The stealthy observer lurking in the shadows had an impressive concealment technique. Despite being close by, neither Ye Zi nor Kakuzu could detect even the slightest trace of his presence. This figure was White Zetsu, sent by Madara specifically to observe Ye Zi.
Though Madara's plans were already set, when Ye Zi, with his unique traits, appeared on the radar, Madara had additional ideas. Plans are just plans; they can't always follow one's expectations perfectly. So, for this crucial operation, Madara wanted an extra layer of insurance — and Ye Zi was that insurance.
When White Zetsu first discovered Ye Zi, he instinctively planted his spores on him, but to his surprise, Ye Zi's body absorbed them without him even noticing. This anomaly brought Ye Zi into Madara's attention.
Because the spores failed, White Zetsu couldn't monitor Ye Zi constantly. With Madara's plan nearing its conclusion and no one else to rely on, Zetsu could only occasionally check on Ye Zi personally. This time, he happened upon an unexpected situation. To be honest, White Zetsu wasn't optimistic about Ye Zi's chances, as his opponent was the veteran monster, Kakuzu.
If Ye Zi found himself in danger, White Zetsu wouldn't help, even though Ye Zi was important to Madara's plan as insurance. There were better candidates, and Madara had always preferred someone from the Uchiha clan. However, no suitable Uchiha had appeared yet.
Unaware of being chosen as someone's "insurance," Ye Zi was fully focused on Kakuzu, carefully thinking about strategies. Facing a human cannon that could unleash combined elemental ninjutsu, getting close wasn't wise. Using his Spiritual Transformation Technique for a long-range attack seemed like a better option. But with limited chakra remaining, and knowing Kakuzu wasn't an easy target for that jutsu, it was still risky.
Should he recall his shadow clone?
But that was a trump card; Ye Zi didn't want to waste it too early.
Crackle…
Once again, lightning threads appeared across Ye Zi's body, but they were noticeably weaker this time.
Ye Zi was pretending to be weaker, not because he expected Kakuzu to fall for it, but to present the appearance of being low on chakra. Only by doing this could he make the most out of his strategy to recall the shadow clone.
Seeing the reduced lightning aura around Ye Zi, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. He had experienced countless battles and encountered many enemies trying to feign weakness. Always cautious, he wouldn't fall for it easily.
So, Kakuzu didn't believe in such tricks. However, with his sharp instincts honed through experience, he was confident that Ye Zi's chakra was genuinely running low. And without chakra, a shinobi could be easily overpowered.
His judgment wasn't wrong. Ye Zi was indeed running out of chakra. But even Kakuzu didn't know Ye Zi had a backup supply — the chakra he had previously distributed to his shadow clone.
Earlier, Kakuzu had a 70% certainty of defeating Ye Zi. Now, that confidence had surged to 95%.
Kakuzu sneered coldly, clasped his hands together, and charged at Ye Zi. Behind him, the three mask-like faces on his body suddenly opened their mouths.
Seeing Kakuzu's advance, Ye Zi tensed. Yet, instead of retreating, he stood his ground. If he backed down now, the battle would essentially be over.
"Masks..."
Though lacking intel on Kakuzu, Ye Zi understood the importance of neutralizing the masks first. With the shadow clone as a fallback, he didn't expect to finish Kakuzu off instantly. His goal was to destroy at least one of those masks.
The lightning wrapped around the blade of his sword, Raiga, slowly dissipated. If he was going to fake running out of chakra, he had to make it convincing. Raiga's sharpness increased when infused with lightning, but it didn't mean the sword wasn't still dangerous without it.
Ye Zi became a blur, speeding forward like lightning. However…
"Fire Release: Meteor Shower!"
From behind Kakuzu, the three masks spat out a combination of fire, wind, and earth-style jutsu.
Massive boulders, fanned by the wind and set ablaze by the fire, flew toward Ye Zi like a flock of homing birds. The combination of heat and rock formed a deadly meteor shower that moved across the battlefield like a massive net.
The size and scale of the attack made Ye Zi's heart race. His charge was broken, and he quickly shifted to the right, narrowly avoiding the flaming meteors.
Boom!
The burning stones hit the forest, gouging out a massive scar and setting the woods ablaze.
Ye Zi barely dodged the overwhelming attack, but Kakuzu's next wave followed swiftly.
From the ground beneath him, sharp stone spikes shot upward like bamboo shoots. Though Ye Zi sensed the chakra and reacted quickly, he was just a bit too slow, and his left thigh was gashed deeply, blood streaming down.
In battle, the wounded are often finished off.
Kakuzu continued bombarding Ye Zi with various elemental ninjutsu, his chakra seemingly limitless. He resembled a walking cannon.
Forced into a constant retreat, Ye Zi struggled to dodge. His injured leg slowed him down, and soon, more wounds appeared on his body.
His expression turned grim. His plan to disable at least one of the masks was now in shambles. If he didn't recall his shadow clone soon, Kakuzu's barrage of ninjutsu would kill him.
"In that case…"
Ye Zi gritted his teeth. After dodging a few more wind blades, he charged directly at Kakuzu, his spiritual form shooting out from his body and flying toward his opponent from above.
Seeing the spiritual form, Kakuzu smirked coldly. While he couldn't counter that technique, he could still target Ye Zi's physical body. Turning his attention back to Ye Zi, he noted how weak the remaining lightning around him was. It was clear that Ye Zi was prepared for a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you immediately."
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed. He had many ways to kill Ye Zi, but he still needed a high-quality lightning-style heart. His plan was to capture Ye Zi alive, then extract his heart.
Pffft!
A muffled sound signaled the emergence of another black mass from Kakuzu's cloak. Topped with a mask, this one released a stream of water at Ye Zi. At the same time, the fire mask spat out flames that collided with the water, producing a massive cloud of scalding steam.
The steam blocked visibility and could also burn. Ye Zi felt helpless. His Spiritual Transformation Technique was practically useless without clear sight.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Having no other choice, Ye Zi used wind release to disperse the steam.
Kakuzu had been waiting for this moment. As the steam cleared, he had already closed in on Ye Zi, black tendrils wrapping around him, ensnaring Ye Zi's almost chakra-depleted body.
To Kakuzu's surprise, there was no sudden burst of lightning. With Ye Zi easily bound by his tendrils, Kakuzu's lips curled into a dark smile.
No more chakra, huh...
Even after binding Ye Zi, Kakuzu remained wary of the spiritual form. After all, ninjutsu requires chakra!
The black threads tightened, draining away Ye Zi's last remaining traces of chakra. The spiritual form that was mere inches away from Kakuzu disintegrated.
"It's over." Kakuzu stared at Ye Zi, as though looking at a lamb ready for slaughter.
In the shadows, White Zetsu watched and shook his head slightly, murmuring, "Looks like it ends here."
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Currently on Chapter 154 - The Proof of His Existence