Kakuzu took a deep breath. He slowly raised both hands as the charred black tendrils covering his body began regenerating.
Countless black threads stretched out from the edges of his wounds, weaving together with astonishing speed.
Within only a few breaths, the torn flesh had already healed, leaving behind nothing more than a faint scar. At the center of that scar, something bulged subtly beneath the skin, resembling a face that had been pressed flat.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
On Kakuzu's chest, another face had appeared.
More accurately, it was not a complete face, but only the outline of facial features.
Its eyes remained tightly shut, its lips firmly sealed. It looked completely lifeless, existing only as decoration.
"So... you've transplanted Hashirama Cells."
Kiyohara immediately recognized what it was.
People who successfully transplanted Hashirama's cells usually developed another set of Hashirama's facial features somewhere on their bodies.
"Heh... so you noticed after all."
Following Kiyohara's gaze, Kakuzu glanced down at the "face" on his chest before lifting his head again, the corner of his mouth curling slightly upward.
"Hashirama Cells."
He even introduced them himself.
"The First Hokage's power truly is extraordinary. It's just a pity... I never managed to obtain his heart."
There was unmistakable regret in Kakuzu's voice.
He genuinely lamented that he had never been able to transplant Senju Hashirama's heart.
He had merely implanted a tiny portion of Hashirama's cells, yet the amount of chakra within his body had increased dramatically.
Even now, the cells had not fully fused with him.
If he had truly obtained Hashirama's heart, the enhancement it would have granted him would undoubtedly have been enormous.
Hearing those words, Kiyohara could not help laughing.
Seriously?
Was Kakuzu dreaming?
He actually wanted the First Hokage's heart?
Even Madara had only managed to bite off a tiny piece of Hashirama's flesh by relying on a carefully planned fake death. And Kakuzu thought he could obtain Hashirama's heart?
"Theoretically, your technique really can steal anyone's heart. Unfortunately, you simply don't possess the strength to do it."
Kiyohara shook his head.
This was probably the greatest weakness of Earth Grudge Fear.
It was practically useless in battles against true top-tier opponents.
Yet if it couldn't obtain the hearts of powerful people, it would never become strong enough to fight those same top-tier opponents.
Besides, whether Kakuzu's body could even withstand an Ōtsutsuki's heart remained a complete mystery.
The Ōtsutsuki were not humans.
They were genuine horned extraterrestrials.
"Hmph. Maybe it wasn't possible before... but your heart looks quite promising as well."
Kakuzu smiled.
A huge number of black tendrils erupted from his body once more.
Behind him, the eight thick masses of black threads rose upright again, swaying slowly like eight enormous black serpents.
The next instant, all eight shot toward Kiyohara simultaneously.
The black tendrils instantly wrapped themselves around him.
The barbed spikes lining their surfaces pierced through his clothes, attempting to burrow into his flesh.
Kakuzu's eyes lit up.
Once Earth Grudge Fear successfully entangled its target, it could create countless opportunities to finish the battle.
Unfortunately, reality did not unfold as he had hoped.
Kiyohara casually grabbed hold of the black tendrils that had wrapped around him.
Then he pulled.
The force behind that single movement exceeded every one of Kakuzu's expectations.
The tendrils were ripped completely off Kiyohara's body.
Even Kakuzu himself was dragged by the tremendous force.
Several of the black threads snapped directly from his shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of flesh along with countless broken tendrils.
Blood sprayed into the air from Kakuzu's shoulder.
He let out a muffled groan and staggered backward two steps.
Looking down, he could clearly see the pale white bones beneath the wound as well as the dark red muscles exposed beneath the missing flesh.
'Unbelievable...'
Kakuzu was inwardly shaken.
'To think a human could possess strength like this...'
Without hesitating, he immediately commanded the Lightning Element mask behind him to open its mouth.
A stream of azure lightning erupted from it, rapidly expanding into a massive curved lightning spear as it flew through the air.
The spear was as thick as an arm.
Tiny arcs of electricity danced wildly across its surface as it pierced directly toward Kiyohara.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
Kiyohara slowly raised his right hand.
