Kakuzu, You're So Arrogant, Aren't You? The Boss's Remote Control Is Pressed Onto Your Face!

Inside the cave, Lin Feng sat with his legs crossed, watching a real-time broadcast composed of chakra suspended in the air before him.

The source of the feed, naturally, was Black Zetsu.

That old schemer's reconnaissance abilities were truly top-tier; not only was the image high-definition, but it even came with surround sound, making it more impressive than the 4K Blu-rays he used to watch with a premium subscription in his past life.

"Call out that coward hiding behind you."

"Someone who only knows how to skulk in the shadows and send a few brats to do his dirty work isn't qualified to be my boss."

"Tell him to crawl out here himself and spar with me!"

As Kakuzu's raspy, arrogant voice rang out from the screen, Lin Feng nearly spat out his drink.

Good grief.

He was really going for the throat.

This old geezer had lived long enough, and he certainly had the guts to match.

If it had been the real Uchiha Madara, he would probably already be considering which angle of Tengai Shinsei to use to wipe the entire Land of Hot Water off the map.

"Interesting." Lin Feng rubbed his chin, not angry in the slightest, but rather amused.

This script was even more thrilling than he had anticipated.

He wanted to see how the "God" he had personally groomed would handle this situation.

Within the feed, the atmosphere at the Underground Bounty Station had frozen to an absolute breaking point.

Everyone had ceased their activities, casting looks of anticipation as they darted their eyes back and forth between Nagato and Kakuzu.

One was a mysterious youth of unknown origin with a ruthless streak.

The other was a legendary rogue ninja whose notoriety made even the Five Great Nations suffer headaches.

If these two were to clash, it would be far more entertaining than any casino opening its doors.

Yahiko and Konan's expressions were taut; they could sense that the man named Kakuzu exuded an aura even more dangerous and evil than the Hanzo the Salamander they had faced before.

It was a scent forged from nearly a century of pure slaughter and greed.

Nagato, however, remained calm.

He simply turned his head and spoke a single sentence to Yahiko and Konan behind him.

"Step back."

Then, he turned back, his emotionless Rinnegan staring directly into Kakuzu's glowing green eyes.

"You want to see him?"

Nagato's voice was low, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire Underground Bounty Station.

"You aren't worthy."

"Only by earning my recognition will you have the qualification to look up to him."

BOOM!

The moment the words left his lips, the ground beneath Nagato's feet exploded!

He shot forward like a cannonball, instantly charging toward Kakuzu!

There were no flashy hand signs, no wasted movements—only the most direct, violent display of taijutsu.

"Got some nerve!"

Kakuzu's face, hidden behind his mask, remained unreadable, but a flicker of approval flashed in his green eyes.

He didn't dodge or retreat, throwing a punch of his own!

His fist was covered in a layer of ink-black, hardened material—the ultimate application of Earth Style: Earth Spear, strong enough to clash head-on with the sharpest ninja blades!

BANG!

The two fists, one large and one small, collided with a brutal force.

A visible shockwave erupted from the center of their impact!

The bounty hunters watching the spectacle were instantly sent stumbling, while tables, chairs, and gambling equipment shattered across the floor.

"Hm?"

Kakuzu let out a soft sound of surprise.

The scene he had anticipated—the opponent's bones shattering—had not occurred.

The physical durability of this brat far exceeded his expectations.

Nagato didn't linger after his first strike failed; his body twisted in mid-air with an uncanny maneuver, his right leg whipping out like a lash, whistling through the air as it swept toward Kakuzu's neck!

Kakuzu didn't take the hit head-on, instead ducking with an agility that defied his large frame to evade the strike.

At the same time, his other hand, hidden beneath his cloak, lunged out, fingers curled into claws as he swiped at Nagato's abdomen!

"Preta Path."

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Nagato calmly uttered the three words.

An invisible barrier of chakra instantly manifested before him.

The moment Kakuzu's claws made contact with the barrier, he felt his pride-and-joy hardened skin, along with the chakra within his body, being frantically drained by a bizarre force!

"This is... Absorption Seal?"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, and he immediately pulled back to put some distance between them.

Having lived for so many years, he had seen countless secret and forbidden techniques, but this was the first time he had encountered an ability that could directly absorb ninjutsu and chakra.

"Interesting, truly interesting!"

Kakuzu laughed with excitement, the sound like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, enough to make one's scalp crawl.

"It seems your value is a little higher than I imagined."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his black cloak bulged violently. Four monsters, connected by pitch-black threads and wearing different masks, tore free from his back and landed on the ground!

"Roar!"

The four monsters let out inhuman bellows simultaneously, occupying four different positions and surrounding Nagato and his companions.

Wind, fire, lightning, water.

Four distinct yet equally violent chakra attributes erupted from the four monsters!

"This is..."

Konan's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

She could sense that each of these four monsters possessed a volume of chakra no less than that of an elite jonin!

Combined with Kakuzu himself, this was equivalent to facing five powerful enemies at once!

"Brats, the warm-up is over."

Kakuzu spread his arms wide, like a conductor standing in the center of a stage.

"Now, let me show you what true fear is!"

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

The wind-attribute monster wearing the bird-beak mask and the fire-attribute monster wearing the demon mask launched their attacks simultaneously!

