Victory!

Although the composite ninjutsu used by Hyuuga Nen was quite powerful, it still could not compare to Kakuzu, and he was quickly suppressed by Kakuzu's ninjutsu.

Watching the flames erupt in all directions, Hyuuga Nen did not hesitate for a second, spinning his body rapidly.

"Rotation!"

The sounds of explosions on the battlefield and the collision between the Rotation and the flames echoed all around, and thick smoke shrouded the entire battlefield.

As the smoke cleared, Hyuuga Nen's figure was revealed. However, the moment Hyuuga Nen came to a stop, several giant black tentacles burst out directly from beneath the ground.

These tentacles entangled Hyuuga Nen with extreme speed, binding his limbs and waist simultaneously, leaving him unable to move.

Hyuuga Nen looked ahead and discovered that Kakuzu's form had changed at some point; eight massive black tentacles had extended from Kakuzu's body.

These tentacles were composed of the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear, extending from the masks on Kakuzu's shoulders and back; one black tentacle even protruded directly from Kakuzu's mouth, looking incredibly grotesque.

"This way, you won't be able to use your Gentle Fist, right? I'll be taking your heart!"

Kakuzu opened his mouth wide, and the long tentacle extended from within, making his speech sound muffled and unclear.

"Go to hell!" Before he had even finished speaking, the tentacle on Kakuzu's mouth lunged rapidly toward Hyuuga Nen's heart.

Watching the tentacle rush toward his heart, even though his hands and feet were bound, no look of panic appeared on Hyuuga Nen's face. He clenched his fists and tensed his entire body, as if preparing for something.

"Let me show you what true Gentle Fist is," Hyuuga Nen said calmly, looking at Kakuzu.

"Gentle Fist: Body Strike Method: Needle!"

Hyuuga Nen controlled the chakra within his body, compressing it into needle-like shapes, and then instantly erupted them from every tenketsu on his body.

Accompanied by a "hissing" sound, the black tentacles binding Hyuuga Nen were pierced through by his chakra, turning into fine fragments that fell to the ground.

Watching the black tentacle launched from Kakuzu's mouth, Hyuuga Nen charged forward instead. He reached out, grabbed the tentacle, and yanked it toward himself with force, causing Kakuzu to fly toward Hyuuga Nen uncontrollably.

Watching Kakuzu rush toward him with wide eyes, Hyuuga Nen began to compress the chakra in his body, raising his palm and aiming it at Kakuzu.

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Hyuuga Nen unleashed three consecutive Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms, each one stronger than the last. Three translucent, giant palm shadows rushed rapidly toward Kakuzu.

The first palm struck Kakuzu directly into mid-air, the immense power snapping all the black tentacles in Kakuzu's mouth.

"Ah!"

Kakuzu let out a scream, but even so, he instantly utilized the Earth Spear Technique in mid-air, assuming a defensive stance.

Just as he set his defense, the second Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm slammed directly into Kakuzu. Kakuzu's Earth Spear Technique did not withstand the attack as he had hoped; instead, it was shattered by Hyuuga Nen's Gentle Fist chakra.

Following the third dull thud, the final Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm struck Kakuzu. By this time, Kakuzu was unable to mount a defense and could only watch helplessly as Hyuuga Nen's attack arrived.

"Aaaaaah!" It was not just Kakuzu who screamed; the several mask monsters on his body did as well.

Under the Byakugan, Hyuuga Nen could clearly see the mask monsters on Kakuzu's back protruding from his skin after being struck, emitting shrill cries as if they were trying to escape Kakuzu's body.

After unleashing the three Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms, Hyuuga Nen did not pause for a moment, charging rapidly toward the falling Kakuzu.

Damn it, just give me a few seconds. If I can just recover for a few seconds, I can counterattack! Kakuzu thought with difficulty as he spat out a large mouthful of blood in mid-air.

By then, Hyuuga Nen had caught up to Kakuzu. Kakuzu had already landed on the ground, stumbling back a few steps. Although he was now injured, he had managed to successfully activate the Earth Spear Technique at the very last moment.

Seeing the black glow radiating from Kakuzu's body, Hyuuga Nen did not show any surprise; instead, the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly.

Closing the distance to stand before Kakuzu, Hyuuga Nen extended both hands, pressing them toward Kakuzu's chest, appearing as if he were about to strike.

Must block this!

That was the only thought in Kakuzu's mind at that instant. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes locked tightly on Hyuuga Nen's outstretched hands, assuming a defensive posture.

However, just as Hyuuga Nen's attack was about to land on Kakuzu, in that very instant, Kakuzu seemed to see Hyuuga Nen's hands pause for a fraction of a second. At the same time, Hyuuga Nen spat from his mouth, and a senbon made of Wind Release pierced directly through Kakuzu's eye before he could react.

"Aaaaaah!"

With his eyeball pierced, Kakuzu let out a blood-curdling scream. At this moment, Kakuzu could no longer maintain the Earth Spear Technique.

The ninjutsu Hyuuga Nen spat from his mouth was merely a D-rank technique, "Wind Release: Wind Senbon." This was a technique Hyuuga Nen had activated via a Seal of Delay after splitting into two shadow clones earlier.

Seeing that Kakuzu's Earth Spear Technique had dissipated, Hyuuga Nen gathered all the chakra in his body, channeling it into his hands.

"Gentle Fist, Maximum Rotation!"

"Kakuzu, die here!"

Hyuuga Nen's hands slammed heavily into Kakuzu's chest, pouring all of his Gentle Fist chakra into Kakuzu's body.

The Gentle Fist chakra erupted directly inside Kakuzu. Kakuzu's body emitted a dull, explosive sound, and a circular white shockwave expanded directly from beneath Hyuuga Nen's feet.

"Boom!"

Kakuzu was sent flying backward, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood mixed with bits of flesh. After receiving this blow, all the organs inside Kakuzu's body had been shattered by Hyuuga Nen's Gentle Fist.

At the same time, the masks on Kakuzu's back shattered into countless fragments and scattered.

After crashing through who knows how many trees, Kakuzu's body slammed heavily into the ground, leaving a long trench behind. By then, Kakuzu's chest had completely caved in, and he lay limp on the ground.

Seeing Kakuzu's miserable state, Hyuuga Nen did not stop; he immediately began forming hand seals, preparing to cast an Earth Release technique.

As Hyuuga Nen's Wind Senbon pierced through Kakuzu's eyeball, he had already seen through his Byakugan that one of the masked monsters had, in that very instant, submerged underground using an Earth Style technique.

"Truly difficult to kill." Hyuuga Nen spoke while weaving hand signs, preparing to dive underground to finish Kakuzu off for good.

However, at this moment, Hyuuga Nen noticed that others had already been drawn to the commotion of the battle. Through his Byakugan, he saw that those arriving were several ninjas wearing animal masks.

Among them was a man with silver hair, standing tall and spiked like a broom.

"Are these people Anbu from Konoha? Is that man in the front Kakashi?"

In that instant, a flurry of thoughts flashed through Hyuuga Nen's mind—whether to kill Kakuzu outright or attempt to conceal his identity—but in the end, Hyuuga Nen simply let out a long sigh.

"The worst-case scenario has happened after all. Time to leave."

With that said, Hyuuga Nen ignored the final black masked monster Kakuzu had left behind and immediately bolted into the distance.