A few minutes earlier.
"Wow, what a pleasant surprise right at the door."
"Kakuzu-san, are you really as immortal as the rumors say?"
"Is it possible that Saibon's heart isn't suitable for you?"
"Water Release! Vast Parasol Covering the Heavens Technique!"
Gekko Chizan and his sea serpent army had already landed on the island. The island, which had originally been fairly large, instantly turned into a nest of sea serpents.
Kakuzu had originally been walking toward the shore when a massive crab suddenly blocked his path.
It was a crab with black rods embedded in its body—clearly one of Nagato's summoned beasts.
Immediately after, he saw the enormous sea serpent Nagato had mentioned. It truly was enormous.
At the same time, he saw his target.
Gekko Chizan stood atop the crab, releasing his ninjutsu.
A massive blue parasol descended from the sky, dyeing the surroundings in rippling layers of blue.
Kakuzu didn't hesitate at all. The Earth Grudge Fear clone representing the Wind attribute burst out of his body.
Wind Release, Pressure Damage activated instantly. Gale-force winds howled, but under the suppression of the blue waves, they achieved nothing.
Instead, they merely cleared out a swath of surrounding trees.
"Hmph, brat. Coming here is the worst decision you've ever made."
"It was my mistake that Takigakure didn't kill you back then."
At this moment, Kakuzu had completely removed his restraints. Combined with his four Earth Grudge Fear bodies, he radiated overwhelming pressure.
Unfortunately, Gekko Chizan wasn't an ordinary person. He felt no pressure at all and continued smiling cheerfully.
"Are you sure you can kill me?"
Gekko Chizan smiled faintly and casually beckoned with one hand. All the surrounding sea serpents surged toward Kakuzu at once.
"Hmph, trying to suppress me with a sea of snakes?"
"You're thinking too simply."
"Fire Release, Intelligent Hard Work!"
"Wind Release, Pressure Damage!"
Each of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear bodies possessed a different attribute and could unleash that attribute's maximum power.
The fusion of Wind and Fire transformed the flames into a blazing inferno.
Even with the Vast Parasol spreading water elements across the battlefield, the sea of flames burned away more than half of the original blue hue.
"Tch, old man, you've still got plenty of fuel in you."
"You're pretty slick with Takigakure's secret techniques."
"Too bad—I'm not afraid!"
"Water Release! Water Dragon Rampage Technique!"
Several water dragons condensed instantly, extinguishing all the flames. Under the cover of the Vast Parasol, their power increased dramatically.
Ninjutsu clashes were always straightforward—it came down to who had more chakra and whose technique was stronger.
On one side stood Earth Grudge Fear, with terrifying amounts of chakra.
On the other stood Gekko Chizan, who was nearly at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
To ordinary people, Kakuzu was already far beyond standard.
But placed among monsters—
He could only rank at the bottom.
"The commotion is big enough."
"The others have probably realized I'm here by now."
"In that case, let's make this grand gathering even more lively."
"Summoning Technique!"
"Tagitsuhime, let's get ready as well!"
Four massive plumes of white smoke appeared. Gekko Chizan himself activated Transparent Release and called for Tagitsuhime to prepare for Sage Mode.
"Wow, Chizan, it's been so long since you called us out to play."
"Yeah, huh? A battlefield?"
"I love it!"
After so long, Jinlin's body had grown even larger, brimming with natural energy. The moment she appeared, her aura surged outward.
Beside her, the other three sisters were noticeably stronger than before.
"Make a scene. Force everyone out."
Gekko Chizan's voice turned icy—one of the aftereffects of entering Sage Mode.
The more natural energy entered his body, the colder his temperament became.
Once Sage Mode fully activated, he would become someone else entirely.
"Got it!"
"Just go wild, right? A bunch of black freaks—here I come!"
Jinlin took the lead, charging straight at Kakuzu and Earth Grudge Fear.
Her enormous body surged forward with tremendous momentum.
Urokohane pushed off from the ground, her entire serpent body soaring into the air. Kurohebi suddenly opened her mouth and exhaled a stream of green breath—wherever it spread, all plant life withered.
As for Yamoryū, she remained in place, but her tail vibrated at high frequency, sending waves of sound rippling outward.
"Hmph! Just a brat who uses snakes!"
"Combined Ninjutsu!"
"Water Release! Water Curtain! Lightning Release! False Darkness!"
A massive volume of water erupted beside Earth Grudge Fear, forming a cascading waterfall. Immediately after, countless bolts of lightning layered over it.
The fusion of Water and Lightning greatly amplified the power of both techniques.
But Jinlin didn't care in the slightest.
"I'll smash through you!"
Natural energy enveloped her entire body. The scales along her form shimmered vividly as she continued charging forward without slowing down.
"Boom!"
The golden giant serpent collided with the torrent of electricity and waterfall, producing a thunderous explosion.
The next second, the water curtain shattered, the lightning vanished—
And Jinlin didn't have a single scratch.
"Hmph! Earth Grudge Fear Mode!"
Seeing ordinary techniques fail to deal with the massive serpent before him, Kakuzu immediately changed tactics.
Threads burst out from his body in all directions. In moments, he transformed once more into the "sewing monster" Gekko Chizan liked to call him.
"Ugh, that's disgusting!"
"What the hell is that thing!"
The remaining Earth Grudge Fear clones also merged back into Kakuzu's body.
Watching the man before her turn into a monster, Jinlin's face filled with disgust.
But that didn't slow her down at all.
No matter what the enemy was, her plan was simple—crash into him and crush him.
At the same time, Urokohane launched her attack from the sky. Several scales on her body began glowing faintly, then detached and transformed into ground-targeting missiles.
"Tch, don't steal my prey!"
"I'm helping you, can't you tell?"
Jinlin and Urokohane's attacks reached Kakuzu almost simultaneously.
"Don't underestimate me!"
"Die!"
Countless black tentacles whipped through the air, intercepting Urokohane's scales while reaching toward Jinlin, attempting to stop her with the power of Earth Grudge Fear.
But the massive size difference meant that even with a forbidden technique, he couldn't match Jinlin's strength.
The impact sent him—and all his writhing tentacles—flying.
"Damn it! Such tremendous strength?"
Just as Kakuzu's expression grew serious, large amounts of iron sand suddenly emerged from the mountains behind him.
"Mummy, looks like your situation isn't too optimistic."
"Give me a bigger budget next time, and I'll help you!"
With that voice and the iron sand filling the sky, Kakuzu didn't even need to think to know who had arrived.
The genius of puppet techniques—Kabuto!
"You damned bastard! I don't need your help, so don't even think about taking my money!"