Lens Focusing Technique

"I hope you won't scurry away like a rat! Ice Release! Lens Focusing Technique!"

As Lin Cheng's cold voice fell, the ice lenses that had been stacked vertically instantly aligned!

The next moment, the sunlight radiating nearby was drawn in and concentrated.

In a mere instant, a blinding white light eclipsed everything!

Just as Kakuzu slightly lowered his head and narrowed his eyes, the fully converged, high-density beam of light shot straight toward him below.

Sensing an intense sense of crisis looming over him, Kakuzu hurriedly dodged while reinforcing his body with hardening ninjutsu!

The scorching, high-density beam was staggering in its volume, completely blanketing a radius of one kilometer below!

In an instant, the ground was ruthlessly plowed through!

As the terrifying roar spread, a thick sense of dread permeated the air as well.

A passing ninja, who happened to be just outside the attack range, was suddenly startled and shrieked, "Are you kidding me?! That bastard Kakuzu! Who exactly did he provoke?!

This kind of attack! If you get touched by this, you'll be turned straight into ash!"

"Hmph! You dare to lose focus while fighting me? Die!"

"What?! Oh no! Ah!!"

"Hmph! My brother isn't someone to be trifled with! Does that mean I, his younger brother, am easy to deal with?"

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Kimimaro let out a cold snort and muttered with dissatisfaction.

"Though~ Brother is really quite violent!"

Watching Lin Cheng continue his assault, Kimimaro stuck out his tongue adorably and spoke to himself.

A long while later, after the area covered by the attack had been shaved down by more than a meter, Lin Cheng, still standing high in the air, finally ceased his attack.

"Hmph! Did he escape? Consider yourself lucky!"

Descending from the sky, Lin Cheng snorted with disdain.

"Maybe you already finished him off, Brother!"

Coming to Lin Cheng's side, Kimimaro said with a grin.

"Perhaps! But whatever, forget it, let's go! If we don't leave now, we'll be spied on again, which is very annoying!"

"Mm, understood, Brother!"

Nodding, Kimimaro followed Lin Cheng away, looking very happy.

A long while later, near the site of the recent attack, a disheveled Kakuzu crawled out from beneath the earth.

"Hmph! I was almost killed!

It has been a long time since I've been this pathetic! The last time was probably when I encountered the leader, right?

That brat! He is practically a monster!

He is truly an unimaginable fellow!"

As Kakuzu pulled his body out from underground, only a single, lonely Earth-attribute mask remained!

In fact, he was only able to survive by sheer luck, as this remaining Earth-attribute mask had been a massive help.

Finally crawling completely out of the ground, Kakuzu dared not linger here any longer.

He scurried away with nimble feet.

That night, Pain of the Akatsuki organization used the Magic Lantern Body Technique to contact Kakuzu, who was hiding in a secluded cave somewhere.

"Kakuzu! Did you kill your partner again?"

In the Magic Lantern Body state, Deva Path Pain asked in a cold tone.

"No! This time, it was someone else who killed him! In fact, even I was almost killed by the opponent this time!"

Although there was no hint of defeat in Kakuzu's tone, Deva Path Pain still detected a sense of dejection.

Clearly, Kakuzu, who was always arrogant and often claimed to have fought the First Hokage, had taken a hit.

"Even you were almost killed?! Is the opponent that strong?"

"If the leader were to take action, it shouldn't be a problem! But I couldn't do it! The opponent has a ninjutsu for flight!

Furthermore, the opponent possesses ninjutsu with astonishing power!"

Subsequently, Kakuzu recounted in detail, and without any emotional fluctuation, his encounter with Lin Cheng.

He then stated his own hypothesis.

"I suspect he is a survivor of the Yuki Clan from the Land of Water!"

"...You don't need to worry about his affairs. I will handle it!

As for your teammate, I will also find you a replacement!"

"Understood."