In the forest, a suffocating atmosphere hung overhead like a mountain. Sakumo Hatake and Kakuzu stood barely a dozen steps apart, their gazes shooting lightning that collided in the air.
The pressure from both sides continued to rise, crushing the space between them. Neither could afford to give even half a step.
Sakumo Hatake gripped the White Fang tantō tightly as lightning flash flickered around him, arcs of electricity dancing across his body.
Kakuzu formed hand seals, while the three masks on his body condensed massive amounts of chakra. His next move would be anything but ordinary.
Their eyes narrowed slightly as the chakra gathered in their hands reached its critical point!
Just as the two were about to strike...
An unexpected change erupted!!
A green figure plummeted rapidly from the sky, its violent descent creating a visible shockwave.
Looking up, they could only vaguely make out a tiny green dot, yet the exaggerated wind pressure seemed to roar directly beside their ears.
Sakumo Hatake and Kakuzu's expressions shifted slightly. The same thought flashed through both their minds: the incoming attack possessed enough power to smash apart a massive boulder!
They absolutely could not take it head-on!!
"Heavenly Guard Kick!" A sharp cry rang out as an immense force crashed down.
Boom!!
Unlike the ninja footwear most people wore, a black high-heeled sandal wrapped around a delicate foot, raised high overhead before slamming viciously into the ground.
Crack! Crack! Crack!!
Cracks as thick as bowls spread outward in a spiderweb pattern.
Tsunade, dressed in green clothes, stood against the wind alone amid the ruined earth, while the surrounding trees looked as though they had been blown down by a hurricane.
Only Tsunade remained standing there, a woman no less imposing than any man, upright like a war god!
Kakuzu leaped away at once. A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and his green eyes against their red background brimmed with vigilance.
Sakumo Hatake used the Body Flicker Technique to avoid the aftershocks rippling through the ground, staring at the figure in the center with the same dark expression.
Although Tsunade had targeted Kakuzu, the terrifying wide-range attack had enveloped him as well.
"Konoha's reinforcements have arrived? Looks like this battle will be ending soon." The tree beneath Tōka's feet had already been uprooted by Tsunade's Heavenly Guard Kick.
He now stood dozens of steps away, with a field of rolling debris before him.
In terms of raw attack power, Kakuzu's hardened tentacle fists after using Earth Release were no weaker than Tsunade's Monster Strength Punch.
But Tsunade's Monster Strength Punch was simply a visual spectacle!
The Heavenly Guard Kick had shattered the entire ground to bits. Giant trees that took several people to encircle had been uprooted, and even the rock layers beneath the soil had been forcibly overturned.
Only one phrase could describe it...
Power capable of destroying heaven and earth!!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Just as the thought crossed Tōka's mind, several black shadows streaked through the air and appeared directly at the edge of the battlefield.
At the same time, Sakumo Hatake flashed over to Tōka's side.
"Couldn't beat him, so you called for help?" Tōka removed his fox mask and looked at Sakumo Hatake with a teasing smile.
"If the battle can be settled in the simplest and most direct way, why make things troublesome?" Sakumo Hatake replied without so much as a blush.
Tsunade's group was a fresh force, while Sakumo Hatake had gone through battle after battle. Although rest had restored much of his physical strength...
His strained mind could not return to normal so quickly.
Tōka curled his lips but did not argue.
In terms of strength, Sakumo Hatake was indeed above Kakuzu. However, if Kakuzu truly wanted to flee, he still had a chance.
"This face... truly brings back memories." Kakuzu looked at Tsunade, and the image of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, flashed through his mind.
Tsunade resembled Hashirama Senju by perhaps thirty percent.
Kakuzu recalled his battle against the First Hokage all those years ago...
His thoughts drifted for only an instant. Sensing the aura of powerful fighters appearing one after another, Kakuzu weighed the situation and made up his mind.
Forget taking the heads of Sakumo Hatake and Tōka. If this truly turned into a fight, even whether he could leave safely was uncertain.
Kakuzu was calm and rational, skilled at thinking. Though his killing intent never ceased, he also knew how to judge the situation.
"Konoha has two Kage-level fighters, and both Tsunade and White Fang specialize in close combat."
"If I can widen the distance and then escape this place, it shouldn't be difficult."
Kakuzu considered how many hearts he would need to sacrifice to escape safely. Hearts could be replenished, but he only had one life.
Once he lost it, he would never come back.
Kakuzu was known as immortal, but he was not truly immortal.
The problem was, before he could create distance, how many hearts would he have to abandon?
"Who are you? Why did you attack Konoha ninja?" Tsunade demanded with a fierce expression, her hands clenched into fists.
She looked ready to start fighting the moment Kakuzu gave her an answer she found unsatisfactory.
