"Is this also your ability?"
Kakuzu kept his stance, a faintly mocking smile appearing on his face.
Temporarily controlling ninja tools that had left his hand—this ability might be surprisingly effective against others, but the opponent this time was Kakuzu himself.
This was practically an affront to the skills of a seasoned ninja.
"Now that's annoying!"
Fugaku Uchiha's expression slightly changed, but he wasn't surprised.
After all, Kakuzu was a renowned ninja with many years of experience. No one could say exactly how many battles he had been through. His combat experience might even surpass the total of the four of them combined. To him, this kind of trick was merely child's play.
Thud—
A dull sound rang out, and Fugaku looked downward.
He saw a mass of black threads condense together before shooting up from below toward him.
Fast-moving and coming from a sharp angle.
This sudden attack startled him greatly, forcing him to hastily retreat backward.
But those Earth Grudge Fear threads wouldn't let go so easily.
Controlled by Kakuzu's own will, the black threads suddenly spread apart, covering the sky in front of Fugaku before simultaneously stabbing toward the still-evading man.
Cicii—
The black threads pierced through Fugaku Uchiha's body and pinned into the ground behind him.
Vivid red blood covered the threads before slowly collecting into drops that fell onto the ground.
Drip—
In just an instant, Uchiha Fugaku had been impaled by countless threads, looking like a sieve riddled with countless tiny holes.
"Clan Leader!"
"Uchiha Captain!"
The other three were stunned, their eyes wide at the sight of Fugaku impaled by Kakuzu's single strike.
This seemed completely unexpected, so their expressions showed nothing but shock and panic.
Impaled by numerous threads, Fugaku stood motionless, completely pinned in place.
From the front, every part of his body bore needle-sized bleeding holes, blood seeping slowly from those wounds, dyeing his entire form crimson.
With this single blow, Fugaku Uchiha had already lost his ability to fight back.
"Heheh."
Kakuzu laughed over there while, beneath his feet, a massive amount of black threads burrowed into the ground.
Compared to Fugaku's Shuriken Boomerang Technique, perhaps his sudden Black Threads strike was even harder to guard against?
Hearing Kakuzu laugh, Fugaku slowly raised his head.
His body was riddled with wounds; his face should have been twisted in pain—but instead, it bore an eerie smile.
Kakuzu immediately stopped laughing, as if realizing something.
His body stiffened, about to move when a sharp sound sliced through the air beside his ear.
Immediately afterward, pain exploded through his body, and the world around him shifted violently.
The image of the pierced Uchiha Fugaku within his vision gradually dissolved into an illusion, vanishing into the air like ephemeral bubbles.
"What is this?"
Kakuzu slightly lowered his gaze toward the right side of his chest. A kunai knife wrapped in deep blue chakra was deeply embedded into his heart, violently twisting several times to ensure his heart was shattered.
"I told you, you would pay for your actions."
Fugaku Uchiha stared straight into Kakuzu's face, the swirling crimson patterns of his Mangekyou gleaming with a hypnotic glow that momentarily dazed Kakuzu.
"It's genjutsu... I underestimated you, Fugaku. The Uchiha Clan's dojutsu has become so refined even I couldn't detect the slightest anomaly."
Kakuzu's voice was low, blood slowly trickling from the corner of his masked mouth.
For someone who possessed multiple hearts, genjutsu hadn't affected him in a long time.
Normally, as soon as an illusion appeared, the beating of different hearts within his body would generate chaotic chakra automatically, instantly dispelling the genjutsu.
Right now, however, his unique physiology wasn't enough to immediately break free from Fugaku's genjutsu.
Thus arose the absurd sight of him attacking empty air like a fool, only to be countered and nearly killed by Fugaku.
Whoosh—
Fugaku tightened his grip on his weapon, watching the fading eyes before stepping back a few paces.
His objective had been achieved with this attack.
Thud—
Kakuzu crashed onto the ground, looking as if he were dead.
"Don't approach!"
Fugaku kept his eyes locked on Kakuzu while waving off the young Uchiha ninja nearby.
