Where are you touching? Don't you want your hands anymore?

In the forest, a stifling atmosphere pressed down like a great mountain. Sakumo Hatake and Kakuzu stood no more than ten paces apart, their gazes clashing like lightning in the air.

The auras of both sides continuously escalated, compressing the space. Neither could afford to retreat even half a step.

Sakumo Hatake tightly gripped the White Fang short blade, lightning flickering around his body, arcs of electricity dancing.

Kakuzu formed hand seals, his three masks condensing vast amounts of Chakra. The next move would be no trivial matter.

The gazes of the two men narrowed slightly, the Chakra gathered in their hands reaching its critical point!

Just as the two were about to strike...

An unforeseen change occurred!!

A green blur rapidly descended from the sky, the violent wind forming a visible wave of force.

Looking up, one could vaguely discern only a small green dot, but the exaggerated gust of wind sounded as if it were right beside their ears.

Sakumo Hatake and Kakuzu's expressions shifted slightly, a simultaneous thought flashing through their minds: the attacker's power was terrifying enough to shatter a giant boulder!

They absolutely could not take the hit head-on!!

"Heavenly Guard Kick!" a sharp cry rang out, and a massive force descended abruptly.

BOOM!!

Unlike the standard ninja footwear, a pair of black high-heeled sandals encased delicate, small feet were raised high above the head before smashing fiercely into the ground.

CRACKLE!!

Cracks as thick as a bowl's mouth spread out in a spiderweb pattern in all directions.

Tsunade, clad in green clothes, stood against the wind, alone on the devastated earth. The surrounding trees looked as if they had been blown down by a gale.

Only Tsunade stood tall and unyielding, like a war god, straight and unwavering in her spot!

Kakuzu leaped away immediately, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. His eyes, red with green pupils, were filled with vigilance.

Sakumo Hatake used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the shockwaves from the ground, also looking at the figure in the center of the field with a vein of blackness on his forehead.

Although Tsunade's target was Kakuzu, that terrifying area-of-effect attack had also enveloped him.

"Konoha's reinforcements have arrived? It looks like this battle is nearing its end." The tree beneath Tōka's feet had long since been uprooted by Tsunade's Heavenly Guard Kick.

He was now dozens of steps away, with a pile of rolling debris in front of him.

In terms of attack power, Kakuzu's hardened arm tentacles delivering a heavy punch were not inferior to Tsunade's Monster Strength Punch.

However, Tsunade's Monster Strength Punch was simply a visual feast!

The entire ground was pulverized by the Heavenly Guard Kick, giant trees that took several people to embrace were uprooted, and the rock strata beneath the soil were violently overturned.

Only one phrase could describe it...

World-destroying power!!

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

Just as Tōka's thought flashed through his mind, several black shadows streaked through the air, appearing directly at the edge of the battlefield.

At this moment, Sakumo Hatake also flashed to Tōka's side.

"Can't win? Called for backup?" Tōka removed his fox mask, smiling playfully at Sakumo Hatake.

"If you can end the fight in the simplest and most direct way, why bother with troublesome things?" Sakumo Hatake said, his face unruffled.

Tsunade and her group were fresh troops, while Sakumo Hatake, after a series of intense battles, although his body had recovered somewhat with rest, his taut nerves were not something that could be restored to normal in a short time.

Tōka curled his lips and didn't retort.

In terms of strength, Sakumo Hatake was indeed superior to Kakuzu, but the opponent still had a chance to escape if he wanted to.

"That face… it truly brings back memories!" Kakuzu looked at Tsunade, the image of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, flashing through his mind.

Tsunade's features bore a slight resemblance to Hashirama Senju.

Kakuzu recalled his battle with the First Hokage back then…

His thoughts drifted for only a moment. Sensing the emergence of several powerful auras, Kakuzu weighed his options and made up his mind.

At this point, let alone taking the heads of Sakumo Hatake and Tōka, if a real fight broke out, it was uncertain whether he could even escape safely.

Kakuzu was calm and collected, adept at thinking, not lacking in killing intent, and skilled at judging the situation.

"Konoha has a total of two Kage-level powerhouses, and both Tsunade and White Fang are close-combat specialists."

"If I can create some distance and then escape this place, it doesn't seem difficult."

Kakuzu pondered how he could escape safely after losing a few hearts. Hearts could be replenished, but life could only be lived once.

If he lost his life, he would never be able to live again.

Although Kakuzu was known as immortal, he wasn't truly immortal.

The question was, how many hearts would he need to sacrifice before creating enough distance to escape?

"Who are you? Why are you attacking Konoha ninja?" Tsunade demanded, her face stern, her fists clenched tightly.

