Coordination

Kakuzu remained unusually calm in the face of the two Konoha Anbu's sudden attack.

Perhaps he had anticipated this all along, because Konoha would indeed never negotiate with a bounty hunter over something like this.

Besides, even if Konoha was willing to negotiate, he wasn't!

Kakuzu had originally thought he was merely killing a Konoha ninja with a sizable bounty, only to discover after attacking that the man was actually from Sunagakure.

Most importantly, this fellow also fetched a decent price on the bounty list.

At first, he hadn't thought much about it, such as why this fellow was wearing Konoha clothing and posing as a Konoha ninja.

Perhaps he had done so to avoid trouble from Konoha while within the Land of Fire.

But now Kakuzu knew. This fellow had been an undercover spy in Konoha, then been exposed and hunted by the Anbu, only to run into him by sheer coincidence.

This fellow might have obtained some Konoha intelligence. As long as I call it important intelligence, I can sell it for a high price, so why sell it exclusively to Konoha?

Kakuzu was extremely pragmatic. He cared only about money, not the five great villages, or he would never have joined Akatsuki!

He brought his hands together, and the chakra within his body surged. A scorching heat began spreading a moment later!

"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"

The powerful Fire Release melted the airborne kunai outright while also cutting off Xia Yan and Kakashi's path forward.

Faced with this, Xia Yan could only rapidly form hand seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Xia Yan swiftly released a broad, thick curtain of water, which intercepted Kakuzu's Fire Release.

However, Xia Yan's Water Formation Wall simply couldn't stop Kakuzu's Fire Release.

In an instant, vast clouds of steam spread out, blanketing the entire area!

Seeing this, Xia Yan immediately leaped up, then dashed to the side to evade the flames while closing in on Kakuzu.

He naturally knew how powerful Kakuzu was. After all, someone who had lived that long was terrifying in terms of chakra quantity, chakra quality, and combat experience.

Xia Yan didn't think he and Kakashi could defeat this fellow at all. He had only attacked to give himself a reasonable excuse to retreat.

After all, he was a Konoha Anbu ninja, and he also had to consider his future prospects, so he naturally couldn't do anything disgraceful.

First, try to retrieve the corpse. If that doesn't work, run.

Xia Yan had a clear plan, but Kakashi had no idea what he was thinking.

Under the protection of the Water Release, Kakashi had also avoided the flames. When he noticed the mist rising, he immediately accelerated and rushed to the side, inadvertently forming a two-pronged attack on Kakuzu with Xia Yan.

As he sprinted, he drew the ninja blade strapped to his back, then slashed viciously at Kakuzu!

Clang...

A piercing metallic clash rang out through the mist-shrouded forest.

Kakashi looked at Kakuzu in surprise. This fellow had blocked his ninja blade with just one hand. Just how hard was his body?

But he had no time to think. Kakuzu gave a slight shove, and a moment later, Kakashi felt an immense force hit him, sending him flying backward almost uncontrollably.

Still, he was a ninja who had survived on battlefields for so long, and he had plenty of experience.

Faced with this situation, he forced himself to maintain his balance in midair, then used his momentum to leap backward, intending to land on a large tree.

Watching Kakashi retreat, Kakuzu had no intention of letting him go.

But just as he extended his hand, he caught sight of the other fellow out of the corner of his eye, already approaching his spoils from the side.

"Hmph!"

Kakuzu snorted and let Kakashi go for the moment. He turned toward Xia Yan, and his fist detached from his wrist, trailing black threads as it hurtled straight at Xia Yan with terrifying force!

Xia Yan reacted quickly enough when he saw this.

Even without the Sharingan, unable to clearly see the direction and position of the fist's attack.

His many years of "planting trees" within his body, especially the basic attribute fruits he had planted back then, had made his reaction speed extraordinary as well.

He reacted in an instant, twisting his body slightly as the terrifying fist whistled through the air and slammed into the ground!

Shattered stones scattered everywhere, and Xia Yan seized the opportunity to leap aside. At the same time, the ninja blade in his hand flashed like lightning, slicing straight through the black threads.

With Xia Yan covering him, Kakashi finally landed securely on the treetop. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the ninja blade in his hand had a small chip in its edge, with cracks extending all the way to the hilt.

"This fellow's body... is it Earth Release?" Kakashi furrowed his brow. "I see. He's proficient in both Earth Release and Fire Release, using Earth Release for defense and Fire Release for offense."

Kakashi truly was a genius. After only a brief exchange, he had already gleaned some information about Kakuzu.

Since Kakuzu used Earth Release for defense, Kakashi was confident he could break through it!

His hands rapidly formed seals, and azure arcs of electricity gathered around his hand. At the same time, a sound like the cries of startled birds began to ring out.

Lightning Release countered Earth Release, and Kakashi possessed a Lightning Release ninjutsu with tremendous piercing power. He wasn't worried at all about being unable to break through the defense.

Xia Yan naturally noticed this as well. He could tell without even using his sensory abilities, because Chidori was simply too loud.

Wasn't this supposed to be an assassination ninjutsu? With all that noise, was he afraid people wouldn't hear him?

Xia Yan casually shook his head inwardly. In the future, Kakashi's sneak attack on Kakuzu had been completely silent. Kakuzu had only heard Chidori after being struck.

This could only mean that the future Kakashi had continually modified his technique, while his present self had yet to do so.

Still, Chidori's power was undeniable, and Xia Yan intended to coordinate with Kakashi.

After all, Kakashi had Obito's Sharingan, so his visual perception would certainly be no problem.

Locking onto Kakuzu while he moved could be called effortless, as long as Kakuzu's attention was occupied.

With this thought, Xia Yan immediately stopped retreating, then stepped forward and closed in.

He was only at jonin level, truly far below a veteran Kage-level fighter like Kakuzu.

Fortunately, Kakuzu wasn't fighting with all his strength, giving Xia Yan and Kakashi a good opportunity.

If they could make this fellow suffer a little, they would come out well ahead!

"Naive."

Kakuzu naturally heard Chidori's cries as well. Something immediately occurred to him, and he suddenly felt that he might have hit the jackpot.

That technique was Chidori, and its user was naturally Kakashi Hatake, whose bounty exceeded ten million ryo!

But just as he was about to look for Kakashi, the other white-haired brat closed in again, irritating Kakuzu somewhat. Clearly, this brat intended to coordinate with Kakashi.

But how could this brat possibly break through his Earth Release defense?

Yet a moment later, his expression changed slightly.

The brat suddenly leaped high into the air, and rotating Water Release chakra, compressed to its utmost limit, abruptly appeared on the ninja blade in his hand!

"Water Release: Water Blade Slash!"