Flame Wheel

The tomoe rotated, and the illusion descended.

The sound of chains rang out between the void and reality.

Slash—

Approximately 0.5 seconds.

This was the duration Kakuzu was held under the impact of the ocular power.

It was also the time it took for Sakumo to sever the Earth Grudge Fear mask.

"Aaaaaah!!!!"

A pain far more intense than having his Wind Style heart shattered swept through his entire body, forcing a wretched howl from Kakuzu.

Massive black tentacles surged from every part of his body, dancing wildly as terrifying Chakra erupted.

Several of them had clear, jagged breaks, with black liquid gushing out from within.

It wasn't just the heart...

He could clearly perceive that even a portion of the Earth Grudge Fear itself had been severed!!

Bastard!!

What have you done!!!

"Got it!"

Sakumo held his blade in one hand and the Fire Style Mask, wrapped in pitch-black tentacles, in the other.

The tentacles twitched frantically, looking incredibly ghastly.

This was the opportunity Sakumo had been waiting for throughout this battle.

Two critical strikes, two moments seized with absolute precision.

The White Fang of Konoha possessed no ocular jutsu, yet he possessed the discerning eyes to see through everything!

During the preceding battle, the seasoned Kakuzu had already deduced Kaminazuki's background.

At the same time, they had been gathering specific intelligence on Earth Grudge Fear.

Earth Grudge Fear could manipulate four hearts; to kill him, one had to destroy those four, plus the heart Kakuzu used for his own Earth Style.

Their goal had never been to kill Kakuzu, nor could they have achieved it.

Kaminazuki's close-quarters combat only reached the threshold of a jonin.

Sakumo, who had not yet been baptized by large-scale wars, was also a jonin with severe specialization; his instantaneous attack power even surpassed some elite jonin, but his stamina was significantly inferior.

It was likely due to being too indulgent in his youth, leading to a weaker constitution in adulthood—a traditional trait of the Hatake clan.

Kakuzu had been the strongest enforcer of Takigakure as far back as the era of the First Hokage; he was an elite jonin without question, or he would never have been sent to assassinate Hashirama Senju.

Later, he obtained the secret technique of Earth Grudge Fear, accumulating decades of combat experience.

If not for the massive disparity in intelligence between the two sides, the battle would never have developed into its current state.

The battle of a ninja is a battle of intelligence!

"Ah..."

Kakuzu's roar subsided, but when his gaze, filled with rage, turned toward Kaminazuki, he instinctively averted his eyes.

He did not understand.

His deductions should have been correct, so why...

What he could understand even less was...

Although he had been careless, how could a mere one-tomoe Sharingan cause his consciousness to stall!!

Looking at the portion of Earth Grudge Fear in Kaminazuki's hand, Kakuzu's eyes blazed with fire.

"Who... exactly are you people..."

The feeling of having all his intelligence laid bare made Kakuzu unable to stop asking the question over and over.

"Have you lived so long that you've developed senile dementia?"

Kaminazuki gripped the Earth Grudge Fear tightly; the black tentacles coiled around his arm as if they had a life of their own, their tips trying to pierce his skin.

"I've already shown you the proof of the Uchiha, yet you still ask such questions."

"Kamizuki, why do you have to insult him every time you speak? That isn't very polite."

Sakumo panted lightly; that last strike had consumed far more energy than the one that shattered the Wind Style Mask.

In a single instant, he had needed to sever the tentacles while ensuring he didn't damage the heart at the core of the mask.

His Chakra could support at most one more Lightning Style: White Fang Instant Kill.

Since the item was in hand, it was time to prepare for a retreat; there was no need to provoke the enemy further!

"Just learn from it."

Kamizuki said indifferently, "Rather than being affected by the enemy's words, it is better to seize the initiative and break their composure first."

"A ninja who loses their cool is significantly weakened."

"You... are right."

The one responding to Kamizuki was Kakuzu. The anger in his eyes gradually subsided as he looked at the enemy before him properly for the first time.

An enemy, not prey.

"The target wasn't me, or rather, not entirely me..."

Kakuzu said in a deep voice, "It just had to be the Fire Style that the Uchiha are best at. You wanted to borrow this portion of Earth Grudge Fear to perform Ninjutsu."

"You appeared head-on on purpose to make me think you were a reckless brat, letting me realize your constitution was special bit by bit, all to make me lower my guard against your Sharingan..."

"Uchiha Kamizuki... you are an outstanding ninja!"

The conclusion was correct, but the process was entirely wrong.

Kamizuki had truly wanted to charge in head-on. When he told Kakuzu he didn't want the Crimson Blade's first strike to be tarnished, he had been telling the truth.

He also hadn't expected Kakuzu to suddenly lock eyes with him, eyes wide open.

Who could resist taking a shot at him when he did that!

He hadn't discussed tactics with Sakumo beforehand; it was entirely Sakumo's individual ability that had seized this opportunity that wasn't really an opportunity at all.

As he spoke, the emotions Kakuzu had just calmed down surged into a frenzy once more.

The Earth Grudge Fear in Kamizuki's hand stopped struggling.

There were no hand seals, no complex rituals.

As Kamizuki's scarlet gaze fell upon it, the black tentacles retracted into the mask like shellfish encountering a natural predator, trembling as they wrapped around the heart.

The entire process took no more than ten seconds.

"This... is impossible..."

The voice was squeezed out from Kakuzu's throat.

Three days.

When he first seized the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique, it had taken him three full days to erode and assimilate it with his Chakra bit by bit, and only after taming it did it become a part of his body.

But now—

In an instant!!

His connection to that portion of Earth Grudge Fear was completely gone!!!

Kakuzu had taken the hearts of countless people and could accept the reality of his Earth Grudge Fear being stolen.

But such a massive gap in talent was something he could not accept!!

His eyes turned bloodshot, the stitches at the corners of his mouth began to burst, and black liquid seeped out, making him look like a vengeful spirit.

"Give it back..."

"Give the Earth Grudge Fear... give the treasure of Takigakure back to me!!!"

Kakuzu slammed his hands together, his Chakra surging violently as the Lightning Style mask on his shoulder shone with a brilliant silver light.

Lightning Style: False Darkness!!!!

"Let me consider it..."

"I think I'll refuse. After all... this is my treasure now!"

Kamizuki curled his lips, took the Crimson Blade from Sakumo's hand, and aligned the scarlet in his eyes with the edge of the blade.

In that moment—

Fire.

It began to spread.

From his arm to his palm, a dark red flow of flames climbed wildly along the spine of the Crimson Blade, the heat waves distorting the surrounding air.

The blade was completely covered in dark red patterns, resembling a crimson crescent moon.

This was a relic forged by that man with all his heart's blood, yet one he never managed to gift to his beloved.

In a daze, it felt as though the weapon possessed a life of its own, a faint, silent sorrow emanating from it.

The next moment, the hand gripping the hilt tightly dispelled that sorrow.

With an indomitable spirit, the blade swung!

BOOM!!

The flame was as thick as blood, shaped like a moon, its momentum like a blade, as a scorching heat capable of incinerating everything roared forth!!

--

"Fire Style: Flame Wheel Crimson Moon."

A soft whisper, calling out their names.

--

--

Lightning and flame completely illuminated the night sky!