Sasuke Uchiha stopped chasing.
He quickly picked up the samurai sword, his expression wary as he stared at Natsume and Kakuzu.
The two were completely unfamiliar to him.
Natsume wore a mask, appearing utterly unremarkable.
But Kakuzu's emotionless stare made Sasuke deeply uneasy—as if in the next moment, he would rip his heart out.
Sasuke immediately recalled his mission.
These two standing before him were likely the enemies his teacher, Natsume, had warned would target Chiriku.
During the standoff, Fuyo, whose neck was still clamped in Kakuzu's grip, twisted her face into a snarl.
Her hair suddenly extended rapidly, wrapping around Natsume's neck like a scarf—a textbook example of turning someone's own technique against them.
"You… how are you unharmed?"
Fuyo, seeing that Natsume showed no reaction at all, couldn't help but blurt out.
Even as she tightened her grip while speaking, it remained ineffective.
His body felt as solid as the hardest stone pillar—no amount of tightening could crush it.
"Is your real form your hair?" Natsume reached out and grabbed her locks, asking bluntly.
"What?!"
Fuyo's shock was evident on her face.
Only Fudou and Fuyo knew that her true self was indeed her hair.
How had he figured it out?
Thinking this, Fuyo quickly formed hand seals.
[Gold Binding Technique!]
This body wasn't her real one.
Therefore, even with Natsume holding her throat, she wouldn't die—or feel suffocated.
Suddenly, Fuyo's eyes trembled violently.
Undetectable ripples enveloped Natsume entirely.
This was an advanced [Genjutsu] capable of paralyzing someone physically.
It was the same one Ku had used when he went berserk before.
Still, there was no effect.
"Just who exactly are you?!"
Fuyo's body slightly quivered. She had never encountered such a helpless situation before.
All her attacks had failed.
"Do you fear fire?"
Natsume shot flames from his palm, bringing them close to her hair. Fuyo looked alarmed.
"Don't!"
"It seems you really do fear it."
Natsume smirked playfully and said, "But I find you interesting. Behave obediently, and I might spare your life."
"No problem!"
Fuyo answered without hesitation.
Natsume loosened his grip.
"Master, what would you have me do?"
Landing once more, Fuyo exhaled and gave a seductive smile. "I can do anything for you~"
She stepped closer, throwing herself into Natsume's arms.
But she instantly met his eyes brimming with killing intent.
Startled, Fuyo leapt back.
A dark, suffocating aura radiated from him.
Not only filled with murderous intent, but enhanced by piercing ocular power.
For Fuyo, those past few seconds felt like plummeting into hell itself.
Now she finally understood just how terrifying Natsume truly was.
Terrified, she didn't dare defy him any further and obediently remained behind him.
Meanwhile, battle had yet to begin on the other side.
Because Kakuzu decided to strike up a conversation instead.
Under normal circumstances, he naturally wouldn't behave this way.
"So you're Sasuke Uchiha?"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly, opening his mouth to ask.
"You know who I am?"
Sasuke tightened his grip on the samurai sword, his voice laced with confusion.
Because he was certain he had never seen Kakuzu before.
After all, with such a unique appearance and outfit, there was no reason for him to forget.
"Itachi Uchiha's younger brother?"
Kakuzu asked once more.
"Itachi Uchiha?"
Sasuke's eyes widened—"[Where is he?!]"
His voice rose unintentionally.
"So you really *are* Itachi Uchiha's younger brother."
Kakuzu laughed. "That actually interests me. I wonder just how strong you are."
"Are you part of the same organization as Itachi Uchiha?"
Sasuke remembered what Natsume had once told him—that Itachi Uchiha had joined a mysterious organization.
And from Kakuzu's tone, he clearly knew—or at least knew of him.
"Not bad, Konoha. Your intel is impressive."
At this, Kakuzu replied casually. "We do belong to the same organization."
"So capturing you will lead me to him?"
Sasuke's gaze darkened, murder gleaming in his eyes.
"Capture me? Amusing."
Kakuzu paused, then burst into laughter. "Boy, I'm not those three ninja you just defeated."
"To me, it's all the same."
Sasuke had already regained his composure.
"Tch, boy—if Itachi himself stood before me now, he couldn't save you!"
Kakuzu said coldly. "This will be your grave!"
Sasuke didn't speak further. He raised his samurai sword.
[Lightning Release — Chidori Blade!]
A brilliant surge erupted along the blade and quickly spread over it.
In an instant, Sasuke vanished.
He lunged forward, blade aimed at Kakuzu.
Fast.
Kakuzu had seen this move before.
He already understood something about Sasuke's strength.
Especially those Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.
But Sasuke was still young.
Beyond Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu took pride in nearly a century of battle experience.
He had once fought against Hashirama Senju.
Even against Itachi, he'd have had the advantage.
But Sasuke? He didn't stand a chance.
