This shuriken moved silently. It was thin and dark.
At first, it moved quietly, but as it approached the white mist, it suddenly accelerated like lightning, reaching an incredible speed, leaving an explosion of air in its wake.
"Watch out!" Tsunade sensed it first and quickly turned to shout.
Haruki raised his eyebrows. The shuriken was aimed at him, not Tsunade.
He squinted slightly. The moment his gaze met the shuriken, it was already in front of him.
Haruki reached out and caught the shuriken. The force was so strong that his body trembled slightly.
A ninja who could throw such a powerful shuriken from eight hundred meters away was not simple.
The thought flashed through Haruki's mind. He then smiled, spun the shuriken in his hand, and threw it back with terrifying speed.
Chakra gathered in his eyes. Haruki clearly saw the ninja on the small hill outside the town.
The familiar attire surprised him a little. It was Kakuzu, a member of the Akatsuki in the original story, a ninja who lived to be 91 years old.
If it weren't for plot reasons, he might have lived forever.
As the saying goes, "If you live long enough, you'll see everything." He had once fought the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. The result was obvious.
After barely escaping with his life, he faced punishment for failing his mission. Enraged, he killed the village leaders and stole the forbidden technique, Earth Grudge Fear.
He was a very pure ninja, detached from other interests. Except for money, he loved nothing else.
His long life was spent constantly chasing money.
The air crackled with the sound of thunder. Kakuzu's expression turned grim, and chakra surged from his body, turning his skin black and hard.
He sped up his arms, and just before the shuriken touched his body, he caught it. The shuriken's terrifying power directly cracked the black skin on his hands.
Kakuzu felt like he had been hit by a speeding train. His Earth Release: Earth Spear could withstand explosive tags but couldn't stop a small shuriken. Damn it!
Kakuzu staggered, leaving a trench in the ground. When he stopped, he noticed the shuriken was the same one he had thrown. It was intact, with no tricks, just pure power.
Kakuzu didn't hesitate to turn and run. He loved money, but only if he could live to spend it. There was no need to waste a life over it.
But then he stopped. He looked at Haruki and Tsunade in front of him.
Kakuzu glanced back and saw that the five ninjas he had incited were all dead.
"Was the beautiful dealer in the casino you?" Haruki asked. It was his first time seeing Kakuzu in this life. Since becoming a rogue ninja, Kakuzu had been making money through bounties.
So Kakuzu must be here for money, but who was behind it?
"Yes," Kakuzu replied, surveying the terrain. His years of experience told him getting the bounty wouldn't be easy. If that was the case, retreat was the best option.
"I didn't expect the famous Kakuzu to have such interests."
"You know me?" Kakuzu was slightly taken aback but ignored Haruki's sarcasm.
"You're the best hunter in the black market," Haruki said. "If you tell me who wants me dead, I'll pay you double."
Kakuzu hesitated, then shook his head. "I have professional ethics. I only hunt bountied ninjas. I don't care who offers the bounty."
"So, no deal?" Haruki shrugged.
Kakuzu was silent, chakra already flowing through his body.
Haruki glanced at him and smiled. "If you can beat her, I'll let you go."
Kakuzu instinctively looked at Tsunade. He had observed her fight in the mist. Her strength was terrifying, but she was primarily a medical ninja, not a combat specialist.
He only worried about the unfathomable Haruki. The power of that shuriken reminded him of unpleasant memories.
Kakuzu wasn't afraid of Haruki, but his five lives were precious and difficult to replace.
He said nothing more and increased the distance. Chakra filled the air in front of him, forming a giant dragon head that spat out a barrage of mud bullets.
"Use only Wood Release," Haruki whispered to Tsunade.
Tsunade immediately put away her fists, formed hand seals, and wooden pillars rose from the ground, bending to form a barrier around her.
Kakuzu's eyes widened. He instinctively wanted to run. The memory of fighting a wooden clone of Hashirama Senju flashed back, followed by a brutal beating. It was his greatest humiliation!
The mud dragon bullet collided with the wooden pillars, causing black water flowers to bloom. Kakuzu calmed down. Tsunade's Wood Release was far inferior to Hashirama's.
He could win this. He took a deep breath, preparing to get serious. Black tendrils emerged from his body, and two masks appeared on his shoulders.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She didn't know Earth Grudge Fear, but the strange appearance instinctively made her uneasy.
She clasped her hands, and thick tree branches shot towards Kakuzu. He stepped to the right, and the mask on his shoulder spat out a stream of fire.
The flames grew, forming a sea of fire. The approaching branches burned and turned to ash in moments.
The scorching heat felt like death itself. Tsunade began to sweat slightly. She pressed her right hand to the ground, and massive walls rose around her, blocking the flames.
Among the crackling, there was a hint of thunder. The next moment, a lightning spear pierced through the wooden wall and Tsunade.
With a bang, Tsunade turned into wood, dodging the lightning and charging at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu frowned. A wood clone? His killing intent wavered. He hated wood clones the most!
Wind pressure appeared in front of him. The mask on his left shoulder opened its mouth wide, creating a massive wind ball.
The wind ball exploded, more terrifying than a real hurricane, devastating the small hill.
Haruki lifted off, using wind chakra to rise and avoid Kakuzu's jutsu. Tsunade's body expanded, and a giant tree wrapped around her.
The windstorm slashed at the trunk like countless knives, creating a series of sharp sounds. The branches fell, leaving only a scarred trunk.
But Tsunade had blocked the attack.