[Before Kakuzu was restrained, he forcefully took the explosive tag and buried one of his hands in the ground, then remained silent to observe his enemies.
[The old man's battle intelligence is quite evident.
[When Shikamaru, eager for revenge, used his shadow to control Hidan to attack Kakuzu, the buried hand came in handy. It pulled off Kakuzu's chakra blade, helping him break free.
[However, Shikamaru's assault wasn't finished yet. Under the pressure from Hidan, Kakuzu retreated to a large tree, consuming a fat man's spinning attack that landed from above, but it was blocked harmlessly by a hardened earth spear.
[At this moment, Kakuzu was distracted by Hidan's trash talk. Kakashi, who had been hiding, noticed Kakuzu forming earth release signs and used lightning release to counter the earth spear. He then attacked Kakuzu, stabbing through his heart.]
"Ha, it really is Kakashi leading the team," Asuma remarked.
Just a moment ago, he had been discussing with Kurenai which jonin was leading Shikamaru's team, and now he turned to see Kakashi using Raikiri to stab Kakuzu on the screen.
"Well, since you're leading, I can relax," he added.
"Don't relax just yet. I don't know that Kakuzu has five hearts," Kakashi cautioned. "We might still face some tricks later."
Compared to Asuma's optimistic mindset, Kakashi's expression showed some concern.
As he said, Kakuzu indeed had five hearts.
The Kakashi on the screen was unaware of this. If he easily destroyed one of Kakuzu's hearts and relaxed, thinking everything was fine, he would likely end up regretting it.
And exactly as Kakashi feared, the screen soon displayed the scene of him being tricked by Kakuzu.
After "killing" Kakuzu, Kakashi used Raikiri again, charging fiercely toward Hidan.
At that moment, Kakuzu suddenly appeared and kicked Kakashi away.
Kakuzu's action shocked everyone. The Konoha side finally realized that, besides Hidan, there was also an immortal among them.
Then Kakuzu took off his robe, laying the groundwork for his subsequent violent actions.
"Sure enough, I was tricked," Kakashi muttered to himself, relieved that Kakuzu had used taijutsu against him and not some devastating ninjutsu.
Of course, if Kakuzu had truly used ninjutsu, the Kakashi on the screen might have been able to react in time.
After all, he had activated the Sharingan, and ninjutsu requires hand seals to release. Given even a tiny window of time, he believed he could react accordingly.
"This surprise attack has likely failed; the real battle is about to begin."
In the front row, the Third Hokage and Fifth Hokage Jiraiya were also analyzing the situation on the screen.
[Shikamaru's team clearly aimed to kill Kakuzu while binding Hidan and Kakuzu with shadows.
[Even if Kakuzu broke free from the shadow imitation technique, Kakashi was there to back them up.
[Kakashi didn't disappoint as he managed to shatter Kakuzu's heart. With the situation looking favorable, they only needed to deal with the remaining Hidan.
[However, Kakuzu turned out to be immortal as well; even with his heart destroyed, he was completely unfazed.
[He even kicked Kakashi, sending him flying and causing some injuries.
[After using so many tactics, the final gains were minimal.
[It could be said that this ambush had completely failed.]
"Yeah, Shikamaru's chakra is running low, so he probably can't hold Hidan back anymore."
"Shikamaru is very smart, but his personality is too lazy. After tonight, Asuma will definitely push him to train harder."
[After taking off his cloak, Kakuzu didn't want to waste any more time. He split off three hearts—Wind, Fire, and Lightning—to fight, keeping one for his main body.]
[Just as Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique reached its limit and could no longer restrain Hidan.]
[Seeing Hidan break free, Kakuzu aimed his attacks at the strongest combatant on Konoha's side: Hatake Kakashi.]
[With Hidan's immortality and taijutsu as bait, Kakuzu seized the opportunity to use his Wind heart to unleash a devastating blast, hitting both Kakashi and his target.]
[In the span of a breath, he followed up by using his Lightning heart to attack Shikamaru and Choji with a false darkness technique.]
The battle displayed on the screen was quite intense, and as everyone was fully focused on the action, the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, turned to the Third Hokage and suddenly said:
"Old man, don't you think Kakuzu's attack style is a lot like yours? Mastery of the five elemental ninjutsu, and a tendency to use them in combat just like you."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage asked directly, "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing much, I just thought it'd be interesting to see what kind of sparks would fly if you and Kakuzu fought."
"Disrespectful brat, do you even know how old I am?" The Third Hokage smacked Jiraiya on the head, "At my age, you still want me to fight Kakuzu? Are you trying to get me killed so you can inherit my crystal ball?"
"Uh, no need to get angry. I was just saying."
The Fifth Jiraiya rubbed his head, still aching from being hit by the Third Hokage, with a slightly helpless expression.
In Tobirama's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Kakuzu's attack, stroked his chin, and said, "This guy's attack methods are quite similar to mine."
"They are indeed similar, but Kakuzu's Five Element Ninjutsu comes from his five hearts, while you rely on your natural chakra attributes. As long as Kakuzu's hearts are destroyed, he won't be able to use the corresponding elemental jutsu until he finds a suitable replacement heart."
"That's true. Once you know the secret of his Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu isn't that terrifying. Like how Kakashi on the screen, if he knew the information beforehand, could have ambushed Kakuzu and at least taken out two of his hearts."
"Losing two of the Five Elements jutsu would significantly weaken Kakuzu."
"Sensei, I have an idea."
Seeing Hiruzen's serious expression, Tobirama asked, "You want to fight him?"
Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Is that possible?"
"If the situation allows it, I'll let you give it a try."
"Thank you, Sensei."
[At the critical moment, Kakashi, as the team leader, took on the responsibilities left by the late Asuma.]
[But Kakuzu uses Lightning Release: False Darkness, making it a fifty-fifty standoff.]
[Here, you can see Kakuzu's high level of mastery over his elemental techniques.]
[In the official databook, Kakuzu's ninjutsu skill was rated a full ten points, but that's just because the max is ten—it doesn't mean Kakuzu's actual level stops there. In reality, it might even exceed that.]
[Next, the Fire Heart used a technique called 'Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work,' unleashing a sea of flames that scattered Kakashi's team.]
[Meanwhile, Kakuzu's main body didn't stay idle either. He beat down Choji, even with his enlarged fists, and then restrained both Ino and Choji by their throats.]
[The Wind, Fire, and Lightning Hearts continued to maneuver around the battlefield, supporting Hidan as he fought against Kakashi.]
[Kakuzu alone achieved the level of a walking, human artillery turret.]
[The last person who liked to fight like this was known as 'Mini-Kakuzu'—the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.]
The Third Hokage: What? I'm 'Mini-Kakuzu'?
*********
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume