Kakuzu: Impossible! Absolutely Impossible! The First Hokage Has Already...

The Earth Country.

The valley is surrounded by high mountains and lush trees. It is teeming with poisonous insects Yamanaka ferocious beasts. Without the escort of ninjas, it is impossible for ordinary people to cross this valley safely.

At this moment, two tall men dressed in black robes stepped into the Yamanaka.

It was precisely to offer a bounty for Kakuzu and the Wood Spirit Avatar who had ventured deep into the mountains and forests.

Kakuzu checked the information in the intelligence scroll, looked around, and said:

"According to intelligence, the 10 Million Ryo should be hiding here."

"Let's go then." Shiraha nodded. His main body had already followed Kushina to the Land of Whirlpools ruins, while part of his consciousness was remotely controlling the Wood Spirit Avatar.

On one hand, he wanted to experience the power of Wood Release firsthand; on the other hand, he could take this opportunity to travel the Shinobi World with Kakuzu and perhaps find some special herbs and minerals.

It has to be said that Kakuzu truly has making money ingrained in his very soul; he's either making money or on his way to making money.

He has been searching the Yamanaka for three days for the 10 Million Ryo ' that might be hiding in the valley. It's clear that he's not going to give up until he finds it.

In the past few days, Shiraha has collected quite a few specimens and special plants in the Yamanaka, so the trip has not been in vain.

"Once we find the target, you'll be in charge of the feint attack to draw their attention, while I'll take the main attack!"

"Kakuzu said in a deep voice."

In this two-person team, Kakuzu's status is higher than that of "Kodama".

"No problem, I'll go scout ahead first," Shiraha nodded.

He didn't care who was in command, after all, he wasn't as experienced as Kakuzu.

Kakuzu, who has lived for over eighty years, can be considered a living map of the Shinobi World.

He's been to almost every place where he could make money.

The narrow path leading into the valley alone is not one that most people can find.

Watching Shiraha's retreating figure quickly heading into the valley, Kakuzu remained expressionless, his eyes flickering slightly.

Click click click!

As soon as Shiraha entered the valley, he heard a strange sound, somewhat like the sound of a puppet moving its joints.

Whoosh whoosh!

A whooshing sound rang out.

More than a dozen Kunai shot out from the tree trunk behind Shiraha.

The one that shot out these Kunai was a humanoid puppet.

Boom--!

Shiraha dodged the Kunai that shot towards him with a few quick movements. The Exploding Tag attached to the Kunai burned out in mid-air, creating a huge explosion.

Affected by the shockwave from the explosion, Shiraha was thrown backward and flew away.

At this moment, two raging flames swept in from Shiraha's side.

The one releasing the flames was a handsome red-haired boy who looked like he was not yet an adult. He was controlling two puppets, releasing flames from the left and right, completely blocking Shiraha's escape route.

Boom!

' Wind Style: Pressure Damage!'

' Fire Style: Head Hunter Hard Skill!'

At that moment, on the cliff in the valley, two masked humanoid creatures made of black thread-like tentacles suddenly appeared and launched a combination Ninjutsu.

' Compound Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Wild Wave!'

The extremely high-pressure whirlwind created a powerful whirlwind that swept towards the red-haired boy.

Another Earth Grudge Fear Masked Monster's Fire Style was amplified by Wind Style, causing it to spread rapidly.

Like a tsunami, a massive wave of fire crashed down with overwhelming force.

Not only did it completely engulf the red-haired boy and the puppet he controlled, but it also attacked Shiraha along with him.

"Damn Kakuzu, no wonder he said he didn't want a partner, he really goes all out!" Shiraha laughed and cursed, then clasped his hands together and released Wood Release Ninjutsu just as the flames were about to engulf his body.

Wood Release · Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!

Boom!

Rows of curved wooden stakes broke through the ground, quickly forming an arched wooden wall that protected Shiraha within.

The flames engulfed the entire valley, turning it into a blazing inferno.

"Did they take him down?" Kakuzu looked at the valley billowing with thick smoke. "Hmm? That's... the Third Kazekage?!"

The scene before him startled Kakuzu.

At the edge of the valley, the red-haired boy had disappeared, leaving behind a pitch-black cube that didn't look like rock but rather like metal.

Most importantly, the puppet that manipulates the black cube looks exactly like the Third Kazekage who disappeared a few years ago.

The Third Kazekage, as the leader of Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and also the strongest Kazekage of all time, mastered the Magnet Release Ninjutsu and was one of the strongest people in the world.

His mysterious disappearance a few years ago became one of the reasons why Sunagakure launched an attack on Konoha.

I never imagined I'd be turned into a puppet.

If this were told to others, probably no one would believe it!

Furthermore, what puzzled Kakuzu was that on the other side, where the "Kodama" had just been, a wooden archway had appeared.

Is this Wood Release Ninjutsu?!

Click!

Shiraha controlled the archway to open, looked at Kakuzu above the cliff, and couldn't help but complain, "Hey! Kakuzu, are you planning to take me down with you?"

Kakuzu frowned deeply and remained silent.

At this moment, the pitch-black Iron Sand Block opened from the middle, revealing the handsome face of the red-haired boy.

"I remember now, you seem to be Sasori of the Red Sands, Jōnin from Sunagakure, one of the ninjas who disappeared along with the Third Kazekage. Now it seems, you were the one who killed the Third Kazekage?!"

Kakuzu spoke up.

"Now that you've discovered my secret, no matter who you are, I'm going to leave you here today!" The scorpion boy's voice rang out, filled with chilling killing intent.