Kakuzu let out a strange laugh, his hoarse voice making one's skin crawl. Tsunade frowned in displeasure.
She secretly made a hand signal, telling the nearby Konoha ninja to prepare for battle at any moment and prevent the monster before them from escaping!
"That question was once asked of me by another Konoha ninja." Kakuzu laughed strangely for a while before his voice gradually fell silent.
His tone only made Tsunade angrier. For some reason, Kakuzu's presence made her want to punch someone.
It seemed as though the two sides had been natural enemies from birth!
"Don't you want to know who asked me that?" Kakuzu secretly prepared his technique, using his words to divert Tsunade's attention.
"Who?" Tsunade asked instinctively. Her intuition told her that person must have had a tremendous connection to her.
"Heh heh..." Kakuzu chuckled darkly, then his voice abruptly sank. "The world called him—the First Hokage!"
The instant his words fell, Kakuzu struck.
Crack! Crack!
The masks with red and blue markings behind Kakuzu opened their mouths and shouted alongside his main body.
"Fire Release: Head Hunter!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Gale, Earth, and Flame Dragon Bullet Technique!!
The wind fueled the fire as flames spread across the sky. Countless massive spheres fired by the Earth Dragon Bullet were wrapped in fire, radiating scorching heat.
The temperature rose sharply, and even the air seemed to melt, becoming distorted and illusory.
The forest within ten miles churned madly like boiling water.
At the same time, the Konoha ninja who had been secretly prepared immediately made their move.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
An ordinary Water Wall naturally could not block Kakuzu's three-element combination ninjutsu, but Konoha's side had the advantage in numbers!
More than a dozen ninja rapidly formed hand seals, spewing massive amounts of water from their mouths.
The streams converged into a towering tidal wave, forming a huge wall of water before Tsunade.
Like an impassable chasm, it blocked the advancing inferno.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
Water and fire, cold and heat.
They collided violently!
The flames were extinguished by the water, while the water was evaporated by the flames.
Although the combined Water Wall blocked the wind-and-fire technique, it could not stop the Earth Dragon Bullets within it!
Puff! Puff! Puff!!
Several huge spheres, their flames extinguished, pierced through the water curtain and shot straight toward Tsunade.
"Get lost!!" Tsunade neither dodged nor retreated. She swung her delicate fist, pouring into it the force of a thousand jin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Her outrageous Monster Strength Punch kicked up a visible blast of wind. Her tiny fist, not even one-tenth the size of the massive spheres, smashed brutally into them.
Tsunade swung her arms again and again, blasting every Earth Dragon Bullet rushing at her away in an instant.
"As expected of Hashirama Senju's granddaughter!" A cold glint flashed through Kakuzu's eyes as he silently praised her.
The moment he unleashed the combination ninjutsu, Kakuzu had quickly retreated.
By now, he had widened the distance from Tsunade and appeared in the forest dozens of steps away.
Standing beside Tōka, Sakumo Hatake had kept his aura locked onto Kakuzu the entire time. The moment he sensed Kakuzu pulling away from Tsunade, he flashed forward in pursuit.
"Careful, he's heading toward you!" Sakumo Hatake sprinted after him while shouting a warning.
Seeing this, the several ninja standing ahead and blocking Kakuzu's retreat quickly assumed attacking stances.
But then...
Puff! Puff! Puff!!
Black Earth Grudge Fear tendrils burst from the ground, piercing straight through the three Konoha ninja blocking the path.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
One ninja formed hand seals and expelled a powerful gust from his mouth, blowing away the steam that obscured their vision.
Only then did Tsunade realize that Kakuzu had killed three of her comrades, torn open a gap, and broken out of the encirclement.
"Bastard! Stop right there!"
Tsunade cursed, crushing the earth beneath her heel and using the rebound to leap high into the air.
With a bang!
Tsunade's body shot skyward like a cannonball. She traced an arc through the air and pursued Kakuzu at incredible speed.
The Konoha group froze for a moment before immediately chasing after her...
In an instant, the battlefield that had been raging with combat abruptly cooled, becoming as silent as death.
Only the devastation across the ground remained to prove that the battle had truly taken place.
Only one person remained behind instead of giving chase.
Tōka's small face tightened, confusion flashing through his eyes. He felt that something was wrong somewhere.
But for the moment, he could not figure out what it was.
Suddenly!!
Crack!
The ruined ground split open, and a tendril lunged toward Tōka's chest.
Puff!
The black tendril pierced directly into Tōka's outer robe, flesh meeting flesh as he distinctly felt the sharp pain.
"A bunch of idiots. How could I possibly not know the Clone Technique?" Mockery showed in Kakuzu's green eyes.
