his "promise" to Kado—he did indeed spare Kado's life and did not take his life with his own hands.
Of course, Kakuzu would never disobey Menma's order to "clean it up." Just because he wouldn't do it himself doesn't mean others wouldn't.
So, shortly after Kakuzu left the Gato Group's headquarters, the well-informed residents of the Land of Waves, fueled by pent-up anger and hatred, flocked to the area from all directions, numbering in the thousands! This was especially true after receiving unequivocal confirmation from Tazuna and his coworkers.
Armed with farm tools, harpoons, and kitchen knives, they captured Kado, who had just escaped financial torture but was now penniless, his men all wiped out, and utterly alone.
The desperate pleas and screams of Gato were instantly drowned out by the sea of the people's anger. The scene that followed was predictable: having lost all protection, Gato paid the most terrible price for the numerous crimes he had committed in the Land of Waves—he was completely overwhelmed by the angry crowd, his end utterly tragic.
It seems Tazuna's announcement that "Gato has completely fallen" was both timely and reliable. The nightmare that shrouded the Land of Waves has finally begun anew with the complete demise of the old rulers.
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(The author will adjust their writing pace and try to release the next two chapters together.)