"Little brat! Don't think that just because you're in the sky, I can't deal with you!"
"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear... what it gives me is limitless destructive power!"
With a furious roar, the black tentacles stretched out, surging toward the sky.
At this moment, Kakuzu had completely ignored Saibon and Yahiko. Right now, all he wanted was to kill this little brat standing in the way of his fortune.
Of course, Gekko Chizan wasn't going to be a sitting target. With a single Flying Thunder God, he instantly appeared behind Saibon and Yahiko.
The marked kunai had already been scattered around at some point.
"Village Chief, Yahiko-kun, it's time to retreat."
"Oh, no, I should say it's time to bring reinforcements. I can hold him for a while, but not for too long."
"Whoa, here he comes again!"
Chizan pressed one hand to the ground, once again summoning a giant crystalline dragon that immediately lifted Saibon and Yahiko up.
In just that brief moment, he and Yahiko had already exchanged a look.
Yahiko cast Saibon a deep look. He understood what Chizan meant.
Right now, Saibon was gravely wounded, and the culprit was this missing-nin, Kakuzu. As long as Saibon remained seriously injured and unable to recover, control of Takigakure could be taken.
Although Yahiko felt it wasn't right to do this, at the moment there was no better way.
For the sake of that longed-for peace, some sacrifices had to be made.
If the old Yahiko had been hesitant and indecisive, the Yahiko tempered by Chizan was now resolute and ruthless.
"Saibon-sama, we're retreating. Let Chizan-kun cover our backs."
"Your injuries need immediate treatment."
Already lifted by the crystalline dragon, Yahiko supported Saibon firmly, his eyes full of determination. He already knew what he had to do.
"Cough, cough..."
"Alright..."
The pain in his abdomen had drained the color from Saibon's face.
Though he still wanted to fight, he wasn't young anymore, and he was injured. If he kept fighting, death was certain.
When Kakuzu saw Saibon and Yahiko leaving, he didn't chase. He only glanced at Saibon, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
"Hey, Stitching Freak, what are you looking at?"
"Don't tell me you're looking for this?"
"Hehehehehe..."
A sly laugh rang out again, but this time it wasn't raining coins.
Instead, piles of golden, glittering substance appeared.
Kakuzu's gaze was instantly drawn in. Golden? Gold? No... this was...
Gold dust???
The dazzling yellow glow locked his gaze in place. Too much... there was simply too much gold dust!
Kakuzu shook his head violently. He had already been fooled once! There was no way he'd fall for it again!
"Little brat! I won't... be..."
"...fooled again..."
Something was wrong—very wrong. Kakuzu felt his tongue go numb.
He couldn't even be sure where his tongue was right now... but the numbing sensation spreading through his whole body was unmistakable.
Looking at Chizan floating in midair, Kakuzu realized he had been tricked again.
"Hehehehehe..."
"What do you think this is?"
"Gold dust?"
"Then you should go to Sunagakure and find Rasa. Oh wait, he's the Fourth Kazekage now, isn't he?"
"His Magnet Release uses gold dust. But what I released is a paralysis powder catalyzed with my chakra. Why is it golden? Figure it out yourself."
Chizan grinned wickedly.
On the battlefield, one didn't need powerful ninjutsu alone to fight. Scale powder had always been his unbeatable weapon.
And why golden? That was Chōmei's doing.
Chōmei: Tch, it's just a chakra-induced reaction. What's wrong with golden? There's also pink, green, and purple.
"Damned..."
For the first time in his long life, Kakuzu felt he was being toyed with.
And by a brat, no less! A damned brat!
A damned Konoha ninja! This mission was a failure. Of the five, four had escaped, and now he himself was paralyzed.
But don't underestimate him!
What happened next was beyond Chizan's expectations.
The Kakuzu covered in scale powder suddenly released his masked monsters. Since these creatures were formed from chakra and the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear, they had very weak sensitivity to paralysis.
Three of the monsters hoisted Kakuzu and flew toward Takigakure.
"Huh? Running already?"
"But in that direction..."
"Going to replenish your hearts?"
"Not a chance!"
Chizan had no intention of letting Kakuzu restore his strength. After all, Kakuzu wasn't Sasori.
Huh? Sasori? He almost forgot about him.
But right now, chasing Kakuzu was more important.
The Crystal Release dragon carried Chizan in hot pursuit.
...
"Saibon-sama, are you alright?"
"We're almost at the village gates."
Yahiko formed hand seals, sending a wave of water into the village.
That was his signal. As soon as Konan and the others saw it, they'd come to help.
"It's Saibon-sama and Yahiko-sama!"
"Quickly!"
Takigakure's shinobi, alerted by the signal, rushed out of the waterfall. Seeing their wounded village chief, they immediately dashed forward.
But they were one step too late.
"Splurt!"
Suddenly, blood sprayed violently before Yahiko's eyes.
"Saibon-sama!"
Saibon's chest had been pierced through, countless black threads extending forward, trailing blood.
Yahiko and the Takigakure shinobi roared in fury.
Especially Yahiko—he had just resolved that once they returned to the village, he'd find a way to strip Saibon of power and take over.
But plans never kept up with reality.
Those black threads... were Kakuzu's!
"He destroyed one of my hearts, so I'll just use yours as a replacement!"
"Shhhkk!"
The tentacles withdrew, a fresh heart dripping with blood now in his hand. Without hesitation, he inserted it into his body.
Meanwhile, Saibon spewed a mouthful of blood, his eyes full of unwillingness.
"Damned! I'll kill you!"
Yahiko roared, flinging out twin water streams that formed into blades.
He slashed at Kakuzu—but how could a runner on foot keep up with one flying?
Having taken what he wanted, Kakuzu immediately turned to flee. He knew there were pursuers behind him.
"Hmph. Feel this familiar strength, boy."
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The heart he had swallowed morphed into a brand-new mask. As its mouth opened—
A hurricane of compressed air and roaring wind erupted, forming a storm tornado that could swallow everything.
Yahiko and the rushing Takigakure shinobi were blasted back, and even the crystalline dragon Chizan had created with Crystal Release began to shatter.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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