"Clang!"
Naruto's punch landed squarely on Kakuzu.
But it had only struck Kakuzu's left arm.
Yet what Naruto found unbelievable was that his punch felt as though it had hit metal!
No, even ordinary metal probably wouldn't be able to withstand that punch, right?
"How is that possible?"
Naruto was a little dumbfounded.
His punch had not only been blocked by Kakuzu, but Kakuzu had not even taken a single step back.
Naruto had launched a surprise attack, while Kakuzu had only defended himself in haste!
Before throwing that punch, Naruto had been extremely confident in it.
He had known Sasuke for so long. Though they were rivals, they were also the most in-sync partners!
So Sasuke's earlier throw of Shuriken had merely been meant to draw Kakuzu's attention. The true killing move had always been Naruto.
Yet he had accomplished nothing.
Naruto found that utterly unbelievable.
At the same time, as Kakuzu raised his left hand to block Naruto's attack, the long sleeve of his loose black robe patterned with red clouds slid down.
Kakuzu's left arm had turned pitch-black.
No wonder Naruto had felt as if he had punched metal.
This was Kakuzu's instantly cast Earth Release—Earth Spear, a technique that combined offense and defense!
Before he drank Hero Water, Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode might have been able to break through the defenses of Kakuzu's Earth Release—Earth Spear.
But now, after taking Naruto's punch, Kakuzu stood as immovable as a mountain.
That defense had definitely surpassed the enhancement Steel Release could grant a human body.
That was why Hero Water and Kakuzu were practically a perfect match!
With Chakra reserves comparable to a Tailed Beast's, Kakuzu, who was proficient in all five elemental releases, had seen the power of all his ninjutsu rise dramatically.
And techniques like