Kakuzu

The wind and rain fell in silence, tangling chaotically through the air as though draping heaven and earth in a veil of gauze.

Enkō let the rain lash against him, an unreadable gleam flickering in his eyes. "How could it be you?"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The commotion naturally drew the others' attention. Chikuma arrived from nearby with his clansmen. Seeing that their boss appeared to be fighting someone, excitement burst into his eyes as he shouted, "Boss, should we kill him? Leave it to me!"

The man in black scanned his surroundings. Realizing he was surrounded on all sides, he knew he would most likely die here today. A look of grim resolve appeared on his face.

"Wait!" Enkō raised a hand to stop Chikuma and the others from intervening. "I can handle this. Go guard the perimeter. Don't let anyone else come in."

"Uh..." Chikuma froze for a moment, but seeing Enkō's unquestionable expression, he could only lead his men away to guard the outer perimeter.

After sending the Taketori Clan away, Enkō turned his gaze back to the man before him. "Tell me. Why did you try to assassinate me, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu's heart jolted. He said in disbelief, "How did you know my name?"

Enkō shrugged. "You're an elite ninja from the Land of Waterfalls. If I didn't even know that much, you'd be underestimating me too much. But as I recall, I don't have any grudge against you, do I? Was it worth taking such a huge risk to assassinate me?"

"A grudge? Hmph, you and I may have no personal enmity, but I have a blood feud with your Uchiha Clan!" Kakuzu grew agitated. "It was you who killed my wife and daughter!"

"Oh? Something like that happened?"

Kakuzu snorted. "Hmph, don't pretend you know nothing. Before you occupied the Land of Waterfalls, I was outside the country on a mission. When I returned, my home had become territory of your Flame Hidden Village, and I couldn't find any trace of my wife or daughter!"

Unable to find his wife and daughter, Kakuzu naturally laid the blame on the Uchiha Clan. But trying to destroy the Uchiha Clan alone was nothing but a pipe dream, so he set his sights on Enkō instead.

Not only did Enkō hold no low position within the Uchiha Clan, but his reputation in the Shinobi World was far below that of his two older brothers. That led Kakuzu to believe he was weak, making him the perfect target for revenge.

After lying in wait outside Flame Hidden Village for nearly a week, Kakuzu finally caught Enkō heading out on a mission. But with so many people constantly around him, there had been no chance to strike. Kakuzu followed him all the way from the Land of Flame to the Land of Crafts, where he finally found the perfect opportunity.

Yet he had never expected Enkō to be even stronger than he had imagined. His misjudgment had driven him into a hopeless situation!

But so be it. He would take it as a chance to reunite with his wife and daughter.

"Hey, aren't you misunderstanding something?" Just as Kakuzu was moved by his own thoughts, Enkō interrupted him with a strange expression. "I don't know who your wife and daughter are, but from what you described, it's obvious that your home was requisitioned by Flame Hidden Village. In such cases, the homeowner is generally compensated. And if you couldn't find them, I'm guessing you never even went into Flame Hidden Village to look?"

Kakuzu paused. "What do you mean?"

Enkō continued, "To speed up construction, Flame Hidden Village recruited a great number of laborers. Your wife may very well have been one of them, helping with logistics work. That would explain why you couldn't find her."

"What you said... is true?" The sudden good news left Kakuzu rooted to the spot. Hope rekindled in his eyes, but in the next instant, Enkō's words plunged him back into an icy abyss.

"I have no reason to lie to a dying man." Enkō's tone was filled with endless indifference. "Even if this was a misunderstanding, I won't let someone who tried to assassinate me leave alive."

"You..." Kakuzu opened his mouth, but no words came out. After all, that was only natural.

"I'll give you a chance. Defeat me, and I'll let you go see your wife and daughter."

A fierce fighting spirit erupted in Kakuzu's eyes. He looked up at Enkō before him. "Do you mean that?"

Enkō said nothing. He merely extended one hand and crooked his fingers at him.

"Then excuse me."

Splash—

Wind and rain swept across the earth, kicking up a curtain of misty dust!

