Kakuzu's Hunt! Drinking Hero Water in Desperation!

Danzo, Torifu, Kagami, and Lin Hai worked in perfect coordination. At an enormous cost, they finally slaughtered every last chūnin and genin surrounding them.

Only two Takigakure jōnin remained on the battlefield.

But the four of them were at the end of their rope as well. Uchiha Kagami's left arm had suffered a comminuted fracture and hung limply at his side.

Akimichi Torifu's back was covered in blade wounds, and he could barely remain standing.

Shimura Danzo's arms were riddled with cuts, blood streaming down them.

Lin Hai, the only one without any new injuries, was gasping for breath from chakra exhaustion.

Looking at their comrades' corpses scattered across the ground, the two Takigakure jōnin were terrified.

In less than twenty minutes, a force of thirty had been slaughtered by four Konoha ninja until only the two of them remained.

"Retreat!" Without hesitation, the two turned and fled.

Danzo and the others had no strength left to pursue them.

They knew the truly troublesome enemy had yet to appear.

Just as the two jōnin fled several dozen meters away, a sudden change occurred!

Two pitch-black monsters sprang from the forest without warning. Several tentacle-like appendages shot from their bodies, instantly piercing the jōnin's hearts.

Then, a tall man wearing a white headscarf and a mask over his face slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Takigakure has truly fallen far. Thirty men, reduced to this by the four of you. What trash."

The man sneered and tossed the two corpses to the ground like broken sacks.

Danzo's pupils contracted slightly. "You're not from Takigakure, are you? Konoha's reinforcements will arrive soon. I trust you wouldn't choose this moment to provoke a conflict with us."

"Threatening me?" Cold killing intent seeped from the man's emerald-green eyes. "I don't have a conflict with you, but I do have a conflict with the money you're carrying."

"My name is Kakuzu. I only recognize money. Leave behind the twenty million ryō and your heads. How about it?"

Danzo glanced at Torifu. Torifu gave an imperceptible nod.

"Then there's nothing left to discuss!" Danzo shouted. "Attack!"

Without hesitation, Torifu pulled out a yellow pill and swallowed it.

This was the Akimichi clan's secret medicine—the Spinach Pill!

Violent chakra erupted from him as he roared and charged at Kakuzu.

A flicker of surprise crossed Kakuzu's eyes. "You can still stand? That pill is interesting."

With a thought, the black monster before him immediately formed hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Sharp earthen spikes burst up beneath Torifu's feet.

Torifu did not even look down. His body suddenly curled into a ball. "Akimichi Style: Meat Tank!"

The massive human boulder instantly crushed the earth spikes and rumbled toward Kakuzu.

"Such tricks are nothing before my Earth Grudge Fear. Too bad none of you are on the bounty list, or I'd have made a killing." Kakuzu sneered and removed his loose black robe. "Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear!"

His back suddenly split open, and four black masked monsters shot into the sky, each attacking one of the four!

One of the Fire Release masked monsters rushed at Uchiha Kagami and spewed a blast of flames.

Lin Hai flashed in front of Kagami. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" The two streams of fire collided with a thunderous blast.

Lin Hai shoved a sealing scroll into Kagami's hand. "Take the money and go! The three of us will hold him off! The mission must be completed!"

"If anyone should leave first, it should be you, Young Master!" Kagami's eyes turned red with urgency.

"Your left hand is useless! You'll only hold us back if you stay!" Lin Hai coldly cut him off, his gaze sharp. "If you get captured, we'll be fish on someone else's chopping block! Get lost!"

Danzo roared as well, "Mission first! Go!"

Kagami looked at Torifu, who was already locked in combat with the Earth Grudge Fear, and gritted his teeth as he fought back tears. "You have to hold on until the reinforcements arrive!" With that, he turned and vanished into the dense forest.

Seeing the person carrying the scroll escape, Kakuzu immediately flew into a rage.

"Trying to run? Not that easy!" Kakuzu controlled all four Earth Grudge Fears, focusing their fire on Akimichi Torifu.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

Four high-level composite ninjutsu blasted toward Torifu at once!

At the critical moment, Danzo and Lin Hai flashed in front of Torifu.

The two formed hand seals in an instant.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Dance Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The wind fed the flames. Empowered by Wind Release, Lin Hai's fire dragon swelled several times over, transforming into a massive fireblade tornado that forcibly blocked the bombardment of all four ninjutsu!

Lin Hai clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his hands as he controlled the violent fire dragon into the sky. With the force of a falling meteor, it crashed viciously toward Kakuzu's main body!

