Bite down hard

Did everyone from Kirigakure love this tactic? Sasuke wondered from his hiding place in the shadows.

He had noticed Kakashi and Naruto when he arrived, which made him decide to observe the situation a little longer.

But someone from that organization had appeared too, making him even more surprised.

That man had also worn the same cloud-patterned robe as this S-Rank Rogue Ninja.

Sasuke's Sharingan slowly turned in the darkness, hatred rekindling deep within his eyes.

"Give me his intel," he casually ordered a nearby Sound Ninja, who immediately took a memo pad from his clothes, tore out a page of information, and respectfully handed it over.

Sasuke lowered his head and quickly scanned the information, his Sharingan narrowing slightly. This guy was no pushover.

Kakuzu, an S-Rank Rogue Ninja from Takigakure...

Sasuke looked up again at the tall man in the middle of the battlefield. Kakuzu had no idea that another hunter had set his sights on him.

A cold smile slowly curled Sasuke's lips. This man belonged to the same organization as Itachi, and he was operating alone.

No other members had appeared nearby either. If Sasuke could capture this isolated member of the Akatsuki and pry that man's whereabouts out of him, that would be perfect.

He forgot all about the Thunder Sword and Ranmaru, instantly focusing his entire attention on this man.

The Sound Ninja beside him watched the Sharingan spinning faster and faster in Sasuke's eyes and saw how thoroughly confident he looked.

But although he hesitated, he ultimately swallowed his warning. That guy was an S-Rank Rogue Ninja, just like Orochimaru. If you wanted to attack him and get yourself killed, don't drag us into it.

Seeing the mist filling the air, Kakuzu was unexpectedly pleased. "I thought that last guy's Wind Nature heart was useless, but it looks pretty handy now. I'll replace it another time."

Kakuzu stripped off his Akatsuki robe, revealing a bare torso covered in stitches and several strange masks of different shapes on his back.

One mask opened its mouth. Countless thick black threads rose and writhed through the air as a surge of Wind Nature chakra gushed from its mouth.

Wind Release: Typhoon Passes.

A gale swept through, instantly dispersing the dense mist around them.

With the Wind Release unleashed, the thick mist across the battlefield gradually dissipated.

Raiga Kurosuki, who had used the Hidden Mist Technique to sneak up beside Kakashi, was instantly exposed in the moonlight.

The sudden change stunned him for a moment, but he immediately switched targets and lunged at Naruto. He would eliminate this Genin brat first.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted urgently.

Raiga Kurosuki swung his Thunder Sword down with blinding speed.

But when the blade struck flesh, he did not feel the resistance he had expected. Instead, his target vanished into a cloud of white smoke with a puff.

"A shadow clone?" Raiga Kurosuki's pupils contracted slightly.

At the same instant he cut through the shadow clone, a nearby stone suddenly transformed back into the real Naruto.

The boy sprang upward, throwing an Uppercut at Raiga Kurosuki with just as much force as the punch he had landed on Neji during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Raiga Kurosuki reacted quickly. The moment his attack missed, he turned and kicked Naruto, forcing him back several paces.

After landing, Naruto wiped the corner of his mouth and burst out laughing.

"You love using mist to sneak up on people, just like that guy with no eyebrows. Too bad that trick stopped working on me ages ago."

A trace of pride appeared in Kakashi's eyes as he watched Naruto.

Naruto really had grown a great deal lately. He was no longer just the reckless little brat he had been before.

"Hmph. Don't get ahead of yourself, brat."

Raiga Kurosuki snorted. He had intended to conserve some chakra, but if that was how things were going to be...

He raised both blades overhead. In an instant, blue-white lightning coiled around them. Lightning Release: Lightning Fang.

Then he crossed his blades, unleashing a wide-ranging lightning attack indiscriminately in every direction.

The lightning swept across the ground, leaving charred furrows behind. For the moment, both opponents could only dodge.

Just then, Kakashi heard Neji shout from behind him, "Kakashi, watch out!"

Kakashi's Sharingan caught the source of the danger: a massive black tendril silently lashed in from the side, too fast for him to form hand seals.

He instinctively raised his arms to defend himself, but the black tendril sent him flying. He rolled several times across the ground before coming to a stop.

Kakashi quickly scrambled up and raised a hand to stop Tenten and Sakura from coming to help.

"Protect our clients. This enemy is beyond anything you Genin can handle."

Before he had even finished speaking, Kakashi keenly sensed a fluctuation of chakra.

Another mask floated up behind Kakuzu, gathering a large mass of flames in its mouth. Judging by its chakra, it was not something to underestimate.

Fire Release: Searing Migraine.

Kakashi reacted immediately, forming hand seals with both hands.

The mist that had just been dispersed and the water vapor produced by the earlier Lightning Release provided plenty of water.

With his Sharingan, he identified the chakra in the mask's mouth as Fire Release in a fraction of a second and decisively chose Water Release to counter it. Water Release: Water Formation Wall.

As a circular wall of water rose, the Konoha ninja breathed a sigh of relief.

The instant the flames collided with the water wall, an enormous blast of steam erupted. White vapor surged into the sky, thickening the clouds overhead.

As the steam dispersed, a figure revealed his entirely new appearance.

Countless thick black threads now extended densely from Kakuzu's body, drawing out five differently shaped masks. The sight was as eerie and unsettling as a Nuo opera.

Besides the mask that had unleashed the Fire Release Ninjutsu, another mask began gathering power.

This guy was beyond the realm of a normal ninja. He was a monster. The young Konoha ninja went on full alert.

"How terrifying." Kakashi searched for an opening to counterattack, the tomoe in his Sharingan linking into a ring.

But Kakuzu had no intention of giving them a moment to breathe.

Two masks opened their mouths simultaneously. One fired high-pressure water bullets, while the other released lightning that raced along the ground.

Water Release: Water Gun and Lightning Release: Earth Flow activated at the same time.

Water and lightning intertwined in midair, forming a curtain of water threaded with an electrical net that blasted toward everyone around him. It was Combined Ninjutsu.

Kakashi used lightning release chakra to negate the Lightning Release's paralyzing effect. Tracking the Water Gun's trajectory with his Sharingan, he barely avoided the direct impact.

Caught off guard, Raiga Kurosuki was sent flying by the Water Gun, though he also used his Thunder Sword to cancel out the Lightning Release damage within it.

He drove his Thunder Sword into the ground to force himself to a halt, but just as he was about to get up, Ranmaru's voice suddenly rang out.

"Raiga, behind you!"

Raiga Kurosuki immediately turned to defend himself.

A figure had already rushed right up to him. It was none other than Shuofang Si.

All alone? Then I'll turn you into nourishment for my growth and devour you without mercy.

After all, my battle philosophy was to bite and tear. Once an opportunity arose, I would sink my teeth in and never let go.