That didn't mean he lacked value.
An Uchiha survivor, apprentice of the Hokage, and bearer of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
On the black market, his worth far surpassed Chiriku's three-million bounty.
Excitement surged through Kakuzu.
Oh—
[Earth Release — Earth Spear!]
Instantly, his arms turned black, skin hardening into armor.
With extreme precision, he blocked the incoming sword midair.
Sasuke revealed a trace of surprise.
Clearly, he hadn't expected to be blocked like this.
But his reaction was quick.
Lightning surged forward, arcing up Kakuzu's arms.
In the next moment,
A black shadow shot down from above, piercing straight toward Sasuke's heart.
Faster than the lightning itself.
Sasuke's expression tightened; without hesitation, he let go of the sword and leapt back.
Dodging Kakuzu's leg attack, he spat out a massive fire dragon from his mouth.
Blazing heat roared outward.
Kakuzu tossed away the samurai sword.
With Sasuke no longer channeling it, the lightning fizzled against his defense.
Facing the fire dragon, Kakuzu's figure flickered and vanished in an instant.
A black fist shot toward Sasuke Uchiha's skull.
As a centuries-old monstrosity, he was practically flawless. Both his taijutsu and ninjutsu were top-tier.
Sasuke wasn't intimidated either. The Mangekyo Sharingan granted him a significant advantage.
Most importantly, Kakuzu's speed paled in comparison to that of the Third Raikage. In other words, every one of Kakuzu's movements fell within the field of vision of those eyes.
The two clashed fiercely.
Natsume gave a slight nod. Though it relied on the Mangekyo Sharingan, his movements had noticeably matured compared to the past. Even so, facing Kakuzu alone still put him at a clear disadvantage.
Without the Mangekyo Sharingan, he might be completely overpowered. Considering Sasuke hadn't even turned twelve yet, this was understandable.
Right now, he was already far superior to his original self from the story.
The two wouldn't be able to determine a winner anytime soon.
Natsume turned his gaze toward Chiriku nearby. He recalled that this man carried the talent of the Immortal Lineage—somewhat akin to Sage Art.
Moreover, the presence of Fudou, Fuyo, and Fuyo meant that Kazuma's son Ku must still be here, just as in the original story.
Years ago, the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire split into two factions due to conflicting ideologies.
Tsunade briefly teamed up with Asuma Sarutobi on a mission to eliminate Kazuma.
Natsume originally thought Kazuma's son would disappear—but apparently, he was still around.
"Where is Ku?"
"In the room inside the back hall," Fuyo answered instantly when the question was asked.
His inner shock intensified. Never expected him to know about Ku's existence as well.
Natsume headed toward the Fire Temple.
"Venerable guest, please stop," Chiriku immediately blocked his path and asked, "Is there anything I can assist you with?"
He had received word from Konoha Village. Like with Sasuke Uchiha, he could already guess their intentions.
"Ku is Kazuma's son." Natsume looked at Chiriku and questioned, "Why did you save him?"
"Ku is merely a child." Sighing, Chiriku replied.
Looking back, he somewhat regretted it now. Saving Ku itself hadn't been an issue.
But he hadn't anticipated the reckless actions of Fudou, Fuyo, and Fuyo. They actually aimed to make Ku the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.
By the time Chiriku tried to intervene, it was already too late. To save Ku, he ended up assisting in the sealing ritual.
Reflecting on it now, though unintentionally, he had made enemies with Konoha Village.
"Hand Ku over to me," Natsume politely said. "You're not capable of handling this."
"No way," Chiriku firmly refused without hesitation.
"To be honest, I didn't really want to fight," Natsume helplessly shook his head.
"Venerable guest, don't underestimate me so easily!" Seeing how lightly Natsume treated him, Chiriku's expression hardened.
[Welcome Approach: Seven Heavens Breathing Method]!
Golden chakra erupted outward in waves. Radiating from him, it surged toward the heavens.
In an instant, a golden Senju Kannon avatar appeared.
Natsume arched a brow. Other than the color, it bore a striking resemblance to his Wood Release techniques.
Though… it's rather undersized.
It seemed to be around ten meters tall.
The Senju Kannon avatar, formed through the Thousand Hands Manipulation, was on par with the Ten-Tails.
The Ten-Tails exceeded a kilometer in size.
The gap between them was terrifying.
However, even at this scale, Chiriku's Senju Kannon was already shocking enough to ordinary ninja.
Sasuke Uchiha and Kakuzu split apart in perfect unison as they were fighting.
Both turned to look at the Senju Kannon, each showing some surprise.
Sasuke confirmed that the so-called talent of the Immortal Lineage truly had some link to Sage Art.
This made him even more eager to learn it.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, was surprised by his power.
He looked genuinely formidable.
No wonder there was a bounty of thirty million ryō on his head.
Kakuzu couldn't help but gain a little more respect for Chiriku.
