One Mission, Three Rewards, a Win-Win-Win!

I killed the mission target once, but the mission still isn't complete?

Nara Kaikei, who was maintaining his transparent state with [Camouflage Concealment], looked at the message that had appeared on the panel in confusion.

But the important thing is... it still gave me an A-Rank [Ninja Scroll] just like that?!

The tide of battle changed in an instant.

Nara Kaikei had no time to dwell on the panel's contents and merely looked toward Kakuzu.

His chest had been blasted open by the [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet], leaving a huge hole where his heart should have been.

Nara Kaikei could practically see the scenery on the other side through Kakuzu's wound.

Kakuzu's body swayed slightly a few times before he toppled forward like a stone, face-down on the ground, without making another sound.

Watching Old Man Kakuzu's earnest and committed performance of playing dead, Nara Kaikei felt he could give him a nine out of ten.

I only destroyed one of your hearts. You still have four left.

You should still be alive and kicking right now, not pretending to be dead. Stop acting, old man.

Nara Kaikei lightly flicked his fingers, wondering whether he should cooperate with Kakuzu's act and fire a few more [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullets] into his "corpse."

No.

Nara Kaikei spoke to himself inwardly and rationally stopped moving.

I still can't determine which elemental heart I destroyed just now.

If Kakuzu's earth-element heart is still intact, then judging by how he withstood Choza Akimichi's Rolling Bomb Needles Tank, the [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet] won't be able to break through his surface defenses.

Once Kakuzu starts guarding against it specifically, the difficulty of destroying his hearts will definitely skyrocket!

For Nara Kaikei, the most suitable strategy at the moment was to cooperate with the Pig Deer Butterfly team's frontal assault while hiding in the shadows and launching surprise attacks.

Nara Kaikei did not move.

Kakuzu did not move.

The sea of flames created by Fire Style: Headhunter dissipated into the air.

The Pig Deer Butterfly team on the other side finally noticed something was wrong.

"What exactly is going on with that guy?"

Choza Akimichi withdrew his hands. After colliding head-on with the sea of flames, his palms were now charred black, their skin dry and cracked, with faint dark-red streaks of blood clinging to them. They looked horrifying.

Clearly, Choza Akimichi's hands had suffered serious injuries in that direct clash.

"Could he have been slapped to death by the wind from my Super Push Hand?"

Super Push Hand was an advanced secret taijutsu of the Akimichi Clan that greatly amplified the power of physical attacks.

"Choza, that's a little too naive."

Nara Shikano stared uncertainly at Kakuzu, who lay motionless not far away, and casually replied.

"Normally, I might have laughed a couple of times at that bad joke.

"But against an enemy of this level, I can't laugh.

"Inoichi, check the situation!"

"Yes, Uncle Shikano."

Inoichi Yamanaka put away his relief at having survived the ordeal and quickly used the Yamanaka Clan's sensory secret technique to investigate Kakuzu's condition.

"Something's wrong. He's only playing dead!

"There's no sign that his Chakra has dissipated at all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Inoichi Yamanaka sensed another target.

He was about to shout a warning, but he reacted in time and instead used the Yamanaka Clan's advanced secret technique, "Mind Transfer Jutsu."

Another ninja has appeared on the battlefield. He can't be seen with the naked eye!

The situation was urgent, and Inoichi Yamanaka could only relay the important details.

Kakuzu's fake death may be related to that ninja!

A ninja who appeared here under these circumstances and seems to have attacked Kakuzu... could he be Kakuzu's enemy?

Nara Shikano could not come to any useful conclusion for the moment.

But after hearing Inoichi Yamanaka's words—

Kakuzu, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be a corpse for quite some time, could only awkwardly get to his feet and casually take off his outer coat as if nothing had happened.

"I never expected you to possess such a method..."

Kakuzu tossed aside the dust-covered coat in his hand, revealing his true appearance.

His corpse-pale body was covered in dense black stitch marks. A huge gap gaped open in his chest, while insect-like black threads continuously wriggled and gathered around the wound.

Kakuzu had played dead only because he wanted to wait for the enemy to lower their guard and approach to inspect his body, then launch a surprise attack.

Yet he had never expected it... neither side had moved.

These Konoha ninja were far too cautious!

What had been a prudent tactic for a fake-death ambush had turned into a downright clownish display when both sides refused to make a move.

Even with Old Man Kakuzu's thick skin, he could not help feeling a little embarrassed.

Especially after he had just declared that he possessed "invincible defense"...

Kakuzu seems to have mistaken that hidden ambusher for one of ours.

Nara Shikano continued communicating through their minds.

And he didn't die even after his heart was pierced... this guy truly is a monster!

The three of us can't confront Kakuzu head-on for long... we need to create another opportunity for that hidden attacker, just like before!

Having received the order, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi immediately acknowledged it.

But at that moment, an abrupt change occurred.

"Ugh—"

A strange groan, like that of a dying man, came from Kakuzu's throat.