"It's just a pity about that Water Release Chakra heart, but hearts can always be replenished!"
Kakuzu glanced in the direction Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, and the others had chased before turning back to Tōka.
"Though it's a little small, it'll do for now!"
Kakuzu had not killed Tōka. Instead, he used Earth Grudge Fear to infiltrate Tōka's body, intending to take out Tōka's heart!
Even mosquito meat was still meat, and Konoha's people were everywhere nearby.
Kakuzu did not dare act recklessly. Although Tōka's heart was still small and its nature uncertain, it was still a life!
"After replenishing my heart, I should withdraw first." Kakuzu muttered. Having lived for decades...
He possessed not only abundant battle experience, but extraordinary worldly experience as well.
Kakuzu judged that group of Konoha ninja had definitely not come for him.
In other words, Konoha had dispatched such an elite force because they likely intended to launch a large-scale operation against Sunagakure Shinobi.
Perhaps what came next would be the decisive battle between Konoha and Sunagakure!
Kakuzu was clever, ruthless, and confident without being blindly arrogant. He understood how to assess the situation and made his decision in an instant.
"This isn't a place to linger!"
Earth Grudge Fear rapidly seeped through Tōka's skin. During Kakuzu's brief moment of thought, it pierced through flesh and entered Tōka's body.
It was incredibly fast. All that remained was to wrap around the heart and pull it out.
Then, suddenly...
A palpitating sensation abruptly appeared. Kakuzu felt an icy chill, like the depths of winter, shoot from the soles of his feet straight into his back.
The fear of death stimulated his nerves as though it had substance.
"Tell me, have you touched enough?"
The voice rang clearly beside Kakuzu's ear.
He followed the sound and saw a delicate little face set with a pair of beautiful black eyes, their depths far too profound for someone of that age.
"Kid, you..." Kakuzu stared at Tōka in astonishment.
Killing intent flashed through Tōka's eyes. He glanced at the black tendril in his chest, and a wave of disgust swept through his body.
Earth Grudge Fear achieved a form of immortality by stealing the hearts of others.
But this thing truly did not suit Tōka's aesthetic tastes.
He would not have minded looking at it from a distance, but having one of those black tendrils touching his chest...
"Too disgusting!"
Puff!!
A cold gleam flashed, and the Earth Grudge Fear connected to Tōka's chest was severed instantly.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted sharply as he suddenly sprang backward again and again.
However, this was only the beginning.
From the severed point, the Earth Grudge Fear began falling apart like scraps of waste paper.
In the blink of an eye, the Earth Grudge Fear still embedded in Tōka's flesh turned to ash. He reached up and brushed the dust from his chest.
Staring regretfully at the robe covered in holes, he murmured, "What a shame. It was such a nice-looking coat."
Meanwhile, Kakuzu stared in horror as the disintegrating Earth Grudge Fear spread toward him.
"W-what kind of technique is this?"
Kakuzu cried out in shock, his voice devoid of its usual steadiness.
As an old monster who had survived for decades in the brutal Ninja World, Kakuzu's strength and intelligence were beyond doubt.
After a brief moment of astonishment, his arm began to bulge.
A monster with a blue-patterned mask burst from the seam, along with the vast mass of Earth Grudge Fear that had been attacking Tōka, separating from Kakuzu's main body.
The enormous black monster had only just appeared when its mask shattered with a crack.
The Earth Grudge Fear forming the black monster's body turned into tiny scraps of waste paper and scattered across the ground.
Shattered, ashes...
"This brat..." Kakuzu was both shocked and enraged. If he had not suddenly thought of such a substitution trick just now—
He might have ended up like that heart.
"You're quite clever." A trace of approval flashed through Tōka's eyes, but only Kakuzu could pull off a substitution trick like this.
Because the five hearts within Kakuzu's body could all be considered his main body, yet none of them could be considered his main body.
As long as even one remained, Kakuzu was still "alive."
Kakuzu stared coldly at Tōka without a word, waves of icy killing intent rising from his green pupils.
"No wonder something felt strange just now..." Tōka had now figured out Kakuzu's cicada-shedding plan.
He had used one heart to disguise itself as a physical body, deceiving Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade into leaving.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu's true body had used Earth Release to hide underground, swiftly concealing his presence and slipping past them.
A physical body containing a heart truly possessed Kakuzu's aura. Sakumo Hatake would never have suspected a thing.
The atmosphere grew grave. The air seemed to congeal, unbearably oppressive.
Kakuzu's expression darkened slightly, and the killing intent in his eyes grew even denser.
He was just about to secretly strike a killing blow...
But Tōka's next words made his entire body tremble, and the killing intent enveloping him instantly collapsed.
"How many hearts do you have left?"
"Two?"
Before you continue