Bang!
The destructive power of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was terrifying beyond words.
The thick water mist that had blanketed the battlefield—created by the violent collision between the Water Wall and Fire Release: Headhunter Jutsu—was instantly torn apart. The raging wind shredded everything in its path, leaving behind a massive crater etched with spiderweb-like cracks that spread in all directions.
Yet, at the center of that devastation, Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen.
He had dodged it.
As a veteran who had survived decades in the brutal ninja world, Kakuzu was not someone who could be taken down by a single attack, no matter how powerful it appeared.
In the next instant, eight thick, jet-black threads burst forth from the ground, surging toward Suigetsu's main body like living spears.
This was Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear.
With this forbidden technique, he could freely manipulate countless tendrils formed from hardened chakra threads, using them both offensively and defensively. From the very beginning, Kakuzu had never intended to waste time entangling himself with Suigetsu's shadow clones.
His true target had always been Suigetsu himself.
At that moment, Suigetsu was focused on healing Tsunade—an opening that Kakuzu had no intention of letting slip by.
In the world of bounty hunters, fairness was meaningless.
Completing the mission was all that mattered.
"The—!"
Kakuzu's cold, murderous voice rang out as his attack closed in.
Tsunade's pupils shrank.
She immediately tensed, instinctively shouting, "Dodge!"
But Suigetsu did not move.
Just as the black threads were about to pierce him, eight shadow clones suddenly appeared in front of Suigetsu, each holding a spinning Rasengan. Without hesitation, they intercepted the eight incoming tendrils, blocking the attack head-on.
At the same time, even more shadow clones surged forward, Rasengans roaring in their palms as they charged Kakuzu from every direction.
These were the clones that had finished dealing with the bounty hunters earlier and rushed back to the battlefield.
Although those bounty hunters were well-known figures in the underground world, they had been utterly powerless against Suigetsu's clones.
"What a troublesome brat…"
For the first time, Kakuzu felt a faint trace of regret.
It wasn't regret over choosing Tsunade and Suigetsu as his targets.
Rather, he regretted that he hadn't prioritized ambushing Suigetsu from the very start.
Unfortunately, regret was meaningless.
Facing the swarm of incoming shadow clones, the Fire Release mask and Wind Release mask on Kakuzu's shoulders opened their mouths simultaneously.
Fire Release: Headhunter Jutsu!
Wind Release: Pressure Damage!
A raging sea of flames intertwined with compressed spheres of high-pressure wind, sweeping across the battlefield with overwhelming force. The shadow clones were instantly engulfed and annihilated, vanishing one after another in puffs of smoke.
Before Kakuzu, Suigetsu's shadow clones posed no real threat.
Not because they were weak—but because they couldn't land a hit.
Kakuzu possessed too many methods to calmly dismantle their attacks. Even in a pure ninjutsu exchange, he did not fall behind in the slightest.
Having stolen countless hearts through Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu was proficient in all five elemental transformations. Against him, the shadow clones that could easily crush other bounty hunters could only serve one purpose.
Buying time.
"The limitations of shadow clones are still too great," Kakuzu sneered.
After dodging yet another clone's attack, he shot out a chakra thread, piercing it cleanly. The clone dissipated instantly.
"Does this bastard have endless chakra?"
In all his decades as a bounty hunter, Kakuzu had never encountered a ninja like Suigetsu.
Ordinary ninjas usually relied on taijutsu first, probing for openings before unleashing a decisive ninjutsu.
But this one?
Endless shadow clones.
Endless high-level techniques.
He even had blue hair—not the signature red of the Uzumaki clan, who were infamous for their monstrous chakra reserves.
Several times, Kakuzu attempted to bypass the clones and strike directly at Suigetsu's main body. Each attempt was thwarted without fail.
And he couldn't simply ignore the clones.
Every single one of them was capable of unleashing lethal ninjutsu. Even Kakuzu wasn't confident he could tank those attacks head-on.
At last—
Suigetsu completed the treatment.
> "Completed one treatment for Tsunade." "Reward obtained: One Golden Orb." "Congratulations. You have acquired Super Strength."
Suigetsu froze for a brief moment.
He glanced at Tsunade with a strange expression.
Healing Jiraiya had granted him a colored orb—clear proof of Kage-level strength.
Yet healing Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, had only yielded a golden orb.
It could only mean one thing.
Tsunade had stagnated.
Or worse—she had grown weaker over the years.
When he thought about it, the result made sense. Jiraiya had already mastered Sage Mode, pushing his strength to terrifying heights.
Tsunade, on the other hand, had yet to develop her signature Yin Seal, let alone the Creation Rebirth Technique.
At present, her strength could only be classified as that of an elite jōnin.
Sensing Suigetsu's gaze, Tsunade frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
Was something wrong with her?
Suigetsu cleared his throat, said nothing, and slowly rose to his feet. He turned, finally facing Kakuzu directly.
At the same time, Kakuzu finished dealing with the last shadow clone.
Their eyes met.
The disdain Kakuzu had shown earlier was gone.
In its place was a grim, cautious expression.
If even the shadow clones were this troublesome, then the moment the main body took action, he had no choice but to be on full alert.
Without a word, Suigetsu drew his ninja sword.
In an instant, he vanished.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Steel rang against steel as the two exchanged blows at blinding speed. Sparks flew with every collision.
Suigetsu's swordsmanship was sharp and fluid, but Kakuzu's taijutsu was equally refined.
Neither side gained a clear advantage.
Then—
As Suigetsu swung his blade, the sword suddenly seemed to soften, swaying like a willow branch in the wind.
Leaf Style: Willow!
An S-rank technique that fused swordsmanship with genjutsu.
It required no hand seals and consumed very little chakra.
Kakuzu had never anticipated this.
Before he could react, his body stiffened, his movements frozen in place.
Seizing the opening, Suigetsu thrust forward.
The blade pierced straight through Kakuzu's heart.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.
His body collapsed to the ground, motionless, as if lifeless.
Tsunade let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
The enemy was terrifying—but in the end, Suigetsu had prevailed.
This kid… he really is growing stronger, she thought.
Perhaps one day, he truly could become Hokage.
But suddenly—
Her expression changed drastically.
"Look out!"
A black tentacle arm burst out of the ground behind Suigetsu, shooting toward his heart at terrifying speed.
It was the same technique Kakuzu had used to ambush her earlier.
Tsunade knew its power.
If it landed, Suigetsu would die without a doubt.
Ninjas were still human.
Once the heart was pierced, there was no coming back.
For a split second, Tsunade froze.
The scene that had once triggered her hemophobia replayed vividly in her mind—only this time, the figure lying in a pool of blood was Suigetsu.
"No!"
She screamed, her body trembling, unable to move.
But at that very moment—
Suigetsu twisted aside as if he had eyes on the back of his head, narrowly dodging the fatal strike.
Before Kakuzu could react, Suigetsu spun and thrust again.
His blade pierced straight through.
Kakuzu's second heart was destroyed.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)