Kakuzu's Day to Die
Kakuzu had survived for nearly a century not because of luck, but because death itself had never been able to claim him.
The secret lay within his body.
Five hearts.
Five lives.
As long as even one heart remained intact, Kakuzu could continue to exist. When a heart was destroyed, he would simply tear another from a suitable victim and graft it into himself. Through this forbidden technique—Earth Grudge Fear—he had escaped death again and again, wandering the ninja world like a walking corpse that refused to lie down.
It was an ability so abnormal that even Uchiha Madara, in his era, had acknowledged Kakuzu's persistence with grudging respect.
Because of this power, Kakuzu had developed a habit over decades of slaughter.
Feign death.
Whenever he faced an opponent strong enough to threaten him, he would deliberately allow one heart to be destroyed, collapse convincingly, and wait. The moment his enemy relaxed, believing the fight finished, he would strike with merciless precision.
It was a tactic that had never failed him.
Not once.
Until today.
Because this time, his opponent was Hirakawa Aomizu.
A man who understood his abilities completely.
The instant Kakuzu attempted his usual deception, Aomizu did not hesitate. There was no confusion, no disbelief, no pause born of uncertainty. Instead, Aomizu struck with ruthless certainty, shattering Kakuzu's second heart before he could even rise from the ground.
The moment it happened, Kakuzu knew—
This was bad.
Very bad.
Rage and disbelief twisted his expression.
Impossible.
Every enemy who had ever learned his secret had died. Without exception. Kakuzu had always been meticulous—no witnesses, no survivors, no loose ends.
So how?
How had this man known?
It wasn't coincidence. It couldn't be.
Aomizu's timing, his movements, the cold precision of his attack—it all screamed knowledge. Deep, accurate knowledge.
And that realization unsettled Kakuzu more than losing a heart.
Seeing Aomizu already preparing to strike again, Kakuzu abandoned all thoughts of counter-ambush.
He attacked.
Black threads burst from his body like writhing serpents, lashing outward in a violent storm. The earth cracked beneath their force as they tore toward Aomizu from every angle, filling the battlefield with a suffocating net of death.
Aomizu was forced to retreat, stepping back just enough to avoid being torn apart.
"Great… Aomizu, you're all right!"
Relief flooded Tsunade's face when she saw him emerge unscathed.
She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath.
Only when she saw him standing there—calm, composed, alive—did her heart finally ease. The thought of watching him die before her eyes… she didn't want to imagine it.
What Tsunade failed to notice was something far more subtle.
At some point, the talented junior she had once considered merely promising had begun to occupy a far more important place in her heart.
She didn't realize when it happened.
Only that the fear she felt just now had been far too sharp to ignore.
Thud.
Thud.
Two heavy impacts echoed behind Kakuzu.
The masked creatures that represented his Lightning Release and Water Release hearts collapsed to the ground, their forms dissolving into lifeless remnants of chakra and flesh.
Both destroyed.
At once.
Kakuzu's expression darkened.
This was the greatest loss he had suffered in decades.
Two hearts gone meant two elemental transformations erased from his arsenal, along with a massive portion of his overall combat strength. Worse still, the destruction had happened too quickly—he had been completely outplayed.
His fury exploded.
"Fire Style: Head Hard Pain!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The remaining masked beasts surged forward at his command. Flames roared outward, swallowing the battlefield in an ocean of fire, while compressed wind blades followed close behind, feeding the inferno and amplifying its destructive power.
Wind fueled flame.
The fire grew monstrous.
The earth cracked and blackened beneath the overwhelming heat. Trees were reduced to ash in seconds. Even stone began to glow red as the combined jutsu tore through everything in its path.
This was Kakuzu's Composite Ninjutsu—
Scorching Typhoon Chaos Wave!
Its range was enormous.
There was nowhere to run.
Aomizu's expression finally turned serious.
He swallowed a soldier pill without hesitation, replenishing his chakra in an instant. The next moment, his hands blurred through seals.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A massive torrent erupted from the ground, forming a towering barrier of roaring water. The raging flames slammed into it, releasing deafening explosions of steam as fire and water clashed violently.
