Unfortunately—
The very next instant, just as Kakashi was about to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan,Uchiha Ren—wearing the Hokage cloak—flashed forward and appeared directly in front of him.
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted.
Ren's hands moved in rapid succession, striking forward five times in a row.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
"Water Release: Water Curtain!"
In an instant, five matching techniques were unleashed.
They collided head-on with the five techniques Kakuzu had just released, meeting them at blinding speed.
Boom—!!
A deafening explosion shook the air.
Five different elemental forces crashed into each other violently, shockwaves rolling outward in all directions. Then, right before Kakuzu's disbelieving eyes, the five techniques he had unleashed were forcibly crushed—one after another.
"Hah—!"
Seeing Kakuzu's attacks destroyed, Kakashi finally relaxed. He took several deep breaths in quick succession.
There was no helping it.
Facing an opponent as bizarre and dangerous as Kakuzu, even he had been under enormous pressure.
"How is that possible…?"
Shock flashed through Kakuzu's eyes.
"There's nothing impossible about it," Ren said calmly as he took a few steps forward and looked at Kakuzu. "You've lived long enough. It's time for you to die."
Kakuzu snorted coldly. "Fifth Hokage, your strength really is impressive. But… I am an immortal existence."
As he said that, he added with a hint of pride, "Back in the Warring States Period, I even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage."
"Oh?"
Watching Kakuzu boast about a single failed assassination attempt for an entire lifetime, Ren simply shook his head.
Of course, Ren knew why Kakuzu couldn't die.
It was because of his forbidden technique—Earth Grudge Fear—which allowed him to manipulate black tendrils of chakra from his body and steal other people's hearts.
"Die."
Seeing Ren's unconcerned expression, Kakuzu's gaze turned icy. His hands flew through seals as he gathered the Wind, Fire, and Lightning mask-monsters onto his right arm, energy rapidly accumulating.
"Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot!"
When the charge reached its peak, the Wind, Fire, and Lightning masks fired a terrifying chakra cannon straight at Ren.
"…Enough. You can die now."
Facing the incoming blast, Ren showed no fear at all. He stepped forward, clenched his fist, and punched straight ahead.
Bang!!
In the next second, the fearsome chakra cannon was smashed apart by a single punch.
"Soru!"
Whoosh!
As the blast exploded, accompanied by a violent surge of chakra, Ren's body vanished into an afterimage.
"Hm?!"
The moment Ren disappeared, Kakuzu's expression changed completely.
He knew Ren was strong—but he hadn't expected his speed to be this fast.
What Kakuzu didn't know was that Ren had built his foundation on taijutsu.
Speed like this was only natural.
It was just that Ren's other abilities were so overwhelming that his speed rarely stood out.
"Don't panic… I have five hearts. I can't be killed instantly…"
In that moment of chaos, Kakuzu's nerves were stretched to their limit. He made a decision in an instant—
The moment Ren reappeared, he would use Earth Grudge Fear to restrain him and launch a desperate counterattack.
"Air Tremor"
Bang—!!
A cold voice rang out.
Ren's figure abruptly appeared behind Kakuzu. A fist wrapped in tremor-force and Armament Haki blasted forward at terrifying speed.
Crack… crack…!
The sound of air shattering echoed violently.
"Th-This guy…!"
Feeling the overwhelming power surging from behind him, Kakuzu's face turned ashen. He twisted his head with great difficulty—
And then he saw it.
The air itself had collapsed.
Endless pale-white energy flooded the entire area around him.
The next instant—
Boom!
A violent tremor erupted.
Kakuzu felt his body splitting apart. Thin, visible cracks spread across him.
"No—!"
Kakuzu panicked. Completely panicked.
Because of Earth Grudge Fear, he was known as "the man who lived as long as heaven and earth." He was never afraid of having his heart destroyed—after all, he had plenty of them.
But now, Ren clearly intended to annihilate his entire body.
And if the body was gone, what use were extra hearts?
In desperation, Kakuzu forcibly ejected the four masks from his body, trying to escape the range of the tremor attack.
"Perfect timing."
The instant the four masks emerged, Ren's eyes lit up. Tremor power erupted like a raging flood.
In the blink of an eye—
Lightning, Wind, Fire, and Water. All four of Kakuzu's masks were violently shattered, one after another.
"Pff—!"
The moment all five hearts were destroyed, Kakuzu's soul shuddered violently. He spat out several mouthfuls of black blood as his body suffered brutal backlash from Earth Grudge Fear, collapsing heavily to the ground.
"…Too weak."
Ren appeared silently in front of him and shook his head.
Kakuzu looked up at the Fifth Hokage, his mouth opening as if to say something—
But no words came out.
The countless black tendrils created by Earth Grudge Fear had already begun devouring his own body.
Perhaps even in death, Kakuzu couldn't understand it.
How did Uchiha Ren know that the four masks were his weakness?
Why did Ren understand his abilities so completely?
He was a man who had once attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju.
So why—when facing the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren—
Did he not even have the slightest ability to fight back?
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios