The power of the Eternal Tenseigan!

Rustling...

The Wind and Sand obscured the sky and the storm swept across the land, stirring up wave after wave of dust.

Clang!

Kisame lifted Samehada upside down and slammed it heavily towards Kakuzu, but it was blocked by the Earth Release Secret Technique that hardened his entire body.

Taking advantage of Kisame's all-out attack, when his old power was exhausted and his new power had not yet been generated, Kakuzu's other round, plump body and red-lipped clone quickly opened its mouth.

A ball of blazing flame condensed in the mouth of the Fire Release masked monster.

Fire Release: Head Hunter!

With a low shout, the Fire Release Masked Monster spewed out a vast sea of fire, turning everything in sight to ashes in a fiery tsunami.

The small fireball that landed on the ground instantly expanded its burning area.

The temperature in the desert within a hundred paces suddenly soared!

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" Kisame was no pushover either, his hands flying as he quickly Hand Seals, then he took a deep breath.

Puff!

The torrent gushed out, making the air moist as well.

Splash!

The exaggerated water flow lifted Kisame several feet into the air, the surging water making him appear like a giant jellyfish tens of meters tall floating outwards.

The towering sea of fire looked like a tiny flame falling into an endless ocean in the face of these enormous waves.

"What an astonishing amount of chakra!" Kakuzu frowned slightly, then controlled the four monsters to merge into his body.

Click click click...

Four ugly Oni Mask were revealed above the spiderweb-like Earth Grudge Fear.

The one with big red lips is Fire Release, the one with blue facial markings is Wind Release, the one with green facial markings is Water Release, and the one with the yellow nose is Lightning Release.

The Earth Release: Heart technique merged with Kakuzu's Original Body and was hidden inside.

The five hearts represent five lives; in other words, to kill the Kakuzu five of his hearts must be destroyed simultaneously.

Glug glug...

The vast expanse of yellow sand transformed in the blink of an eye into a clear, expansive Lake. The two stood on the lake water, their bodies rising and falling with the waves.

In such an extremely arid place, where even the land is sandy, the fact that Kisame could use such a powerful Water Release Ninjutsu is enough to prove Kisame strength.

The tailless Tailed Beast refers to Kisame's enormous chakra reserves!

"You've altered the terrain. What are you planning to do? Don't forget, I can also perform nature transformations with Water Release Chakra." Kakuzu's deep, calm voice rang out, his gaze fixed intently on Kisame.

While their conversation appeared casual and subtly suggested something, they were actually testing Kisame's motives.

Kisame isn't stupid. Even with a lot of chakra, it's not unlimited. He wouldn't be so impulsive as to waste such a huge amount of chakra to change the terrain.

Kisame... he definitely has a backup plan!

Their gazes transformed into two arcs of electricity that collided violently in the air, Hanabi as they fell into the lake and were extinguished in the blink of an eye.

After a moment of contemplation, Kakuzu seemed to have discerned Kisame's plan.

"Delay time? Dream on!" Kakuzu's eyes darkened, and he immediately Hand Seals to quickly gather chakra.

Sizzle...

A flash of lightning, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Lightning Release Chakra darkened his Kakuzu, and the lightning chakra gathered in his palms suddenly struck the Lake beneath his feet.

Lightning flashed, transforming into a sharp lightning spear under Kakuzu's control!

The defining characteristic of Lightning Release Chakra is its piercing ability; high-voltage Lightning can penetrate any defense.

Water conducts electricity; this is an unchanging truth.

The lightning spear plunged into the lake, instantly transforming into a deadly water snake, its nimble body twisting and whooshing as it charged straight at Kisame.

"Such speed!" Kisame's eyes never left Kakuzu; he noticed the crackling thunder the moment Kakuzu made his move.

He lowered his body and gathered his strength, unleashing a burst of chakra in his calves.

Just as Kisame was about to leap up and dodge the oncoming, sharp lightning spear...

Sudden!

Kisame suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, and the power he unleashed from his feet couldn't propel him off the water. His expression changed drastically!

Looking at her profile, I saw a delicate face that was both unexpected and yet perfectly reasonable.

"Tōka?" Kisame called out the boy's name uncertainly.

"Kisame, you look quite disheveled!" With a laugh, Tōka casually waved his hand, shattering the sharp lightning spear that had burst out of the water and was aimed at his face!

"Heh, Kakuzu- san's strength is already above mine, and he's almost reached his limit to hold out this long."

Kisame didn't care about the mockery in Tōka's eyes, and instead frankly admitted that he was inferior to Kakuzu.

