Chapter 185 - The Middle-Aged Youth Who Was Tragically Deceived by an Old Man
Thick dust filled the streets, clouding Kazane's line of sight. However, Kazane's sharp Observation Haki had already locked firmly onto Kakuzu from the moment the battle began.
Naturally, he could tell that despite the loud commotion earlier, it hadn't dealt any fatal damage to Kakuzu.
But Jiriku, who was watching from the sidelines, didn't have Kazane's perception. The vast smoke completely blocked his view of the fight.
Boom!!!
Curious about the outcome of the previous clash, Jiriku threw a punch toward the battlefield. His immense physical strength generated a powerful gust, tearing through the smoke and revealing a clear path to Kakuzu.
The wind cleared the smoke, unveiling the world hidden beneath it.
Kakuzu's body was covered with enormous wounds that almost split him into pieces. Dense black tendrils within his body were working tirelessly to repair him.
Of the four mask shadows that had accompanied him, only two remained. The ground was littered with fragments. Clearly, this round had ended in Kakuzu's defeat.
Jiriku, who had high expectations, found this result a bit underwhelming.
That's it?
This guy once fought the First Hokage?
All that intimidating flair earlier—like some big villain in a stage play—turned out to be nothing but flash. One touch, and he collapsed.
"Hatake Kazane..."
Glaring at the two remaining mask shadows by his side, Kakuzu's voice was laced with hatred, but deep down, he felt only fear.
He hadn't expected Kazane's casual strike to be so terrifying. Letting his guard down for just a moment had cost him two of his hearts.
This was a serious problem. Kakuzu's strength largely depended on those hearts.
Using the secret technique of Takigakure, Kakuzu could steal still-beating hearts from other ninja, storing them within himself to prolong his life. By doing so, he also gained access to the chakra nature of each heart's original owner.
Over the years, Kakuzu had assassinated many powerful shinobi while working the black market and amassing enormous bounties.
Currently, he possessed five hearts in total—each corresponding to a different chakra nature: Lightning, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Water. This allowed him to freely use five elemental ninjutsu.
But Kazane had just destroyed his Water and Lightning hearts. Now down two chakra types, Kakuzu had even less confidence in facing such a formidable opponent.
Kazane, on the other hand, looked unimpressed by Kakuzu's current state. When Kakuzu had initiated the fight, Kazane had assumed he'd be quite the threat.
Never imagined Kakuzu—who looked strong—was actually a paper tiger. All bark, no bite. That was enough to make Kazane lose interest in him.
Originally, he had intended to kill Kakuzu right there and then, but suddenly recalled a certain ability of Kakuzu's. That gave him another idea—maybe he'd give Kakuzu a chance to live.
But if Kakuzu was to submit, he needed to be put in his place first.
"Monk, he's yours now."
Kazane pointed at the now-healed Kakuzu and spoke to Jiriku, all while suppressing Kakuzu with his Conqueror's Haki.
Boom!
Like a tangible force, the Haki slammed down on Kakuzu, its ferocity shaking him to his core.
Even during his battle with Hashirama, the First Hokage, Kakuzu had never experienced such overwhelming pressure.
At that moment, he began to question the rumors about the shinobi world. Who had said Hatake Kazane would eventually possess power rivaling Hashirama?
Eventually? What about now?
How was it that every other rumor seemed exaggerated, but today he'd encountered someone who was clearly underestimated?
Had he known Kazane was this strong, Kakuzu wouldn't have come to the Land of Fire even if he were paid double.
Meanwhile, Jiriku's eyes lit up the moment he heard Kazane's command. He walked over to Kakuzu, itching for a fight.
After witnessing Kakuzu's disappointing performance, the legendary image Kakuzu once held in Jiriku's mind—someone who had survived a battle with the First Hokage—had shattered completely.
Besides, pummeling a downed enemy—no, fighting powerful foes—had always been Jiriku's thing. Since Kakuzu once fought Hashirama and lived to tell the tale...
Didn't that mean, if he beat Kakuzu, he was on par with the First Hokage?
Hashirama ≥ Kakuzu
Jiriku ≥ Kakuzu
Therefore, Jiriku ≥ Hashirama!
Flawless logic.
Kakuzu had already noticed Jiriku trailing behind Kazane. That nearly two-meter-tall, muscle-bound physique was a walking warning sign.
This was a man whose strength was written all over his body.
Judging by his size alone, Kakuzu could tell Jiriku was a taijutsu-type ninja.
He'd already felt Jiriku's strength when he was blindsided earlier, so he knew full well that this guy wasn't easy to deal with.
Clearly, anyone capable of keeping company with someone like Kazane wouldn't be weak.
Still, since Kazane wasn't going to make a move himself, Kakuzu gained a bit of confidence. No matter how strong a taijutsu fighter was, it didn't mean much if they didn't know his weaknesses.
This time, he wouldn't be careless.
Kazane's Conqueror's Haki was certainly strong—so strong that even most elite shinobi would be overwhelmed by it.
But Kakuzu was different. His body was entirely controlled by the black tendrils of his Earth Grudge Fear technique.
So although the Haki affected his mind and body somewhat, it remained within tolerable limits.
Facing Jiriku now, Kakuzu fused the masks of Fire and Wind elements into his shoulders.
From his back, a swarm of black threads surged toward Jiriku like a tidal wave.
Taijutsu Secret Art – Morning Peacock!!!
Faced with the evil tendrils pouring toward him, Jiriku punched rapidly at the air in front of him, each strike forming a flaming afterimage.