But right now, dealing with Sasuke Uchiha was the priority.
Compared to Chiriku, this kid, not even twelve years old yet, surprised him even more.
Kakuzu could barely imagine how strong the boy would become in another decade or two.
Whoosh!
Kakuzu launched another attack.
Electricity crackled across Sasuke Uchiha's entire body. Each strike sent shockwaves through the air.
Yet Kakuzu remained calm, countering each move while occasionally forcing Sasuke into disarray.
In short, Kakuzu held the advantage.
"Alms-giver, now is your chance to leave. I can pretend like nothing ever happened."
Chiriku folded his hands. Standing before the towering Senju Kannon, his voice carried immense authority.
Fuyo, who had always shown deep respect, started reconsidering her position in that moment.
She recognized Chiriku's true strength.
Perhaps, if they worked together, they could bring Natsume down.
That way, she could also escape with her life.
Natsume let out a soft chuckle.
He clapped his hands together and entered Sage Mode.
[Tsukiyo-no-Mikoto!]
His Dojutsu flared to life.
[Self-Acceleration!]
[Chakra-Enhanced Strength!]
In an instant, Natsume reappeared behind Chiriku and launched a punch.
Without even pausing, Natsume shattered the golden Senju Kannon into pieces.
The fist struck Chiriku's back.
A tremendous force sent him soaring.
With a thunderous crash, his body slammed into the ground, leaving a crater.
Agony rippled through his body.
Chiriku stared at Natsume in stunned silence.
Too fast!
Before he could even react, he had already been defeated.
How was this even possible?!
Natsume's power felt like something out of a dream to Chiriku.
Fuyo's eyes widened in shock.
Just moments ago, she had been thinking of helping Chiriku and stabbing Natsume in the back.
Yet the fight had ended in an instant.
She couldn't help but tremble involuntarily.
What kind of monster was he?
"Lead the way."
Natsume glanced at Chiriku.
There was no way he'd be getting up anytime soon.
Had he not held back, Chiriku would have died instantly.
"Yes, sir."
Fuyo immediately replied, stepping forward without hesitation.
At that moment, she had fully submitted.
Until she regained her confidence, she wouldn't dare defy Natsume.
Whatever he commanded, she would obey without question.
"Your Zombie: Feast — it absorbs chakra by kissing its target, right?"
Natsume asked, looking at her retreating figure.
"Y-yes…"
Fuyo was startled when her secret technique was suddenly revealed.
But she had long since grown accustomed to Natsume's quirks and quickly recovered.
Natsume fell into deep thought.
Aside from [Zombie: Feast], there was also [Zombie Reincarnation].
It allowed for seamless switching between multiple bodies.
In the original tale, Fuyo mastered five different natures of chakra transformation—all made possible by [Zombie Reincarnation].
Now that he thought about it, wasn't this essentially the same as Kakuzu's [Earth Grudge Fear]?
Fuyo retained control over her original body's hair along with five corpses.
Kakuzu had five living hearts.
Both effectively attained immortality.
Natsume wondered—if he found five powerful corpses for Fuyo, would her strength increase even further?
And more importantly, could her condition be replicated?
If possible, Natsume believed using her as shadow guards would be an excellent strategy.
After all, who would ever suspect hair?
As he pondered, Fuyo regained her composure.
She opened the door and announced, "This is Ku. He went berserk last night, but I've placed him under a genjutsu. He hasn't woken up yet."
The Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra within Ku originated from Kazuma's collection efforts.
It sounded pretty far-fetched.
But theoretically, it was indeed possible.
By gathering scattered fragments of Nine-Tailed Fox chakra and sealing them within someone, one could create a miniature jinchuriki.
How to put it…
It wasn't particularly effective.
Because that mass of Nine-Tailed Fox chakra lacked any consciousness.
It could go berserk at any moment.
Without a powerful sealing technique, the effort would ultimately prove futile.
However, for Natsume, it worked out just fine.
A decade's worth of accumulated chakra—what a bargain.
Natsume stepped forward, extending his hand, revealing the black bracelet.
The Heavenly Network Login Device.
This chakra would make a nice gift for Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Under Fuyo's pained gaze, all of Ku's chakra was absorbed.
And he reverted to an ordinary little boy.
Once done, Natsume stepped back outside the temple.
Chiriku had already lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, the clash between Sasuke Uchiha and Kakuzu had escalated to its peak intensity.
Because [Earth Grudge Fear] had been activated.
Kakuzu removed his Akatsuki cloak, exposing his stitched-up body.
Four masked hearts, tethered by black threads, hovered around him.
Sasuke Uchiha clearly hesitated in shock at the sight.
Just a heads-up—I've started two new original novels. Same style, multiple female leads, daily updates, plenty of drafts stored up, no worries about discontinuation. These are dual-release original novels—readers with interest are welcome to check them out.
(End of Chapter)
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