Black lightning condensed within his palm.
Moments later, it transformed into the shape of a black panther.
Lightning Release: Black Panther!
The black beast leaped from his palm.
Its body stretched into a straight streak of darkness as it lunged directly toward the incoming lightning spear.
The azure electricity and black lightning collided violently.
Static electricity lifted broken stones from the ground, causing them to float helplessly in midair before the following shockwave pulverized them into dust.
The mouth formed from black lightning suddenly opened.
Inside it was an even deeper darkness.
The beast bit down directly upon the middle of the lightning spear.
Boom!
The spear snapped cleanly in half.
The black lightning did not lose any momentum.
It continued charging straight toward Kakuzu.
His expression changed drastically.
He immediately twisted his body to dodge.
Unfortunately, the black lightning panther was simply too fast.
It struck him directly.
Dark arcs of electricity spread from his shoulder across his entire left arm.
In that instant, his left arm became completely numb.
Kakuzu coughed out a mouthful of blood.
His teeth clenched tightly.
His right arm rose.
The Wind Element mask opened its mouth.
A highly compressed sphere of wind burst forth.
Wind Release: Pressure Damage!
The compressed wind sphere spun violently through the air, sweeping up shattered rocks and scorched earth into a massive gray-white vortex.
Golden skeletal ribs suddenly materialized around Kiyohara once again, enveloping his entire body.
The raging airflow split neatly in two.
It flowed around both sides of him before carving two enormous trenches into the ground behind him.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted.
Susanoo!
From the golden ribs, an enormous skeletal arm extended outward.
The gigantic golden hand clenched into a fist and smashed toward Kakuzu.
His body reacted even faster than his thoughts.
Both feet kicked off the ground.
His entire body shot explosively toward the left.
Almost at the exact same moment, the golden fist crashed into the place where he had been standing.
BOOM!!
The ground resembled a landscape struck by a meteor.
The earth collapsed inward around the enormous fist print.
Countless cracks spread outward in every direction while shattered rocks exploded high into the sky.
The shockwave wrapped in dust slammed into Kakuzu's back.
Borrowing the force of the impact, he was blasted several more meters forward.
His heart still pounded violently with lingering fear.
If he had reacted even one step slower...
Half his body would probably have disappeared.
"Your reactions aren't bad."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
The gourd hanging at his waist suddenly released streams of Gold Dust.
Within an instant, it gathered into an immense golden torrent that surged across the battlefield like an endless flood.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!
Kakuzu's pupils shrank to needlepoints.
He immediately turned and fled.
Each step he took left a deep footprint in the earth.
But the Gold Dust moved even faster.
Golden particles spread from his heels upward, crawling over his body.
Like living quicksand, they dragged him relentlessly downward.
Rumble...
In the blink of an eye, Kakuzu was completely buried beneath the endless sea of Gold Dust.
Hidden deep below the golden sand, unwillingness filled his heart.
He had survived for decades.
He had once been an elite shinobi of Takigakure.
Later, he had become a missing-nin.
He had even once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage.
His bounty had reached astronomical levels.
Yet now...
He had been suppressed so effortlessly by someone like Kiyohara.
High above the battlefield, dozens of meters in the air, Konan silently overlooked everything below.
Her paper wings gently flapped behind her.
Several sheets of paper, their edges curled from the intense heat, drifted away from the tips of her wings, spinning through the air before being carried off by the wind.
Kakuzu had lost far too quickly.
Only a few short minutes had passed since the battle had begun.
This man, famous within the Akatsuki for having lived during the same era as Uchiha Madara...
Had failed to last even three minutes against Kiyohara.
And Kiyohara had not even entered Sage Mode.
Konan suddenly recalled something Nagato had once said.
Nagato had told her that Kiyohara was dangerous.
Not because of the strength he possessed now.
But because of the terrifying speed at which he grew stronger.
Every single time they met...
He would always be stronger than before.
No one could accurately say how much stronger.
But everyone could clearly sense the change.
It was like watching a tree.
While you stared directly at it, it appeared completely motionless.
Yet the instant you looked away and then looked back...