For several seconds, the battlefield disappeared beneath a blinding curtain of mist.
When the steam finally dissipated, the scorched land was revealed once more.
And Kakuzu was gone.
He had fled.
The moment he launched the composite jutsu, Kakuzu had turned and escaped without hesitation. His chakra reserves were dangerously low, and with two hearts destroyed, he knew better than anyone that continuing the fight was suicidal.
Facing both Aomizu and Tsunade in his current condition was not a risk worth taking.
A failed mission meant nothing.
Survival was everything.
As long as he lived, he could rebuild.
"Lady Tsunade," Aomizu said calmly, turning to her, "we should find a place to rest."
Though he had treated her wounds, injuries of that severity couldn't be fully healed in minutes. Her body needed time—several days at least.
Tsunade nodded without argument.
Soon, they reached a small nearby town and secured rooms at a modest inn.
"Please rest," Aomizu said. "I'll get us some food."
After stepping outside, he formed a shadow clone and sent it into town to gather supplies.
His real body, however, moved in the opposite direction.
Leaving the town behind, Aomizu headed straight toward the Land of Rivers.
The small country lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind—a frequent crossroads for wandering ninja and mercenaries.
Aomizu's Malice Perception remained active.
He could still sense Kakuzu.
Weak.
Fading.
With chakra nearly exhausted and two hearts lost, Kakuzu couldn't have gone far.
If Aomizu pursued now, he could end it.
This was not personal revenge.
Aomizu held no hatred toward Kakuzu.
He simply wanted the man himself.
Shadow clones were convenient, but limited. Kakuzu's body, on the other hand—his ability to hold multiple hearts—was far more valuable.
A perfect foundation.
A future Pain.
And besides, Kakuzu was a mass murderer who had lived far too long.
Killing him would trouble Aomizu's conscience not at all.
Inside the Land of Rivers, Kakuzu burst from the earth, gasping.
His face was twisted with rage and humiliation.
"Hirakawa Aomizu…" he snarled. "I'll remember you."
"In our next meeting, you're dead."
In his mind, the failure stemmed from one thing alone—ignorance.
He hadn't known enough.
Next time would be different.
First, he would recover his chakra.
Then he would replace the lost hearts.
After that, he would hunt the brat down and tear his heart out personally.
But before he could take another step—
A calm voice spoke behind him.
"Is that so?"
Kakuzu's blood ran cold.
"Unfortunately for you… today is your day to die."
Kakuzu spun around.
Aomizu stood there.
Unharmed.
Unhurried.
Waiting.
Without a word, Kakuzu attacked.
Black threads erupted from his body, surging forward like a tidal wave. They twisted and intersected, leaving not a single gap large enough to escape through.
"Brat," Kakuzu roared, "hand over your heart!"
Aomizu didn't move.
Behind his dark lenses, golden eyes transformed.
The Rinnegan emerged.
"Shinra Tensei."
An invisible force exploded outward.
The threads were blasted away in all directions, smashing into trees, stone, and earth with devastating force.
Kakuzu's face went pale.
More hidden cards?
Before he could react, Aomizu raised his hand.
The force reversed.
"Banshō Ten'in."
An overwhelming attraction seized Kakuzu's body, yanking him forward violently.
He hurtled through the air, completely unable to resist.
Panic flared.
Even so, Kakuzu refused to give up.
He summoned his remaining masked beasts and launched their jutsu, hoping to force Aomizu to release him.
Flames roared.
Wind howled.
Aomizu didn't even look at them.
He raised his other hand.
Every ounce of chakra within the incoming jutsu vanished.
Absorbed.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal."
Kakuzu stared in disbelief.
"What… are you?"
Someone with abilities like this should have been famous. Feared. Known.
And yet Kakuzu had never heard the name Hirakawa Aomizu before.
Was this body possessed by some ancient monster?
Just like himself?
Perhaps a forgotten kinjutsu.
But the answer would never come.
Aomizu did not explain himself to enemies.
Especially not to the dead.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)