"He sure was fast!"
Watching Kakuzu flee faster than a rabbit, Shinichi felt rather helpless.
He wasn't some kind of devil. Was there really any need to be that terrified?
Besides, if running worked, why would so many people in this world end up dead?
As Kakuzu sprinted away, he noticed that no one was chasing him and breathed a sigh of relief.
He secretly congratulated himself on being clever enough to flee immediately. After all, he and Shinichi had only crossed paths by chance. There was no deep-seated grudge between them, so it made sense that Shinichi wouldn't pursue him.
To be fair, his reasoning followed perfectly normal logic.
Unfortunately, he had run into someone who never played by the rules.
Whoosh.
Watching the space ahead twist into a vortex, Kakuzu's eyes widened. Wasn't the man who had appeared out of thin air none other than Hatake Shinichi, the very person who had nearly scared him out of his wits?
"Damn it! He even knows Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
Kakuzu nearly started cursing his head off.
He finally understood why the leader of the Akatsuki had repeatedly warned them never to provoke this man. God knew he was even more terrifying than they had imagined. He even knew Space-Time Ninjutsu!
Kakuzu was a hardened veteran of countless battles, and he immediately realized that he probably wouldn't escape today.
Against someone with terrifying strength who also knew Space-Time Ninjutsu, how was he supposed to get away?
"Hey, Kakuzu!"
Shinichi gave him an ambiguous smile. "Why are you running so fast? It's not like I'm going to eat you!"
"What exactly do you want?"
Kakuzu forced himself to calm down and snorted.
He feared death, and he wouldn't pass up even the slightest chance to escape.
That was why he kept watching discreetly,