Battle

Kakuzu reacted with extreme speed. He twisted his body aside and swung out a palm strike at the same time, knocking the shuriken to the ground.

However, the Kusanagi Sword hidden behind the shuriken was the real attack. Sora Uchiha instantly appeared before him, swinging the Kusanagi Sword upward. Its silver gleam traced a perfect arc through the air.

Just as the Kusanagi Sword was about to sever Kakuzu's head, Kakuzu suddenly bent backward, his entire body arching like a drawn bow. The blade grazed his chin, leaving behind a faint line of blood.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, three more concealed weapons flew at him from different directions. This time, they were three kunai. Kakuzu gritted his teeth, kicked one kunai away, blocked another with one hand, and let the last one stab directly into his abdomen.

Just when he thought it was over, the shuriken he had knocked away earlier shot toward him from behind and plunged into his back with a thud.

At the same time, the Kusanagi Sword struck again, its target clear—Kakuzu's neck!

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, one move following another, leaving no room to catch one's breath.

Even so, Kakuzu showed no sign of panic. Facing the Kusanagi Sword about to take his head, he ignored his injuries, his hands moving so fast they left afterimages.

"Earth Release: Armament Hardening."

Clang—

The Kusanagi Sword struck Kakuzu's neck, and Sora Uchiha felt as though he had hit a block of steel. The shock numbed his arm.

Kakuzu sneered and formed seals again.

"Wind Release: Wind Pressure."

A terrifying blast of air immediately surged toward Sora Uchiha, making his expression shift slightly.

A water vortex enveloped him, blocking the incoming shockwave.

Secret Scroll: Water Colliding Wave.

"Interesting. You don't even need hand seals?" Kakuzu's eyes flashed with surprise. Over the years, he had seen every kind of hand seal imaginable.

One-handed seals, seals made with feet—he had even seen seals made with someone's ass. But this was the first time he had seen someone cast ninjutsu without forming any seals at all.

As the Water Colliding Wave dispersed, Sora Uchiha stared warily at Kakuzu. He had long known Kakuzu possessed astonishing vitality, but being able to move so freely with shuriken and kunai still lodged in his arm, back, and abdomen was simply absurd.

"Heh, so you're just a brat." Kakuzu spoke darkly as he pulled the concealed weapons from his body right in front of Sora Uchiha, without even furrowing his brow.

"Since you're here, that means that woman is here too, doesn't it?" He stared at Sora Uchiha, his green eyes like those of a hungry wolf locking onto its prey in the darkness.

Sora Uchiha watched Kakuzu vigilantly and said coldly, "The famous bounty hunter Kakuzu is actually targeting a woman for assassination?"

"Heh, I didn't expect you to know me." Kakuzu sneered. "Don't even think about provoking me. After all these years, I won't be angered by a brat like you. Since you know I'm a bounty hunter, then that woman is naturally my target."

Sora Uchiha frowned. So his guess had been right.

After Kakuzu defected from Takigakure, he had learned Earth Grudge Fear. He was undeniably talented, yet he pursued neither immortality nor power. Instead, he had devoted himself entirely to money, becoming a bounty hunter obsessed with wealth.

Ever since discovering that Kakuzu was the killer, Sora Uchiha had suspected that Iwagakure might have hired Kakuzu to assassinate Tsunade. Now that Kakuzu had confirmed it, he found the situation extremely troublesome.

Bounty hunters valued efficiency above all else.

"Brat, you're not my target. Leave now, and I can spare your life. Otherwise, I'll kill you too." Kakuzu's voice was chilling.

Behind his mask, Sora Uchiha's expression shifted uncertainly. With his current strength, he could still fight special jonin, but there was a considerable gap between him and an elite jonin—or even a Kage-level ninja—like Kakuzu.

Run?

No. If he left, the seriously injured Tsunade would surely die. He was now certain that the danger the system had mentioned was Kakuzu. If he did not stop Kakuzu, not only would the system mission fail, but the consequences of Tsunade's death would be unimaginable.

Since running was not an option, then he would fight!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Towering flames lit up the darkness, startling flocks of bats into flight and making surprise flash through Kakuzu's eyes.

He leaped into the air, easily avoiding the technique that could not kill anyone, and said with interest, "Interesting. You're an Uchiha Clan brat too. Come to think of it, it's been years since I last killed an Uchiha. Since you've chosen to attack, bear the consequences of doing so."

As he spoke, his body seemed to turn into a puppet. His arm, connected to his body by black blood vessels, shot straight out!

At the same time, two masked monsters tore through the clothes on his back and crawled out, standing loyally at Kakuzu's sides.

Sora Uchiha used the Kusanagi Sword to block the arm, but one of the masked monsters spewed lightning.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness."

In just a single exchange, Sora Uchiha was blasted away by the lightning. He let out a muffled groan and slammed into the cold wall. A crack sounded, and he knew several of his ribs had broken.

"Fire Release: Headhunter."

Perhaps because Sora Uchiha had attacked Kakuzu with the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique earlier, Kakuzu now returned the favor with Fire Release. Compared to Sora Uchiha's Great Fireball, Kakuzu's Headhunter was clearly far more powerful, its raging flames seeming capable of burning everything to ash.

Sora Uchiha gritted his teeth. He had no choice but to use Secret Scroll: Water Colliding Wave again to protect himself.

Although Secret Scroll: Water Colliding Wave was a secret scroll with exceptional defensive power, its weakness was obvious—it could not move.

When the water vortex dispersed, Kakuzu had already appeared before Sora Uchiha and raised a hand to seize him by the throat. Because of Earth Grudge Fear, his mask had broken, revealing yellowed teeth. Combined with the threads stitching his body together, he looked utterly terrifying at a glance.

"You're fortunate to die by my Earth Grudge Fear. I've decided that, as a reward, I'll dig out your heart." Kakuzu spoke grimly. Feeling Sora Uchiha's body, he licked his lips. "It hasn't fully matured yet, but I can sense how powerful this body is. It should make for a wonderful heart."

Sora Uchiha's gaze turned cold. Without any warning, a massive Panda fell from the sky and smashed Kakuzu into the ground.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sora Uchiha broke free of his restraints, raised the Kusanagi Sword, and slashed down at Kakuzu in the crater.

But one of the masked monsters directly blocked the strike, and the best chance to kill Kakuzu was lost.

Boom!

Panda was sent flying. He was never a combat-type summoned beast to begin with, but a support-type one—as long as his appearance dealt damage, that was enough.

Kakuzu climbed out of the crater and stared darkly at Sora Uchiha. A faint white vapor rose from Sora's body.

This was the buff Panda had provided Sora Uchiha: the Super Armor effect. He would not suffer negative effects such as slowing, burning, or injuries, and his entire body had recovered to its peak condition.

"Interesting. I'm getting more and more interested in you." Kakuzu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and fixed Sora Uchiha with a deadly stare.

Sora Uchiha's gaze remained calm as he spoke indifferently:

"Is that so? Then don't get beaten to death."