His fists generated intense friction with the air, sparking fire that danced before him. With each strike, the flames—infused with his punching force—blasted toward the tendrils.
A blazing wave of flame and impact energy shredded the black tendrils, continuing on toward Kakuzu.
Jiriku had spent years training with Might Duy and his son, Guy. All that effort had not gone to waste. Jiriku's daily hard work had granted him a body rivaling that of Duy.
And Duy had never held back when teaching. Whatever he taught Guy, he taught Jiriku too—and Jiriku had always been the more studious one.
Because of his talent, he had mastered many of Konoha's taijutsu secrets—faster than Might Guy himself in some cases.
Kakuzu's expression darkened as the flaming punches rushed toward him.
He'd known Jiriku wouldn't be easy, but seeing it firsthand truly drove the point home.
At the same time, he began to question the black market's intelligence network. For someone this strong in taijutsu, there was no information?
Did this top-tier fighter just spring out of a rock?
Still, attacks of this level couldn't take him down so easily.
Behind him, eight thick, black tendrils shot out—hard as steel—and shielded Kakuzu.
Upon closer inspection, they weren't truly that sturdy. Every time they were torn apart, smaller tendrils quickly filled the gaps, creating the illusion of durability.
Fire Release – Head Hard Work!
Wind Release – Pressure Damage!
Combined Ninjutsu – Scorching Wind Chaos Wave!
While blocking Morning Peacock, the Fire and Wind masks on Kakuzu's shoulders opened their mouths—one spewing flames, the other wind.
The fire borrowed the strength of the wind, and the wind fanned the fire's might!
Together, they created a massive blaze, surging toward Jiriku.
Even before it arrived, a wave of scorching heat assaulted everything in its path.
Nobles and travelers watching from afar felt relieved by their earlier decision to flee.
Thank goodness we left. With this level of ninjutsu, even the shockwaves would've been lethal.
No doubt—Kakuzu had some firepower.
Even Jiriku, seeing such a high-level Fire Release for the first time, felt his earlier contempt for Kakuzu vanish.
Taijutsu Secret – Floor-Up Technique!!!
Although Jiriku knew some Water Release, he also knew it would be useless against such a fierce blaze. So instead, he thrust his hands into the ground and lifted a massive slab of earth.
The roaring flames collided with the raised ground. While intense, the fire couldn't burn through solid earth. Eventually, the fire would die out once Kakuzu's chakra was exhausted.
Though impressed by Jiriku's nimble response, Kakuzu grinned coldly.
He still had more elements!
Earth Release – Earth Dragon Bullet!!!
Forming hand seals, Kakuzu summoned a hideous earthen dragon from the ground. It opened its maw and spat a forceful mud blast, shattering Jiriku's earth wall and allowing the flames to surge forward again.
Though it seemed like a long exchange, all of this happened within a few breaths.
What puzzled Kakuzu was that Jiriku had vanished after the wall crumbled.
Damn!
Earth Release – Inner Decapitation Jutsu!!!
Suddenly, Jiriku's hand burst from beneath Kakuzu and grabbed his ankle, dragging him underground. Only his masked head remained above ground.
Kakuzu had made a fatal error—assuming Jiriku was only a taijutsu-type because of his strength.
That allowed Jiriku's Earth-style ambush to succeed.
But Kakuzu wasn't someone who could be defeated so easily.
Jiriku emerged from the ground without hesitation. He wasn't about to commit the classic villain mistake of gloating mid-fight.
He remembered how Kakuzu had used his tendrils to regenerate earlier. But every forbidden jutsu had limits. If you could repair your body, could you repair your head?
Without pausing, Jiriku launched himself forward and kicked Kakuzu's head clean off.
Jiriku didn't believe anyone could survive without a brain.
Sure enough, Kakuzu's body stopped moving. The infamous S-rank rogue ninja who had once survived a battle with the First Hokage had just been taken out by Jiriku.
"Boss, it's done!"
Feeling refreshed, Jiriku strutted over to Kazane, already planning how he'd spread word of today's victory.
Now he too was on par with Hashirama.
"…Alright, come on out, Kakuzu. I know wounds like that wouldn't kill you."
Kazane didn't even look at Jiriku. His gaze stayed fixed on Kakuzu's body.
"Boss, his head got knocked off. No way he's still alive."
Jiriku looked at Kakuzu's lifeless body buried in the dirt, head lying off to the side. He figured Kazane was overestimating their opponent.
Sure, the body could heal… but a missing head?
"If you keep playing dead, I'll make sure you actually die. Monk, break the two masks and shatter every heart inside his body."
Kazane's voice turned cold as he ordered Jiriku to destroy Kakuzu's hearts.
Though he felt Kazane was being overly cautious, orders were orders. So Jiriku approached Kakuzu's body again.
But just as he got close, Kakuzu's body rose on its own. Several tendrils sprouted from his neck, reattaching his head.
Truthfully, Jiriku couldn't have defeated Kakuzu so easily.
In a true life-or-death battle, Kakuzu—especially with his secret kept— he might have killed Jiriku instead.
He only played dead because he assumed Kazane didn't know about Earth Grudge Fear. He was hoping to escape unnoticed.
But now that Kazane had exposed his greatest secret, Kakuzu felt both fear and relief. He knew—he wasn't going to die today.
"Hatake Kazane, what exactly do you want?"
If Kazane knew his weakness but hadn't killed him, it meant Kazane didn't plan to. And if that was the case, Kakuzu no longer needed to be afraid.