According to Kakuzu's calculations, things should have gone this way… It would be a good chance to teach this young man a lesson, letting him know that such petty tricks are useless against an old-school ninja like him.
However, in the next moment, the expected sensation of fist meeting palm did not occur; Kakuzu's seemingly inevitable punch ended up hitting nothing but air.
Before he could even feel surprised, a sharp pain pierced his chest!
With a bang, he staggered back several steps.
The force that penetrated his body compelled Kakuzu to give it a grudging nod of approval. It was identical to the Gentle Fist technique, which channels chakra directly into an opponent's body. If he hadn't always protected himself with an Earth Spear as a precaution, combined with his Earth Grudge Fear technique which had already modified his body beyond recognition, that blow could have truly shattered his heart!
But the real question was, how exactly did Amou Natsuhiko manage it?
Why did the sound of the attack he heard not exist, while the real attack was completely silent!?
Before Kakuzu could figure it out, Natsuhiko's attack arrived once again without warning.
Bang!
This time, the target was the vital area of the neck, but even so, it failed to be effective against Kakuzu's extraordinary defense.
"This guy really leaves no openings at all..." Natsuhiko thought to himself as he quickly retreated to avoid Kakuzu's countering whip kick.
He took pride in this silent assassination technique of his.
Many people don't realize that, in addition to solid soundproof foam, liquid foam can also block sound. The simplest example is when you accidentally cover your ears with soap foam while bathing, and suddenly hear nothing.
Natsuhiko had encountered this in his previous life and had researched it online, never imagining that such trivial knowledge would one day be useful.
Now, his entire body was covered with a dense layer of foam, which shimmered with a rainbow of colors under the sunlight. Ironically, this conspicuous foam armor effectively trapped all the sounds of his movements within it, allowing him to "disappear" completely in the auditory domain.
The foam's lubricating effect also minimized air resistance during attacks, enabling him to strike faster without the sound of breaking air.
Additionally, techniques like the earlier "Bubble Empty Palm" or projections to blind the enemy's sight, combined with sound mimicking via secret voice transmission techniques...
This upgraded version of the silent assassination technique, the 5D surround sound assassination technique, was finally complete.
For ninjas with high offense and low defense, a barrage of Natsuhiko's combo techniques would likely be unstoppable.
Or rather, once their vision was stripped away, their defeat was already sealed.
However, unfortunately, Natsuhiko's opponent this time was Kakuzu.
At this moment, he could truly appreciate the terrifying aspect of Kakuzu.
In the ninja world, there aren't many undying ninja, but they do exist.
Kakuzu, despite living a life as a bounty hunter on the edge, still managed to survive into his nineties. It wasn't solely due to his immortality from the Earth Grudge Fear technique, but also his cautious personality despite having been immortal for so long.
Typically, invincible individuals don't prioritize personal defense and may engage in mutually destructive tactics to wear down their enemies.
Kakuzu's future teammate Hidan, or Tsunade who should currently be taking a bath in a game hall, are good examples.
However, Kakuzu, who possessed five hearts and could quickly repair his body through the Earth Grudge Fear, would still activate the Earth Spear defense technique without hesitation.
Unless one wielded a super-destructive ninjutsu like the Rasenshuriken, completely defeating Kakuzu would be nearly impossible!
While Natsuhiko continued his relentless assault, he was troubled by how to deal with this cautious opponent, who was even more tenacious than himself, a transmigrator. Meanwhile, Kakuzu was not at ease either.
Even though the Earth Spear's defense was strong, Natsuhiko's Gentle Fist with penetrating force could still break through the outer layer of the Earth Spear and reach his insides.
Although the internal damage was minimal thanks to the Earth Grudge Fear, it accumulated and was still unpleasant.
Fortunately, Kakuzu had roughly figured out a way to counter this move.
The situation reminded him of his previous battles with Kirigakure ninjas. They often used the Hidden Mist technique to obscure vision and then used silent killing to assassinate their targets, a strategy similar to the current circumstances.
When facing Kirigakure's tactics, Kakuzu usually dispersed the surrounding mist with a single Wind Style: Pressure Damage.
But now, the obstacle wasn't mist but foam, and this foam seemed peculiar. He had wiped his eyes several times but couldn't clear it.
Nonetheless, the concept of Wind Style still gave him an idea; he just needed the foam to disappear. If Wind Style didn't work, he had another technique that was effective against foam—Water Style!
Water Style: Water Curtain!
Just as Natsuhiko charged forward again, Kakuzu quickly formed two hand seals, and a water curtain rose in front of him.
Under his control, the water curtain also washed over his entire body.
Just like in reality, all the foam vanished instantly.
"Strangely enough, the weakness of a Water Style technique is also Water Style," Kakuzu murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.
With the foam no longer obstructing his vision, Kakuzu finally regained his sight.
Seeing Natsuhiko leaping back to avoid the water curtain, his foam-covered body gradually fading away, Kakuzu experienced a sudden realization.
Though he didn't fully understand the principle, he could roughly guess that Natsuhiko's method for canceling sound was related to the foam.
However, whether it was the foam that blocked sight or muffled sound, it was still just foam and couldn't withstand the effects of his Water Style technique.
This thought made Kakuzu's heart inexplicably skip a beat.
—And all four of his hearts skipped.
He suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, recalling a similar thought before being humiliated by Natsuhiko soon after.
Could it be...
"Kakuzu-san, I've been waiting for you to use Water Style for a long time!" Natsuhiko exclaimed mid-jump as he quickly formed several hand seals.
The technique he was about to use was complex, and even with his advanced intelligence, it required seals for adjustment.
"It pains me to use large-scale Water Style in such a dry place. So, Kakuzu-san, I'll borrow your Water Style!"
"Water Style: Bubble Dragon Bullet..."
"Wind Style: Tornado Hurricane..."
As Natsuhiko landed, he completed the seals and struck the ground.
The accumulated water left on the ground from Kakuzu's recent Water Curtain bubbled like boiling soapy water, producing a vast sea of foam.
Amid this foam cloud, a giant dragon formed from bubbles rose up and spiraled around Kakuzu, creating a massive whirlpool of water and foam!
Watching Kakuzu engulfed by the white water tornado, Natsuhiko exhaled slightly in relief.
He finally managed to pull off this move.
Had Kakuzu not used Water Style to generate so much water, Natsuhiko wouldn't have dared to attempt it in combat.
Using Water Style in a waterless environment consumes excessive chakra, not to mention that this was a combination of Water and Wind Style, doubling the chakra expenditure.
The inspiration for this technique was closely related to the nature changes Natsuhiko made with the foam.
When Natsuhiko tasked Number Three with researching Water Style nature transformations, Number Three was also in charge of washing clothes, which inadvertently led to the development of foam-based techniques.
With the increasing number of members in Natsuhiko's research group, the number of training outfits to wash also grew, intensifying Number Three's resentment towards the chore.
This resentment ultimately gave birth to the technique Natsuhiko just performed:
"Wind-Water Compound Ninjutsu: Whirlpool Washing Machine Technique!"
(T/N: "...")
(End of chapter)