Kakuzu's expression changed. He had not expected this brat's control over Fire Release to be so monstrous. He immediately commanded the Water Release masked monster to intercept it.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

However, the high-temperature fire dragon empowered by Wind Release directly vaporized the water dragon without slowing down. It swallowed the Water Release masked monster whole and slammed heavily into Kakuzu!

"Boom—!"

After unleashing that attack, Lin Hai's vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

Danzo helped him against a tree and looked toward the dust-filled center of the explosion. With the power of that composite ninjutsu, even the Second Hokage would have to avoid it. That man should be dead, right?

"Damn it!"

Kakuzu's furious curse rang out from within the thick smoke.

He staggered out, one of the hearts in his body completely burned away.

"This brat's Fire Release control is practically identical to Madara Uchiha's back then! I was careless... But do you still have any chakra left to fight back?"

"Don't underestimate Konoha ninja!" Torifu bellowed as he swallowed a second Curry Pill and unleashed another taijutsu technique. "Ak imichi Style: Super Expansion Jutsu!"

Torifu transformed into a thirty-meter giant and brought down a Super Push on Kakuzu like Mount Tai crushing its target.

Kakuzu countered with "Earth Release: Giant Rock Fist!"

The two separated the instant they collided. Danzo forced his heavily wounded body into the battle, joining Torifu in a desperate fight against Kakuzu.

Amid the chaotic battle, Danzo seized an opening and shattered a Lightning Release Earth Grudge Fear with Wind Release. Torifu followed with a palm strike, destroying a Wind Release Earth Grudge Fear as well.

"I am immortal and indestructible!" Kakuzu was thoroughly enraged.

While Danzo was in midair evading an attack, the remaining Earth Release Earth Grudge Fear abruptly burst out from underground.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

A black spear as hard as iron instantly pierced Danzo's shoulder, pinning him firmly to a tree and knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Kakuzu turned to Torifu and mocked coldly, "You're the only one left. I'll skin you alive!"

"Akimichi Style: Meat Tank!" Torifu roared as he rolled forward to crush him.

"Idiot." Kakuzu slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Movement Core!"

The ground beneath Torifu instantly collapsed into a pit dozens of meters deep, and his enormous body fell straight into it.

Kakuzu formed hand seals again. "Earth Release: Heaven-Dropping Clay!" Vast amounts of sticky mud poured down, filling the deep pit.

Kakuzu did not stop. His main body released violent Lightning Release chakra.

"Lightning Release: Heavy Current Rock!"

The powerful current traveled through the clay, and Torifu's heart-rending screams rose from the depths of the pit.

Kakuzu snorted and turned toward Danzo, who was pinned to the tree.

At that moment, a battered giant hand suddenly tore through the clay and slapped Kakuzu, sending him flying like a cannonball through several trees in succession.

The giant Akimichi Torifu struggled out of the pit, his entire body charred black. He panted heavily, but his eyes remained fixed on Kakuzu.

"I told you not to underestimate Konoha ninja. If you want to touch my comrades, step over my corpse first!"

Kakuzu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze turning utterly cold. "Then I'll grant your wish!"

Kakuzu's main body and the remaining Earth Grudge Fear unleashed ninjutsu at the same time:

"Water Release: Water Surface Cutter!"

"Earth Release: Giant Rock Fist!"

Torifu erupted with the last of his life force and roared as he charged forward.

"Boom!"

With a muffled blast, Torifu's massive body was completely defeated. He returned to normal and crashed heavily to the ground, his fate unknown.

Kakuzu walked up to Danzo, his palm transforming into countless black tentacles. "I'll take this heart."

Just as the tentacles were about to pierce Danzo's heart—

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A mass of flames appeared out of nowhere, burning the tentacles to nothing.

At some point, Lin Hai had flashed beneath the tree. With one slash, he severed the earth spear and rescued Danzo.

"I haven't fallen yet. What are you in such a hurry for?" Lin Hai panted, his voice icy.

Kakuzu's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the six-year-old child before him.

Lin Hai's entire body was now wrapped in a visible layer of blue chakra armor. His chakra reserves had surged more than tenfold, and the violent aura even made Kakuzu's heart tremble slightly.

"Hero Water..." Kakuzu's eyes brimmed with greed. "Although twenty million got away, there's a pair of Uchiha Sharingan and a clue to this secret medicine. Today hasn't been a loss!"

"I'm just afraid your appetite is too big and you'll shatter every tooth in your mouth!"

Lin Hai shouted coldly. His chakra erupted in full, his hands becoming blurs as he took the initiative and charged at Kakuzu!