Kakuzu finally experienced firsthand just how terrifying the power of the Biju's Chakra is.
That blood-red figure moved three times in a second. Even without using shadow clones, Naruto had pierced through two Earth Grudge Fear monsters and still had time to appear before Kakuzu, delivering a devastating punch that sent him crashing into the ground.
Chiriku, realizing that the Earth Grudge Fear monster he was fighting had disappeared, wasted no time in turning to assist Asuma.
The ground suddenly shattered like a spiderweb, collapsing instantly. Kakuzu let out a painful scream as Naruto's punch tore a massive hole through his body, and the shadow of the Kyubi was reflected in his pupils.
'With 73% of Yin Yang Kyubi's strength, it far surpassed that stupid fox back home. In the face of absolute power, all defenses are useless.'
"You!"
Kakuzu realized that all three of his hearts had been shattered. In desperation, he recalled the Earth Grudge Fear monster that had been entangling Asuma. Black threads, like noodles, spewed out, forcing Naruto to momentarily retreat.
Naruto swiftly dodged as Kakuzu's body erupted with a torrent of black threads, spilling out of his mouth, ears, and nose in a horrifying spectacle. However, Naruto was already prepared for this and calmly leapt back.
He watched as Kakuzu's joints rapidly swelled, turning him into a truly monstrous figure. Though he appeared bulky, Kakuzu moved with surprising agility as he charged forward.
The ground cracked deeply as his threads tore apart every obstacle in his path. Just looking at Kakuzu's monstrous appearance was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Naruto directly unsheathed the Kusanagi Sword, and then enveloped the blade with the Kyubi's Chakra. Without fear, he swung the sword toward Kakuzu.
Kakuzu was merely the first shot fired in the eventual downfall of the Akatsuki. Naruto had many more enemies to face in the future, Itachi, Kisame, they all deserved to die. Sooner or later, he would storm into the Land of Rain and slaughter them all.
With clashing ideals, words were unnecessary. Naruto would cut through the chaos with a swift blade. He knew that in this world, there was no room for hesitation!
With a resonant hum, the sword vibrated.
Naruto's eyes remained cold and emotionless as he cut through everything before him. The Kusanagi Sword was sharper than ever, and in Naruto's hands, it resembled Grim Reaper's scythe.
With several swift strikes, Naruto sliced through the black threads. He was just about to plunge the sword into Kakuzu's heart when a sudden cry broke the air from nearby.
"Ino, watch out!"
Naruto's bloodthirsty expression flickered for a moment, and in a flash, he disappeared using Flying Thunder God Technique, abandoning the chance to finish off Kakuzu.
At the next second, Hidan's scythe struck the blade of the Kusanagi Sword.
Choji, who had been using his giant form, had shown an opening that Hidan immediately exploited, and his scythe was about to pierce him. Without hesitation, Ino performed her Mind Body Switch Technique, temporarily disturbing Hidan's movements for two seconds.
Asuma quickly took the opportunity to rescue Choji, but Hidan immediately turned his attention to Ino. Shikamaru, desperate to help, found that his Shadow Imitation Technique couldn't keep up with Hidan's speed.
As Hidan closed in on Ino, his massive scythe grew larger in her vision. Fear washed over Ino, paralyzing her as the weapon loomed closer. She wanted to move, but in such a short moment, she found herself unable to react.
At the last moment, a loud clang echoed. Ino realized that someone had stepped in front of her, and her heart tightened. Almost instinctively, she shouted.
"Naruto, it's dangerous." She cried out as she pulled out a kunai, ready to help.
Naruto turned slightly, giving her a quick glance that silently told her to stop. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but Ino could tell he was in control. In the next instant, Naruto kicked Hidan, sending him flying, then spoke calmly, "Go back to Choji and the others."
Excessive use of the Kyubi's Chakra made Naruto feel that something was wrong with his body. A faint desire for destruction stirred within him, but it quickly subsided as his mind cleared again.
Naruto didn't believe in anything being truly immortal. If one strike didn't kill, then he'd crush it into dust. Against overwhelming power, he would reduce his enemy to powder and then mixed it with water to feed it to the pigs.
Hidan was still as cowardly as ever, and Naruto had already made up his mind to kill him with one swift blow.
The night was dark and deep as Naruto's figure flashed again. Several more Flying Thunder God Kunai were hurled out. He had prepared a lot of these one-time-use kunai for this very moment.
