Inside the cave, Lin Feng lounged with one leg crossed over the other. In the air before him, a live image made of Chakra hovered.
The image was naturally coming from Black Zetsu.
That old schemer's ability to gather intelligence was truly exceptional. Not only was the image crystal clear, it even came with surround sound. It was better than the 4K Blu-ray he used to watch with his Bilibili membership in his previous life.
"Call out the guy hiding behind you."
"A coward who only knows how to skulk behind the scenes and send a few brats to do his dirty work has no right to be my boss."
"Tell him to come out and fight me himself!"
Kakuzu's hoarse, arrogant voice came through the image. Lin Feng nearly spat out his water.
Well, damn.
He was going straight for the jugular.
The old bastard had lived a long time, and he sure had some nerve.
If this were the real Uchiha Madara, he'd probably already be considering which version of Tengai Shinsei to use to wipe the entire Land of Hot Water off the map.
"Interesting." Lin Feng rubbed his chin. He wasn't angry at all—in fact, he was amused.
This was even more exciting than he'd expected.
He was curious to see how the "god" he'd personally trained would handle this situation.
In the image, the atmosphere in the Underground Bounty Station had grown so tense it felt frozen.
Everyone had stopped what they were doing, glancing back and forth between Nagato and Kakuzu as if they were watching a show.
One was a mysterious young man of unknown origin who struck without mercy.
The other was a notorious veteran rogue ninja who even the Five Great Nations had trouble dealing with.
If those two fought, it'd be a lot more interesting than any gambling-house betting pool.
Yahiko and Konan both looked tense. They could sense that the man called Kakuzu gave off an aura even more dangerous and sinister than the one Hanzo the Salamander had radiated when they'd faced him.
It was the scent of nearly a century steeped in nothing but slaughter and greed.
Nagato, however, remained calm.
He merely turned his head and said one thing to Yahiko and Konan behind him.
"Stand back."
Then he turned around. His emotionless Rinnegan stared straight into Kakuzu's green-glinting eyes.
"You want to meet him?"
Nagato's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire Underground Bounty Station.
"You're not worthy."
"Only after earning my approval will you be qualified to look up to him."
Boom!
The instant he finished speaking, the ground beneath Nagato's feet exploded!
He shot toward Kakuzu like a cannonball!
No flashy Hand Seals, no unnecessary movements—just the most direct, most violent Taijutsu charge!
"You've got some guts!"
Kakuzu's face was hidden behind his mask, so his expression was impossible to read, but a hint of approval flashed in his green eyes.
He neither dodged nor flinched. He threw a punch of his own!
His fist was covered in a pitch-black hardened substance, an extreme application of Earth Style: Earth Spear, tough enough to clash head-on with the sharpest Ninja Blade!
Bang!
The two fists, one large and one small, collided with tremendous force.
A visible shock wave burst outward from the two of them!
The bounty hunters who'd been watching were blown off their feet, and tables, chairs, and gambling equipment shattered across the floor!
"Hm?"
Kakuzu let out a surprised grunt.
The sight he'd expected—his opponent's bones shattering—never came.
The kid's body was far tougher than he'd imagined.
Nagato's first attack failed to land. He didn't linger for even a moment; his body twisted strangely in midair, and his right leg whipped out like a lash, sweeping toward Kakuzu's neck with a sharp rush of wind!
Kakuzu didn't block it head-on. He dipped low and nimbly dodged, moving with a grace that didn't match his tall frame.
At the same time, his other hand, hidden beneath his cloak, shot out. His fingers curled into a claw as he reached for Nagato's abdomen!
"Preta Path."
Nagato spoke the three words softly, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
An invisible Chakra barrier appeared before him in an instant.
The moment Kakuzu's claw touched it, he felt the hardened skin he prided himself on—and the Chakra within his body—being sucked away by a strange force!
"That's... the Absorption Seal?"
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, and he immediately withdrew, putting distance between them.
In his long life, he'd seen countless secret arts and forbidden techniques, but this was the first time he'd encountered an ability that could directly absorb Ninjutsu and Chakra.
"Interesting. Very interesting!"
Kakuzu burst into excited laughter. It sounded like two sheets of sandpaper rubbing together, making everyone's scalp crawl.
"Looks like you're worth a little more than I thought."
As soon as he finished speaking—
The black cloak on his back suddenly bulged. Four monsters wearing different masks and connected by dark threads tore free of his back and landed on the ground!
"Roar!"
All four monsters let out inhuman roars. They took up positions in four directions, surrounding Nagato and the others.
Wind, fire, lightning, water.
Four entirely different, yet equally violent, Chakra natures erupted from the monsters!
"What...?"
Konan's face instantly went pale.
She could sense that each of the four monsters possessed as much Chakra as an elite Jonin!
With Kakuzu himself on top of that, they were facing five powerful enemies at once!
"Warm-up's over, kid."
Kakuzu spread his arms like a conductor standing at center stage.
"Now, let me show you what true fear looks like!"
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"
The wind monster wearing a bird-beak mask and the fire monster wearing a demon mask launched their attacks at the same time!