However, Kisame believes that after a while, he will have the strength to stand up to Kakuzu -on! Kisame is a guy who never gives up.

As for now...

Now that Tōka has arrived, it's natural to leave Kakuzu to Tōka to deal with.

"Kakuzu, did you come to see me?" Tōka withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Kakuzu.

"..." Kakuzu pursed his lips and remained silent, appearing calm on the surface, but in reality, every muscle in his body was tense.

My heart felt like a jumbled bottle of mixed flavors, a complex and difficult-to-distinguish taste.

He wasn't sure if Tōka was currently in a "weak period" as Pain had described, or in a "Great Ascension period" where he had already broken free of his cocoon and experienced a surge in power.

The oppressive air felt strangely heavy, as if it had been eroded by Wind and Sand.

Tōka's gaze was light and indifferent, but when it fell on Kakuzu, it felt like Mount Tai was pressing down, with dark clouds gathering and pressing down heavily.

A bead of sweat involuntarily trickled down Kakuzu's temple; he had never felt this way even when facing the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Fear is a human emotion.

A person who doesn't know fear isn't a normal person.

For so many years, Kakuzu had forgotten this feeling of heartfelt fear, but at this moment, his clenched heart told him clearly.

His body was trembling; he was terrified!

"Kakuzu, did Pain send you to find me?" Tōka's voice rang out, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes as if it were on the other side of the sand dunes, and sometimes as if it were whispering in my ear.

A look of confusion flashed across Kakuzu's eyes, and his mind wavered, becoming hazy.

In the blink of an eye, alarm bells rang in Kakuzu's mind.

"Oh no, it's Genjutsu!"

Five words suddenly flooded his mind, startling him so much that he trembled all over.

Kakuzu's expression changed drastically. He quickly converted the chakra of his five hearts, causing them to clash against each other in an attempt to break Tōka's Genjutsu.

The Genjutsu was broken, Kakuzu's mind gradually calmed down.

"Five hearts, ordinary Genjutsu really won't work." Tōka tilted his head, staring at Kakuzu with a mocking expression.

It seems that the Genjutsu was not broken and no other emotions arose.

Kakuzu frowned. Tōka had trapped him in Genjutsu with just one sentence. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he probably would have lost a heart by now!

As Kakuzu watched Tōka warily, Tōka was also observing the expression in Kakuzu's eyes.

Kakuzu an old monster who survived the most chaotic ninja era, having lived through World War I, Second Shinobi World War, and Third Shinobi World War.

Determined and shrewd.

To change the mindset of such a person, they must experience genuine despair; only in extreme situations will they realize they are "wrong."

In short, Kakuzu is a...

"You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!" Tōka's smile gradually faded, and Ice Blue halo appeared in his eyes.

Subsequently, the ink- Tomoe began to become clearer.

The Ice Blue, flame-like patterns formed an impenetrable cage, trapping the nine Tomoe within.

The Tomoe, thrashing about wildly, resembled a trapped beast, baring its ferocious fangs and frantically attacking the narrow cage.

"Your eyes?!" Kakuzu stared in surprise into Tōka's eyes.

The Ice Blue flames were the same eyes he had seen before, the Tōka had obtained during his trip to the moon, but the Black Tomoe on those eyeballs were clearly Sharingan!

Unlike ordinary Sharingan, Tōka has Nine Black Tomoe in each of his eyes!

With her long eyelashes slightly upturned, Tōka's eyes glanced indifferently at Kakuzu.

A Dark Red color radiated from the soles of his feet, instantly enveloping the yellow sand in an endless Dark Red.

The earth, the sky, and even the dust flying between heaven and earth were all shrouded in a dark, blood-red Dark Red in that instant.

"This is..." Kakuzu stared in astonishment, gazing at everything around him.

A mysterious power was hidden within the endless Dark Red, even binding this entire world within it.

Red Realm, one of the abilities of the Eternal Tenseigan, envelops a region in a Dark Red law, causing everything to lose its original color.

In this world, there is only one supreme law—my world, my rules!

As the Red Realm unfolded, the Black Tomoe in Tōka's eyes began to throb even more wildly, as if they were about to break free of their cage!

As Tōka's eyes became increasingly unstable, the Dark Red world began to shake, as if it were about to collapse.

"Hmm... my Dojutsu hasn't fully fused yet." Tōka covered his eyes, but his expression wasn't impatient.

The Red Realm has also become unstable and doesn't seem likely to last much longer.

