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NBB Chapter 58: Obito’s Recruitment Woes
🕑 Added 2025-06-07 02:17:17 +0000 UTC“I’ve got something to do, so I’ll head out first. Study hard, alright? Don’t end up failing your graduation.”
Glancing at the time, Gen ‘reluctantly’ decided to take his leave. Still, he had a kind heart and couldn’t resist offering some advice.
“Besides, one of your teammates might just drag you down. Especially you, Naruto.”
“You’re such a jerk!”
Naruto couldn’t hold it in anymore—but Gen was already turning away, waving goodbye as he vanished into the crowd.
“Was that… upperclassman Kitagawa Gen?”
At that moment, Sakura, Ino, and even a very shy Hinata had walked over. Sakura tilted her head curiously as she asked the question.
“Yeah, that was him.”
Sasuke replied uncharacteristically, which caught Sakura off guard. It even felt like Sasuke was close to Gen?
But wasn’t that the same upperclassman who sent all his teammates to the hospital?
“That’s weird. When did his hair turn white?”
Ino blinked. She hadn’t met Gen before, so she didn’t know. But now that it was white… it actually looked kind of good?
“He went and dyed it. Tried to get me to do it too.”
Naruto had quieted down by now. Watching Gen’s retreating figure, he gave a low grunt.
“And… don’t tell me he’s off on a mission? He just graduated! So unfair…”
“True. And last time I saw him, he was training with two jōnin.”
Even Sasuke nodded. He already knew that both Guy and Kakashi were jōnin—and what that meant.
“At this rate, he’ll probably make chūnin soon.”
“Wait, you guys seriously don’t know?”
Shikamaru suddenly opened his sleepy eyes and looked over at Naruto and Sasuke, confused.
“Aren’t you two close with him?”
“Know what?”
Sasuke and Naruto turned toward him in unison.
And they weren’t the only ones—everyone else leaned in, equally curious.
“Seriously? None of you knew?”
Shikamaru rubbed his head, sighing before finally speaking.
“Come on—he’s already a chūnin.”
“What?!”
“He even invited Sasuke and Naruto out for dinner, remember? That was the day he got promoted.”
“Nani?!”
All eyes instantly turned toward Naruto and Sasuke. The two of them looked genuinely confused—they really had no idea.
But a moment later, something seemed to ignite in Sasuke’s eyes—burning like a wildfire. He suddenly felt completely inadequate.
Naruto, on the other hand, gulped. A memory had just surfaced.
“That guy… didn’t he say something about being my examiner?”
“No way—you were being serious?!”
Meanwhile, Kitagawa Gen had already arrived at the gates of Konohagakure—just in time to run into Kakashi and Guy rushing toward him.
“I win this time, my eternal rival—Kakashi!”
As they reached the finish line at nearly the same instant, Guy proudly gave a thumbs-up, laughing triumphantly.
“Yeah yeah, you win,” Kakashi replied lazily, already pulling out Icha Icha Paradise from his pouch.
Noticing Gen watching them with a peculiar expression, Kakashi gave a light cough before speaking.
“Well, now that we’re all here, let’s head out. Gen, since you’ve been to the Land of Hot Water with Jiraiya-sama before, you probably know the place well. Anything you’d like to share?”
“Share…?”
Gen blinked, paused for a moment, and then said dryly, “Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei, if we’re going to visit a hot spring… can we please go to one I’m allowed to enter?”
“…”
Kakashi’s dead-fish eyes immediately rolled upward. Guy just looked around in confusion.
“Huh?”
...
“Hmph, so this is the guy trying to claim my bounty?”
Deep in a forest in the Land of Hot Water, Uchiha Obito looked down at Kakuzu, visibly displeased. Black Zetsu, standing nearby, looked especially exasperated.
“Yes, it’s him. But he’s one of our top assets—highly effective in carrying out missions. Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Relax. I’m not that stupid.”
Obito shook his head, then spoke seriously while keeping his eyes on Kakuzu below.
“I know exactly how valuable he is to the Akatsuki right now. More importantly… I know he’s the type who has the guts to do anything for a reward. That kind of person is… interesting.”
“You mean…”
Though Black Zetsu still worried that Obito might go overboard, he couldn’t help but ask after giving it some thought: “You want to bring him over to our side?”
Although Nagato and Obito were technically allies, they both knew they weren’t fully aligned. And Konan barely even hid her distrust of Obito.
There was no way Obito hadn’t already thought about tightening his grip on the Akatsuki’s control. Uchiha Itachi was a planted piece. Kisame had been brought in by him too. And he wanted more people like that.
