The attack had seemed flawless—a 360-degree, omnidirectional strike with black tendrils lashing out at high velocity. Yet, Shimizu had evaded it entirely with a single Body Flicker Technique.
Kakuzu's pupils shrank sharply.
That speed…
How could someone like this possibly be a nobody?
A moment later, Shimizu appeared again not far in front of him.
"You're serious about this, huh…" Shimizu said in a low voice. "In that case, you might as well bring out all your masks."
Kakuzu didn't answer.
At this point, he had already stopped wondering how this young man knew so much about him.
More black tendrils slowly unfurled from his body.
This time, there were far more than before.
Kakuzu was truly furious now.
His emerald eyes burned with a devouring light, as if he wanted to rip Shimizu apart piece by piece.
But while Kakuzu gathered momentum for his next attack, Shimizu moved first.
In the span of a single blink—
three hand seals were completed.
Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!
Kakuzu's aura had just reached its peak, ready to unleash a full-force strike—
When suddenly—A flash of blue-white lightning filled his vision.
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
No dramatic shockwave.
Just a single bolt of lightning piercing through flesh—
accompanied by a soft "pffft."
The earth-attribute heart Kakuzu had stolen only minutes earlier—the one containing that precious invisibility technique—
was shattered instantly.
Shock surged through Kakuzu.
Shimizu pulled out a pitch-black kunai and pointed its blade calmly toward him.
"Kakuzu-senpai," he said slowly, "why don't you show your real strength?"
"Since you insist on deciding a winner here… at least treat this fight with the respect it deserves."
Then—
Shimizu vanished again.
The next moment, a ghostlike voice whispered from behind Kakuzu.
"If you don't want to fall here today…"
Suddenly, a tall, broad figure burst out from Kakuzu's back.
It had a strange yellow nose and wore a grotesque mask that resembled a demon.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
From the mask's mouth erupted a sharp spear of lightning.
This was one of the elemental techniques produced by the strange entities living within Kakuzu's body. The lightning was condensed into a piercing spear capable of punching through solid rock, a ninjutsu with devastating killing power.
It came from one of Kakuzu's five hearts.
But the moment that strange body appeared—
Shimizu had already moved.
The lightning spear tore through empty space.
The attack missed completely.
Yet Kakuzu didn't look surprised at all.
"Shimizu Uzuki," he said calmly, "your speed is impressive."
"Faster even than my Earth Grudge Fear."
No one understood the power of Earth Grudge Fear better than Kakuzu himself.
Over the decades, many shinobi had managed to withstand its attacks.
But those who could simply outrun it with speed alone—escaping its encirclement again and again so effortlessly—
were incredibly rare.
The Konoha ninja in front of him likely possessed speed that stood at the very peak of the ninja world.
One of the absolute fastest alive.
Kakuzu suddenly felt a deep sense of frustration.
If this man kept fighting at that speed, Kakuzu would have no way to deal with him.
First, Kakuzu himself wasn't a speed-type ninja.
Second—
No one was foolish enough to just stand still and let themselves be surrounded by Earth Grudge Fear.
The only option left… was to bring out the other elemental hearts.
Soon, a second mask emerged.
This one had an oval-shaped body, long arms, and strange green markings across its mask.
The creature immediately opened its mouth and fired a barrage of high-speed water bullets, each shot flying as fast as a bullet.
Water Release: Water Gun Technique!
This was a secret technique of the Hōzuki Clan, a clan famous for their mastery of Water Release.
"Water Gun?" Shimizu murmured as he repeatedly used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the incoming barrage.
"Oh? You recognize this technique?" Kakuzu sounded surprised again as he increased the firing rate.
The bullets grew denser and denser.
Soon, the relentless storm of water projectiles completely boxed Shimizu in. It looked like he would be struck at any second—
And then—
Out of nowhere, in the middle of the dry battlefield, a massive wall of water surged up and blocked every remaining shot.
Water Release: Water Wall!
An A-rank defensive technique created by the Second Hokage.
"I've heard of this before," Shimizu said calmly. "A secret technique from the Hōzuki Clan of Kirigakure. Its speed is exceptional."
"You really do know a lot," Kakuzu replied.
"So the original owner of that water-attribute heart… was a member of the Hōzuki Clan."
Kakuzu didn't respond.
But inside his mind, it felt as if a thousand horses were galloping wildly.
Earth Grudge Fear was a forbidden technique Kakuzu had stolen in his youth—one that Takigakure had once treasured like a sacred relic.
But that had been decades ago.
Everyone who knew about it back then was long dead.
The details of the technique—its abilities, its secrets—should have been lost to time.
So how did this Konoha ninja, who looked barely twenty, know so much about it?
Could he also be some kind of monster who had lived for decades?
Otherwise, how could he explain this knowledge…?
Or the powerful Lightning Release, the equally impressive Water Release…
Not to mention that absurd speed.
"Honestly, I'm curious now," Shimizu continued lightly. "Let's see whose Water Release is stronger—mine, or the Hōzuki Clan's."
As soon as he finished speaking, his hand seals were already complete.
He clasped his hands together—
And in an instant, a massive spiral of water erupted into existence, swirling upward like a towering cyclone.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
A huge torrent burst outward like a waterfall, crashing down toward Kakuzu before surging forward and gathering into a raging river.
The green-marked mask creature reacted immediately, spitting out multiple powerful water streams to counter the attack.
Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!
The two torrents collided violently in the middle of the battlefield, producing a thunderous roar.
Then—
Shimizu moved again.
In the blink of an eye, he completed another set of hand seals.
Lightning Release: Earth Flow!
At the same moment, the demon-faced lightning mask unleashed a surge of blue-white electricity, sending the current racing along the water streams toward Shimizu.
While the massive torrents of water continued battling each other—
Now their lightning chakra also clashed head-on within the raging currents.
And then—
BOOM!!
The overwhelming energies finally collapsed under their own power, detonating in a violent explosion.
Steam burst into the air.
Within seconds, thick mist spread across the battlefield, turning the entire area into a fog-covered world.
"Shimizu Uzuki… you've got quite a lot of chakra," Kakuzu's voice echoed from somewhere within the mist.
"Thanks for the compliment," Shimizu replied politely.
Then he added,
"That's only two masks so far. Where are the other two?"
"...I won't need them to deal with you."
"Is that so?"
Shimizu's voice carried a faint smile.
"Then I guess I'll just destroy another one of your hearts."
...
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