However, this does not affect Tōka's plans.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, and Tōka's figure appeared directly behind Kakuzu, until his slender fingers pressed on Kakuzu's shoulder.

Kakuzu suddenly awoke with a start, "When?!"

His instinctive reaction was to struggle, and he even gathered Earth Element chakra to harden his arm before throwing a powerful punch back.

But unexpectedly...

"What's going on? My chakra!" Kakuzu shocked to discover that the chakra in his five hearts was completely empty!

"Don't be nervous, it's just a little trick." Tōka whispered close to Kakuzu, his breath like a gentle breeze caressing his cheek.

Kakuzu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. The biting cold shot from the soles of his feet straight up to his back, making him shudder!

Instantly depleting someone's chakra—that's just a small trick?

Wouldn't your "grand" trick be able to turn the world upside down?

Kakuzu tensed his body, trying to appear calm, but the slight flicker in his Dark Green pupils betrayed the turmoil within him.

"Since we're on such good terms, can you tell me why Pain sent you here?"

Tōka's words, like Demonic Sound, entered Kakuzu's ears and resonated deep within his mind.

Kakuzu's eyes were clouded with confusion, and his mouth opened and closed involuntarily, yet he was bound by his soul and could not utter a sound.

"As expected of an old monster who has lived for decades, his mind is exceptionally firm." Tōka raised an eyebrow, and a powerful spiritual force directly invaded the depths of the other party's mind.

Within the Red Realm, Tōka is nearly invincible, but his ability to maintain this state for long is hampered by the fact that the Dojutsu in his eyes has not yet fully merged.

However, within those short ten seconds or so...

Tōka has found the information he wanted!

"Kill if you can."

These four simple words perfectly encapsulate Kakuzu's purpose for this trip, which is also Nagato's order.

Tōka slowly closed her eyes, and the Ice Blue that had been dancing in her eyes disappeared. At the same time, the chaotic Tomoe also disappeared into her dark eyes.

The Red Realm was lifted, and the world was once again shrouded in endless yellow sand.

As Tōka loosened his grip, with a thud, Kakuzu's legs gave way and he knelt on the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Chakra is composed of two parts: one is the Physical Energy absorbed from each of the 130 trillion cells in the human body.

Both are Spiritual Energy cultivated through much practice and experience.

Most of Kakuzu's chakra was suddenly drawn out of his body by Tōka, leaving him with almost no strength to even stand up straight.

Kakuzu was kneeling on the ground, tensed slightly, his mouth opening halfway, "You..."

Sudden!

Tōka, already blurry in the sandstorm, became even more indistinct at this moment. Then, Kakuzu felt a massive spiritual force materialize into a wave of energy that rushed towards him.

Buzz!

Six Harmonies Divine Technique: Terrifying Soul Curse!

Auditory Genjutsu Kekkei Mōra: The victim will be disoriented and unable to...

"Tōka is dead, Orochimaru has betrayed us, Kisame and Sasori are going all out!"

His brief words explained the entire mission, and Kakuzu's blank face began to move mechanically.

His mouth opened and closed, "Tōka is dead, Orochimaru has betrayed us, Kisame and Sasori are going all out."

"I've got it. Now you can go back."

Tōka glanced at Kisame, signaling him to take Kakuzu away. The Genjutsu hadn't been dispelled yet, so Kakuzu could only imitate other people's actions and understand some simple commands.

Upon hearing this, Kisame walked up to Kakuzu, a mocking smile spreading across his face.

"Come with me, Kakuzu."

"Walk..." Following Kisame's steps, Kakuzu walked stiffly step by step until his body suddenly stopped a hundred paces away.

Kisame had been keeping an eye on Kakuzu's condition, and upon noticing Kakuzu's unusual behavior, he immediately turned to stare at him.

Kakuzu covered his forehead, feeling dizzy.

The Wind and Sand howled, stinging his cheeks. Kakuzu frowned Kakuzu glanced at Kisame. "The mission seems to be complete?"

"Hmm." Kisame stared into Kakuzu's eyes and calmly responded.

"Is that so..." Kakuzu glanced hesitantly behind him, his vision blurred by the swirling yellow sand, and he couldn't detect anyone's presence.

The memories in his mind told Kakuzu that Tōka was dead, buried beneath this yellow sand.

Watching Kakuzu, Kisame was secretly shocked. In just a few breaths, Kakuzu seemed like a completely different person.

Just moments before they were fighting, but now they were on the same side.

"Sasori and Orochimaru seem to still be fighting. Let's go check it out." Kakuzu finished speaking, the two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the yellow sand.