Kakuzu calculated in his mind.
One water-affinity heart, and one earth-affinity heart.
He had deliberately sought out hearts with different chakra natures to handle a variety of enemies. Over the years of mastering the forbidden Earth Grudge Fear technique, he had amassed five hearts of different chakra natures.
But today's opponent was no ordinary foe who could be overcome by exploiting elemental weaknesses.
He couldn't afford to let the distance grow any further.
At long range, his opponent would simply fire arrows at him again and again, each one lethal. Against the Sharingan's keen perception and unerring accuracy, running or dodging was futile.
Just now, even with his best efforts to defend and evade, his opponent's arrow had still hit his most vital spot.
Although he was hailed as having an immortal body, Kakuzu's so-called immortality was merely a matter of using his spare hearts to cheat death—it wasn't true invincibility.
Once all five hearts were destroyed, he, too, would face the inevitability of death.
Lightning flickered across Kakuzu's body, and under the influence of the Lightning Release, his speed and reaction time soared to new heights.
As the colossal Susanoo loomed closer, Kakuzu had no intention of engaging it directly in combat. Instead, his sharp eyes swept the battlefield, searching for the Uchiha's companion.
Yes.
With only three hearts left, Kakuzu had no confidence in defeating an Uchiha wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan. His plan was to create a diversion, targeting the Uchiha's ally to force the Uchiha into a dilemma. This would buy him a chance at survival.
Wind Release: Pressure Damage.
Fire Release: Head Scorching Flame.
Combined Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Chaos Wave!
The combination of two powerful techniques created a destructive force far greater than the sum of its parts. A raging sea of fire erupted, instantly engulfing the dense forest.
Under the roaring inferno, the green, towering figure of Susanoo was swallowed, no different from the surrounding trees being consumed by the flames.
After unleashing this devastating attack, Kakuzu didn't stop. Using his Earth Grudge Fear technique, he brought together his remaining three hearts. Above him, the three elemental masks began gathering a massive amount of chakra.
Fire. Wind. Lightning.
After a brief moment of charging, the chakra from the three masks interwove in mid-air, forming a roaring beam of energy. With the force of an unstoppable avalanche, it shot forth in a thunderous blast.
Susanoo in its skeletal form had remarkable defense and offense but lacked agility. When the chakra cannon sliced through the sea of fire and streaked toward it, Shisui's Susanoo was pierced almost instantly.
Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot!
A deafening explosion erupted from the center of Susanoo. The blast flattened the ground, carving out a crater several hundred meters wide. At its center lay the tattered remains of Susanoo, barely maintaining its skeletal form.
The current Susanoo had only half its body and one arm left. That intact arm was curved protectively as if shielding something.
"Even this wasn't enough to finish you? Truly an incredible defense," Kakuzu muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.
Kakuzu, having unleashed two powerful jutsu in quick succession, stood in place catching his breath. He stared at the still-intact Susanoo in the battlefield, a glimmer of astonishment in his heart.
But after only a brief recovery, he launched another assault.
Three elemental mask creatures transformed into turrets, rapidly firing a series of jutsu one after another.
The Susanoo, standing at the center of the crater, endured a saturation bombardment in an instant.
Whoosh!
Just as Kakuzu continued his jutsu barrage, a blazing punch came streaking toward him from behind.
The fire-elemental mask creature reacted almost immediately, spinning around to intercept the attack. It took the full brunt of the blow on Kakuzu's behalf.
The creature, blackened and charred, with only its mask intact, was sent flying and collided with Kakuzu, sending both of them tumbling embarrassingly across the ground.
Kakuzu glanced at Anko, who was pulling back her fist, then at the fire-elemental mask creature, which had been nearly shattered in half. He began to regard this girl with a hint of seriousness.
At the very least, her strength was comparable to the power he wielded when enhancing himself with Earth Release.
Just as Kakuzu prepared to charge forward and capture this girl as a hostage, the fire-elemental mask suddenly malfunctioned.
Caught off guard, Kakuzu could only watch as the detached fire-elemental mask erupted into a series of chain explosions, like fireworks lighting up the battlefield.
The fire-elemental creature was shredded into fragments without any chance of resistance, its mask breaking apart and scattering across the ground.
"A kekkei genkai!"
Now reduced to only two hearts, Kakuzu's eyes darkened as he glared at the approaching Anko. He ordered the sole remaining intact Wind Release mask creature to withdraw alongside him.
It was clear that this young girl possessed a unique kekkei genkai, similar to Scorch Release, yet distinctly different. Based on its effects, it was even more insidious and dangerous.
He needed to avoid close-quarters combat or any direct contact with her fists.
At this point, Kakuzu's sense of crisis had reached its peak. He had to find a way to retreat immediately and replenish his hearts, compensating for the severe losses he had just suffered.
Not to mention the bounty for today's mission!
The earlier destructive jutsu had undoubtedly obliterated all that precious money. Coupled with the loss of three powerful hearts, today's disaster made Kakuzu feel a sharp pain in his chest—one he couldn't regenerate away.
"Wind Release: Net of Captivity!"
Kakuzu weaved his next jutsu, aiming to regain control of the battlefield.
The wind-attribute masked monster spat out a large amount of web-like wind towards the incoming Anko. Without dodging or evading, Anko simply raised her arm to protect her face and charged straight into it.
The sharp wind cut into Anko's body, but to everyone's surprise, there was no bloodshed as expected. The wind lines deeply sank into her skin.
Under Kakuzu's shocked gaze, Anko actually broke free from the web-like wind. Aside from some red marks on her body, she was covered in blue flames and appeared before him unharmed.
"Fire Release: Twin Serpent Kill!"
Two serpents, their bodies entwined in blue flames, shot out from Anko's sleeves, lunging towards Kakuzu.
Two bolts of lightning suddenly shot out from the front, shattering the fire serpents in mid-air.
As expected, the broken serpent bodies exploded into fragments, sending shockwaves that spread in a circular motion around them.
At that moment, a greenish arrow pierced through the spreading shockwaves, striking Kakuzu and killing him once again.
A massive green giant rose from the ground, drawing a bow and preparing another shot.
A shattered mask was violently expelled from Kakuzu's body, falling into a lifeless heap.
Kakuzu's heart sank completely.
At the same time, as Kakuzu's attention was focused on Shisui and Anko, and his emotions were in turmoil, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared behind him and stabbed a kunai into his body.
What?
Kakuzu, who hadn't sensed any enemies approaching, looked down at the strange kunai tip protruding from his chest in shock.
Fortunately, the blade hadn't pierced his remaining heart, and the wound was only a minor injury, which didn't bother him. Almost instantly, he launched an attack backwards.
With the connection of black threads, his body seemed to split into several parts. His reversed-jointed fists swung back to strike at his attacker.
However, the attacker withdrew immediately, releasing the kunai and retreating almost as soon as it had stabbed into Kakuzu's body.
Kakuzu's attack hit nothing but air.
In the next moment, Kakuzu's face changed dramatically as he realized he couldn't control his body.
Or rather, the Earth Grudge Fear inside him had undergone some unknown change, causing it to grow sluggish and unresponsive.
****
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