This old monster, experienced beyond belief, had already sentenced Little White Fang to death based on his own judgment, considering Ye Zi's dwindling chakra.
This was fatal—like ants overwhelming an elephant. Kakuzu was quite pleased; after all, the cannon fodder had their uses.
Without further ado, Kakuzu's hands emerged from his cloak and, without warning, launched an attack. His hands stretched like rubber, reaching out to grab Ye Zi.
"Hmm?"
The unconventional attack surprised Ye Zi slightly. He observed the dense black threads connecting Kakuzu's palms and arms but didn't dwell on it, thinking Kakuzu's reckless attack was essentially handing him his hands to cut off.
Squeak... squeak...
Lightning flickered, dazzling and intense.
Ye Zi swung his Raiga, the blade crackling with lightning, slicing towards Kakuzu's outstretched hands.
The Raiga's blade turned into a sharp beam. At that moment, the dense black threads twisted abruptly, like snakes, causing Kakuzu's hands to suddenly twist and narrowly avoid the Lightning Fang. The black threads then exploded like fireworks, forming a net that enveloped Ye Zi.
Watching this strange scene, Ye Zi's expression remained unchanged. He retracted his sword but advanced further, increasing his chakra output. The electric current around him intensified, emitting a faint burnt smell as if boiling water.
The black threads, upon contact with the current, were repelled. Kakuzu's cold gaze swept over Ye Zi, who was charging forward. His expression remained unchanged as his shoulders suddenly inflated, tearing through his black cloak to reveal two eerie white masks.
Ye Zi didn't know what the masks were. He used his lightning jutsu to force back the numerous black threads, aiming to close in on Kakuzu and end him with a single strike. At that moment, he couldn't afford to worry about the potential threat of the masks. The lightning on the Lightning Fang's blade became blinding, with a thumb-thick bolt of electricity flashing impressively. At the same time, he multitasked, forming hand seals with one hand and releasing his spiritual form from his shoulders!
This was Ye Zi's signature double attack: the penetrating lightning jutsu and the indefensible soul attack, establishing his reputation over the years.
The black threads supporting Kakuzu's hands were repelled but didn't move far, forming a net-like tunnel. Ye Zi darted through this tunnel like a sharp blade, heading straight for Kakuzu.
Kakuzu smirked coldly. Before Ye Zi could close in, one of the white masks on his back unexpectedly emitted a torrent of flames, disregarding the black threads. The searing flames instantly filled the tunnel, engulfing Ye Zi's figure.
But that wasn't all. The other mask expelled a strong wind compressed in the tunnel, deepening the flames' color and burning the air within this small space to nothingness.
After doing this, Kakuzu cautiously retreated a distance, pulling his hands apart to avoid the fierce flames and retracting the black threads that had been partially burned. He then coldly stared at the flames while remaining vigilant of his surroundings.
The space was filled with techniques created from vast amounts of chakra, and the dispersed chakra made it difficult for Kakuzu to determine Ye Zi's position and condition.
After a moment, Kakuzu reduced his chakra output, and the flames, losing their energy support, slowly faded away, leaving only scorched black marks on the ground. Ye Zi's figure, however, was nowhere to be seen.
This didn't surprise Kakuzu. If Konoha's Little White Fang fell so easily, he wouldn't deserve the title. The recent attack wasn't expected to severely injure Ye Zi; it was merely to cause him some trouble.
Kakuzu's eyes moved slightly as another black thread emerged from his cloak, topped with an eerie mask. The new mask burrowed into the ground.
Boom!
The ground not far behind Kakuzu suddenly exploded, and a figure staggered away, landing clumsily.
Kakuzu turned to see Ye Zi, with one side of his body burned, smirking disdainfully.
With extensive battle experience, Kakuzu had anticipated Ye Zi's move and used the Earth Grudge Fear technique to force him out.
The Earth Grudge Fear was a secret technique stolen from the ninja village that allowed Kakuzu to take hearts from others and use their techniques. Kakuzu could control up to five hearts, but he only controlled four at present—Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth—and was missing a Lightning attribute heart.
Kakuzu disregarded ordinary hearts and only took those from powerful ninjas.
Ye Zi had no information about Kakuzu, which led to his initial disadvantage. Conversely, Kakuzu had some understanding of Ye Zi, especially regarding his Spirit Transformation technique...
Ye Zi's left arm hung unnaturally, injured by the Earth Grudge Fear's shockwave, while the severe burns on one side of his body were less concerning.
He observed the three distinct eerie masks, feeling his dwindling chakra and predicting a tough battle ahead.
Three masks, three attributes. It was uncertain if Kakuzu had other elemental techniques.
Kakuzu never revealed all his cards at once; he preferred to reveal them gradually while assessing his opponent's limits, so he still had a water attribute mask he hadn't used.
Ye Zi, unaware of Kakuzu's hidden strength, prepared for the worst, assuming Kakuzu might also have water and lightning attribute masks.
The thought of Kakuzu wielding five elemental techniques made Ye Zi's scalp tingle, fearing Kakuzu could use even more terrifying combined jutsu than the Third Hokage.
This was the first time he encountered such a strange and formidable opponent. While watching Kakuzu and devising a strategy, he also received feedback from his shadow clone.
With his chakra running low, he needed to reclaim it at a critical moment to catch Kakuzu off guard.
On a distant tree away from the battlefield, a pale, shapeless entity began to form, twisting and shifting, gradually taking shape as a fully white individual—Zetsu.
"Hehe."
Zetsu watched Kakuzu and Ye Zi from afar, emitting a low laugh.
"Unexpectedly, these two have clashed. So, Konoha's Little White Fang, will this be your end?"
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