Is This the Power of the Uchiha Inheritance?

"Watch out! He's Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure. He specializes in the Five Great Ninjutsu Styles and is as powerful as one of the Five Kage."

As a veteran of the Anbu, Kakashi recognized Kakuzu at a glance. His expression turned grim as he issued the warning.

Kakuzu had once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage. Later, for reasons unknown, he betrayed Takigakure and became a dangerous S-Rank Rogue Ninja. He had made a fearsome name for himself in the Ninja World over the decades, and was still active in its shadows.

"Kakuzu?"

Itachi had heard of Kakuzu, too. Knowing the man was a terrifyingly powerful rogue ninja, he tightened his grip on his Kunai.

Youhu felt no pressure from Kakuzu, but to fit in, he put on a grave expression as well and said with a frown, "Captain Kakashi, should we attack?"

Kakashi shook his head. He didn't want to make trouble for themselves. "Let's wait for now. Don't make any rash moves."

Unlike the tense Kakashi Squad, Kakuzu calmly took a Bounty Handbook from his coat. After flipping to Kakashi's page, he read aloud at an unhurried pace:

"Kakashi Hatake, Jonin in Konoha Anbu. Bounty: fifteen million Ryo."

"Uchiha Itachi, Chunin in Konoha Anbu, son of the Uchiha Clan Head. Bounty: ten million Ryo."

At this, Kakuzu looked at the last member of the squad, Youhu, and said with a frown, "An unidentified Anbu ninja. He should be worth at least one hundred thousand Ryo."

"Looks like I'll be getting a very generous reward this time. A full twenty-five million, one hundred thousand Ryo."

"..."

After his identity was exposed at a glance, Kakashi looked a little awkward.

Youhu was right. He might as well not wear the mask at all. Kakuzu had still easily recognized him and even knew the bounty on his head in the Black Market.

Still, they were incredibly unlucky to run into Kakuzu, a rogue ninja, and end up as his prey.

"I'm worth ten million Ryo..."

Itachi was surprised by the bounty on his head, but after thinking it over, the amount made sense.

He had distinguished himself at the Chunin Ninja Exams, taking first place in the Joint Chunin Exam. He was one of the village's rare Genius Ninjas, so it was only natural for enemy villages to put a bounty on him in secret.

"I'm only worth one hundred thousand Ryo?"

Youhu looked terribly upset. Turning to Kakashi, he said, "Captain Kakashi, we have to kill this man. He dared insult me by saying I'm only worth one hundred thousand Ryo."

"Is the bounty really what we should be concerned about right now...?"

Kakashi could never keep up with Youhu, but Youhu was right about one thing. Now that Kakuzu had marked him as prey, they had no choice but to give it their all and kill him.

A seasoned ninja didn't entrust his life to the enemy's goodwill.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Technique!"

After forming the Hand Seals to summon a Shadow Clone, Kakashi charged at Kakuzu alongside his clone.

Kakashi had some experience with ninjutsu, taijutsu, and Illusion Technique, but his true specialty was close-quarters taijutsu. With the aid of his Sharingan, he could easily read his opponent's every move.

Itachi activated his Sharingan, too. Keeping his distance from Kakuzu, he threw Shuriken.

His steps were light and graceful, like a butterfly dancing through the air. He moved nimbly across the battlefield, using the Steel Wire wrapped around his Shuriken to weave a spiderweb-like trap among the trees.

But before their attacks could reach Kakuzu, he struck first. He formed Hand Seals and called out, "Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

In an instant, a Wind Style Mask Monster appeared behind Kakuzu and spat out a howling gale.

The roaring wind forced Kakashi and his clone backward. It also tore Itachi's Steel Wire Trap from its anchors, uprooting it along with the trees and sending them tumbling onto the road nearby.

"So this is Kakuzu's strength? An Elite Jonin who comes closest to the Five Kage... Just how far behind someone like him am I?"

The gale twisted Kakashi's expression. Bitterness filled his heart.

During his time carrying out missions for Anbu, Kakashi had fought more than a few opponents of this caliber. But whether he faced Escaping Orochimaru or Kakuzu now, he had been powerless to fight back.

Even when he had driven Obito off earlier, it had been entirely thanks to Yamato and Youhu.

Itachi looked grim as he tried to think of a tactic that could turn the tide. This was his first time facing an enemy so skilled in Wind Style Ninjutsu.

There was only one person who wasn't affected by the Wind Style: Youhu.

The moment Wind Style: Pressure Damage stopped, Youhu rushed forward and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Kakuzu. He swung his long sword viciously at Kakuzu, then formed the Hand Seals for Fire Style as Kakuzu tried to dodge the blow.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Flames poured from Youhu's mouth in a steady stream, like a blowtorch, spreading across a vast area.

"Water Style: Water Curtain!"

Kakuzu formed Hand Seals, and another Mask Monster appeared behind him. It spat out a powerful torrent of water, blocking Youhu's flames.

Youhu responded by pouring more Chakra into his attack, making the flames burn hotter and hotter.

For a moment, the flames and water collided, filling the air with endless steam.

The steam grew hotter and hotter under the flames, until it became hard to breathe. Youhu and Kakuzu had no choice but to stop their techniques and retreat several steps.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Seeing this, Kakashi quickly used a jutsu to blow the steam away, gradually clearing their view of the surroundings.

Once the steam dispersed, Kakashi and Itachi were astonished to see that the long sword in Youhu's hand had pierced Kakuzu's heart. Kakuzu looked as though he'd seen a ghost, clutching his chest.

"So this is the famous Kakuzu? He's not all that strong."

Youhu pulled out his sword and used the Body Flicker Technique to return to Kakashi's side. He complained, "Captain Kakashi, you said this guy was powerful. I thought I was going to die, but he turned out to be so weak."

"All I did was use a little Fire Style and Illusion Technique on him, and he couldn't handle it."

"..."

Kakashi stared at Youhu in disbelief. He didn't know how to describe what he was feeling.

Could it be that Kakuzu wasn't weak at all, but that Youhu was simply performing way beyond expectations?

He had seen Kakuzu use Wind Style and Water Style, and he'd seen the Third Hokage use them as well. In terms of scale and speed of forming Hand Seals, Kakuzu was on par with the Third Hokage.

These were massive techniques, powerful enough to change the course of a war during the Ninja World War.

Youhu had managed to match such an enemy in a ninjutsu contest. That meant his strength was already among the absolute Top Performers at the Jonin level.

Where had Youhu gotten such an enormous amount of Chakra, and such precise Chakra control?

Could this really be the power of the Uchiha Inheritance?

"Is this the power of Uchiha Madara's Inheritance?"

Itachi suddenly regretted not entering that room before Youhu.

In just a few hours, he'd watched Youhu go from an Uchiha ninja nearing Jonin rank to a powerful warrior capable of defeating an Elite Jonin like Kakuzu.

He was consumed by envy. If only he had that kind of power...

Despite his shock, Kakashi hadn't forgotten what the reports said about Kakuzu. He warned them, "Don't let your guard down. According to the reports, Kakuzu may have more than one life. He can still keep fighting."

Before he'd even finished speaking, Kakuzu had already climbed back to his feet. After staring at Youhu for a few seconds, he shouted into the forest:

"Orochimaru, what are you waiting for? Come out and deal with these brats! Once they're dead, the bounty is mine and the Sharingan is yours. Haven't you always wanted the Sharingan?"