Earth Grudge Fear

In the forest, Kakuzu and Shin'yu stood facing each other. A gentle breeze stirred through the trees, and everything seemed tranquil, yet the air was saturated with an intense sense of oppression.

"Hmph, looks like a few rats snuck in." Kakuzu glanced toward the nearby woods and let out a low, cold chuckle.

At his words, the three little ones in the bushes hurriedly covered their mouths, holding their breath and not daring to move. Only their six eyes darted about restlessly.

Shin'yu stood with his hands behind his back, his black hair dancing lightly in the wind. "You said they were rats yourself, so there's no need to care. They can't leave the Barrier anyway."

Nian's eyes widened. The man's face was clearly covered by black cloth, yet he felt the terrifying sensation of being watched by some unseen gaze.

Kakuzu raised a hand. "Heh heh, so even if those little brats get caught up in the battle and blown to pieces, you wouldn't care?"

"They're just Hidden Leaf Village brats. What do they have to do with me?" Shin'yu tilted his head. "Besides... I don't think you can do that."

"What?" Kakuzu's eyes widened, dangerous light flowing from his dark green pupils. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Shin'yu raised a finger, a smile curling across his finely sculpted lips. "You're very weak."

Suddenly, the ground behind Shin'yu split open, and a blurred fist shot toward his back like lightning.

It was a detached iron fist, its wrist connected to several exceptionally tough black Threads. Like a fired cannonball, it contained enough force to punch through steel plates!

Yet a light, unhurried palm caught the fist as if it had known beforehand. With a faint stir of wind, all its momentum vanished in an instant.

"Attacking from a blind spot, that's a pretty good tactic..." Shin'yu commented. "But it seems you chose the wrong target. I'm a Sensor Ninja. I told you that when we first met..."

Before he could finish, another fist shot toward him, only to be caught by Shin'yu's Spirit Link Hand as well.

"Fire Style: Head Mincing!"

Without hesitation, Kakuzu opened his mouth and spewed out a vast sea of flames, reducing everything before him to ash. The temperature in the air instantly soared past a thousand degrees.

"Well, I've spent quite a few years studying Ninjutsu, and I've gained some insight into Chakra nature transformation. I'll use you to test it out."

The leisurely voice drifted from behind him. Kakuzu was startled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. His entire right arm swung back like a whip, smashing a large tree cleanly in half.

A blur flashed past. Without Kakuzu noticing, Shin'yu leapt into mid-air. As his body hung upside down, he slowly formed a finger-gun gesture.

"So fast!" Kakuzu finally felt the pressure and hurriedly withdrew his hand to form Hand Seals.

But Shin'yu seemed to be even faster.

"Water Release: Water Gun."

The corner of Shin'yu's mouth lifted. The air around his fingertips suddenly became moist, and a bullet-like droplet pierced through the air!

"Bang!"

The sound of heavy objects colliding rang out. The droplet shattered into crystal clear spray in Kakuzu's palm, while that palm had already turned completely black and was pushed slightly backward by the tremendous force.

Kakuzu's expression hardened. If he had not hardened his palm with the Earth Spear Technique in time, it would likely have been shot through!

"Oh, earth restrains water? Then how about Lightning Release...?"

The moment Shin'yu landed, he completed his Hand Seals. Raising one hand high, he said, "Lightning Release: False Darkness."

Blinding lightning illuminated the forest. Accompanied by thunderous detonations, two Lightning Spears formed entirely of lightning tore through the air.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Kakuzu hurriedly thrust out both hands, arcs of electricity coiling around his palms as identical massive lightning spears appeared before him and collided with Shin'yu's lightning!

"Boom!"

Electric light erupted and lightning surged through the area. The surrounding trees were scorched black by the bolts, while the bush where the three little ones lay hidden remained completely unharmed.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Before Kakuzu could even catch his breath, a huge meteor-like fireball lit up the forest and came hurtling toward him, trailing a long stream of flames!

"What is this? Don't tell me this kid is also a ninja who has mastered all five Chakra natures!"

Kakuzu was somewhat flustered. Shin'yu's Ninjutsu connected far too quickly, dazzling the eye.

The Lightning Release from before was one thing, but this Fire Style... he did not even seem to have formed Hand Seals!

"Water Release: Water Curtain Tent!" Following the theory of elemental restraint, he hastily unleashed Water Release and spat out a powerful water cannon to suppress it. The curtain of water spread out like a waterfall, enveloping the fireball. It boiled violently at a visible rate, producing an enormous amount of steam.

"As expected of the man ranked first in the Bounty Alliance. In Ninjutsu alone, you're already no weaker than me..."

A bead of cold sweat slid down Kakuzu's temple as his thoughts raced.

He's a Sensor Ninja. This steam will block my vision. I need to create a battlefield that favors me!

His mastery of Ninjutsu far surpasses mine. Then I'll fight him with Taijutsu!

If that's the case, I can't let him control the rhythm. I need to suppress the situation as quickly as possible!

He immediately formed Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and exhaled violently. "Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

The air let out a mournful cry as a high-pressure wind sphere surged forth. The steam was nearly cleared away in an instant, while the gale twisted into a whirlpool. Whole swaths of trees snapped with crisp cracks, and even the ground was torn apart!

Seizing the opportunity, Kakuzu mixed a Fire Style attack into the hurricane. The wind fueled the flames, dyeing everything before him scarlet and finally buying him a brief moment of respite.

He immediately removed his mask and tore open his shirt, revealing a muscular upper body covered in stitch marks. Then he clapped his hands together.

"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear Mode!"

For children who had not even graduated yet, it was an extremely horrifying sight.

Kakuzu opened his mouth, and the stitches along both sides slowly burst apart. At the same time, his chest began to split open. Countless black Threads emerged from cracks all over his body, gradually forming two strangely shaped white masks upon his shoulders.

"Riiip—"

The black lines grew in the wind, slowly gathering into eight massive black lines like tentacles. In only moments, he transformed from a human into a three-headed black-line monster!

In the distant bushes, Nian was already frozen with terror. He desperately covered his mouth, afraid that if he made even the slightest sound, that monster would notice him! If that happened, he would lose his two best friends.

The flames dispersed and the wind died away, but Shin'yu still stood there completely unharmed.

The lingering heat had yet to fade. Through the distorted air, a smooth, transparent film of water could be seen covering his body. No matter how fiercely the flames burned, he remained as neat as ever, with even a faint rainbow circling around him.

Shin'yu stood with his hands behind his back. A blur suddenly appeared before him, and the fierce wind it carried scattered his long hair, making the black satin ribbon flutter as well.

Kakuzu threw a punch at Shin'yu. To increase its hardness, he had already hardened his entire arm with the Earth Spear Technique!

Unfortunately, his fist struck nothing solid. Shin'yu lightly patted the back of his hand, and his entire arm veered off course.

Kakuzu's eyes brimmed with vicious light as the black-line tentacles behind him fired out in a concentrated barrage like machine guns!