According to information from Iwagakure and Takigakure, Kakuzu had the ability to "resurrect after death," since Earth Grudge Fear allowed him to live as many times as he had hearts remaining.
Therefore, killing him just once clearly wasn't sufficient.
Puchi—puchi—puchi—
Following Fugaku's instructions and recalling existing intelligence, everyone stopped in their tracks, staying alert as they watched Kakuzu lying motionless on the ground.
About five or six seconds passed when the "corpse" suddenly showed movement.
Suddenly, his back exploded violently, countless black threads resembling strands of hair bursting from his body, quickly covering an area over ten meters in diameter in an instant.
These black threads didn't gather together but instead rapidly separated into several shadowy figures of varying sizes.
"This must be his true form... He's practically a monster!"
The Nara clan ninja gripped his hands together, eyes locked on Kakuzu as he shouted.
"It seems my secret isn't a secret anymore," Kakuzu said slowly, rising up supported by massive amounts of black thread, facing the four Konoha ninjas.
He originally planned to exploit his immortality to catch an inattentive Konoha ninja off guard, but they all seemed well-prepared beforehand.
This both surprised and slightly unsettled him.
However, he quickly regained composure.
As one of the most frequently deployed members of the Organization, leaking information was perfectly normal.
Actually, it fell entirely within his expectations.
He simply hadn't anticipated his secrets reaching enemies he hadn't even faced yet.
Although he lacked Saitama's endless arsenal of techniques, Kakuzu remained confident in his own strength and doubted these opponents could harm him further.
Even though this enemy had already shattered one of his hearts.
"Wah!"
As he spoke, Kakuzu opened his mouth. Black threads spewed from his mouth and nostrils, continuing to extend downward until finally dangling from his chest.
He hunched forward. Behind him, countless black threads danced wildly in the wind. On either side stood two fully-formed humanoid monsters.
*Thud!*
As Fugaku watched closely, one of the four Mask Beasts standing beside Kakuzu suddenly crumbled to the ground, its form unraveling as all the threads composing its body fell limply onto the ground like lifeless ropes.
"That must be the heart pierced by his own hand. So, to kill the current enemy, at least four remaining hearts must be eliminated!"
Fugaku held a Kunai horizontally before his chest, contemplating everything before him.
This was basically consistent with what had been mentioned in the intelligence reports.
That he had successfully killed one of his opponent's lives was clearly due to a surprise Genjutsu attack.
So right now, had the opponent split into several parts specifically to counter his Genjutsu?
Moreover, those monsters didn't seem like they could be affected by Genjutsu, effectively neutralizing his illusions without even realizing it!
Indeed, he couldn't afford to be careless!
The enemy would not underestimate him like before, and opportunities left for him were even fewer now.
"One monster died, still three Mask Beasts remain, plus the main body making it exactly four."
One Ninja whispered softly.
"You handle the Mask Beasts; leave the real Kakuzu to me!"
Fugaku also understood that this was no time for hesitation, and he needed to trust his teammates in this moment, so he directly issued combat orders.
"Understood!"
Others nodded together. Those Mask Beasts seemed much easier to deal with than Kakuzu himself, and they felt somewhat confident—they weren't facing an enemy beyond their capacity.
"Since you shattered one of my hearts, you'll fill the vacancy it leaves behind!"
Kakuzu's appearance was abnormal—aside from vaguely resembling a human, everything else about him looked wrong.
Due to the black threads covering his nose and mouth, his voice sounded hoarse as he spoke, like an Oni who had just crawled out from the depths of hell.
"Attack!"
Upon hearing Kakuzu's words, Fugaku hesitated not a moment nor showed any fear toward the threatening tone lacing them.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Thus, the four figures directly charged toward Kakuzu, their movement sending whistling winds howling.
After rushing forward a few steps, the other three individuals behind Fugaku veered sideways instead of charging straight ahead.
"Hehe, looks like I should show you brats what real ninja combat is all about."