"I want to see just how much of the Third Kazekage's former strength he has, now that he's been turned into a puppet!"

Kakuzu's expression darkened slightly, and his body suddenly swelled up.

Immediately afterwards, two more Earth Grudge Fear Masked Monsters detached from his body.

Although he spoke casually, he dared not be careless in the slightest when facing the strongest Kazekage of all time, and was prepared to use his full strength right from the start.

"Kodama, the situation has changed. Now, regardless of priorities, let's take him down together!"

Kakuzu called out to the Shiraha below.

"Hey! I haven't forgiven you for attacking me too!"

Shiraha complained.

Boom!

The huge triangular pyramid -Iron Sand Block pierced straight towards Shiraha, creating a huge crater where he had just landed.

"Why did you attack me without warning?! Do I look weak?" Shiraha said angrily, but his voice carried a hint of mockery.

The Innate Spell "Chain of Emotions" is unique, unlike "Wood Spirit Avatar" and "Demonic Scales".

This spell appears as an extra bonus from "Advanced Warlock Meditation Method" and is bound to Shiraha's Soul Bind, unlike "Wood Spirit Avatar" and "Demonic Scales" which require the power of bloodline to activate.

Therefore, even when part of Shiraha's soul is residing within the body of the Wood Spirit Avatar, he can still activate the "Chain of Emotions" to collect emotions.

Multiple Emotional Power converged in his soul, and now Shiraha began to consciously play various emotional roles in order to gain a deeper understanding of Emotional Power.

It has to be said that, compared to his usual calm demeanor, it seems that some of his hidden attributes have been activated now that he's wearing a disguise.

"Clown." Sasori said expressionlessly, watching the Masked Man constantly dodging, while continuously controlling the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet to launch attacks on Shiraha.

"Kakuzu! Why aren't you coming to help!" Shiraha's anxious voice rang out.

Standing on the cliff Kakuzu shook his head slightly. "As expected, it couldn't be him."

Water Style: Water Veil!

Fire Style: Head Hunter Hard Skill!

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

Wind Style: Pressure Damage!

Earth Release: Earth Spear, Tentacle Fist!

At this moment, Kakuzu, who had been watching the battle, simultaneously activated five different escape techniques, covering Shiraha and Sasori below once again.

"Hey! Kakuzu! What are you doing?" Shiraha's angry voice rang out, but his hands moved quickly, retreating while releasing Wood Release.

On the other side, Sasori reacted even faster. He leaped onto the back of the Third Kazekage, then manipulated Human Puppet to use Magnet Release to fly into the sky. After dodging Kakuzu's Five Elements Chain Ninjutsu, he used a wide-range attack type Magnet Release Ninjutsu.

' Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!'

A massive amount of Iron Sand, like raindrops, densely covered the entire sky. Then, these raindrop-like Iron Sand quickly transformed into Senbon, shooting towards Kakuzu and Shiraha.

Whoosh whoosh!

The fine, sharp whistling sounds of air being torn apart were Senbon. The Iron Sand formed a dense, impenetrable net, carpeting the ground and cliffs.

In the blink of an eye, the ground was riddled with holes, covered with Senbon tiny needle-like needles.

Because of the distance, Kakuzu immediately reassembled the Earth Grudge Fear Masked Monster and then released Earth Release Ninjutsu to block the first wave of attacks from the Iron Sand Senbon.

After the earthen wall was destroyed by the Iron Sand Senbon, he used the skin hardening ability of ' Earth Release: Earth Spear ' to block subsequent attacks.

"Take one down!" Sasori looked down, glanced at Shiraha who was covered in quills, curled his lip, and then looked at Kakuzu: "Now it's your turn."

Kakuzu frowned, not expecting that a bounty of 10 Million Ryo would be so difficult to obtain.

"That damned Kodama, all talk and no action, got taken down so easily. What a piece of trash," Kakuzu thought to himself, looking at the already defeated Shiraha.

"Oh dear! That was close!"

At that moment, a mocking voice suddenly came from above the cliff.

Kakuzu was startled and turned around to see Shiraha standing unharmed beside him.

Shiraha stretched out his right hand, spread his index finger and thumb, made a gesture, and complained in an exaggerated tone, "I was really just a hair's breadth away from being taken down!"

Kakuzu quickly looked down at the 'corpse' and felt a chill run down his spine.

Shiraha's corpse was still lying in the same spot, but it had turned into a wooden figure in human form.

"This is... the Wood Clone Technique?!" Kakuzu's eyes widened. This was definitely not a low-level Ninjutsu like the Substitution Technique, but the Wood Clone Technique.

Back then, he was sent by Takigakure to assassinate the First. He fought a fierce battle with the First's Wood Clone and was seriously injured, almost dying. This terrifying memory remains vivid in his mind even after so many years.

Kodama!

Who exactly is this person?

Why is he able to use Wood Release?

What is its relationship with the First?

Could it be that he really is?

Just as Kakuzu was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Shiraha beside him suddenly returned to his normal tone, his voice slightly deep as he said, "Never mind, it's not fun."

Shiraha clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Rumble~

The earth trembled violently, and the ground cracked inch by inch, as if a dragon had turned over. A huge dragon-shaped tree trunk, more than forty meters long, burst out of the ground, covered with sharp thorns.

The Wood Dragon, as if alive, leaped into the air and with a powerful tail swing, sent the giant black cube summoned by Sasori using Magnet Release flying.

Kakuzu looked on in disbelief. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The First Hokage is already..."