She looked as if she would start a fight if Kakuzu's answer didn't satisfy her.

Kakuzu let out a strange laugh, his hoarse voice sending shivers down the spine. Tsunade frowned in displeasure.

She secretly made a hand signal, ordering the nearby Konoha ninjas to be ready to fight at any moment, in case this monster in front of them escaped!

"This sentence... a Konoha ninja asked me that before too," Kakuzu said, chuckling strangely for a long time before his voice gradually stopped.

His tone only made Tsunade angrier. For some reason, Kakuzu's aura made Tsunade want to punch him.

It was as if they were natural enemies!

"Don't you want to know who asked me that?" Kakuzu secretly prepared a jutsu, using his words to distract Tsunade.

"Who?" Tsunade asked subconsciously. Her intuition told her that this person must have a great connection to her.

"Heh heh..." Kakuzu chuckled lowly, his voice suddenly deepening, "The world knows him as... the First Hokage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu suddenly attacked.

Crack! Crack!

The red and blue masks behind Kakuzu opened their mouths, and along with his main body, they roared:

"Fire Release: Head Hunter!"

"Wind Release: Crushing!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

The combined technique of Wind, Fire, and Earth Dragon Bullet!

The wind fanned the flames, spreading a vast sea of fire. The countless large balls shot out by the Earth Dragon Bullet were enveloped in flames, radiating intense heat.

The temperature suddenly rose, and the air seemed to melt, becoming distorted and illusory.

The forest within a ten-mile radius boiled like water, steaming furiously.

At the same time, the Konoha ninjas who had been secretly preparing immediately took action.

"Water Release: Water Wall!"

An ordinary Water Wall naturally couldn't block Kakuzu's three-element combination ninjutsu. However, the Konoha side had the advantage of numbers!

More than ten ninjas quickly formed hand seals, and a large amount of water was spat out from their mouths.

The water gathered to form a monstrous tidal wave, which transformed into a giant wall of water in front of Tsunade.

It was like an insurmountable chasm, blocking the spread of the great fire.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle...

One water, one fire. One cold, one hot.

They collided violently!

The great fire was extinguished by the water, and the water was evaporated by the fire.

Although the Water Wall, formed by their combined efforts, blocked the wind and fire technique, it couldn't stop the Earth Dragon Bullet within it!

Puff puff puff!!

Several large balls, their flames extinguished, pierced through the water curtain and shot directly at Tsunade.

"Get lost!!" Tsunade didn't dodge or evade. She swung her delicate fists, channeling immense force.

Boom boom boom!!

The exaggerated Monster Strength Punch stirred up a visible gust of wind. Her small fist, less than a tenth of the size of the large balls, collided fiercely with them.

Tsunade swung her arms repeatedly, and in an instant, she blasted all the charging Earth Dragon Bullets away.

"As expected of the First Hokage's granddaughter!" A cold glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he praised her inwardly.

The moment he unleashed his combination ninjutsu, Kakuzu quickly retreated backward.

By now, he had created distance from Tsunade and appeared dozens of steps away in the forest.

Sakumo Hatake, standing beside Tōka, had been locking onto Kakuzu's aura. Sensing that the target was moving away from Tsunade, he immediately flashed out to give chase.

"Be careful, he's heading your way!" Sakumo Hatake shouted as he sprinted.

A few ninjas standing ahead, blocking Kakuzu's retreat, quickly adopted offensive stances upon seeing this.

Unexpectedly...

Puff puff puff!!

Black tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear erupted from the ground, piercing through the three Konoha ninjas who were blocking his path.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A ninja formed hand seals and spat out a strong gust of wind from his mouth, dispersing the steam that obscured their vision.

Only then did Tsunade notice that he had killed three of her allies and broken through their encirclement.

"Bastard! Stop right there!"

Tsunade cursed, crushing the ground beneath her heels and using the rebound to leap high into the air.

BOOM!

Tsunade shot into the sky like a cannonball, arcing through the air as she pursued Kakuzu at extreme speed.

The Konoha shinobi were taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed…

For an instant, the lively battleground turned cold, falling into a deathly silence.

Only the ravaged ground remained, proof that the battle had truly happened.

Only one person remained, not pursuing.

Tōka's small face was tense, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. He felt something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint it for the moment.

Suddenly!!

Crack!

The earth, like ruins, split open, and a tentacle lunged towards Tōka's chest.

Pfft!

The black tentacle pierced directly through Tōka's outer clothing, flesh meeting flesh, and he truly felt the sharp pain.

"A bunch of idiots. You think I wouldn't know the Clone Technique?" Kakuzu's green eyes held a mocking glint.

"It's a shame about that Water Release Chakra heart, but hearts can always be replaced!"