A massive tornado and an overwhelming sea of fire merged instantly, forming a world-destroying firestorm that swept toward Nagato and the others!

The power of this combined ninjutsu was enough to raze a small mountain to the ground!

"Shinra Tensei!"

Nagato spread his hands, the Rinnegan in his pupils spinning rapidly!

A more powerful repulsive field erupted with him at its center!

Boom!

The firestorm and the invisible wall of repulsion collided violently!

The entire Underground Bounty Station trembled and began to collapse under the clash of these two forces!

Giant boulders rained down from the ceiling, and deep, bottomless fissures tore through the ground!

Those bounty hunters who couldn't escape in time were instantly shredded to pieces by the rampaging energy!

Nagato's repulsive field showed signs of collapsing after holding for less than three seconds.

The power of that firestorm was simply too immense!

"It's useless!" Kakuzu's voice rang out amidst the roar. "My combined ninjutsu is perfect! Your ocular technique cannot stop it!"

Pfft!

Nagato spat out a mouthful of blood, his body pushed back step by step by the powerful impact.

Behind him, Yahiko and Konan were also using all their strength to withstand the scattering shockwaves, their situation becoming precarious.

"Nagato!" Konan cried out in anxiety.

"Damn it!" Yahiko gritted his teeth, the kunai in his hand deforming from his grip.

He hated this feeling of helplessness.

Every time, it was always like this!

Every time, Nagato was the one standing in front of them, bearing all the damage!

"It's over."

Kakuzu watched the crumbling repulsive field and issued his declaration of victory.

Just then.

The lightning-attribute monster with the bull mask behind him suddenly moved without warning!

Instead of attacking Nagato, it turned abruptly, opened its maw, and a blinding bolt of lightning blasted fiercely toward Kakuzu's own back!

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard!

Kakuzu's pupils constricted violently!

He never could have dreamed that the heart-monster he controlled with his secret technique would actually betray him!

The distance was too close!

He had no time to dodge at all!

Inside the cave, Lin Feng held a cup of hot water he had just boiled with Fire Style, blowing on it gently.

"Hmm, the temperature is just about right."

Just moments ago, he had used Black Zetsu's shared vision to attach a sliver of his Rinnegan's ocular power to that lightning-attribute monster.

Then, he simply gave it a basic command: "Attack the target in front of you."

He hadn't expected the results to be so surprisingly effective.

This was what they called using the enemy's own methods to defeat them.

Using your spear to pierce your shield.

On the battlefield.

"Puchi!"

The violent lightning blast slammed solidly into Kakuzu's back.

It pierced through his body in an instant!

"Ugh..."

Kakuzu's body stiffened. He looked down in disbelief at the bowl-sized, smoking blood hole in his chest.

After unleashing its attack, the lightning-attribute monster with the ox-head mask rapidly shriveled up, finally hitting the ground with a "bang" and turning into a tattered mask.

Kakuzu had lost a heart.

On the other side, having lost the support of the lightning, the power of the firestorm was greatly diminished.

Nagato seized the opportunity, erupting with his full ocular power!

"Break... for me!"

The repulsive force field expanded violently, forcefully crushing and scattering the remaining flames and gale!

As the dust settled.

Kakuzu clutched his chest, kneeling on one knee and gasping for air. His green eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

Why?

Why would my heart betray me?!

Nagato was also somewhat stunned.

He didn't know what had happened, but he knew that the opportunity from just a moment ago was definitely not a coincidence.

A faint, familiar fluctuation of power—one that originated from the same source as his own—had flashed across that lightning-attribute monster.

Was it... that man?

Was it him acting from the shadows?

"What... what exactly did you do?" Kakuzu asked hoarsely, his voice carrying a hint of fear for the first time.

This feeling of being beyond his own control, where even his most core secret technique could be instantly turned against him, terrified him more than any powerful ninjutsu ever could.

Nagato did not answer.

Because he didn't know how to answer, either.

But as a qualified representative of a "god," he knew that at a time like this, maintaining silence and mystery was the best response.

He walked step by step toward the kneeling Kakuzu.

The remaining two monsters tried to step forward to protect their master, but Kakuzu raised a hand to stop them.

Kakuzu stared fixedly at Nagato's emotionless Rinnegan.

He suddenly understood something.

It wasn't this brat.

Although this brat's ocular technique was strange, he definitely didn't have the ability to manipulate his heart without him noticing.

Then, there was only one answer.

It was that guy hiding behind the scenes!

The real "boss" who wouldn't even show his face, yet could easily manipulate his secret technique from a hundred miles away!

This was no longer within the realm of ninjutsu.

This was... a feat only a god could possess!

"I..." Kakuzu's throat bobbed. He felt a long-forgotten threat, one known as "death." "I... will join."

He had finally lowered that arrogant head of his, which, for the sake of money, had never bowed to anyone before.

Nagato stopped in his tracks.

Yahiko and Konan also let out sighs of relief, collapsing onto the ground.

However, just when everyone thought the matter had come to an end.

A voice, abrupt and sudden, rang out simultaneously in the minds of Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Kakuzu.

The voice was indifferent and majestic, as if it had descended from the nine heavens.

"Kakuzu, welcome to the fold."

"As a newcomer, you are now assigned your first task."

"Kill those two."

The voice pointed toward Yahiko and Konan.