Uchiha Mo vs. Kakuzu (Seeking Follow-ups)

"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"

The Earth Grudge Fear Fire Release mask monster suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a sea-like torrent of flames. The blaze rapidly expanded, surging toward Uchiha Mo!

Rolling heat blasted toward him, and the temperature in the air abruptly soared. Mo's expression turned solemn. Facing a Kage-level expert head-on for the first time, he could clearly feel that this pressure was qualitatively different from the small fry he had faced before.

He swiftly gathered an enormous amount of chakra and erected a flaming protective barrier before himself.

"Scarlet Scorch: Burning Body Ring!"

"Fwoosh—!"

Just as the attack was about to strike, Mo lightly tapped off the ground and leaped backward into the air. Immediately afterward, the vast sea of flames crashed against the flowing bloodflame barrier, and the tremendous impact sent Mo flying away.

Yet, protected by the Burning Body Ring, Mo suffered no damage from the Fire Release. Instead, he used the force of the impact to smoothly leave the enemy's attack range.

Mo's body continued flying backward through the air. The bloodflames dispersed, and he held his ninja blade in a reverse grip with both arms raised in front of him. His Sharingan spun rapidly.

"There!" He abruptly turned in midair.

The next moment, the Wind Release mask monster burst from the smoke and appeared before Mo. It then opened its huge mouth and began to inhale.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

"Scarlet Scorch: Scattered Fire Needles!"

Mo flicked his left hand, and a large number of flaming senbon shot out in an instant, arriving before the Wind Release mask monster could unleash its attack.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."

Several flaming senbon instantly pierced the Wind Release mask monster's limbs and torso, while two or three stabbed directly into its throat!

"Hm?"

Kakuzu's green pupils contracted as he noticed this detail. He hurriedly controlled the Wind Release mask monster to stop its output of Wind Release chakra.

At that very instant, the flaming senbon violently exploded!

"Bang bang bang bang...!"

Amid a string of dense explosions like firecrackers, the Wind Release mask monster's body convulsed wildly before it fell limply to the ground.

Kakuzu felt a wave of lingering fear. If he had not stopped the Wind Release output in time, the combined wind-and-fire explosion would have detonated inside the Wind Release mask monster's body, reducing that heart of his to dust in an instant.

Mo flipped backward in midair and landed safely. Without time to regret anything, he glanced at the Wind Release mask monster writhing on the ground, then kicked off and flew forward with his long blade held in a reverse grip!

"Scarlet Scorch: Blood Blade!"

"Boom!"

Scarlet flames swiftly spread across the gleaming blade. Unlike his previous chakra coating, the ninja blade was not wreathed in raging flames this time. Instead, its entire surface turned blood-red, resembling a blade of energy.

With a flick of his wrist, Mo shot out a condensed scarlet sword aura!

"Scarlet Scorch: Void-Severing Slash!"

The sword aura was incredibly fast, reaching the Wind Release mask monster in the blink of an eye. But at that moment, a figure suddenly burst out of the ground in front of it!

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Kakuzu let out a low shout, crossing his arms as he blocked the sword aura head-on.

"Sizzle—"

A teeth-grating sound of evaporation rang out alongside the wisps of white smoke rising from Kakuzu's arms. Kakuzu braced himself, his feet plowing two short furrows through the ground under the immense impact.

A moment later, the sword aura dissipated, yet only faint white marks remained on Kakuzu's hands.

Nearly all of Kakuzu's hearts had been stolen from others, but his Earth Release heart was different—it was his own! Earth Release: Earth Spear was also a technique he had mastered himself, capable of hardening his body like diamond!

Moreover, while raising his defense to its limit, it could greatly increase his physical attack power as well! Its only flaw was that stiffened joints and increased body mass slightly reduced his speed.

Mo charged before Kakuzu with an indifferent expression. Taking advantage of the opening in his defense and his slowed speed after using Earth Spear, he fiercely slashed out with the ninja blade in his reversed right hand!

Kakuzu snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

"Brat, there is no ninjutsu capable of piercing Earth Release: Earth Spear head-on! Stop wasting your effort!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the blood-red blade slashed fiercely into Kakuzu's abdomen!

"Sizzle—"

The feeling of the blade entering flesh had only just reached Mo when, before he could feel anything, a sharp explosion suddenly rang out.

"Bang!"

The ninja blade shattered...

The entire blade instantly exploded into fragments, leaving only the hilt in Mo's hand intact.

Kakuzu snorted, dispelled Earth Spear, and suddenly reached out with his right hand for Mo's head.

The tomoe in Mo's eyes spun. He reacted quickly and hurriedly kicked off the ground, leaping backward to evade.

However, just as Kakuzu was about to grab empty air, the seams on his arm suddenly split open. Black tentacles writhed wildly, and Kakuzu's reach increased along with them.

"Smack!" A pair of powerful hands suddenly clamped down on Uchiha Mo's cheeks.

The corners of Kakuzu's mouth curled up beneath his mask. "Got you!"

His other arm suddenly took on an earthy brown color, then violently slammed toward Uchiha Mo's chest.

"Brat, I'll be taking your heart!"

Rather than panicking, Uchiha Mo's lips curved into a mocking smile.

"Heh~"

The next moment, a figure wreathed in dazzling lightning suddenly burst from the ground behind Kakuzu, its right arm crackling with fierce lightning as it stabbed straight for Kakuzu's heart!

"Screee!"

"What?!"

Kakuzu whipped his head around in terror, while his left arm swiftly moved to block the attack at his back. But Chidori was renowned for its extreme speed, while the Earth Spear slowed its user down. With both factors combined, along with the advantage of a sneak attack, even if there was some gap in their base attributes, there was no way he could make it back in time...

"Pfft!"

An arm wreathed in lightning violently pierced through Kakuzu's body. Blood sprayed everywhere as the earthy brown color faded from Kakuzu's arm, and his body rapidly grew weak and limp.

Before the battle began, Mo's right arm had pierced through Kakuzu's heart from behind, while his left hand, hidden where Kakuzu could not see, discreetly made a gesture to his shadow clone.

Then, though the shadow clone appeared to explode into smoke and vanish, it had actually used the Hiding Like a Mole Technique to remain underground, waiting for this perfect opportunity!

Standing on the ground once more, Mo's calm gaze fell upon Kakuzu's collapsed body.

"Bang!"

After lasting for two days and expending chakra on ninjutsu, the shadow clone had finally run out of chakra completely and exploded into smoke.

"Whoosh!"

Using the smoke as cover, the Wind Release masked monster behind Kakuzu swept forward like a gale, intending to burrow into his back!

Mo's Sharingan spun as he reacted instantly. Raising his right palm, raging blood flames erupted and blasted directly toward the location of Kakuzu's Wind Release heart!

However, just as Mo was about to touch his target, a fireball suddenly flew in from the side.

Fire Release: Searing Migraine!

Mo's pupils shifted, and he swiftly abandoned his attack and flashed aside. The fireball exploded where he had been standing a moment before.

"Bang!"

Amid the violent explosion, a tall figure was instantly blasted away. After landing and rolling twice, the figure smoothly sprang to its feet and immediately fled toward the horizon.

Mo turned his indifferent eyes toward the Fire Release masked monster, with no intention of giving chase.

He briefly glanced over the panel...

"It's fine. You're more valuable than he is..."