During this time, Kakuzu did not attack Hiruzen Sarutobi. Instead, he rushed to a unconscious guard.
The Hokage wouldn't be an idiot; after this exchange, he was probably close to figuring out Kakuzu's abilities.
Now that there was time, he needed to quickly replace the lost heart.
From the very beginning of the battle, Kakuzu had been calculating against his opponent.
He hadn't killed the enemy's Konoha ninjas precisely so he could replenish his hearts whenever some were destroyed.
Thinking this, he directly reached out and plunged his hand in, taking the opponent's heart.
Hmph.
Is it a fire-nature heart?
Never mind, there's no time to be picky now.
Kakuzu's Jiongu limit was four hearts; they didn't necessarily have to be of different natures.
Four hearts of different natures was merely the ideal state.
After this exchange, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finished his analysis: "I see. I have now generally grasped your abilities."
Kakuzu's ninjutsu, he couldn't remember the exact name, but he had roughly recalled its abilities.
He had only heard of this ninjutsu before, never having actually fought against it. Even from his generation until now, no Konoha ninja had encountered it.
So, even he hadn't immediately recalled the relevant information until the constant clashes gradually awakened his sealed memories.
"Finally figured it out?"
Kakuzu shook off the blood on his hand, "But isn't it a bit too late?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly: "Don't underestimate the Hokage too much."
Enma sensed his master's intent. He transformed with a shake, and as the smoke cleared, he became a large, black, hard iron staff.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the Adamantine Staff, twirled it around, and held it pointed towards Kakuzu.
Since the opponent wasn't truly immortal, all he needed to do now was launch targeted attacks.
Although the opponent's abilities were troublesome, the prime-aged Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't believe he would lose.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, looking at the iron staff in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand: "Is that the legendary Nyoibō?"
This iron staff was transformed from Enma. It possessed the same adamantine body as Enma, and its hardness was comparable to the sharpest Kusanagi Sword in the world.
It could also change size, lengthening and shortening. Most terrifyingly, the staff could occasionally transform into parts of Enma's body, making it extraordinarily formidable. Many had fallen beneath this iron staff.
Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi in this state, Kakuzu dared not be careless. He recalled the heart creatures representing his Jiongu back into his body.
Now that the opponent knew his ability, he would certainly look for opportunities to destroy these heart creatures controlled by Jiongu.
The heart creatures were formidable, but only against ordinary ninjas. Against a Kage-level ninja like Hiruzen Sarutobi, if the opponent was determined, they could easily seize the opportunity to destroy them.
The hearts currently within Kakuzu's body were all meticulously selected. He didn't want them all to be destroyed in one battle, as it would be very troublesome to replace them later.
Furthermore, he only had one heart in his main body now. If he were defeated by Hiruzen Sarutobi, to revive, he would inevitably have to summon the heart monsters back into his body, leaving a brief window of vulnerability. Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't let him revive as easily as before.
Kakuzu entered his strongest Jiongu mode. His body was wrapped in black threads, his face turned into a giant tentacle, and his entire being exuded an evil aura.
"What a troublesome enemy."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim, but the situation was still within his acceptable limits of strength.
Kakuzu casually waved his hand, and wave-like black threads surged from his body.
Hiruzen Sarutobi weaved and dodged, barely avoiding the attack. While spinning in mid-air, the Nyoibō suddenly extended with incredible speed, directly striking Kakuzu's heart area, sending him flying.
Kakuzu scrambled to his feet, clutching his chest, and cursed: "Bastard, now that you know my ability, you're starting to target me!"
Kakuzu's only vulnerable spot was his heart.
No sooner had he spoken than Hiruzen Sarutobi leaped, swinging the staff down.
Kakuzu crossed his arms to block. The staff's immense force pressed his knees, causing the ground to crack.
Hiruzen Sarutobi twisted the staff and swung it horizontally, striking Kakuzu's left side and sending him flying.
Ever since he wielded the Nyoibō, Kakuzu was surprised to find that Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength had increased dramatically.
Kakuzu clapped his hands together. Three masks appeared on his face, corresponding to the fire, wind, and water chakra hearts, respectively.
He gathered the three nature chakras together, forming a beam of light that shot out.
