When Kakuzu abruptly transformed into a "Steel Ninja Iron Man" and flew away, both Nasuhiko and Tsunade were left dumbfounded.
This... this escape was way too clean, wasn't it?
Even before unleashing his full strength in his third form or determining a winner, Kakuzu had just… run away? What about his dignity as a veteran ninja?
Well, truthfully, this kind of swift, decisive retreat might be precisely what defines a seasoned ninja.
At the very least, by doing so, he entirely eliminated the possibility of a mishap, leaving Nasuhiko and Tsunade—who had initially held the upper hand—feeling as frustrated as swallowing a fly.
Nasuhiko, in particular, felt aggrieved. He had gone to great lengths to unleash his trump cards and used his knowledge of the original timeline to outsmart Kakuzu, barely managing to inflict serious injuries.
If Tsunade's cooperation had been added to the mix, they might have had a real chance of permanently taking him down, solving a future threat in advance.
But it was as if Kakuzu had foreseen this outcome—he escaped so decisively!
No wonder this guy had managed to thrive for years in the shinobi world without faltering...
Especially his final Fire-Wind combo ninjutsu, which even impressed Nasuhiko, a self-proclaimed escape expert.
He had flawlessly combined attack and retreat in a single move:
First, using a sea of flames to attack and block enemies, and then leveraging the recoil from the technique to soar through the air and escape effortlessly.
Even if time were to rewind to just before Kakuzu used this move, Nasuhiko couldn't think of a way to stop him.
That technique was undoubtedly an S-Rank Ultimate Escape Jutsu.
"I wonder what Kakuzu called that Fire-Wind combo technique. Is it as catchy as my 'Spinning Whirlpool Washing Machine Jutsu'?" Nasuhiko mused to himself.
"Well, since it combines Wind and Fire, how about we just call it Storm Blaze...?"
Feeling somewhat inspired by the technique, Nasuhiko quickly suppressed his annoyance. He even managed to find humor in the situation, chuckling at his own thoughts.
However, Tsunade, standing nearby, wasn't as easygoing. She still seemed visibly frustrated, as though holding back a stomach full of rage with no outlet.
After all, she had just overcome her fear of blood and was eager to showcase her skills!
Yet, before she could even exchange a few proper blows with Kakuzu, the guy had fled!?
This wasn't even enough for a proper warm-up!
Feeling a bit unsatisfied, Tsunade glanced at Nasuhiko out of the corner of her eye.
She wondered if challenging Nasuhiko to a sparring match now would be too much...
But seeing Nasuhiko's pale face—clearly showing signs of chakra exhaustion—she eventually sighed and dismissed the thought.
Forget it. With Nasuhiko's frail physique, he wouldn't survive her thrashing anyway.
Still, one thing lingered in her mind: Kakuzu's earlier action of testing her with blood.
It was evident that her previous abnormal behavior had raised suspicions in Kakuzu's sharp mind.
Although Nasuhiko's glasses had helped her conceal her hemophobia, the secret was still a potential liability...
For now, all she could do was be more cautious in the future.
And so, this inconclusive battle with Kakuzu came to an end, leaving everyone feeling stuck in a strange limbo.
"—Wait a minute!"
Just then, Tsunade seemed to remember something. She instinctively took a few steps in the direction Kakuzu had flown.
But soon, realizing it was unrealistic to track down someone as cunning as Kakuzu, she stomped her foot in frustration and stopped.
"What's wrong, Lady Tsunade?" Nasuhiko asked curiously.
Tsunade turned to face him, her expression contorted as though she'd just eaten a plate of jiu zhuan da chang (Nine-turn Intestines) served extra "authentic."
"Ryoma…"
She gritted out the name through clenched teeth.
"I just remembered—when those guys were talking to Kakuzu earlier, they mentioned that he was actually hired by that old bastard Ryoma."
"They even implied that Ryoma is the real mastermind behind everything!"
"And to think I believed he was being so kind to me just because he knew my grandfather. Turns out he was just another scheming scumbag!"
Realizing this, Tsunade suddenly remembered something else.
"—That's right! Kakuzu may have escaped, but those guys are still strung up in the game hall. We can interrogate them and get Ryoma's whereabouts!"
With her mind made up, Tsunade smirked coldly and headed toward the tavern.
Seeing this, Nasuhiko couldn't help but picture Tsunade in red-framed glasses, wielding a whip and candle as she tortured the thugs tied up in the kikkou shibari (tortoise shell binding) style...
Cough!
Clearly, he had been reading too many strange books lately while working on Onmyoji GO.
Although he was somewhat curious to see such a scene, there wasn't enough time for Tsunade to play detective. Given the scale of the jutsu they had just unleashed, it was certain to draw attention.
Thus, Nasuhiko decided to "spoil the ending" for Tsunade directly.
"Lady Tsunade, please wait. There's no need to question them."
"That so-called Ryoma? You've already met him…"
Tsunade froze mid-step and turned to look at Nasuhiko, her face puzzled.
"Could it be...?"
She had encountered quite a few people earlier, but only a few stood out in her memory.
Eliminating all impossibilities left only the seemingly unthinkable... yet logical truth.
With Nasuhiko's smiling nod as a hint, Tsunade's eyes widened as she realized something shocking.
"Ryoma is that guy who looked exactly like you, right? The one Kakuzu killed?"
Nasuhiko, who had been about to nod, had to stop himself so abruptly that he almost sprained his neck.
"Lady Tsunade, your imagination is... impressive."
Nasuhiko rubbed his neck and smiled wryly. "But no, you're wrong."
"That guy was just a bandit I caught nearby. I had planned to use him for Kakashi's combat training."
"When I saw the hostile group outside the game hall, I turned him into my double as a precaution."
"And, well, the rest is history. That stand-in actually proved useful…"
Tsunade frowned, feeling annoyed by Nasuhiko's casual tone. His arrangement had inadvertently triggered her hemophobia, after all.
But more importantly, she was curious about something else.
"You turned someone into your likeness? That's easy enough with chakra techniques. But I inspected the corpse afterward and found no flaws—it wasn't a projection or disguise."
"Normally, once a technique's chakra supply is cut off, the effect should dissipate. How did you manage it?"
Nasuhiko explained with a smile:
"It's actually an effect of a transformation-based jutsu I've been developing."
"But instead of transforming myself, it targets someone else."
"As for why it remained after death, it's because the chakra maintaining the transformation wasn't his but entirely mine. I also incorporated sealing techniques into the process."
"By embedding pre-drawn formulas, the jutsu continues running inside the body even after death, ensuring the transformation doesn't immediately revert."
"This way, I can create a flawless decoy."
Hearing this, Tsunade seemed lost in thought, considering how the technique worked.
Nasuhiko added, "Originally, I intended to use this technique in combat—like forcing enemies to turn into sheep."
"Unfortunately, preparation is too complicated, and it only works on targets with significantly weaker chakra, so it's not combat-ready yet."
Turn enemies into sheep!?
Tsunade shuddered at the thought. Imagining herself transformed into a literal sheep, unable to break free, was utterly horrifying.
What kind of twisted jutsu is this?
Surely, the line between genius and madman must be razor-thin.
And why sheep, specifically?
Did sheep eat Nasuhiko's grass or something?
Tsunade had a sinking suspicion that Nasuhiko's choice to use sheep was aimed at her somehow...
(End of Chapter)