Boom—

At that moment, Enkō stomped the ground. His body instantly tore through the curtain of rain as he shot into the air, gripping his sword in both hands and slashing downward. In the brief instant of his opening move, the blade scattered the surrounding rain into water mist, forming a ring of fog that crashed down at Kakuzu below like a sea dragon!

Earth Release: Earth Spear!

Since Kakuzu had not yet learned the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear, he had only mastered the nature transformation of Earth Release. His arms hardened rapidly as he crossed them over his head to block!

Boom—

With the thunderous impact, the pooled water on the ground rippled outward in rings. The enormous shockwave swept up the falling rain, forming a circular wave that spread in every direction!

Kakuzu strained to block the sword, but the tremendous force drove his body sideways and backward. Yet his combat experience was exceptionally rich. Knowing he had lost the initiative, he suddenly released his strength and shifted left at the same time!

Clang—

With no point of resistance left, the sword cleaved directly into the earth. The gray stone ground split apart in an instant, leaving a trench several meters long!

Kakuzu stomped down on the blade with all his strength, pinning it to the ground. At the same time, his right fist glowed with an eerie black light as it smashed toward Enkō's forehead with a suffocating howl of wind!

The entire sequence flowed like water, forcibly turning his disadvantage into the upper hand!

Enkō's eyes lit up. He had not expected the other man to fight like that. No wonder he was a ruthless figure who had dared to assassinate Senju Hashirama. With his sword pinned to the ground, Enkō could only release the hilt, step back with his right foot, and press his hands together upright before him!

The unstoppable punch crashed into Enkō's clasped palms in an instant!

Boom—

Amid the muffled blast, a visible shockwave traveled up Enkō's arms. His sleeves shredded inch by inch beneath the violent impact, yet his body remained like an ancient boulder, not even swaying once!

Kakuzu's pupils contracted. Just as he was about to continue his combo, he saw Enkō seize his right hand while his right leg snapped upward like lightning, kicking toward his waist and abdomen!

Bang—

Kakuzu let out a muffled grunt, his body stumbling backward uncontrollably. Every step he took sent a blossoming splash of water across the ground!

Enkō likewise used the force to retreat. While backing away, he extended two fingers from each hand and formed a cross before him!

Shadow Clone Technique!

Poof—

A cloud of white smoke exploded before Enkō. Then a Shadow Clone burst through the mist, lowering its body as it charged forward. It scooped up the sword from the ground with one hand, reached Kakuzu in only three steps, gripped the weapon one-handed, and slashed upward from below!

"This isn't an ordinary clone?!"

Kakuzu was horrified. No matter how fast his reactions were, he could not respond while his body was retreating. He only saw a flash of blade light before a bright, snowy arc swept across his chest!

Slash—

Blood sprayed through the air, only to be immediately washed away by the rain. A wound more than an inch deep nearly ran through Kakuzu's entire chest!

The intense pain sent Kakuzu into a daze. Through the haze, he seemed to see his wife and daughter smiling and waving to him.

No. I have to make it back alive!

A powerful will suddenly erupted from within him. The instant a second flash of blade light appeared, his right hand shot out and grabbed the clone's sword arm. Under the clone's startled gaze, he gathered every ounce of his strength and drove a headbutt into its face!

Poof—

The Shadow Clone instantly burst into white smoke, and the sword in its hand fell to the ground. Kakuzu picked it up, just about to launch a counterattack, when his vision was swallowed by a dazzling blue light!

Rasengan!

Kakuzu's eyes widened as he watched the blue sphere hurtle toward his forehead, with no room left to evade!

So... I was still going to die?

Bang—

At the final moment, the spinning chakra suddenly dissipated. Enkō clenched his five fingers into a fist and punched Kakuzu in the face!

Thud—

The tall body crashed to the ground, sending water splashing everywhere!

Everything fell silent once more, save for the soft patter of rain striking the ground.

"Cough, cough..." Kakuzu coughed up a mouthful of blood. Looking at the endless curtain of rain falling from the sky, he asked in confusion, "Why didn't you kill me?"

Enkō looked down at Kakuzu lying on the ground and said, "I'll give you a chance to buy your life back."

"Money? How much do you want?"

"How much... Let's say... one hundred billion Explosive Tags."