A massive shadow emerged from his back. The entire shadow was composed of countless black threads, and near its upper middle was a heavily damaged white mask.

Wait! Don't act rashly! Watch the situation first!

Seeing this, Nara Shikano instinctively called for them to stop.

"Roarrr—"

The black-thread monster also made a strange sound.

It fell to the ground and crawled a short distance toward the Pig Deer Butterfly trio. Black, grease-like Special Substance continuously flowed from its body before it... stopped moving entirely.

"..."

It just died like that?!

It felt as though tens of thousands of alpacas had galloped through the hearts of the Cross-Generation Pig Deer Butterfly trio.

But while the black-thread monster drew their Line of Sight—

Kakuzu had already condensed Wind Style Chakra of sufficient strength, seized the opportunity, and released a ninjutsu.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Wind Style Chakra formed through Nature Transformation became a violent high-pressure storm that surged forth from in front of Kakuzu once again.

But this time, the target of Wind Style: Great Breakthrough was no longer the Pig Deer Butterfly team opposite him. Instead, it was the area surrounding Kakuzu himself.

To Kakuzu, the Pig Deer Butterfly team no longer posed much of a threat after their previous exchange.

The hidden attacker was the true source of danger.

And the one he hated more!

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough transformed into a fierce hurricane that swept across the battlefield.

The Pig Deer Butterfly trio repeated their previous tactic, rapidly retreating backward to avoid the first frontal blast of Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

As for Nara Kaikei, who remained on the battlefield, he merely had a thought when faced with Wind Style of this level.

Shadow Transformation!

The [Shadow Clone] instantly transformed into an incorporeal shadow.

The storm swept over the shadow as though it had merely passed through empty air, causing no damage whatsoever.

Unaware of this, Kakuzu was dissatisfied with the power of Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. He raised both hands and unleashed once more—

"Fire Style: Headhunter!"

Wind fueled the flames, while flames strengthened the wind. The combined use of two B-Rank ninjutsu created a vast sea of fire.

Faced with this situation, the Pig Deer Butterfly team could only retreat again and again. They had no way to withstand Fire Style Ninjutsu of this level head-on.

But for Nara Kaikei, who possessed the ability of Shadow Transformation, these flames could still be completely ignored.

The raging sea of fire burned everything, thoroughly cutting off the Line of Sight.

How is the situation over there, Inoichi? Nara Shikano asked inwardly.

The Wind Style and Fire Style have mixed together, making the Chakra too chaotic. I can't sense things accurately for now.

In that case, let's use this opportunity to widen the distance first. Nara Shikano made his decision.

All right—wait, someone is charging over from that side!

Inoichi Yamanaka's timely warning made Nara Shikano and Choza Akimichi tense up instinctively.

"Shadow Grip Technique!"

Nara Shikano formed hand seals, and thick shadows transformed into tough steel cables that connected to Choza Akimichi at his side.

At the same time, Choza Akimichi prepared himself to use the Expansion Jutsu.

It's Kakuzu!

Inoichi Yamanaka's voice rang out in their minds, transmitting a sensory image at the same time.

Nara Shikano, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka coordinated perfectly and instantly unleashed the Pig Deer Butterfly clans' strongest combined secret technique.

Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball!

Nara Shikano's shadow steel cable connected to Choza Akimichi's Human Bullet Tank, swinging him like a rolling ball and smashing him fiercely toward the charging Kakuzu with the force of a collapsing sky and shattered earth.

Faced with such a powerful attack, Kakuzu's pupils contracted slightly as he unleashed the ninjutsu he had been accumulating for so long.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

The massive lightning spear collided with the Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball, erupting with an earth-shaking roar.

And just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate—

Another elusive [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet] shot toward the mask on Kakuzu's back at supersonic speed.

Pfft!

The [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet] effortlessly pierced Kakuzu's mask, claiming another one of his lives.

[You obtained an A-Rank [Ninja Scroll]!]

At the same time—

The massive lightning spear locked against the Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball suddenly scattered into the air.

"What..."

Caught off guard, Kakuzu was violently smashed into the ground by the Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball.

When Choza Akimichi was pulled back to Nara Shikano's side, only a huge crater remained in the ground.

Bounty Hunter Kakuzu had vanished without a trace.

[Target detected leaving combat. [A-Rank Mission: Rogue Ninja Kakuzu] has fai—]

Speedrun!

[You speedran [A-Rank Mission: Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]!]

[You obtained a B-Rank [Ninja Scroll]!]

About "Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball"...

Don't complain about the name.

[Volume 66, Chapter 633].

Nara Shikamaru, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi.

They used the combination of [Shadow Grip Technique], [Expansion Jutsu], and [Mind Transfer Jutsu] to unleash the combined technique [Human Bullet Tank Rolling Ball], wiping out twenty-five Ten-Tails clones in a single strike...

This really happened in the manga.

Of course, as for the absurd power scaling during the Fourth Shinobi World War...

A Xin couldn't explain that.