The third power, Susanoo

Seeing Kakuzu unleash Ninjutsu one after another, Tetsuya grew even more excited.

He followed suit, unleashing all kinds of Ninjutsu to trade blows with Kakuzu.

Who said battles between shinobi were about strategy and assassination?

That was just what weaklings with no mana had to do.

For people like them, with Chakra by the ton, it was all about trading Ninjutsu head-on.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Torrent Bullet Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Lightning Release..."

"Wind Release..."

He hurled out all kinds of Ninjutsu as though they cost nothing.

Kakuzu was nearly dumbstruck.

"Damn it, where the hell did this guy come from?"

The only reason he could unleash Ninjutsu like this was that he had five hearts, bolstered by the Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique.

His Chakra reserves far exceeded those of ordinary shinobi, so how did this guy seem to have even more Chakra than he did?

If Tetsuya knew what Kakuzu was thinking, he would probably have laughed himself to death.

How could a mere Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique compare to his sage body and the Chakra he had accumulated through years of card draws?

With his current reserves, he probably had nothing to fear even in a Chakra contest against Hashirama.

"Looks like I'll have to get serious."

Kakuzu knew that unless he pulled out his trump cards, he could forget taking Chiba Tetsuya's head back for a bounty. He might not even make it back himself.

"Combination Ninja Art: Strange Mask Exploding Flame!"

Chakra surged wildly, and two Earth Grudge Fear masks emerged: the Wind Mask and the Fire Mask.

The next instant, fierce winds surged and flames erupted.

The gale fused with the fire, forming terrifying flames that swept toward Tetsuya.

Feeling the terrifying heat rushing toward him, Tetsuya grew serious as well.

"Now that's more like it. Just what I'd expect from Kakuzu, a long-established S-Rank Rogue Ninja."

His hands rapidly formed hand seals as his Chakra surged.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"

"Roar!"

A piercing roar rang out, as though a great dragon were bellowing.

Water churned, forming a dragon even larger than the one from his earlier Water Dragon Torrent Bullet.

The water dragon whipped up raging waves and charged into the flames.

"Whoosh!"

"Hiss!"

Water met fire with a deafening crash.

Scalding steam billowed through the forest, ravaging every flower, blade of grass, and tree it touched.

Even the ground was soaked through.

By now, Kakuzu was breaking out in a cold sweat.

With Water Release on this level, am I really not fighting the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju? This is ridiculous.

At the same time, Kakuzu's mind raced. He needed to flee next, or he would probably die here.

A fierce wind swept away the white steam before him, revealing Tetsuya once again. To his shock, Tetsuya was already forming more hand seals.

Seeing this, Kakuzu stopped deliberating and made his decision.

"Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot!"

Kakuzu raised both hands. His Earth Grudge Fear tendrils rapidly swelled, and three masks emerged in front of him: wind, fire, and lightning.

This was his strongest strike, an attack combining Chakra of three different natures.

"Pulling out your ultimate move? Then I'll show you a little respect, too."

Seeing this, Tetsuya simply abandoned his hand seals. His black eyes turned blood-red, and three tomoe spun rapidly within each crimson iris before merging into a distinctive pattern.

"The third power, Susanoo."

A golden, half-bodied Susanoo rose from the ground.

Holding a Tachi, the half-bodied Susanoo slashed straight down at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu went numb.

"You mother******, I *******, you fucking *****!"

Aren't you Chiba Tetsuya? Where did you get a Sharingan? Where did you get Susanoo?

Don't think I don't know! That shit belongs to the Uchiha Clan!

Your surname is Chiba, and the Chiba are retainers of the Senju Clan. If you said one of your ancestors married into the Senju, giving you Senju blood and letting you use Wood Release, I could understand that.

But what the hell is going on with your Sharingan and Susanoo?

I've pushed my luck too far. I'm dead this time.

Watching the enormous golden blade descend from the sky toward him, Kakuzu felt utterly powerless.

That single slash carved a gap through the forest.

Tetsuya dismissed his Susanoo and Sharingan, then walked toward where Kakuzu had been sitting.

Nothing remained there except the enormous slash mark.

It was as though Tetsuya's strike had erased Kakuzu entirely.

But while Kakuzu could fool someone who knew nothing about him, he could not fool Tetsuya.

With the Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique and five hearts, he was not so easy to kill. After all, once he joined the Akatsuki in the future, he and Hidan would be known as the Immortal Duo.

"All right, come out. Stop hiding. You're very good at hiding, I'll give you that, but it's nothing special before these eyes of mine."

Tetsuya stamped his foot against the ground.

"I'm in a good mood right now, so I'm planning to spare you. Don't force me to actually kill you to keep you quiet."

Hearing Tetsuya's words, Kakuzu knew there was no point in hiding any longer.

A mass of black threads began emerging from the ground—the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear.

The threads joined together, eventually forming Kakuzu.

Kakuzu clutched his chest, panting heavily.

"What exactly do you want?"

Kakuzu looked up at Tetsuya in confusion. He had already accepted his defeat.

This guy was simply too bizarre. His name was Chiba, yet he had vast chakra reserves like an Uzumaki, the eyes of an Uchiha, and mastery over ninjutsu of multiple natures.

He was practically a monster combining the traits of several of the Shinobi World's strongest factions.

Tetsuya glanced over Kakuzu, then narrowed his eyes with a smile.

"Two hearts left. Hmm, about what I expected."

He had held back on that final slash.

Otherwise, how could Kakuzu, who had already used up almost all his chakra, possibly have survived a slash from his Susanoo?

"Kakuzu, I admire you. Come work for me. You like money, don't you? As it happens, so do I."

"What?"

Kakuzu could not quite follow the other man's thinking. He had come to assassinate him, and they had just fought.

Now that Tetsuya had won, he had neither demanded Kakuzu's Secret Technique nor asked who wanted him dead—though Kakuzu did not know either, since the Bounty Station never disclosed its clients. Instead, Tetsuya was saying he admired him? What was he trying to do?

Tetsuya continued.

"Kakuzu, I know you run all over the Shinobi World killing people and taking jobs. It's all for money, isn't it?

"But do you know the fastest, most reliable way to make money? Is it taking one mission at a time, like the shinobi from those Shinobi Villages? Is it collecting bounties at underground Bounty Stations?"

"No, neither. It's doing business, especially with nobles.

"You must know I opened a hotel and made quite a bit of money in the Land of Fire's Capital City. The daily revenue alone is astronomical. But do you know something? To those rich and powerful people, all the money I've made is nothing more than the price of a meal."

As he listened to Tetsuya, Kakuzu's eyes widened.