A pair of emerald-green eyes flickered with icy coldness. The three remaining Mask Beasts beside Kakuzu turned their gazes toward the other three Ninjas excluding Fugaku.
His thoughts oddly aligned with Fugaku's. He wasn't concerned about whether the Mask Beasts could handle those three Ninjas.
Even if they truly couldn't manage the situation, as long as those three stayed occupied and refrained from interfering with his fight against the Uchiha clan head, this battle would end quickly enough.
Because he firmly believed there was no way he'd lose again to the present Uchiha Fugaku in a serious fight.
Thanks to the presence of his Earth Grudge-Fear Clone, he wouldn't unknowingly fall victim to enemy genjutsu again.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—
The Mask Beast slightly opened its mouth, and various-colored ninjutsu immediately gathered at its lips.
Then, these techniques shot forth like cannonballs toward the three figures still charging forward.
Air Bullets, Lightning Orbs, Water Spheres...
And right after releasing their techniques, these three Mask Beasts surged forward, chasing their own attacks toward those three men.
[Fire Release - Flame Technique!]
The ritual circle in his left eye faintly emitted a deep and unfathomable glow, as Fugaku Uchiha spewed endless flames from his mouth.
This time's elemental release was more powerful than the previous one they had used in coordination with two other companions.
Blazing flames surged continuously through the air, causing the surrounding temperature to instantly skyrocket to an extreme degree.
This technique was executed under the influence of his Mangekyou, so naturally its power was extraordinary.
Moreover, having gotten past the initial awkwardness of using it, this second amplified technique came much more smoothly for Fugaku.
Standing still without moving, Kakuzu remained rooted to the spot amidst the direct assault of the elemental technique, his expression calm.
Numerous Black Threads danced behind him, waving around like unstoppable aggressive energy.
As he watched Fugaku Uchiha's ninjutsu approach, he slowly brought both hands up to his chest.
The entire chamber's air began to boil.
[Earth Release - Earth Flow Castle!]
Since the heart he'd been hit on was a fire attribute, as the main body he could still use his earth nature techniques.
Faced now with such a powerful fire attack, regular defensive techniques like Earth Wall might not suffice.
Thus, Clenching his jaw, Kakuzu unleashed a large-scale defensive ninjutsu he hadn't used in years.
His hands rapidly formed ninja seals in front of his chest, completing dozens within just a few seconds.
Finally, he slammed both palms against the ground, channeling chakra into the earth beneath him.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—
It sounded like an earthquake. The ground started shaking uncontrollably, developing countless cracks.
Following this, the earth several dozen meters ahead of him broke off from foot level and rapidly rose upward.
BOOM—
Fugaku's fire technique struck Kakuzu's earth technique head-on. The flames' momentum stalled instantly.
Though enhanced by the Mangekyou, making the technique incredibly devastating, Kakuzu's earth release remained formidable.
As a result, the flames roared furiously against the earth wall, both sides slowly wearing each other down.
BOOM—
Ultimately, although the fire couldn't reach Kakuzu hiding behind his defense, it did cause the high-temperature resistant earth technique to lose form, disintegrating into fine sand that piled onto the ground at the final moment.
Hu!
Fugaku kept charging forward, cloaked in a faint aura of chakra.
Seeing the opponent block with ninjutsu, he formed a plan instantly.
Meanwhile, the kunai in his right hand, after undergoing chakra nature transformation, sparkled brilliantly while running, radiating dazzling light.
As Kakuzu had previously suspected, his left eye's ability was to enhance ninjutsu, while the right eye's ability related to ninja tools.
It could not only briefly control thrown ninja tools but also make them sharper!
[Earth Grudge Fear!!]
Kakuzu looked at Fugaku Uchiha, and the Black Threads on his back instantly became active, like countless roots of an ancient demon tree, wildly thrashing behind him.
Cish, cish, cish—
Under Kakuzu's control, they shot forward, piercing through the air with sharp whistling sounds.
The sky darkened with countless Black Threads, creating a sense of inexplicable dread and terror.
