"Seeing your forehead protectors reminds me of an old adversary: the First Hokage!"
Gazing at the eight panting figures before him, Kakuzu retracted the three masked monsters into his body, entering his ultimate "Earth Grudge Fear" mode.
One mask hovered above his head, two rested on his shoulders, and the third remained part of his main body.
In this form, he could launch high-level ninjutsu attacks using four different elemental affinities simultaneously and even combine them into composite techniques.
Add to that the black, thread-like tentacles capable of piercing through a Jonin's body—which could shoot out from any part of him—and he was a force to be reckoned with.
He was now powerful enough to hold his own even against the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
Had one of his masks not been shattered earlier by that taijutsu-wielding boy with the long tail, he would have been even stronger, possessing all five elemental affinities.
"Just how old... is this guy?"
Upon hearing Kakuzu claim he had once fought the First Hokage, everyone wore a look of utter astonishment.
"We've gathered enough intel; it's time to retreat."
Seeing Kakuzu preparing to unleash a massive attack, Shikamaru signaled the others with a glance.
The plan was simple: if they could take out Hidan and Kakuzu, great; if not, they would gather intelligence and withdraw.
Hidan's head had already been snatched away by Aoba Yamashiro's summoned crow; once back in Konoha, they could interrogate him.
As for Kakuzu, the recent skirmish had revealed most of the necessary information.
If they could successfully retreat, they could use this intel to devise a more advantageous strategy and eliminate Kakuzu once and for all next time.
"You want to leave? Not a chance—you're all staying right here!"
Sensing that the Konoha ninja were preparing to retreat, the Fire-style and Wind-style masks on Kakuzu's back opened their mouths simultaneously:
"Combined Ninjutsu: Scorching Wind Vortex!"
The high-level Fire and Wind techniques fused together, complementing each other and vastly amplifying their destructive power.
As they watched the sea of flames surging toward them, the expressions of Asuma and his team shifted instantly.
It was a wide-range attack; there was no room to dodge—they had no choice but to take the hit head-on.
Crucially, this wasn't ordinary fire; it was infused with the cutting power of wind, making it nearly impossible to block with standard ninjutsu.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
Choji enlarged his right fist and slammed it violently into the ground, creating a massive crater into which the group quickly jumped.
However, Kakuzu controlled the sea of flames; instead of passing harmlessly over the crater, the fire cascaded down into it.
"Wind Style: Dust Cloud Technique!"
Asuma exhaled a gust of wind laden with dust, attempting to blow the flames back, but his technique was clearly overpowered and forced back by the fire.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
At that moment, Aoba Yamashiro, Raido Namiashi, Shikamaru, Ino, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane simultaneously unleashed Water-style defensive jutsu, forming a barrier over the crater.
It took six layers of Water Walls to finally, barely, halt the encroaching flames.
"What a terrifying combined ninjutsu!"
Yet, despite successfully blocking the attack, Asuma and his team showed no signs of relief.
Kakuzu was already standing at the edge of the crater, looking down at them with a mocking sneer; the Fire and Wind masks on his shoulders were opening their mouths once more.
They had blocked it once, and even twice—but could they block it a third time?
"We miscalculated."
Shikamaru's face had gone pale. He hadn't expected Kakuzu's power to be this terrifying; he was in a completely different league than Hidan.
Hidan didn't use ninjutsu, and his taijutsu was merely at the level of an elite jonin; he was simple-minded, but his immortality and curse ability made him the most troublesome opponent.
No matter how powerful a ninja was, a single moment of carelessness could lead to a fatal defeat upon first encountering his abilities.
However, armed with that intelligence, even someone like Asuma-sensei could handle him alone.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, was a different story; his taijutsu, ninjutsu, and combat experience were all top-tier.
Even after figuring out his secrets, they were no match for him, not even by joining forces.
This wasn't an opponent who could be defeated by wits alone; it required genuine strength.
Yet, he hadn't completely lost hope just yet.
He had devised the ambush strategy for Hidan and Kakuzu with this very possibility in mind.
At this critical juncture, they still held one final trump card.
"Goku, help!"
At Shikamaru's shout, Goku instantly appeared by their side.
It was precisely because he knew Goku could use space-time ninjutsu that he had formulated this battle plan.
Otherwise, he would have urged Asuma to retreat temporarily long ago.
After all, Asuma—their strongest fighter—had once narrowly escaped death; Shikamaru had no desire to experience that kind of despair and helplessness a second time.
He had consulted Raido Namiashi about space-time ninjutsu while planning the operation.
If Goku truly possessed the ability to use space-time ninjutsu and could instantly transport the eight of them to Hidan and Kakuzu...
...then it meant he could just as easily whisk them all away to safety.
In other words, they had been in an invincible position from the very start.
Furthermore, just before the operation began, he had double-checked with Goku: if they needed to leave, could Goku take them away at a moment's notice?
Goku had confirmed that he could.
"Let's get out of here—he's about to complete that composite ninjutsu!"
Seeing Goku appear, Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief and immediately called out a warning.
He had no intention of asking Goku to fight for them; he would be deeply grateful if Goku could simply get them out of there.
Capturing Kakuzu was a mission for Konoha, not for Goku. Naturally, then, there was no reason to expect Goku to shoulder the risk for them.
However, Goku clearly didn't see it that way.
The recent battle involving Kakuzu, Asuma, and the others had piqued his interest in Kakuzu; he wanted to test the limits of Kakuzu's abilities.
Besides, a villain like Kakuzu shouldn't simply be let off the hook; capturing him and sending him to Konoha for "rehabilitation" would be a fine idea—much like when he defeated the Gold and Silver Brothers during his training and made them do farm work in the village to atone for their sins.
"Wait a moment before you leave; let me help you get captured first."
"Since you're here, I might as well send you packing too!"
Seeing Goku suddenly appear inside the massive crater, Kakuzu's pupils contracted; yet, instead of stopping his jutsu, he actually increased his chakra output.
"Combined Ninjutsu: Scorching Wind Turbulence!"
Compared to the open space from moments ago, unleashing this combined jutsu within the enclosed crater amplified its destructive power significantly.
Furthermore, he was serious this time, putting his full strength into the attack.
Consequently, the overall power of the jutsu was now double what it had been when first cast.
"Hah!"
Facing this terrifying flame attack infused with wind properties, Goku unleashed a fierce upward punch.
"Boom!"
A deafening sonic boom rang out; the immense power and terrifying speed behind Goku's uppercut generated a surging wave of air.
The air current rushed upward—faintly taking the shape of a dragon—and with unstoppable, brute force, it swept the flames entirely out of the crater, forcing a shocked Kakuzu to retreat rapidly from the edge.
"He shattered my combined jutsu using nothing but the air displaced by his fist... To think his taijutsu has reached such a level!"
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