Hyuuga Nen leaped sideways onto a tree trunk, dodging the incoming fist, but Kakuzu's fist suddenly veered sharply in midair and shot toward Hyuuga Nen from behind.
Hyuuga Nen drew his samurai sword and blocked Kakuzu's fist. With a slight push, he deflected it from its original path. The chakra-infused blade struck the black threads connecting the hand.
With two sharp snips, the threads connecting Kakuzu's body to his hand were cut, and the hand dropped beneath the tree.
To Hyuuga Nen's surprise, even after some of the threads had been cut, they continued attacking him. They quickly wrapped around the hand holding his samurai sword, then tightened and dragged him toward the ground.
Hyuuga Nen gathered chakra in his arm and instantly released it from the chakra points there. With two sharp pops, he broke free of the threads.
The technique Hyuuga Nen had just used was Gentle Fist Art: One Body Strike. Any member of the Hyuga Clan capable of using Rotation could use this move, and Hyuuga Nen had mastered Rotation long ago.
The moment Hyuuga Nen landed, Kakuzu's other hand burst out of the ground and reached for his neck.
Hyuuga Nen blocked Kakuzu's attack with his samurai sword again, trying to cut through the threads once more.
But just then, the hand Hyuuga Nen had cut off had somehow been reattached. Kakuzu controlled his arm to seize Hyuuga Nen's sword, and black light gathered in the palm.
With two cracking sounds, Kakuzu crushed the ordinary-quality samurai sword in his black hand.
Taking advantage of the opening, Hyuuga Nen let go of the hilt, dodged another fist, then leaped backward and ran off, leaving Kakuzu's reach.
"Don't think you can escape!" Kakuzu shouted, then chased after Hyuuga Nen.
I need to get away from him at full speed. I don't want to get bogged down fighting him here, Hyuuga Nen thought as he ran.
After chasing him for a while, Kakuzu realized he couldn't keep up with Hyuuga Nen at full speed. He stopped, tore off his clothes, and threw them to the ground, then crouched forward.
Four mask-like things were exposed on Kakuzu's back. With a strange cry, two of them slowly detached from his body and transformed into black masked monsters that hovered in the air.
"Heh heh, you can't escape." After saying this, Kakuzu resumed his pursuit of Hyuuga Nen.
Hyuuga Nen ran for a while, and just as he thought he had escaped Kakuzu, he heard two rushing sounds behind him. Turning around, he saw two black masked monsters flying through the air.
Are these monsters created by Earth Grudge Fear? They're so fast! The thought flashed through Hyuuga Nen's mind.
Hyuuga Nen saw one of the black monsters open its mouth. Wind Style chakra had already gathered inside.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom."
One air cannon after another shot from the monster's mouth. The blasts struck the trees and ground, blasting huge holes through them—a testament to the technique's power.
As Hyuuga Nen dodged the air cannons, the other black masked monster opened its mouth too, sending fireball after fireball flying toward him.
Amid a series of explosions, Hyuuga Nen desperately evaded the attacks of the two monsters. In the meantime, Kakuzu caught up with him, and together with the monsters, surrounded him in a triangle formation.
"You're pretty fast, but can you still run now?" Kakuzu gave a smug laugh and looked at Hyuuga Nen mockingly.
Damn it. These monsters are faster than me. I can't get away now. Seeing things go as badly as possible, Hyuuga Nen cursed Kakuzu bitterly in his mind.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Kakuzu quickly formed hand seals. Powerful Lightning Release chakra gathered in his mouth and condensed into a sharp spear of lightning, which shot toward Hyuuga Nen at tremendous speed.
Hyuuga Nen dodged Kakuzu's technique in a panic. Looking at the ground, which had been deeply slashed open, he widened his eyes. That technique is incredibly powerful, and it's far faster than I expected. If it hits me, I'm done for. Hyuuga Nen thought nervously.
Hyuuga Nen tried to find cover behind obstacles, but with the two black monsters assisting him, Kakuzu could easily find where he was hiding.
After a while, Kakuzu's attacks finally stopped. By then, Lightning Release had carved a long gash into Hyuuga Nen's arm, and there were several small scratches on his face, caused by stones thrown by the explosions.
As Hyuuga Nen gasped for breath, the two black monsters sprang into action again. They gathered chakra simultaneously and faced him from either side, ready to attack from both directions.
Fire Style and Wind Style erupted from the monsters' mouths at the same time. A high-pressure vortex of wind and a vast expanse of blazing flames, like a surging sea, rushed toward Hyuuga Nen from opposite directions.
Damn it, I can't dodge. I have no choice but to use that move. Looks like my identity is going to be exposed, Hyuuga Nen sighed inwardly.
"Rotation."
Hyuuga Nen pivoted on one foot and pushed off with the other, sending the force from his soles through his hips, waist, shoulders, and then his entire body. In an instant, he began spinning at high speed.
As he spun, Hyuuga Nen released the chakra within him all at once through the chakra points across his body. His rotation formed a swirling sphere of azure chakra that blocked all of Kakuzu's attacks.
Seeing the technique Hyuuga Nen had used, Kakuzu's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, no way! Is that the Hyuga Clan's Rotation?"
As Kakuzu spoke, Hyuuga Nen came to a stop, and black markings appeared on his face. With a poof and a swirl of smoke, Hyuuga Nen revealed his true appearance, along with his pair of pale eyes.
Since Hyuuga Nen had unleashed all the chakra within him, he could no longer maintain his Transformation Technique. The seal on his Byakugan had also been undone by the disruption to his chakra flow.
For the first time, Hyuuga Nen had revealed his true face in front of an outsider.
"Could you be from the Hyuga Clan's Main Branch?" Kakuzu looked at Hyuuga Nen's smooth forehead, which bore no Forehead Protector, his expression puzzled.
"No, that's not right. You're not from the Hyuga Clan's Main Branch. Someone from the Main Branch wouldn't spend two years working as a bounty ninja out in the world."
Kakuzu paused as if to think, then continued:
"Haha, I get it. You're neither from the Main Branch nor the Branch Family. Your situation is really interesting. If I handed your information over to the Black Market, you'd probably have a lot of people hunting you down, wouldn't you?"
Kakuzu regarded Hyuuga Nen with an intrigued expression.
Hyuuga Nen looked at Kakuzu with a grim expression. He didn't deny what Kakuzu had said, because it was true.
"You look pretty grim, but I won't spread your information. You're going to die here today, and I'll get a pair of Byakugan too."
Kakuzu stared at Hyuuga Nen with malicious intent.
Hyuuga Nen silently watched Kakuzu.
If I kill you, my information won't get out! Hyuuga Nen thought fiercely.
Before you continue