Hiruzen Sarutobi formed hand seals, transforming into a cloud of white mist, and with a flip, circled behind Kakuzu.
Ninja Art: Nimbus.
A type of Body Flicker Technique, transforming into a cloud of white mist to move rapidly.
Even among numerous Body Flicker Techniques, this one was the most outstanding. Ordinary Body Flicker Techniques simply couldn't compare.
As far as he knew, only the Flying Thunder God Technique, created by the Second Hokage, a space-time ninjutsu, surpassed it in speed.
Its drawback was that it consumed a lot of chakra.
"So fast!"
By the time Kakuzu reacted, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already circled behind him and completed a set of hand seals: Tiger-Dog-Horse-Rat.
"Fire Release: Samadhi Fire."
Unlike ordinary flames, red flames appeared in the air. Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched his fingers into a sword-like gesture, took a lick of flame, and swept it forward.
The crimson flames touched the black threads wrapped around Kakuzu, igniting instantly. The fire raged fiercely, burning his body. The scorching heat caused Kakuzu intense pain, making him roll on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames.
Damn it, what kind of flames are these?
I've already hardened my body, so why aren't they having any effect?
Watching Kakuzu's agonizing struggle, Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident of victory.
Fire Release: Samadhi Fire.
This was a red flame that could not be extinguished by strong winds or torrential rain. Even regeneration techniques could not overcome this fire-style ninjutsu.
Therefore, theoretically, no matter how many hearts Kakuzu had, he wouldn't have enough to withstand the Samadhi Fire.
Aside from the Uchiha clan's Amaterasu, Samadhi Fire was the highest-level extant Fire Release ninjutsu.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi panted a few breaths.
"Is your chakra alright?" Enma's worried voice came from within the Nyoibō.
From facing Kakuzu until now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had used many ninjutsu, including large-scale ones, and even high-level techniques like Samadhi Fire and Nimbus.
Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "I'm fine."
In his prime, his remaining chakra was still enough to handle unexpected situations.
He quickly glanced around, finding no one else nearby. Could this assassin truly be the only one?
As he pondered, he suddenly noticed an unprecedented surge of massive chakra erupting from Kakuzu on the ground.
Oh no!
A sudden change occurred. Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed off his feet, retreated backward, and in mid-air, swiftly formed hand seals, unleashing a Lightning Release ninjutsu.
Lightning Release: Divine Punishment.
With a deafening roar, a scorching lightning bolt struck Kakuzu precisely. The huge explosion raised a thick cloud of snowy mist.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grim as he focused his gaze.
At some unknown point, an dark red chakra had appeared on Kakuzu's body, draped over him like clothing. Upon closer inspection, the Samadhi Fire was still burning on it.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened in disbelief, and his heart sank: "This is...!"
Kakuzu placed his hand on the dark red chakra and pulled forcefully, as if pulling off clothes. The dark red chakra was shed, along with the Samadhi Fire attached to it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened: "Jinchūriki…"
"You can guess again what number Tailed Beast jinchūriki I am."
Kakuzu was re-shrouded in dark red chakra, and tails began to appear behind him.
After an intense battle, the ground was full of craters, and trees were completely destroyed.
Kakuzu shed his Tailed Beast cloak, revealing his bare upper body.
He slowly walked towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, who lay motionless on the ground, looking down at the man beneath him.
With only one of his five hearts remaining, Kakuzu had to admit that the guy in front of him was truly strong.
Before acquiring the Seven-Tails, he believed he couldn't defeat the Third Hokage.
But fortunately, he won…
Next…
Kakuzu's eyes burned. He extended his right hand, hardening it and turning it black.
Your heart is mine…
Kakuzu bent down, reaching out to extract it.
"Whoosh."
A shuriken sliced through the air, passing between him and Hiruzen Sarutobi, interrupting his action of tearing out the heart.
Kakuzu glanced in the direction of the shuriken, then scoffed: "As expected, you wouldn't let me have my way…"
With that, he very sensibly increased the distance between himself and Hiruzen Sarutobi, signaling that he had given up the idea of taking his heart.
The mission to beat Hiruzen Sarutobi half to death was complete. Now, to prepare for the next mission…
(End of Chapter)
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