Seen Through

On a certain island in the Land of Artisans, the fishing boat carrying pirates is slowly sinking.

On the shore, Kakuzu swiftly wiped out most of the pirates. Apart from the small fry who were entangled by Kazashiro, the only troublesome one was their leader, the Mist Ninja known as Jie.

Kimimaro wanted to help and was about to take off his shirt, but was stopped by a Kazashiro Shadow Clone left behind by Kazehaku.

This feeling of being protected was something Kimimaro was experiencing for the first time.

Within his clan, Kimimaro was mostly referred to as a monster or War Weapon, and even when he was needed, it was only when he was killing someone.

But the guy in front of me protected himself.

Wasn't he using her War Weapon?

Kimimaro stared Kazashiro figure, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu, who was fighting with the enemy, sensed something was amiss.

The rogue ninja before them was far more powerful than any ordinary pirate.

Kazashiro, who had just dealt with the henchmen, also sensed this and frowned as he watched the battle between the two.

Kakuzu attempted to entangle his opponent with black threads several times, but each time he skillfully dodged them and used his Ninja Blade to sever the tentacles that attacked from behind.

"Water Flowing Sword Dance!"

Once again dodging Kakuzu's hidden Kakuzu underground, he intercepted the attack and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Kakuzu.

The blade, surging like a tidal wave and carrying boundless killing intent, slashed towards Kakuzu's neck.

"Bite!"

Kakuzu raised his arm, and with a clang of hard objects colliding, used the hand that had been wielding the Earth Spear to withstand the attack.

Then, with a powerful kick, Kakuzu sent his opponent flying and began forming hand seals. "Fire Release: Head Engraving!"

Facing the rapidly spreading sea of fire, the one who had been kicked away by Kakuzu intercepted the moment the opponent launched his ninjutsu and completed the hand seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Using the nearby seawater, he created a water dragon with clearly visible whiskers and eyebrows that coiled around himself, withstanding Kakuzu's fire-style attack.

Water vapor began to fill the air, obstructing the view of everyone present.

With such dense fog, it seems unlikely that the other side will launch an attack for the time being.

Based on past experience, Kakuzu believed that Jie was currently looking for a good position to launch an attack, and he himself began to think about his next move.

Several more sounds of hard objects colliding rang out, and the attacked Kakuzu's eyes widened in surprise.

Fortunately, I didn't remove the Earth Spear, otherwise I would have been sent to see Hashirama after those few blows.

Was it just luck?

Kakuzu moved, and the next second, he felt an attack on his leg.

No, his position had been clearly detected by the opponent, and every attack he made was a test of the range of the Earth Spear's coverage!

"The dense fog lasted for quite a while."

Kazashiro, who was also enveloped in the fog, sensed something was wrong.

"This is the Mist Technique, isn't it?"

Reaching out to feel the texture of the mist, Kazashiro, who had been elbowed once by the Fourth Raikage, wisely covered his vital areas with ice crystals.

He can spar with Kakuzu, knows the Mist Technique, and can also use Silent Killing Art...

With all these factors combined, Kazashiro felt that something was wrong.

Considering the location of the ship's attack, an idea slowly began to emerge in Kazashiro's mind.

Having failed to find Kakuzu's weakness in several attacks, Jie was now marveling at how troublesome his opponent was. Kakuzu's tortoise-shell-like defense left him hesitant about whether to continue attacking or retreating.

When exactly did these two formidable individuals manage to join our ship?

"You're not a Kirigakure, but someone who's pretending to be one, aren't you?"

Kazashiro's sudden voice interrupted Jie's thoughts.

Upon hearing Kazashiro's voice, Jie's previously wavering resolve instantly hardened, and his intense killing intent was directed at the seemingly young brat.

"The location you just looted is very close to the Land of Water. As far as I know, ninjas who defect from Kirigakure usually don't go near the Land of Land of Water, because that would attract the pursuit of the fleeing forces."

"Given your Jonin strength, there must be a considerable number of pursuing ninja. Instead of leaving the Land of Water, you brazenly plundered a ship from the Land of Water and gathered a crowd nearby, making it seem as if you deliberately infiltrated..."

As Kazashiro spoke, black stripes began to appear on his face.

As Kazashiro suddenly bent over, the blade of the interceptor almost grazed his hair. Immediately afterward, Kazashiro threw out the Senbon he had prepared beforehand, but unfortunately, the interceptor reacted quickly and barely dodged it.

Kazashiro could have easily dispersed the thick fog with a single Wind Release, but he didn't.

The reason for this was that he wanted to try using Sage Mode to sense his opponent's actions.

Based on the current results, the outcome is very good.

At this moment, Kazashiro could clearly sense the location of the interceptor.

"Furthermore, the samurai on the ship acted far too violently, their behavior completely inconsistent with their status."

Kazashiro hadn't forgotten the cake he hadn't been able to eat.

"Boss, this kind of analysis doesn't sound like something you would come up with."

Hearing the sounds of battle coming from Kazashiro's direction, Kakuzu remained vigilant while making a sarcastic remark.

"What do you mean?!"

Kazashiro was somewhat annoyed.

He was, after all, a Jonin of Konoha, so he had to possess the most basic intelligence analysis skills.

What kind of image do you have of me?

Having dodged another attack, Kazashiro gritted his teeth and questioned Kakuzu.

"This one..."

Considering the resilience of his five little hearts, Kakuzu wisely refrained from revealing his true thoughts.

However, Kazashiro's analysis just now was indeed beyond Kakuzu's expectations.

It seems that this kid's intelligence has improved to some extent as he gets older.

Kazashiro and Kakuzu were handling things with ease, but it was a tough one for Jie, the Kirigakure Jonin.

Kazashiro's analysis was correct; he did indeed come to the Land of Artisans with a mission, and his pirate identity was a disguise. However, his men were genuine scum gathered from the surrounding area.

Originally, after plundering the merchant ship, they were about to begin the next phase of their plan, but before they could even send out news of the operation's success, Kakuzu hurriedly charged out from the stern of the ship.

Now that his identity has been discovered and his escape route has been completely cut off, he only has two choices: either die in battle or kill the two of them.

Even if he dies in battle, his status as a Jonin will ensure his family receives a pension from the village.

He could allow the two who discovered the plan to leave, but if the plan failed, he would have to bear all the responsibility.

At that time, he would not only still be executed, but would also bring endless humiliation to his family.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

With this in mind, Jie no longer hesitated and decided to take advantage of the geographical position and fight Kazashiro and the others.