As the electricity paralyzed his body, Lightning realized that the situation had turned dire.
Sure enough, in the next moment, countless tendrils wrapped around him, binding him tightly. Even after the lightning subsided, he couldn't move at all.
"Although there was a bit of an unexpected twist, I've learned from this experience. I'll be more cautious of lightning clones in the future. But for now, I'll take your heart," Kakuzu said, stepping closer to Lightning with the intention of personally extracting his heart.
Only by doing so could Kakuzu vent his frustration.
Lightning wanted to struggle, but he found himself completely immobilized. A sense of despair crept over him.
Was this… the end?
In that fleeting moment, Lightning's mind raced with thoughts—his wife, their unborn child.
"You look quite unwilling, but don't worry. Soon, you won't have such thoughts anymore. Dead men have no thoughts," Kakuzu sneered as he prepared to strike.
But just then, a sharp sound pierced the air. Kakuzu instinctively leapt back.
"A rogue ninja from Takigakure, Kakuzu. How dare you lay a hand on Konoha's shinobi? Such audacity," a young voice rang out, bringing relief to Lightning.
He couldn't help but smile, his lips curling slightly upward.
"Right on time, you brat," Lightning laughed at the man who had come to his aide.
"If I'd been a moment later, I might not have seen you alive, Captain," the young man replied, cutting through the tendrils binding Lightning with ease.
Kakuzu stood still, observing the scene, and finally spoke. "Konoha's ANBU Commander, the White Fang—Sakumo Hatake. I never expected to meet you in a place like this."
Kakuzu's heart sank as the words left his mouth. His sudden arrival had shifted the tide.
Sakumo, out on a mission, had sensed the battle and rushed over just in time to save Lightning.
For Kakuzu, however, retreating was already on his mind.
Facing someone like Sakumo—a bona fide Kage-level shinobi and one of the strongest at that tier—was not something Kakuzu was confident about, not at the moment.
He had considered attacking Sakumo before, particularly because his bounty was among the highest on the bingo book, rivaling even Hui's.
But he had dismissed the idea, not only because of Sakumo's strength but also his connection to Hui. If Sakumo were to die by his hand, Kakuzu had no doubt Hui would pursue him until he was dead or worse.
Provoking Hui was not something Kakuzu wished to do.
Still, retreat was no longer an option. Having killed three Konoha shinobi earlier, he had already forged an irreconcilable enmity.
"I never thought a rogue ninja from Takigakure would dare to target Konoha's shinobi. No matter, I'll make you pay with your life," Sakumo declared coldly, his words dripping with killing intent.
Years of leading ANBU missions had turned Sakumo into a man of lethal precision.
The lingering killing intent from the recently ended war still clung to him, making him even more dangerous.
"Oh? I've long thought about exchanging your head for some money,"
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Kakuzu replied coldly, recalling every piece of intelligence he had on Sakumo.
Don't engage in close combat!
The warning blared in his mind body moved a moment later as Sakumo charged at him with his short blade, White Fang.
Fire Style: Searing Migraine!
Wind Style: Pressure Damage!
Lightning Style: False Darkness!
Three jutsu erupted simultaneously, launched by Kakuzu and his two black-threaded creatures.
The large-scale ninjutsu attack forced Lightning to retreat rapidly.
But Sakumo was different. He didn't retreat; he advanced.
His short blade cleaved through the flames, a white aura splitting the sea of fire.
He weaved through the lightning strikes, his movements as fluid as water, and in the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu was taken aback. Forced into close combat, he could only engage Sakumo in desperation.
Unlike Lightning, Sakumo excelled in kenjutsu. His close-combat prowess was among the best in the Kage tier, leaving few who could rival him.
Kakuzu, with nothing but his bare hands, quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
Wounds began to accumulate on his body, many dangerously close to vital areas. Were it not for his unique body structure composed of tendrils, he would already have been severely injured.
"This guy seems to have multiple hearts, which allows him to resurrect himself. He can use Fire, Wind, and Lightning jutsu without hand seals. Be careful, White Fang!" Lightning shouted from the distance, relaying the intelligence he had gathered.
"Understood!" Sakumo replied, his blade sticking close to Kakuzu, preventing the black-threaded creatures from attacking effectively.
Shing!
Another slash struck true, severing one of Kakuzu's arms. Taking the opportunity, Kakuzu quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and Sakumo.
"As expected of Konoha's White Fang. Truly formidable," Kakuzu remarked, using his tendrils to reattach his severed arm.
Within moments, it was as good as new.
"Multiple hearts, huh? It seems targeting them is the only way to deal with you," Sakumo analyzed aloud, piecing together Kakuzu's weakness based on Lightning's intel and their battle so far.
"Indeed. To defeat me, you must destroy all my hearts. But I won't give you that chance," Kakuzu declared as the two black-threaded creatures unleashed a new wave of attacks.
One creature spewed fireballs like bombs, while the other generated fierce winds to hinder Sakumo and Lightning's movements. Meanwhile, Kakuzu used lightning jutsu to suppress them further.
Kakuzu was most skilled at long-range combat. After his earlier clash with Sakumo, he resolved not to allow the White Fang to close in again.
Either he would defeat them with ninjutsu or find an opportunity to escape.
Yes, retreat was his true intention. If it was another Jonin, it would've been fine, but with Sakumo here, he had no intention of pursuing the bounty.
Even if he had offended Konoha and Mochizuki Hui, Kakuzu didn't see it as an insurmountable problem.
He didn't want to antagonize Hui, but that did not mean he was terrified to do so.
After all, he had once fought Hashirama Senju—the God of Shinobi—and survived. Compared to that, Hui was what? A demigod?
See how it played out with Hashirama, The God of Shinobi was now dead, and he was still alive and kicking.
If worse came to worst, Kakuzu could vanish for decades until Hui died. Time was on his side. As long as he lived, he could always rise again.
But for now, he needed to escape.
Determined, Kakuzu expanded the range of his ninjutsu attacks, aiming to force Sakumo and Lightning away while he made his retreat.
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