“Exactly. On the surface, they’ll follow Nagato’s orders…”
Obito nodded, his gaze turning distant and deep.
“But when it truly matters—when the plan needs to go off without a hitch—I need them to listen to me.”
“That’s true. Uchiha Itachi isn’t exactly reliable… and Kisame alone isn’t enough.”
Black Zetsu nodded in agreement. But before he could continue, his other half—White Zetsu—suddenly asked in a puzzled tone: “Sigh… Obito, I remember your eyes looked super scary earlier—like you were ready to kill someone.”
“…”
“…”
Both Obito and Black Zetsu fell silent at the same time. A moment later, they simply chose to ignore the comment. Obito went straight back to business.
“Prepare yourself. Try to win Kakuzu over—and while you’re at it, test out that new recruit as well.”
“No problem.”
Black Zetsu nodded cooperatively. But just then, White Zetsu couldn’t help chiming in again.
“Um, there’s something…”
“Think carefully about what you’re about to say. I’m not promising I won’t kill you in the next second.”
“Whoa, whoa, don’t be so scary. One of my other clones sensed someone approaching.”
“Who?”
“All familiar faces of yours, Obito~”
White Zetsu paused deliberately before continuing in his usual playful tone.
“I recorded their chakra signatures. One is Hatake Kakashi, one is that brat who injured you last time, and the last one… well, he looks kinda like a kappa.”
Upon hearing that, the face beneath Obito’s mask visibly darkened.
“You again?!”
...
"Tch, didn’t expect you to be one of those immortal types too."
Deep in the forests of the Land of Hot Water, strange black-and-white markings resembling a skeleton spread across Hidan’s body.
A massive scythe was still lodged in his abdomen, blood gushing endlessly from the wound. Yet there wasn’t even a hint of pain on his face—only madness, and a touch of confusion.
"You’re not the only one who can’t die."
Kakuzu slowly climbed back to his feet from the ground, speaking coldly as he looked at Hidan, though his mind was screaming in pain.
One of his hearts—gone. Just like that, thanks to this bastard.
'But I’ll admit, this guy’s ability is bizarre. No wonder he swings such a huge scythe.'
Kakuzu had mostly figured out how Hidan’s technique worked. The guy used that oversized scythe to collect blood, then employed some kind of secret ritual to link his injuries with his target.
The problem was, while Hidan was immortal, the same couldn’t be said for anyone else. Even for Kakuzu, the cost had been immense.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Despite the internal anguish, Kakuzu’s tone remained cold and composed.
"Join us. Sure, you might be immortal—but what you did in the Hidden Hot Water Village is bound to draw more pursuers. We can offer you protection."
"Besides, we don’t care what god you worship, and we won’t meddle in your personal business. Just complete the missions and help the organization make money."
"Tch, what a pain..."
Hidan bared his teeth in annoyance. Truthfully, he wasn’t particularly interested in joining any group, nor did he care about this so-called protection.
If someone really came after him, he’d just treat them as sacrifices for Jashin-sama—problem solved. But the terms this guy was offering… weren’t half bad.
Especially the part about not caring what he believed in. That alone made them better than the Hidden Hot Water Village. And besides, the man standing in front of him was immortal too.
"Fine. I’ll join your whatever-it-is organization. Damn it."
After a moment of thought, Hidan gave a nod, which finally let Kakuzu breathe a sigh of relief.
He really didn’t want to keep fighting this lunatic. He’d been caught off guard due to the lack of intel, allowing his blood to be taken.
If they kept going, he might be the one who ended up screwed.
If they started over with proper intel, he wouldn’t be afraid—but that’s how it is for shinobi. One slip-up without intel could be fatal.
"A wise choice. Then I’ll bring you—"
Kakuzu’s voice remained cold, but just as he began to speak, another voice suddenly rang out.
"Looks like your mission was a success."
The moment the voice reached them, Kakuzu’s eyes narrowed, and even Hidan behind him raised a brow.
The air distorted, and in the next instant, a figure emerged from the warped space.
The eerie entrance had the desired effect—it was meant to be intimidating. That was exactly the kind of impact Uchiha Obito was going for.
"No need to worry. I’m Uchiha—"
"Uchiha Obito?!"
Before Obito could finish his sentence, Kakuzu’s eyes lit up and he suddenly looked ecstatic.
"A guy in a mask, showing one Sharingan—yep, it’s him! Hidan, let’s take him down together! We’ll make a fortune!"
"..."
Obito’s face darkened.
At that moment, he seriously considered whether it’d be easier to just kill this guy instead of trying to recruit him.
Where the hell did this money-grubbing lunatic come from?
