First Battle with Kakuzu!

"Aah!"

Screams rang out one after another.

Within the storm, blue light flashed. One ninja after another, their bodies tumbling in the wind, was cut down with a single slash.

In the end, Asuma left only one survivor, though he had crippled all four of the man's limbs.

Dragging the survivor along, he flashed back to provide support.

When he reached the caravan, however, he found that Kurenai and the others had already been surrounded.

Two four-man squads!

Asuma's expression changed. Something had gone wrong on Sakumo's side.

Without time to think, he tossed aside the survivor and opened his mouth, sending a gust of wind sweeping across the entire battlefield.

However, it was not a gale, merely a light breeze.

Asuma merged into the wind along with it.

"Careful, a Wind Style expert is coming!"

One of the Chūnin who noticed Asuma shouted.

But in the next instant, his eyes widened. A line of blood appeared across his neck, then blood gushed out, staining the ground red alongside the rainwater.

In the blink of an eye, all eight ninjas were slaughtered by Asuma, who had concealed himself in the wind.

The injured warriors all stared wide-eyed at Asuma as he revealed himself.

Charm +0.5!

Asuma had no time to enjoy those looks. After leaving behind a Shadow Clone, he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only one sentence behind. "Hold your ground. I'm going to help Teacher Sakumo!"

He headed east, back in the direction they had come from.

Before long, a roar reached his ears.

When he arrived at the battlefield, his pupils contracted. "Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu!"

"No wonder he could hold Teacher Sakumo back!"

Asuma had not expected to encounter one of the Immortal Duo so soon.

Moreover, there were already three masked monsters outside: Fire Style, Wind Style, and Lightning Style.

It was practically four against one!

"If that's the case, then..."

With a bang, the Shadow Clone appeared at his side. The original and the clone formed jutsu at the same time, their cheeks swelling before a thunderous blast erupted. Terrifying currents of air and flames spewed forth, transforming into a blazing storm that swept outward.

This was Asuma's full-power Fire Style and Wind Style. Flames exceeding 1,500 degrees surged forward at tremendous speed under the effects of Wind Style. Rainwater evaporated instantly wherever they passed, while the muddy ground turned black and cracked.

Sakumo had spotted Asuma long ago and had been keeping Kakuzu occupied.

"This brat..."

Kakuzu noticed as well. Seeing the blazing storm rushing toward him, he was immediately startled.

The Wind Style and Fire Style masked monsters immediately abandoned their attacks on Sakumo and unleashed a Combined Ninjutsu of their own.

Wind Style—Pressure Damage!

Fire Style—Head Hunter!

Accompanied by the roaring of air friction and expansion, a blazing storm no weaker than Asuma's swept out.

The two storms were like towering waves of flame over ten meters high. They collided with a crash, then swept in all directions.

At the same time.

The Lightning Style masked monster moved at high speed, electric light streaking like a thread as it charged straight at Asuma.

After casting his jutsu, Asuma's original body rushed straight toward the waves of fire spreading in every direction, while the Shadow Clone opened its mouth and fired one wind sphere after another.

Wind Style—Pressure Damage!

The wind spheres collided with the electric light and vanished outright.

Meanwhile, Asuma's original body had already rushed into the waves of fire and disappeared.

The Wind Style and Fire Style masked monsters immediately lost their target and turned to besiege the Shadow Clone.

Within the flames, Asuma moved like a fish in water, completely unaffected.

Passing through the fire, he raised his hand and sent out a Kunai covered in blue light.

It was a Kunai infused with Wind Release Chakra.

Sakumo immediately vanished with the Body Flicker Technique. Kakuzu raised a Kunai to evade and block, only to discover that the Kunai in his hand had been split in two.

Then a storm laced with wind blades swept toward him.

An Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall rose from the ground, but it was immediately shredded by the storm.

This brat is so fast...

Kakuzu was shaken.

Asuma's casting speed was actually faster than his.

Especially with Sakumo's Kunai interfering, he no longer had time to cast jutsu.