Combined with Kakuzu's central figure—his pair of emerald-green eyes—this scene felt as oppressive as the end of the world.
Shua, shua, shua—
Fugaku Uchiha's movements were fluid and seamless. With the aid of his Sharingan, the storm of Black Threads couldn't even graze him.
The kunai in his hand sliced through the air like a scythe, cutting down every nearby thread, which then fell to the ground, writhing briefly before going still.
But Kakuzu didn't stop—the assault from Earth Grudge Fear grew fiercer and fiercer.
He knew the Sharingan's penetrating gaze would neutralize most attacks.
So he pushed himself to move faster, increasing both speed and frequency, forcing Uchiha Fugaku into a possible mistake.
After all, no matter how strong his opponent was, he was still human.
Everyone made mistakes—especially during such intense combat.
Yet to Kakuzu's surprise, amid this relentless attack, Fugaku's movements became even simpler and swifter.
The kunai in his hand spun like a disc, blocking every incoming thread flawlessly and slicing them into fragments that dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Ever since discovering his right eye's connection to ninja tools, Fugaku Uchiha had never ceased refining his weapon techniques.
And yet, even a simple kunai in his hands became deadly. Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear was rendered useless.
Da!
Dodging another Earth Grudge Fear attack by crouching low, Fugaku Uchiha sprang upward like a coiled spring, leaping into the air.
And the ever-pressing Black Threads followed swiftly, chasing him skyward.
Countless threads twisted together, wrapping around his ankle, as if trying to pull him into the abyss.
Shua—
With a swift throw, Fugaku hurled the kunai toward Kakuzu, while his body continued rising.
As soon as he released the weapon, his hands started forming hand seals, and his ascent gradually slowed.
Cish, cish, cish—
A few threads reached his ankle, tightening with force and dragging him downward.
Once there was a foothold, more threads climbed rapidly, preparing to bind him completely.
Fugaku's face remained calm. His body bent backward, then snapped upright with precision.
[Fire Release Dragon Fire Technique!]
He used fire release once more, though on a smaller scale than before.
And this time, it was significantly different from the last.
This time, fire erupted from his mouth, following the threads of Earth Grudge Fear that had already reached him and extending straight toward Kakuzu.
It resembled the Uchiha Clan's technique of binding enemies with chakra threads before igniting them with a Fire Release jutsu — two different approaches achieving the same result.
Fugaku Uchiha had already learned about Earth Grudge Fear's properties during their earlier battle.
They weren't as strong as steel wires, but they could still work for a bit as channels for ninjutsu.
On the other side, Kakuzu hadn't expected Fugaku to have such a trick up his sleeve. For a moment, his composure cracked.
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
The flames ignited the threads of Earth Grudge Fear, rapidly spreading along them until, in the blink of an eye, they reached Kakuzu.
With so many threads spread out, intense flames converged on him from all directions.
Earth Grudge Fear, originally his own offensive weapon, had become his enemy's aid in an instant, making Kakuzu's expression darken.
[Boom!!]
In the next second, the flames struck him like a bonfire suddenly roaring upward into the sky.
Kakuzu was swallowed by fire!
"Hoo!"
Fugaku landed on the ground, the threads nearby having turned to ash in the blaze, now slowly dissipating in the gentle breeze.
His gaze first shifted to the burning inferno where Kakuzu had stood moments ago, then glanced sideways at the three ninja.
He didn't know how Kakuzu was doing exactly, but it couldn't be pleasant — just probably not deadly yet.
As for his three companions, although each was struggling against their respective Mask Beast, they were not in immediate danger yet.
As long as he settled the fight with Kakuzu's main body here, the whole situation would shift.
[Boom!!]
Before he could continue observing Kakuzu or analyzing the current battlefield conditions in his mind,
the fireball exploded outward, revealing the battered figure inside.
Though the technique was indeed powerful, Kakuzu was no ordinary opponent — Fugaku naturally understood his enemy hadn't died.
His eyes locked onto the enemy.