After all, it was a consumable item, so the kunai was not too expensive for him. With the money he still hadn't spent from Gato, he naturally bought as many as he could and engrave them with the imprint whenever he had the chance.
Mastering a famous technique like the Flying Thunder God required ample preparation, and Naruto believed the more, the better.
"Get out of there!" Kakuzu, having already shed his Akatsuki's cloak, shouted to Hidan, "Don't get into the range of that brat's kunai..."
Before Kakuzu could finish his words, Naruto had already closed the distance, sword in hand, moving silently. He wielded the Kusanagi Sword, and the uneasy feeling within him slowly dissipated as the battle continued.
It was like a virgin who had been a virgin for many years finally seeing the dawn of liberation, and gradually getting better. Naruto swung the sword in his hand and attacked fiercely, relying on the perception and speed bonus of the Kyubi's Chakra Cloak.
Each swing of his sword struck Hidan's scythe with increasing force, becoming faster and heavier with every blow.
Naruto showed no signs of exhaustion. On the contrary, his eyes became brighter, his movements became faster, and his mind became clearer. The pleasure of being freed from the restraints and fighting surged through his body, making every cell in his body tremble with excitement.
'So exhilarating!'
With each strike, Naruto hit harder, completely ignoring Hidan's scythe's ability to draw blood. He moved faster, each step more intense than the last.
Finally, Hidan's scythe was knocked out of his hand.
The sword in Naruto's hand also vanished, and he lunged forward with a punch. However, Hidan grinned wickedly and pulled out a hidden long blade from his side. Just as Hidan's blade was about to pierce Naruto's body, Naruto disappeared again.
With a loud crash, Naruto reappeared at Hidan's side, delivering a punch square to his face. The impact shattered Hidan's cheekbone, twisting his entire face out of shape.
But at the next moment, Naruto vanished again, reappearing to land another punch on Hidan's head. With each shift in position, Naruto would toss two Flying Thunder God Kunai. Hidan, swollen-eyed, guessed twice where Naruto would be but failed both times.
Each time, Naruto reappeared and struck Hidan's skull with another powerful punch. A normal person's skull would have long since been crushed, but Hidan, blessed by his so-called 'Jashin', was still alive.
"I won't die!" Hidan, now lying on the ground, tried to move but found his body no longer responding.
Naruto ignored him and continued to punch him with a blank expression. Under the impact of the fists, Hidan was covered in blood, yet he remained oddly spirited.
"What a blunder!"
Seeing Naruto's next punch about to land, Hidan knew he had been defeated this time, yet he still laughed maniacally, shouting, "You will definitely be punished by Jashin-sama! The followers of Jashin-sama will kill every one of you."
Hearing this, Naruto suddenly stopped moving. He stopped his fist mid-air and turned to glance behind him, noticing Choji was injured and Ino was struggling to heal him.
"What did you just say?" He asked as he stared at Feidan expressionlessly.
"Hahaha! Are you scared? Scared, aren't you? Jashin-sama will judge you all! We'll kill every last one of you!!" Hidan laughed arrogantly with his mouth full of blood.
"You know, you Jashin's followers are so weird." Naruto lowered his hands and looked at Asuma and Chiriku, who were still locked in combat with Kakuzu.
"Strange?" Hidan was unsure of what Naruto was getting at, but in his current state, he didn't care. He sneered and asked, "Are you scared?"
"Scared of what?" Naruto's voice dropped, "The one who should be scared is you. All you do is call on Jashin's name, but look at you."
"Your so-called Jashin doesn't even care about worms like you. How pathetic, Hidan. Look at yourself. Your 'art' and your 'faith', they're a joke."
"I'll kill you, you bastard! If you insult Jashin-sama again, I'll find a way to kill you no matter what!"
"I pity you. I have seen fanatics before, but they are nothing like you." Naruto continued to talk calmly, "True believers are protected by their faith, not left in this sorry state like you now."
"Hidan, do you want me to fetch a mirror so you can see how pathetic you look? You resemble a dog."
"Where is that Jashin-sama you believe in now? Why don't you ask it to come to kill me? No, just ask him to touch a finger of mine." Naruto sneered, his voice dripping with disdain, "Your so-called god is a trash."
Hidan froze for a moment, then let out an ear-piercing scream!
"I'm going to kill you!"