"[Ultra-Ice Purple], bounty 35 million ryo. Ken Terumi, 12 million ryo..."
Kakuzu scanned the seven or eight fighters around him and silently noted that each one had a bounty far higher than the guy named "Xiguashan." On any other day, meeting them would've excited him-but being cornered by so many weapon-wielding elites made holding back his killing instinct damn near impossible.
Though Murasaki didn't know Kakuzu by name, any top-tier jonin had heard of him. Kakuzu had built his reputation in blood, and there wasn't one ninja in the underground world who hadn't felt the reverberations of his work at some point. Murasaki wasn't foolish enough to provoke him without warning.
"We both know you're in it for the money," Murasaki said calmly. "Why not name your price and walk away?"
Kakuzu's glare hardened. The moment those words left his mouth, they offended him-not just as a mercenary, but as someone who took pride in fulfilling contracts to the letter. He wasn't about to fold just to reduce casualties.
"Hah... how dare the light of a firefly try competing with the moon? You've no idea what I'm after."
Murasaki stopped wasting time. If this battle dragged on, success wouldn't even earn praise-just another Mizukage reprimand. Fast and clean was his only option now.
"Body-Flash Technique. Fog Style: Body-Flash Technique."
His silhouette vanished into the mist that clung thick around Kakuzu. Chakra-enhanced fog immediately obscured everything beyond arm's reach.
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!" Yukari's hands blurred through seals as ice mirrors snapped into existence around Kakuzu's position. Each mirror reflected Yukari's figure.
"Tch... troublesome."
He couldn't tell which was the original, but Kakuzu wasn't about to be hunted inside someone else's trap. He slammed his hands together.
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Flames surged through the ice at the same time lightning cracked through the fog. The storm of chakra shattered mirrors into fragments and tore holes in the curtain of mist. Wind followed after, blowing debris wide and giving Kakuzu brief visibility again.
Yukari wasn't dead-and his allies weren't idle either.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Ken Terumi's boiling mist hissed toward him. It carried chakra-laced acid strong enough to melt stone-and likely flesh twice as fast.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Kakuzu threw up rock just in time. The thick wall caught the acid spray-but started disintegrating almost instantly.
"What kind of...?"
He launched away from melting stone before it burned through completely. That instinct saved his life-barely.
From the mist-another strike followed.
"Water Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
Water droplets turned into senbon in midair and stabbed from every direction-piercing through Kakuzu's midair form with relentless precision. Skin split and muscle shredded under the barrage-and then-
Thud...
His body dropped hard to the ground, motionless and full of holes.
Mist-nin laughed when they saw him fall, ignoring their own injuries in favor of mockery.
"Should've known better than to act tough alone!"
"Secure his body-no, wait-"
Zi's eyes narrowed suddenly. The summons were supposed to vanish once their caster died-but Kakuzu's monsters hadn't disappeared.
Which could only-
Bang!
Kakuzu's body jerked upright and shed its illusion of death. Plaster coating cracked off its skin-a puppet decoy, and not even one imbued with chakra-it was only there to fake his demise.
"Damn-too late!"
Surrounded by enemies and no friendlies left alive in the zone, Kakuzu decided to cash in on insurance-the massive ninjutsu gifted to him by Thousand Stars himself.
"Five Style: Great Composite Element Bullet Technique!"
Four masked clones joined him in rapid-fire hand seals before unleashing elemental hell. Fire, lightning, wind, earth, and water collided midair and exploded outward in one massive dome of destruction.
"No! Dodge it-!"
They tried-but there was no distance left to run. The blast engulfed everything inside the radius. Dust mushroomed skyward from impact craters swallowing terrain whole for nearly one hundred meters out.
Boom... Boom...
Even those who survived lost control over their senses-collapsing where they stood or staggering like broken puppets across broken ground.
Kakuzu stumbled forward with drag-heavy limbs. Chakra had drained from his system entirely. Three of his clones had been reduced to ash from overexertion.
"...Need to harvest some fresh hearts soon... does this count as workplace injury?"
One solitary lightning clone returned to his body and barely reconstituted his internal balance. Every step groaned under fatigue as he turned back toward where he hoped Thousand Stars would be waiting-
Ice shimmered in front of him again-sharp-polished-alive with chakra-
"Someone survived?"
Two silhouettes surfaced from ash-choked earth. Both were bleeding out and barely standing-but their rage kept their feet grounded.
Zi came first-missing one arm altogether, burns spread across what remained of his jawline and scalp. Terumi Ken limped next to him, dragging one foot uselessly behind him with blood pouring from his eye socket.
Sweat mixed with dirt rolled over Kakuzu's lips as he forced his arms upward into guard-
They weren't done fighting.
And coming in from behind them-he could feel Mist reinforcements closing ranks fast.
Outnumbered...
Disarmed...
Near empty...
For the first time in years-Kakuzu felt it again:
Desperation tightening around his throat like cold wire.
"I came this damn far… and I haven't even skimmed Whirlpool's vaults..."
Fingers curled into thin air-
Squeeze-
And then-warmth touched his shoulder-
"You weren't talking shit about me behind my back... were you?"
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