The Akatsuki Cloak Kakuzu wore had already looked tattered due to his use of Earth Grudge Fear, but now the flames had completely burned away both clothing and mask, revealing skin stitched together with thread and blackened scars from searing burns.
"Damn it!"
Hatred filled Kakuzu's eyes. Although Earth Spear Jutsu offered strong defense, he still found himself enraged by the fire's damage, suffering injuries across his body.
Fugaku Uchiha's strength and battle experience were beyond what he had anticipated.
Looking at things now, he was clearly at a disadvantage — a troubling development.
Glancing around, he saw his masked duplicates locked in stalemate with the three ninja, and his heart sank slightly.
If he could eliminate those three first and recall the Mask Beasts to focus on fighting this Uchiha Fugaku together,
then his chances of defeating Fugaku Uchiha would increase significantly.
But that was clearly impossible right now.
Due to his previous battle against the Eight-Tails, he had lost multiple hearts.
And since time was tight after returning, the hearts he replenished were merely those of average Jonin, whose strength wasn't particularly remarkable. As a result, the Mask Beast's power had also weakened significantly.
"Trouble!"
Kakuzu frowned, realizing things were heading in a bad direction, with something seemingly uncontrollable emerging.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, he noticed a kunai not far from his feet, and an ominous premonition inexplicably arose in his heart.
Sure enough, almost as soon as his gaze fell upon it, the fallen kunai suddenly sprang into action.
Whoosh—
The tip aimed straight at Kakuzu's chest, as though controlled by someone's mind, swiftly stabbing toward him.
Clang!
Not daring to be careless, Kakuzu raised his arm in front of his chest to block, successfully stopping Fugaku Uchiha's kunai strike.
"Damn it!"
However, when the kunai struck his arm and began falling downward, he let out an exclamation.
At the same time, the Mask Beast, which had been fighting other ninjas, suddenly poured all its strength into breaking free.
Seeing this situation, how could the others allow these Mask Beasts to escape easily?
So they frantically tried to block every escape route, even if it meant taking injuries to delay the beasts for just a few more seconds.
They weren't paying attention to Fugaku's side of the fight, but logically speaking, Kakuzu must have been the one at a disadvantage, forcing them to rely on the Mask Beast's help.
Kakuzu's abnormality came simply because he realized he seemed once again trapped within Fugaku's Genjutsu.
At the moment the kunai collided with his arm, his entire body stiffened, as if a ghost were sitting on him (a phenomenon known as sleep paralysis in real life), rendering him completely immobile.
Therefore, practically instantly, he deduced that he had fallen victim to an illusion technique.
Genjutsu came in different forms: one kind being where the target remained unaware they were ensnared in an illusion; another type being where the person knew perfectly well they were under an illusion yet their body remained utterly unresponsive.
The latter category of illusion techniques is classified under "paralysis techniques," the most famous being Jiraiya's [Sage Art – Frog Chorus], used previously against Pain.
Right now, Kakuzu had fallen precisely into this second category.
[Phantasmal Darkness – Impaling Stake Technique!]
On that side, Fugaku Uchiha narrowed his eyes and activated the Ninjutsu he'd prepared in advance.
Using the sound of the kunai as the trigger for initiating the illusion, then amplifying it through the power of his Sharingan, he released the full force of the jutsu.
After his first illusion successfully damaged Kakuzu, he had already started planning for this second opportunity.
The more unexpected the attack, the stronger its impact.
Although Kakuzu had created several clones to ensure himself immunity against illusions, this particular technique was entirely different from the one before.
Hence, even though Kakuzu knew he was caught in an illusion, he couldn't break free.
Whoosh—
The very instant the illusion technique launched, he resumed movement.
His hand brushed across his waist, immediately producing another kunai into his palm.
Then planting his heel backward firmly, he propelled himself forward, rushing toward Kakuzu less than ten meters away.
To kill Kakuzu, the first priority was to reduce the number of his hearts.
Therefore, his current objective was to take Kakuzu down once more.
Kakuzu's face darkened.
He never expected to end up in such a situation.