It had already grown another section taller.
Konan slowly took a deep breath.
She forcefully suppressed those thoughts and continued watching the battle.
Beneath the Gold Dust, Kakuzu caused the Wind, Fire, and Lightning Element mask to separate from his shoulders and back.
They crawled along his arm before finally merging together upon his right arm.
Three masks crowded together.
One faced forward.
One faced left.
One faced right.
At the same time, all three mouths opened wide, revealing pitch-black voids within.
Fine beads of sweat formed along Kakuzu's forehead.
Charging three mask monsters simultaneously meant outputting three completely different chakra natures at once while forcing them to converge at a single point without canceling one another out.
He had trained this technique for an extremely long time.
He had never once dared to use it in actual combat.
The risks were simply too great.
But now…
If he wanted to escape…
If he wanted to defeat Kiyohara…
This was his only option.
Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot!
BOOM!
Chakra surged simultaneously from three separate hearts.
It flowed through the countless black tendrils before pouring into the mouths of the three mask monsters.
Between the masks, an enormous beam of chakra condensed into existence.
It instantly tore apart the vast sea of Gold Dust.
Everything along its path, whether Gold Dust, trees, or solid rock, was shredded apart by its horrifying destructive power.
Kiyohara calmly watched the beam rushing toward him.
He refined Storm Release chakra.
Flowing lightning condensed within the surrounding air.
It resembled a river formed entirely from electricity, flowing gracefully through the sky.
Storm Release: Storm Dragon Bullet!
BOOOM!
High in the air, Konan suddenly felt an invisible pressure erupt from the point where the two techniques collided.
It was as though an enormous invisible hand had struck her, forcing her backward.
Her paper wings beat frantically.
The edges of countless paper sheets shattered and scattered through the air.
By the time she stabilized herself, she had already been pushed back several dozen meters.
Within her field of vision...
The blue-white lightning dragon and Kakuzu's chakra beam were locked in a fierce struggle.
Kakuzu's entire right arm trembled violently.
He could clearly feel his chakra disappearing at an astonishing rate.
All three hearts pounded simultaneously, squeezing out every last trace of chakra they could produce and pouring it into the beam.
Yet it continued to lose ground.
The beam was steadily pushed backward by the overwhelming lightning dragon.
Blood seeped simultaneously from the corners of Kakuzu's mouth, his nostrils, and even the corners of his eyes.
His chakra pathway system was obviously unable to withstand such terrifying consumption.
"Cough..."
He spat out another mouthful of blood.
It splashed onto the scorched earth at his feet, kicking up a small cloud of gray dust.
"Stop! Stop attacking! I'll give you Earth Grudge Fear!"
Kakuzu shouted at the top of his lungs, terrified that Kiyohara might not know when to hold back and would continue pressing the attack.
...
Upon seeing Kakuzu surrender, Kiyohara immediately stopped supplying chakra to his Storm Release technique. The lightning dragon formed from Storm Release chakra rapidly dissipated into the air, vanishing without a trace.
"...I'm done fighting."
Kakuzu also ceased channeling his own ninjutsu.
At that moment, every inch of his body ached. One of his hearts had already suffered damage from being pushed far beyond its limits. After this, he would have to find a suitable replacement heart if he wished to restore his full strength.
"I lost. You're truly powerful."
Only now did Kakuzu fully understand why Kiyohara's name had spread throughout the entire shinobi world.
Power like this was enough to make anyone despair.
Even more terrifying was the fact that throughout the entire battle, Kiyohara had never once shown any real offensive intent.
If Kiyohara had been actively trying to kill him from the beginning, Kakuzu suspected he would have lost even faster.
What frustrated him most was that he had already enhanced himself by transplanting Hashirama Cells, yet the result had still been complete defeat.
Had he not listened to Madara's advice and undergone the Hashirama Cell transplant, he would have lost even more miserably.
"Here's some paper and a pen."
Seeing Kakuzu admit defeat, Kiyohara tossed him a blank scroll and a brush.
"..."
Kakuzu looked at the scroll that had landed perfectly in his hand.
