At the sight of this, most of the Akatsuki members showed no surprise. Instead, they watched Chiya with interest.
Kakuzu had five lives.
Nearly all the senior Akatsuki members knew that.
But Chiya might not.
A moment of carelessness could mean the difference between life and death. The real fight had only just begun.
They wanted to see how Chiya would respond next.
Sure enough, just as Chiya put away his Chidori, Kakuzu suddenly sprang back to life at full strength. He leaped high into the air, his right wrist separating from his arm as a mass of black threads burst from it. His enormous fist shot through the air toward Chiya's heart.
Earth Grudge Fear's signature tentacle fist was unleashed.
But before Kakuzu's fist had traveled far, Chiya's Chidori Sharp Spear struck first, piercing his left side and taking another heart.
With a cry of pain, Kakuzu plummeted straight to the ground.
"Tentacle Monster, I've never heard of a corpse having chakra. Playing dead is an outdated trick." Chiya shrugged slightly and put away his Chidori Sharp Spear.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Kakuzu roared. The only masks left on his back, one with a fire nature and the other with a wind nature, detached from his body and transformed into two black, monstrous creatures that gradually fused together.
Both masks opened their mouths, one releasing a mass of flames and the other a powerful gust of wind.
This was Kakuzu's compound technique, combining his two great ninjutsu—Fire Style: Searing Migraine and Wind Release: Pressure Damage—into Flame Wind Turbulence: Strange Mask Explosive Flame!
"My, my. Looks like Kakuzu's really been pushed to the brink. He's actually using that move." Seeing this, Orochimaru laughed, delighted to watch the drama unfold. He backed away to keep his distance from Kakuzu and