He had thought that Genjutsu like this wouldn't work on him again.
After falling once, he understood the power of his opponent's illusion technique, so he split his Earth Grudge Fear into several parts to deal with the genjutsu attack.
But he still didn't expect to fall for it again.
A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. His body trembled uncontrollably, but he still couldn't break free from that paralyzed state.
Glancing sideways at the Mask Beasts, he found they were still unable to get rid of those ninja—this was the damn worst-case scenario!
If this continued, he would lose another heart.
In a situation where replenishment wasn't possible, the number of hearts needed to be maintained at a reasonable level to ensure his own safety and combat effectiveness.
Swish--
Fugaku's body had already rushed forward, right in front of Kakuzu. The sensation of chakra collision was clearly felt, yet Kakuzu still hadn't managed to escape the restraint of the Stake-Through Sealing Technique.
Thus, that kunai—enhanced by dojutsu effects like [Sharpness] and powered through Chakra Nature Transformation—plunged into Kakuzu's chest again.
Exactly the same spot.
The wound just stitched shut by Earth Grudge Fear threads was torn open once more.
Kakuzu's body involuntarily twitched. Finally, at the moment his chest was pierced, he broke free from the genjutsu.
But it was already a step too late—by then, that heart had already become meaningless.
"Cough cough!"
He kept coughing violently, blood dripping from the threads hanging out of his mouth onto the ground below. Thick blood splattered across the nearby Earth Grudge Fear tendrils.
Boom--
Over there, three Mask Beasts erupted with even greater power and momentum, breaking away from the entanglement of the three Konoha ninja, rushing toward Kakuzu's location.
Shshshsh!--
Without hesitation, Fugaku twisted the kunai, confirming a fatal injury to Kakuzu before leaping backward.
And almost the instant he jumped away, several waves of jutsu impact landed not far behind where he'd been standing.
The wind sliced deep cracks into the ground, which were then blasted into a massive crater by [Water Release] techniques. Finally, surges of [Lightning] spread across the wet surface, chasing after Fugaku as he retreated.
Kakuzu, with his chest pierced, stood upright, covering his wound without immediately collapsing.
Then the three Mask Beasts landed beside him, linking up with Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear behind them and taking the shape of wall-like figures standing on either side.
Patta--
True to Fugaku's expectations, one of the Mask Beasts turned into a pile of 'mud' again, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Since Kakuzu's main body had lost one heart, it was obvious that he would incorporate the heart within the Mask Beast bodies into himself—which meant one Mask Beast would become ineffective.
Fugaku evaded the jutsu attacks, increased the distance, and watched Kakuzu's changes carefully. He understood perfectly what was happening.
"Captain!"
"Clan Head!"
The three ninjas also landed beside Fugaku Uchiha, each visibly injured and breathing heavily, their condition far from ideal.
They had been able to hold off the Mask Beast originally, but in the final moments, their opponent repeatedly powered up, making things difficult for them to handle.
"Are you alright?"
Fugaku quickly scanned the group. Finding nothing serious, his tone stayed relatively relaxed.
"We're fine."
They gave a quick nod before turning their gazes toward the enemy, looks serious.
Kakuzu merged with the Mask Beast once again.
But this time, it wasn't a full-body fusion—instead, they merely connected together, forming two separate humanoid figures on either side of Kakuzu.
As a result, the overall appearance became extremely grotesque, looking like three people squeezed together, losing all sense of human slenderness.
"Hu! Hu!"
Kakuzu kept taking deep breaths, his chest rising and falling heavily.
The wounds caused by Fugaku Uchiha earlier were already stitched shut by the movement of Black Threads.
"There are still three of Kakuzu's hearts left! Everyone, stay on guard!"
Fugaku Uchiha flicked off a blood-covered kunai, aiming it forward as he warned his team.
"Uchiha Fugaku, I admit your strength is worthy of your bounty."
Kakuzu slowly straightened his body, appearing to have fully recovered.
That previously near-death look was gone.