A massive tornado and a sea of flames merged in an instant, forming a devastating firestorm that swept toward Nagato and the others!
The power of the combination technique was enough to flatten a small mountain!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato spread his arms, and the Rinnegan in his eyes spun rapidly!
An even more powerful field of repulsive force erupted around him!
Rumble—!
The firestorm slammed into the invisible wall of repulsion!
The entire Underground Bounty Station shook violently and began to collapse under the force of their collision!
Huge rocks rained down from the ceiling, and deep fissures split open in the floor!
The bounty hunters who failed to escape in time were torn to pieces by the rampaging energy!
Nagato's repulsive field held for less than three seconds before showing signs of collapse.
The firestorm was simply too powerful!
"It's no use!" Kakuzu's voice rang out over the din. "My combination technique is perfect! Your ocular jutsu can't stop it!"
"Gah!"
Nagato spat out a mouthful of blood, and the powerful impact drove him backward step by step.
Behind him, Yahiko and Konan were also doing everything they could to withstand the shock waves. Their situation was dire.
"Nagato!" Konan cried anxiously.
"Damn it!" Yahiko gritted his teeth, his Kunai bent in his clenched hand.
He hated feeling this helpless.
Every time, every single time, it was the same!
Every time, Nagato stood in front of them and took all the damage!
"It's over."
Kakuzu looked at the crumbling field of repulsion and declared victory.
Just then—
The lightning monster wearing an ox-head mask behind him suddenly moved without warning!
It didn't attack Nagato. Instead, it whipped around, opened its mouth, and fired a blinding bolt of lightning straight at Kakuzu's back!
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
The sudden turn of events caught everyone completely off guard!
Kakuzu's pupils contracted sharply!
He'd never dreamed that the heart-monster he controlled with his secret technique would betray him!
It was too close!
He had no time to dodge!
Inside the cave, Lin Feng held a cup of hot water he'd just boiled with Fire Style and blew on it.
"Mm, it's about ready."
He'd merely used Black Zetsu's shared vision to attach a sliver of his Rinnegan's power to the lightning monster.
Then he'd given it a simple command: "Attack the target in front of you."
He hadn't expected it to work so well.
That was what you called using an enemy's own methods against them.
Using their spear to stab their shield.
On the battlefield—
"Pfft!"
The ferocious lightning struck Kakuzu squarely in the back.
It pierced straight through his body!
"Ugh..."
Kakuzu's body went rigid. He lowered his head in disbelief and stared at the bowl-sized hole in his chest, which was still smoking.
After delivering its attack, the lightning monster wearing the ox-head mask rapidly withered. Finally, it fell to the ground with a thud, reduced to a broken mask.
Kakuzu had lost one of his hearts.
Meanwhile, with the lightning support gone, the firestorm's power was greatly diminished.
Nagato seized the opening and unleashed the full force of his ocular power!
"Break!"
The field of repulsion abruptly expanded, crushing and scattering the remaining flames and wind!
The smoke cleared.
Kakuzu clutched his chest and knelt on one knee, gasping for air. His green eyes were filled with confusion and suspicion.
Why?
Why had his heart betrayed him?!
Nagato was also stunned.
He didn't know what had happened, but he knew that opening hadn't been a coincidence.
A faint ripple of power, with the same origin as his own, had flashed over the lightning monster.
Was it... that man?
Had he intervened from the shadows?
"What... what did you do?" Kakuzu asked hoarsely, his voice carrying a hint of fear for the first time.
The feeling that something was beyond his control—that even his most fundamental secret technique could be turned against him in an instant—frightened him more than any powerful Ninjutsu.
Nagato didn't answer.
He didn't know what to say, either.
But as a worthy representative of a "god," he knew that staying silent and mysterious was the best answer.
He walked toward Kakuzu, who was still kneeling on one knee.
The two remaining monsters tried to move forward and protect their master, but Kakuzu stopped them with a raised hand.
Kakuzu stared hard at Nagato's utterly emotionless Rinnegan.
Suddenly, he understood.
It wasn't the kid.
The kid's ocular jutsu was strange, but he couldn't possibly control Kakuzu's heart without Kakuzu noticing.
There was only one answer.
The person lurking behind the scenes!
The real "boss," who wouldn't even show his face, yet could easily control Kakuzu's secret technique from a hundred miles away!
This was beyond the realm of Ninjutsu.
This was... a power only a god could possess!
"I..." Kakuzu's throat bobbed. He felt the long-forgotten threat of what it meant to die. "I... will join."
At last, he lowered the proud head that he had never bowed to anyone for the sake of money.
Nagato stopped walking.
Yahiko and Konan also breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground.
However, just when everyone thought it was all over,
a voice suddenly rang out in the minds of all four of them: Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Kakuzu.
The voice was detached and majestic, as if it came from the highest heavens.
"Kakuzu, welcome aboard."
"As a newcomer, you are hereby given your first mission."
"Kill those two."
The voice was referring to Yahiko and Konan.
Before you continue