Tongue-Ripping Hell

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Uchiha Ryu had no idea what Ye Ning meant. He stood there, rooted to the spot, at a complete loss.

But Ye Ning had no intention of explaining it to him.

After all, no matter how much he said, letting him see it with his own eyes would be far more convincing.

Watching Ye Ning's actions, Kakuzu was dumbfounded.

This kid didn't seem to play by the rules!

Was he worried Kakuzu would have too hard a time earning those eighty million, so he'd come out to deliver the money himself?

In that case, Kakuzu would gladly take those eighty million!

Kakuzu gave a cold laugh and was just about to step forward when Ye Ning's figure vanished completely!

Huh?

Where'd he go?

The next instant, Ye Ning appeared in front of Kakuzu like a ghost.

A piercing chirp rang out from his hand, brilliant sparks of lightning flaring around it.

Lightning Release: Chidori!

After all these days of intensive training, Ye Ning still couldn't match Tsunade in taijutsu, but he had improved considerably since first arriving in Konoha. He had also become more and more adept at combining Swift Release with Chidori.

Their combined speed was so great this time that even Kakuzu couldn't react!

Kakuzu's expression changed abruptly. His body reacted on instinct as a tentacle-like arm burst out of the ground, rushing straight for Ye Ning's face.

But it was too late.

Chidori traced a graceful arc and pierced straight through the heart in Kakuzu's upper-left chest!

The tremendous impact sent Kakuzu flying. He smashed through seven or eight trees before finally coming to a stop.

The Uchiha around them were instantly dumbstruck.

They had thought this would be a tough fight against a powerful S-rank rogue ninja. But the battle had only just begun, and it was already over?

And Ye Ning himself had killed him?

Uchiha Ryu's throat bobbed twice as he swallowed. He suddenly felt that the world had gone a little mad.

The Daimyo's Son they'd been protecting all this time was actually stronger than they were?

Then what had they been protecting him for all this time?

Huh?

"Can someone explain to me how the Daimyo's Son can be this strong?"

One of the Uchiha ninja timidly asked the question, immediately earning glares from his companions.

You ask us? Who are we supposed to ask?

In the collapsed crater, Kakuzu coughed twice, then struggled to climb out. His expression was dark.

Damn it!

The intel was wrong!

This kid was no ordinary Daimyo's Son!

What Daimyo's Son could possibly be this ridiculously strong?

He might have let his guard down, but the fact remained that he'd lost a heart in a single exchange!

And this mission was only worth eighty million?

Kakuzu cursed the person who had posted the mission, inside and out.

At first, he'd thought the eighty million was due to Ye Ning's status.

Now that he thought about it, how could this mission possibly be worth only eighty million?

It should be at least thirty million more!

Kakuzu took a deep breath, already on his guard.

Ye Ning had been far too fast. Kakuzu hadn't been prepared, and he hadn't had time to react. More importantly, he hadn't even caught sight of Ye Ning's movements!

Ye Ning's strength far exceeded his expectations, and there were also fifteen Uchiha ninja nearby, ready to back him up.

That meant killing Ye Ning would undoubtedly be difficult.

Kakuzu was beginning to have second thoughts.

For now, all he'd lost was a heart with Water Release chakra. He could replenish it by hunting someone down later.

But if he kept fighting, he could lose a lot more than just one heart!

Most importantly, he wasn't even sure he'd get the eighty million!

Kakuzu panted a couple of times, then showed himself again.

"Wasn't he already dead?"

"How can he still be alive after his heart was pierced?"

Ye Ning patiently answered the Uchiha ninja's questions. "That's the strength of the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear. It gives the user five hearts, each representing a different chakra nature. Destroying just one of them isn't enough to kill him. You have to destroy all five hearts, each with a different chakra nature, to truly kill him."

"In other words, you just have to kill him five times."

Kakuzu: "..."

Kakuzu was completely dumbfounded.

He'd finally worked up the nerve to try again, to see if he could get that eighty million from Ye Ning, and now Ye Ning was telling everyone about his abilities?

And he was completely right—not a single detail was wrong!

Kakuzu panicked.

In a ninja battle, nothing was more dangerous than that.

If your enemy knew you inside and out, he was practically unbeatable. Meanwhile, you knew nothing about him, not even what abilities he had.

Aside from the incredible speed and Lightning Release Ninjutsu he'd just shown, Kakuzu knew nothing about Ye Ning. But all of Kakuzu's abilities had been laid bare.

No, not laid bare.

His intel had already been leaked without his knowing, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had gotten ahold of it!

"Getting distracted in the middle of a fight isn't a good habit."

Ye Ning's soft laugh suddenly sounded beside Kakuzu's ear.

The next instant, Kakuzu felt the world spinning around him.

The scenery around him changed violently. By the time everything settled, the whole world had transformed!

A blood-red world stretched before his eyes.

He couldn't make out anything around him; everything was blurred. But all around him came mournful wails and sobs, chilling as if he were in hell.

To Kakuzu's shock, he'd somehow been bound to an iron pillar. Several chains held him tight, and there was no way he could break free.

Before him, a blurry figure appeared.

Its face was indistinct, but he could just make out a strange grin beneath its hideous features.

In its hands was a massive pair of iron pincers, glinting coldly.

Where was this...? A genjutsu?

Kakuzu's heart clenched, and his entire body and mind tensed up.

Even though he realized he was inside Ye Ning's genjutsu, there was nothing he could do. He had no way to escape!

Ye Ning's figure soon appeared in the blood-red world as well.

"Kakuzu, welcome to my genjutsu space, Tongue-Ripping Hell. This is the first time I've had a chance to see this genjutsu's true power, so I hope you can hold out a little longer."

The corner of Ye Ning's mouth curled into a faint smile.

He had used Tongue-Ripping Hell on one of Danzo's subordinates when dealing with Danzo, but the Root ninja had only lasted a little while. He hadn't given Ye Ning a chance to see the genjutsu's true power.

Maybe Kakuzu could hold out a little longer?

"Now then, I hope you enjoy the next day and night."