His eyes looked dark now, and his voice was full of hate.
...
[Boil Release – Clever Mist Technique!]
Hot, corrosive mist spewed from Puppet Terumi Mei's mouth, quickly covering half the sky ahead.
At the same time, the weapons thrown by Kakashi's squad instantly slammed into the mist.
'Sssss—'
An ear-piercing sound of corrosion filled the air. The weapons, originally moving incredibly fast under Wind Release enhancement, gradually slowed down due to an unknown force acting upon them.
Even more shocking was how those once shiny weapons got rougher the longer they stayed in the mist.
Some were even directly corroded into broken pieces—shrinking dramatically in size with rust-covered surfaces resembling scrap iron.
"This...is Boil Release!?"
Kakashi paused mid-charge, his expression turning extremely grim.
"Withdraw!"
He shouted loudly to warn his teammates, then glanced at the thick mist rapidly spreading toward their location before swiftly retreating.
Others could also see the immense power behind this mist, so naturally no one dared risk their bodies against it directly.
After all, if even hardened steel weapons ended up in such a state, what chance did ordinary flesh and bones have?
Following Kakashi's lead, they all quickly fell back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, explosion sounds came from the distance.
This confused Sasori slightly and he raised his head.
In that direction, it seemed like Kakuzu was fighting—could this commotion really be caused by his opponent?
Judging by the intensity of the disturbance, the enemy must be formidable indeed.
Sasori turned his gaze toward the Byakugan-wielding ninja facing him. Previously, this ninja squad seemed hesitant, perhaps because they had already detected another enemy.
Sasori then directly chose to fight, probably because he had spotted another ninja battling Kakuzu. This gave him some confidence.
Actually thinking about it, the Byakugan was indeed a powerful ability, and currently he didn't yet have a Human Puppet possessing the Byakugan.
Although Saitama had given him a Byakugan eye previously, since there were so many puppets to handle, that eye still hadn't found a suitable puppet body for installation.
Now, once again, he noticed how powerful the Byakugan's battlefield performance could be.
Though he didn't need extra combat power, improved vision alone was enough to cover his weaknesses in certain areas.
For example, if he had detected Kakuzu one step earlier, how events unfolded would've become much simpler.
Huuu—
The mist spewed from Terumi Mei's puppet's mouth quickly swept across where Kakashi and the others had just been standing. The green grass instantly turned yellow and withered, finally becoming blackened residue.
Even the ground itself bore shallow pits from corrosion.
And this wasn't even the main target of the Boil Release—this was only collateral damage.
Kakashi and the others' expressions grew even graver.
Cishicishi—
The group landed together, gazing heavily toward Sasori and his two puppets.
"You believe your man over there can defeat my comrade? That's why you dare stay here and fight me?"
The explosion sound they'd heard earlier was extremely loud, indicating both fighters were very strong.
Still, Sasori chose to trust Kakuzu.
"Don't say such arrogant things like we're unbeatable! How do you know unless you try?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, half his face covered by increasingly large blisters from burns. He looked extremely disfigured.
Yet his words showed no weakness at all—if losing was inevitable, at least he wouldn't lose his pride.
"Whatever. Pointless struggle!"
Sasori shrugged, then a vibration emitted from his chest area, Chakra Threads connecting to both puppets as they began moving.
Zzzsh—
The two puppets dashed forward, continuously weaving past each other, creating visual confusion.
"Watch out!"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. Both puppets moved fast—especially Han's puppet, which accelerated rapidly through steam propulsion.
[Boom—]
The earth cracked apart as Han's puppet's fist slammed beside Kakashi, hitting a ninja directly. Instantly, the man lost consciousness and fell into the crater created by the punch.
Spraying blood and flesh fragments caused intense discomfort among everyone present.
Zzzzsh! Zzzzsh! Zzzzsh!
The remaining people quickly jumped away while increasing distance simultaneously.
Right behind Han's attack, Terumi Mei's puppet struck again.
Thick, scalding yellow liquid sprayed from the puppet's mouth, covering the sky like rain as it engulfed Kakashi and the others who had dodged Han's assault.