For a moment, he honestly did not know what to say.
In the end, he simply lowered his head and began writing.
It did not take long before he had completely transcribed the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear.
Once he finished, he tossed the scroll back to Kiyohara.
"Now recite it from memory."
To be absolutely certain, Kiyohara wanted Kakuzu to repeat everything verbally.
After all, this was not information he had personally extracted through genjutsu.
Kakuzu had now experienced firsthand just how cautious Kiyohara truly was.
Without complaint, he began reciting the entire secret technique from memory.
Kiyohara carefully compared every sentence.
There was not a single word of difference.
Even so, after giving it some thought, he still cast a genjutsu on Kakuzu.
"...!"
Invisible dojutsu silently spread outward.
Caught completely off guard, Kakuzu was instantly trapped inside Kiyohara's Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu.
"Did you really have to go this far?"
Mangekyo Kiyohara floated out from within his body.
He rarely showed any interest in the outside world.
Most of the time, he simply remained dormant inside what he jokingly referred to as his coffin, only emerging on extremely rare occasions.
"He transplanted Hashirama Cells. There are bound to be unforeseen variables."
Kiyohara shook his head.
At this point, Kakuzu had already deviated significantly from the version in the original story.
No matter how cautious Kiyohara became, it would never be excessive.
Hearing that explanation, Mangekyo Kiyohara found himself with nothing further to argue.
Kiyohara then interrogated Kakuzu through the genjutsu regarding every detail of Earth Grudge Fear.
While he was at it, he also extracted information about several other ninjutsu Kakuzu possessed.
Only after verifying that everything perfectly matched the written scroll did Kiyohara finally release the genjutsu.
The emptiness in Kakuzu's eyes gradually faded.
His awareness returned almost immediately.
He instantly realized he had just been interrogated under Kiyohara's genjutsu.
Unfortunately, circumstances left him no room to complain.
He could only pretend nothing had happened.
Soon afterward, Kakuzu pushed himself up from the ground.
His joints cracked loudly several times as he stood.
He appeared noticeably thinner than before.
The reason was simple.
Most of the black tendrils inside his body had been consumed during the battle.
"I'm leaving."
Turning around, Kakuzu began walking toward the opposite end of the valley.
This battle with Kiyohara had served as a harsh wake up call.
"Still... a heart like that..."
At the same time, another thought quietly surfaced within his mind.
The outside world claimed that Kiyohara had mastered all five chakra natures, making him one of the greatest ninjutsu users in the entire shinobi world.
If he somehow managed to obtain Kiyohara's heart...
Could a single one of Kiyohara's hearts equal several ordinary ones?
However, that fantasy quickly collapsed.
Kakuzu gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
Kiyohara had not even used Susanoo beyond its most basic skeletal form.
What exactly could he use to fight someone like that?
Having once fought Hashirama himself, Kakuzu had also been fortunate enough to witness the young Madara in battle.
That towering blue giant had left an unforgettable impression upon him.
Not long afterward, Kakuzu's figure gradually disappeared deeper into the valley before finally vanishing completely.
Konan slowly descended from the sky.
The paper wings behind her dissolved apart into countless white sheets that drifted away with the breeze.
She came to a stop beside Kiyohara.
Her gaze settled upon the scroll he had just obtained.
"Earth Grudge Fear?"
"That's right."
Kiyohara sealed the scroll away inside another storage scroll before casually dusting off his hands.
Konan looked at him.
She wanted to say something, yet hesitated.
A complicated expression appeared upon her usually cold and composed face.
"What is it?"
Kiyohara asked.
"It's nothing."
Konan gently shook her head.
After a brief pause, she quietly continued.
"It's just... you're even stronger than I imagined."
Kiyohara smiled.
"Of course I am. Otherwise, how could I become your Hokage?"
Konan frowned slightly before immediately correcting him.
"You're not my Hokage."
Kiyohara did not respond.
He simply continued looking at her.
Being watched so directly made Konan feel strangely uncomfortable.
She turned her face away.
"I'm leaving."
She turned and began walking toward the valley's exit.
After taking several steps, she noticed Kiyohara had not followed.