Kakuzu glanced in the direction Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, and the others had chased, then turned his attention back to Tōka.

"It's a bit small, but it'll do for now!"

Kakuzu didn't kill Tōka. Instead, he used Earth Grudge Fear to infiltrate Tōka's body, intending to extract Tōka's heart!

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. With Konoha shinobi surrounding the area, Kakuzu didn't dare to be careless. Although Tōka's heart was still small and its nature uncertain, it was still a life!

"Once I have a replacement heart, I'll retreat," Kakuzu muttered. Having lived for decades, he possessed not only combat experience but also immense wisdom.

Kakuzu deduced that the group of Konoha ninja were definitely not chasing him.

In other words, Konoha deploying such an elite force likely meant they were planning a large-scale operation against the Sand Ninja.

Perhaps, the next step would be the decisive battle between Konohagakure and Sunagakure!

Kakuzu was intelligent and ruthless, confident but not blindly arrogant. He knew how to assess the situation and made his decision instantly.

"This place is not safe to linger!"

Earth Grudge Fear rapidly permeated Tōka's skin. In the brief moment Kakuzu was thinking, Earth Grudge Fear pierced through flesh and entered Tōka's body.

It was incredibly fast; all that remained was to envelop the heart and extract it.

Just then, suddenly…

A sense of unease washed over him, and Kakuzu felt an icy chill, like mid-March winter, surge from the soles of his feet straight to his back.

The fear of death, tangible, stimulated his nerves.

"I say, have you finished touching?"

A clear voice echoed in Kakuzu's ear.

He followed the sound and saw a delicate, small face with a pair of stunningly beautiful black eyes, their depths far beyond his age.

"Brat, you…" Kakuzu stared at Tōka in astonishment.

A murderous intent flashed in Tōka's eyes. He glanced at the black tentacle on his chest, and a wave of revulsion swept through him.

Earth Grudge Fear, by taking others' hearts, granted a form of immortality.

However, this technique was utterly unappealing to Tōka's aesthetic sensibilities.

He didn't mind observing it from a distance, but having this black tentacle touching his chest…

"It's too disgusting!"

Pfft!!

A cold glint flashed, and the Earth Grudge Fear connected to Tōka's chest was instantly severed.

Kakuzu's pupils contracted sharply, and he suddenly recoiled, retreating rapidly.

However, this was merely the beginning.

From the severed point, Earth Grudge Fear began to peel away like scraps of waste paper.

In the blink of an eye, the Earth Grudge Fear still embedded in Tōka's chest turned to ash. He reached out and brushed the dust from his chest.

He looked regretfully at his clothes, now full of holes, and murmured, "What a shame, such a nice jacket."

Meanwhile, Kakuzu stared in horror as the disintegrating, collapsing Earth Grudge Fear spread towards him.

"What, what jutsu is this?"

Kakuzu cried out in alarm, his voice no longer possessing its usual calm.

As an old monster who had survived for decades in the brutal ninja world, Kakuzu's strength and wisdom were beyond doubt.

After a brief moment of shock, his arm began to pulse.

A monster with blue facial markings erupted from a fissure, along with the Earth Grudge Fear that had attacked Tōka, detaching from Kakuzu's main body.

As soon as the enormous black monster appeared, its mask shattered with a crack.

The Earth Grudge Fear that formed the black monster's body scattered like tiny scraps of waste paper.

Shattered, ashes...

"This brat..." Kakuzu was both shocked and furious. If he hadn't had a flash of inspiration just now and thought of such a Plum Substitute for Peach method.

He might have met the same fate as that heart right now.

"He's quite clever." A hint of admiration flashed in Tōka's eyes, but this Plum Substitute for Peach method was something only Kakuzu could pull off.

This was because the five hearts within Kakuzu's body could all be considered his main body, and none of them could be considered his main body.

As long as one heart remained, Kakuzu was "alive."

Kakuzu stared coldly at Tōka without speaking, his green pupils emanating waves of chilling killing intent.

"No wonder I felt something was strange earlier..." Tōka had now figured out Kakuzu's cicada shedding plan.

He used one heart to impersonate his physical body, tricking Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade into leaving.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu's main body used Earth Release to hide underground, quickly suppressing his aura to slip by unnoticed.

The physical body with the heart genuinely possessed Kakuzu's aura, so Sakumo Hatake wouldn't suspect anything.

The atmosphere grew heavy, the air seeming to stagnate, creating an oppressive feeling.

Kakuzu's expression darkened, the killing intent in his eyes intensifying.

He was just about to secretly strike...

However, the next words from Tōka made him tremble all over, and the killing aura that permeated his body instantly collapsed.

"How many hearts do you have left?"

"Two?" (To be continued)