
The two often traded barbs with one another, Kakuzu's usually having better timing than Hidan's. He also seemed to respect an opponent who thinks well, as shown with his reaction to Kakashi's counters to Kakuzu's masks, and Shikamaru's quick analysis of Hidan's curse, even mentioning Shikamaru would have been a good bounty in the future. The frequent side- tasks and devotion to money were both major points of contention between Hidan and Kakuzu. Given his friendly relationship with Zangei, his bounty officer, it would seem he collected bounties rather frequently to earn cash, and did so (or at least tried) during his missions on several occasions. Due to this end, he referred to himself as the. He even remarked that money is the only dependable thing in the world. This made Hidan a perfect partner for Kakuzu as he could not be killed because of his own, similar immortality despite their mutual dislike of each other.

During his early years in Akatsuki, he had four partners that he eventually ended up killing due to his short temper, and would come to use their hearts for his Earth Grudge Fear. In his flight from the village, Kakuzu killed the village elders, took their hearts, and fled with knowledge of the village's most prized forbidden techniques.


In response to this treatment, a wrong levied against a shinobi who had put life and limb on the line for his village, Kakuzu came to hold a violent hatred for Takigakure as he escaped from imprisonment. Despite the insurmountable danger faced on the mission, what awaited his return to his village was the stigma and harsh punishment associated with the failure of his objective. This mission, however, ended in failure against the God of Shinobi. Kisame Hoshigaki jokingly referred to them as the Zombie Combo (.