He raised both arms to shield his face. In the next moment, the storm engulfed Kakuzu. Sharp wind blades slashed across his body with muffled bursts. Even after hardening his flesh with Earth Style, he could not block them. His clothes tore apart, and his skin and flesh were cut open.

Splash!

Suddenly, Kakuzu's body turned into a stream of water, only to be sliced apart by the wind blades and scattered across the ground.

Asuma charged in, driving his Chakra Blade into the water on the ground.

"Hm?"

"Did he escape using Earth Style?"

Asuma raised a brow.

"Asuma, watch out!"

Sakumo's voice rang out.

The Lightning Style masked monster had abandoned the Shadow Clone and charged over, while the Wind Style and Fire Style masked monsters were besieging Sakumo.

Asuma turned and slashed. Blue light burst forth and collided with the electric light, forcibly shattering the Lightning Style masked monster's Lightning Style.

Several dozen meters away, Kakuzu reappeared, covered in blood. He stared fixedly at Asuma. "This brat's Wind Style is actually stronger than this old man's!"

He had nearly died just now.

The two had coordinated their timing perfectly, leaving him no time to cast jutsu or evade. He could only sacrifice a Water Style heart.

After blocking the Lightning Style attack, Asuma saw the Lightning Style masked monster rapidly fly toward Kakuzu.

He turned to look and immediately understood. "Looks like Kakuzu is missing a heart!"

"Water Style?"

The earlier Shadow Clone dispersed. Asuma immediately created another Shadow Clone to help Sakumo.

The masked monsters were troublesome. They could fly high in the air and cast jutsu quickly, and this area was completely open, making it difficult for Sakumo to find an opportunity to deal with the masked monsters in the sky.

However, with Asuma's Shadow Clone, things became much easier.

After all, Asuma's casting speed was also extremely fast, even faster than the masked monsters'.

At the same time, his Wind Style and Fire Style were no weaker than theirs.

After creating the Shadow Clone, Asuma charged toward Kakuzu's original body.

If he took down Kakuzu's original body, dealing with the remaining two masked monsters would be easy.

But if he destroyed those two masked monsters and Kakuzu's original body escaped, Kakuzu would recover very quickly.

The man had five hearts, was proficient in all kinds of ninjutsu, and was extremely skilled in taijutsu. He was absolutely one of the strongest figures in the ninja world at present.

He was from the same era as the First Hokage and the Second Hokage!

"What an arrogant brat!"

Kakuzu snorted as he watched Asuma charge at him.

The brat was looking down on him!

Crackle!

Electric light appeared over his body. Kakuzu formed Hand Seals, and the lightning immediately raced across the ground toward Asuma.

Asuma leaped aside and exhaled a storm.

Walls rose from the ground one after another.

The storm tore through two walls in succession. Blue light flashed, and Asuma appeared, cleaving the third wall apart with a single slash.

Immediately afterward, black tendrils swept toward him.

Kakuzu had turned into a tentacled monster!

Asuma was not surprised. Chakra covered his body, followed by clusters of flickering flames.

He swung his blade rapidly, easily severing the tendrils. As he swiftly closed in on Kakuzu, a Rasengan formed in his left hand.

Boom!

A huge crater exploded open where Kakuzu had been standing.

Broken stones flew everywhere. Asuma looked up, and the soil beneath his feet exploded. His body vanished in a flash, and in an instant he caught up to Kakuzu. Blue blade-light slashed out again and again.

Kakuzu retreated repeatedly.

But Asuma noticed something.

Kakuzu was retreating, but not in a straight line. He was moving in a circle.

"Under my feet?"

The instant Asuma realized this, countless black tendrils burst from underground, already surrounding him completely.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The tendrils surged like a tide, swallowing Asuma. One of Kakuzu's hands detached from his body and seized Asuma by the throat.

Hardened by Earth Style, the hand was temporarily unafraid of the flames covering Asuma's body.

The Lightning Style mask on Kakuzu's shoulder had also prepared its ninjutsu. Violent electric light gathered, then shot forth, accurately striking Asuma in the head.