She stopped and looked back.
"Aren't you coming?"
Kiyohara remained standing where he was.
He simply extended one hand toward her.
"I'll take you."
Konan stared silently at the outstretched hand.
Several moments passed before she finally walked over and stood beside him.
"Don't put your arm around me."
She deliberately emphasized those words.
Only now had she suddenly realized something.
Among all the men she had ever known...
Kiyohara had actually made the most physical contact with her.
Even Yahiko and Nagato combined had never shared this much physical contact with her.
"Then how am I supposed to use Flying Thunder God?"
Kiyohara asked.
Konan opened her mouth.
She wanted to argue.
Yet no matter what she thought about saying, it somehow sounded wrong.
She gently bit her lower lip.
After hesitating for a while, she finally reached out and lightly placed her hand upon Kiyohara's arm.
Kiyohara, in turn, rested one hand around her waist.
Konan's body stiffened ever so slightly.
She could clearly feel exactly where each of his five fingers rested.
They happened to be touching the edge of her belt.
The surrounding space immediately began twisting violently.
In the next instant, both of them appeared upon an open clearing behind Konoha.
In the distance stood the outline of the Shrine of the Priestess.
Construction workers busily moved across wooden scaffolding, and even from several hundred meters away, the rhythmic sounds of hammering echoed through the mountains.
"We're here. Let go."
Konan urged.
"Wait a second."
Using his free hand, Kiyohara reached into his clothing and removed a small glass bottle before handing it to her.
Konan looked up before accepting it.
The bottle was small enough to fit comfortably in one hand.
Even with the cork still firmly sealed, a faint medicinal fragrance drifted from inside.
"This is..."
"The first batch of medicine."
Kiyohara explained.
"It can relieve Nagato's symptoms and make him suffer much less. It will strengthen his vitality as well. It can't cure him completely, but the biggest benefit is that, for a while at least, he won't have to spend every day connected to all those tubes."
Konan's fingers unconsciously tightened around the glass bottle.
"Thank you."
She spoke with complete sincerity.
"What are you thanking me for?"
Kiyohara waved dismissively.
"I always keep the promises I make."
Konan carefully tucked the bottle inside her clothing before looking back at him.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, she frowned.
"Earlier... were you holding me that entire time just so you could take this out?"
Kiyohara thought for a moment before nodding.
It was a lie.
The real reason was much simpler.
He thought Konan smelled rather pleasant.
So he simply found himself an excuse to hold her a little longer.
"It was more convenient that way."
Konan looked at him quietly.
She seemed as though she wanted to say something.
In the end, however, she merely let out a soft hum.
"Next time, tell me beforehand."
She turned and started walking down the mountain.
After taking several steps, she stopped once again.
"...Thank you."
Without turning around, she quietly expressed her gratitude before disappearing into the shadows.
Yet this time, as she concealed herself, Konan noticed something unusual.
Her heartbeat was noticeably faster than normal.
It had to be because of Flying Thunder God.
That was definitely the reason.
Every single teleportation required Kiyohara to hold her in order to establish a chakra connection through direct physical contact.
That was simply one of the unavoidable drawbacks of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
She had merely been teleported too many times.
Her body had become accustomed to the strange sensation of space twisting around her.
Therefore, the accelerated heartbeat was obviously just an aftereffect of teleportation.
It had absolutely nothing to do with anything else.
Konan silently comforted herself with that explanation.
After returning from the border of the Land of Fire, Kiyohara's life gradually settled back into its usual routine.
Every morning he headed to the Hokage Tower to deal with administrative affairs.
During the afternoons, he either trained at the practice grounds or instructed his disciples.
In the evenings, he returned to Tsunade's house for dinner.
Occasionally, he visited the orphanage to spend time with the children.
Occasionally, he stopped by Konoha Hospital to chat with Rin.
And every so often, as the sun began setting, he would visit Kurenai's home for a while.
As for the secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan, Kiyohara had now mastered every single one of them completely.
When he had fought Kakuzu earlier, he had only been capable of using a handful of those techniques.
(End of Chapter)