"Ahh!"
Another ninja took direct hit from the jutsu and screamed in pain.
Soon after, the screams disappeared. What fell down was nothing more than a corroded skeleton beyond recognition.
Kakashi and the remaining Byakugan Ninja's faces kept shifting in shock—neither had expected these two puppets to kill their comrades in a single move.
Exchanging glances, Kakashi caught the fear deep within the Hyūga ninja's eyes.
"What a shame indeed," Sasori's voice came coolly at that moment, as if he had merely crushed a couple of insects. "Two potential candidates for puppets were destroyed. They were jonin or elite chunin after all—at the very least, they could've been decent additions to my 'Hundred Machine Manipulation.'"
Whoosh—
Han lunged forward again.
He sprang from the crater he'd made earlier and charged after Kakashi and the Hyūga ninja who had just landed.
"Retreat!" Kakashi shouted.
At this moment, Kakashi knew he had no choice but to step forward—otherwise, both would die.
So he rushed headlong at Han's fist.
Meanwhile, the Hyūga ninja finally snapped out of it and bolted at Kakashi's command.
Sasori, now fully focused on manipulating his puppets in battle, was simply too powerful. And these two weren't ordinary puppets either—their combined combat strength had reached an astonishing level.
Their defeat seemed inevitable, like a dam giving way before floodwaters.
Swish—
Kakashi drew the White Fang Tanto once more. The Chidori Current flashed past instantly.
Lightning surged around his entire body, and muscles hidden beneath his clothes suddenly tensed.
[Lightning Release – Ichiya!]
He swung the blade from his waist directly in front of him. Enhanced by Chidori, the sword carved a brilliant blue-white arc through the air—a perfect half-circle with flawless curvature.
Crack!
The blade struck Han's fist.
Han wore solid armor, so the slash did little damage—only rippling nearby chakra and leaving a shallow white mark across the surface.
Moreover, Han's natural defenses remained surprisingly formidable even as a puppet.
In contrast, Kakashi didn't fare well after the impact.
A violent jolt shot up his arm, numbing and weakening it completely. Even the weapon in his grip nearly flew from his grasp.
"Boil Release – Monster Unrivaled!"
Han was known as the Steam Ninja precisely because his Boil Release generated steam, which his armor amplified to enhance his monstrous strength.
Faced with Kakashi's counterattack, Sasori wasn't about to waste any more time—he immediately ordered Han to unleash his ultimate technique.
After the first clash, Kakashi already knew this was not a foe he could fight head-on alone, so he planned to retreat quickly.
But Han suddenly radiated a terrifying aura. Steam burst from gaps in his armored plating, signaling Kakashi wouldn't escape so easily this time.
Planting his feet firmly, Kakashi lowered his center of gravity and channeled every last trace of chakra left in his exhausted body into the White Fang clutched tightly in his hand.
[Crackle]—
Maybe it was the intense pressure of the moment, but Kakashi suddenly felt his chakra nature transformation become way more flexible. Chidori Current also seemed to undergo a new shift, its power subtly increasing.
[Lightning Release—Thunderous Crescent Slash!]
Instinctively, he slashed with the tanto in his grip once more.
This time, the attack was even fiercer than before — a massive wave of Chidori surged forward, and from the blade slashed out a thunderous crescent slicing through the air with a diameter of at least ten meters.
"Hmm?"
Sasori showed a flicker of surprise, not expecting Kakashi to actually have a breakthrough at such a critical moment.
However, Han's punch was not so easily blocked!
While controlling Han against Kakashi, he simultaneously maneuvered Terumi Mei to chase after the Hyūga ninja.
I'll finish you all at once!
Sasori thought to himself in that moment.
[Boom]—
Han clashed again with Kakashi's ninjutsu.
But this time, it wasn't as overwhelming as the previous one.
Instead, his forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. The chakra gathered around his fist violently exploded, and the armor on his arm shattered into countless fragments in an instant.
"Waah!"
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