Chapter 144 – A Message to Deliver
Unwilling to give up, Kakuzu twisted in midair and lashed out with a back kick, trying to drive his opponent away.
Uchiha Dali calmly raised a hand to block the attack. Kakuzu sneered inwardly, believing his trick had succeeded, and used the momentum to launch himself in the opposite direction.
"Foolish."
Uchiha Dali reappeared behind him.
In the face of the advanced Flying Thunder God Technique, it didn't matter if Kakuzu was right in front of him or at the ends of the earth—Dali could reach him in an instant.
So, the words Dali had spoken earlier weren't just an empty threat.
He truly could make it so there was nowhere to run.
"Impossible!"
Kakuzu began to doubt his own reality.
With his level of skill, even if he couldn't defeat the enemy with Ninjutsu, was it really possible he couldn't even escape?
Absolutely not!
Unwilling to accept it, he tried again and again.
Despite using everything he had, Kakuzu failed each time.
No matter what he attempted, Uchiha Dali would catch up in the blink of an eye—effortlessly.
What was even more infuriating was that, although he was clearly toying with Kakuzu and had the upper hand, Uchiha Dali never went in for the kill.
The 280 million bounty was now clearly out of reach, and Kakuzu just couldn't understand why Dali was treating him like a plaything.
He couldn't win. He couldn't flee.
So he stopped resisting and stood still, glaring at his opponent.
"What do you want?"
Kakuzu asked.
Uchiha Dali smiled, satisfied.
He looked at Kakuzu's pitiful eyes and nodded. "Wouldn't it have been better to ask that earlier?"
"Since you now understand the gap between us, let's return to the topic from before. Are you ready to answer my question?"
He repeated the question he'd asked earlier.
Kakuzu was speechless.
"You really are bored out of your mind, asking something you already know!"
He was practically seething.
What kind of twisted freak doesn't finish off an enemy when they've clearly won, and instead just chats with them?
Kakuzu simply couldn't understand Uchiha Dali's mindset.
But given what had just happened, he chose to answer honestly.
"Since you know about the Akatsuki and that our goal is the Tailed Beasts, why bother asking?"
"One of the reasons I came here was for those guys."
He pointed behind him.
Dali had already noticed the corpses lying there.
So, as expected, this money-obsessed man had come to hunt down these bounty targets.
Of course, Kakuzu had said it was only one of the reasons.
"And the other reason?"
Uchiha Dali asked, his smile tinged with amusement.
"The Tailed Beasts of Iwagakure, of course."
"At first, I didn't understand why the organization suddenly changed plans and insisted on capturing Tailed Beasts at a time like this. But now I think I get it."
Staring at Uchiha Dali, Kakuzu thought silently to himself.
No wonder the organization had issued an urgent order to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts.
It was because of the threat posed by this man in front of him—they'd been forced to move the plan ahead of schedule.
"Hmph…"
Realizing his guess was correct, Uchiha Dali chuckled.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at the arrogant young man.
"So, what exactly are you going to do? If you want to stop me, kill me right here."
"If not, then I'm going to continue my mission."
After living nearly a century, Kakuzu obviously didn't want to die.
If Dali wasn't planning to kill him, he had to figure out a way to leave as quickly as possible.
Even though Uchiha Dali appeared mild-mannered and harmless at the moment…
There was always the sense that he could turn on a dime.
So the sooner he left, the better.
"Kill you? No, no, I don't have that in mind—at least not for now."
"I want you to deliver a message to your organization's leader."
Uchiha Dali shook his head.
Hearing that, Kakuzu's eyes turned sharp.
He didn't speak—he waited for Uchiha Dali to continue.
"Tell your leader that the Tailed Beasts will never be handed over."
"If you want to know the truth, come to Konoha and find me."
"If you insist on continuing this fight, then by all means—go ahead."
"I've said what I came to say. You're free to go."
Kakuzu heard him, but didn't move.
Seeing that he was still standing there, Uchiha Dali shot him a sideways glance. "What? Changed your mind?"
Only then did Kakuzu start to move, begrudgingly heading toward the border of the Land of Earth.
He didn't look back, quickly vanishing down the road.
Uchiha Dali's powerful sensory abilities remained locked on him the entire time.
Only after confirming that Kakuzu had indeed obediently left the Land of Earth did he finally relax.
"Even a guy with five lives will submit when he knows he can't win."
Uchiha Dali smirked inwardly.
But his original plan had now changed.
He'd intended to wait for the Land of Earth to recognize their accomplishments and willingly discuss cooperation.
Now, with the Akatsuki already making moves—
And specifically targeting the two Tailed Beasts in Iwagakure—
There was no way he could let that slide and allow them to succeed.
With that thought, Uchiha Dali began extending his sensory reach.
His formidable sensory powers spread outward as though limitless. But he didn't find the targets he was looking for.
Although his sensory abilities were strong, they didn't truly have infinite range.
Once pushed beyond a certain distance, they would fail to detect further.
Uchiha Dali was preparing to head back and begin searching deeper within the Land of Earth for the Jinchūriki of the two Tailed Beasts.
But just then, a sudden prompt rang in his ear.
[You are dissatisfied with the limits of your sensory range. A strong desire to enhance it has arisen in your heart. You have awakened Observation Haki!]
[Observation Haki: One of the Three Haki Types. It greatly sharpens all five senses, allowing the user to do things far beyond the capability of ordinary people—such as sensing the presence and emotions of others, accurately determining their location and numbers, and even anticipating incoming attacks to dodge them. At advanced levels, Observation Haki can read people's thoughts and even glimpse into the future.]
As the notification echoed in his mind, Uchiha Dali's lips curled into a pleased smile.
With his godlike perception now triggered, he had unlocked something a level above merely enhancing his five senses—Observation Haki.
Now that he had it, both his sensory power and range would be further elevated.
Time to see what it could really do.