"I advise you not to act recklessly. The Bounty Office stood strong in the Shinobi World for so many years means that its backing is far beyond what an ordinary ninja like you can handle—"
The man mustered his strength and made a final stand, trying to intimidate the two young men with words.
Kazashiro didn't want to listen to the other person's nonsense, so he gently shook his head. "Tell me something that interests me, like where Kakuzu is now."
"You are ninjas from Konoha. This is within the Land of Fire. If news of my accident gets out, Konoha will suffer—"
"I see." Kazashiro revealed a look of sudden realization, interrupting the man's struggle for the second time. "You're right, the leak of this matter will indeed cause me considerable trouble, so..."
Kazashiro's words gave the man a glimmer of hope, but it vanished in an instant.
Because in front of him, Kazashiro and Pakura removed their Konoha Forehead Protector and replaced them with Sunagakure- style ones.
"Fine, fine, you..."
The man laughed, demonstrating that people can indeed laugh out loud when they are extremely speechless.
"I'm a kind-hearted person and can't bear to see people suffer, so I'll leave it to you." Seeing that the man was still unwilling to give in, Kazashiro sighed helplessly, handed over this arduous task to Pakura, and then silently turned his head away.
Filled with resentment at being betrayed and having nowhere to vent it, Pakura did not refuse and walked towards the man in front of her with a cold smile.
The Land of Fire, Border Forest.
At this moment Kakuzu looked like a wild man, his hair disheveled, sitting shirtless under a big tree. No one would guess that this was once a ruthless man who had gone toe-to-toe with the First Hokage.
"Who?"
Suddenly raising his head, Kakuzu's keen senses, honed by years of wilderness survival, were now gleaming with light in his green eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kakuzu. I've come to invite you."
Kazashiro slowly walked into Kakuzu's field of vision, with Pakura following closely behind, his eyes filled with wariness as he looked at Kakuzu.
"An invitation? Sorry, I have no interest in any organization, especially Konoha, but..." Kakuzu looked at Kazashiro's Konoha Forehead Protector with disgust. Every time he saw this symbol, Kakuzu felt a dull ache in his heart.
Kakuzu's tone finally softened as he focused his gaze on Pakura. He pulled a small notebook from his tattered pocket and flipped through it, finally finding Pakura's entry. "Scorching Release Pakura, bounty of 25 million ryo. A valuable head."
"Hey, are you just ignoring me?"
Kazashiro was somewhat hurt. He had thought he was somewhat famous in the Shinobi World, but judging from Kakuzu's expression, no one had put a bounty on him.
"Hmph, you worthless little girl, stay out of the way and don't say a word!"
With a sudden movement of his right arm, Kakuzu's hand, propelled by the black lines, flew towards Pakura like a cannonball.
"Scorch Release."
Facing Kakuzu's flying right hand, Pakura summoned three fireballs to surround herself, defending against Kakuzu's attack.
"Who are you calling a little girl?!" Kazashiro frowned and threw the Kunai in his hand.
The three Kunai flew straight towards Kakuzu, colliding with him and making a crackling metallic sound.
"A mere Kunai existence—"
Before Kakuzu could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of the inscription on the Kunai of Kakuzu corner of his eye, and years of combat experience triggered a warning in his mind.
Realizing Kunai a hidden Kakuzu in the kunai, Kakuzu didn't have time to say the rest of his words before he had to flee.
"Hatake Style: Lightning Fire Sword - Instant Thunder Flash!"
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique to Kakuzu, Kazashiro Bai's White Fang, wreathed in lightning and fire, sliced through Kakuzu's hard body.
With a large Kakuzu, Kakuzu couldn't care less about Pakura at the moment and took a few steps back to widen the distance between himself and Kazashiro.
Fire Style: Head Engraving!
Without any hesitation, Kakuzu used Fire Style the instant he landed.
The raging flames were like a tsunami, and their powerful impact reduced any trees that stood in their path to dust.
"Water Release · Water Wall!"
A wave of water, no less powerful than the Head Engraving, appeared out of thin air, collided with the fire wave, and produced white steam.
"Who is this brat? His Ninjutsu is no less than mine!"
Kakuzu couldn't accept that his Ninjutsu was neutralized by the opponent; what he couldn't accept was that the person who could achieve the same level of skill was just a teenager.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
But now was clearly not the time to think. Seeing that the water vapor was beginning to obscure his vision, Kakuzu, fearing Scorch Release with his Kakuzu, unleashed a powerful Wind Release.
"Wind Release · Vacuum Great Ball!"
Kazashiro's voice came from within the mist. Almost simultaneously, both of them unleashed powerful Wind Release capable of tearing through mountains and rocks.
The moment the two Ninjutsu clashed, a deafening roar erupted throughout the entire forest. The water vapor instantly dissipated, and both sides saw each other's figures at the same time.
Water Release, Wind Release, and the lightning and fire nature that just tore his body apart—could this brat be...?
After a brief exchange, Kakuzu deduced that the brat before him had probably mastered the nature transformations of the five attributes, just like himself.
This is terrifying! I was able to use the Five Release Ninjutsu because of Earth Grudge Fear allowed him to steal my heart. How old is this kid?!
Equally surprised was Pakura, who was watching the battle from the sidelines. Having witnessed the entire fight, she had only heard of Kazashiro Bai's deeds before. Although she had seen him cultivate in the Shikkotsu Forest, this was the first time she had seen him in actual combat.
That scary brat; if I were to encounter him, I probably wouldn't react as well as that masked monster.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Having information on Kakuzu, Kazashiro doesn't need to analyze while fighting like Kakuzu does. Working in a single thread, he only needs to seize the opportunity to unleash his Ninjutsu.
The rice-shaped wind blades whistled towards Kakuzu. For ninjas without Sharingan or Byakugan, the invisible wind-attribute attacks could only be dodged by instinct.
As the Wind Release technique hit, a huge cloud of dust briefly obscured Kazashiro's vision.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Kakuzu's strange figure was revealed.
"What kind of monster is this?" It was Pakura who exclaimed. She had never seen such a terrifying human before. No, the Kakuzu in front of her had already transcended the realm of humanity.
The only thing that could make Pakura exclaim in surprise was the Earth Grudge Fear state.
Knowing that releasing his heart to fight alone with Kazashiro's current level would be like sending himself to his doom, Kakuzu simply entered his strongest state.
Countless black threads emerged from every crack in Kakuzu's body, and more and more threads intertwined, transforming Kakuzu into an indescribable form.
Two masks protruded from the shoulders, making a crisp sound, and opened their mouths.
"Die!"
Two thick black lines suddenly emerged from the ground, tightly binding Kazashiro.
"Composite Ninja Technique: Strange Face Explosive Flame!"
The fire and wind Chakra intertwined, forming an even more terrifying sea of fire that directly engulfed the bound Kazashiro.