Natsuki and Kakashi exchanged a glance before both began circling around Kakuzu at high speed.
Kakuzu, however, remained completely calm, standing still and waiting for them.
In the next second, Natsuki spotted an opening. Without hesitation, he extended his cursed blade Senren straight at Kakuzu. Kakuzu, wary of the blade, instinctively dodged aside.
Kakashi seized the chance to rush in, his kunai aimed straight for Kakuzu's heart.
But before he could get close, Kakuzu's forearm extended with black threads, grabbing for Kakashi's neck.
Kakashi twisted away, but half of those threads split off and wrapped around him, forcefully pulling him closer.
Some of the threads were already poised to rip out Kakashi's heart.
Natsuki swung his long blade in reverse, slicing through the threads binding Kakashi.
Kakashi quickly retreated, releasing a Great Fireball Jutsu as cover.
But the flames did nothing to Kakuzu.
When Sasuke, Neji, Shino, Shikamaru, and Asuma arrived, this was the scene they saw.
Natsuki and Kakashi attacked relentlessly, but Kakuzu, with his bizarre body structure and formidable taijutsu, handled them with ease, even nearly killing Kakashi a few times.
Everyone watching broke out in cold sweat.
Neji activated his Byakugan, and what he saw shocked him.
"His chest cavity really does contain five hearts, each corresponding to a chakra nature. It seems when he steals someone's heart, it's targeted. Also, his entire body is no longer human. Inside, it's all those strange black threads. They don't follow normal chakra pathways. My Gentle Fist and point strikes probably won't work at all."
As he said this, Neji felt the limitations of the Hyuuga clan's techniques.
They always claimed Gentle Fist and Byakugan were unmatched, but against certain enemies, they were nearly useless.
Just like with Hidan earlier. When he spun his triple-bladed scythe, Neji's bare hands couldn't even get close. What use was Gentle Fist then? A simple kunai was more effective.
And now Kakuzu – how was he supposed to fight an enemy ?
Threads everywhere, chakra pathways completely chaotic. How could Gentle Fist cut off anything?
Answering Neji's unspoken doubts was Sasuke.
He dashed forward without hesitation, using Lightning Body Flicker to appear in front of Kakuzu, his short blade stabbing straight for Kakuzu's heart.
He already knew hearts were the weak point. Attacking anywhere else was pointless.
But Kakuzu wasn't easy prey.
With a flick of his thread-extended arm, he smacked Sasuke across the face, sending him flying.
Sasuke had thought he was fast, but Kakuzu was faster. Not only did he read Sasuke's movements, but his counterattack was so swift that Sasuke couldn't even react.
"Strong… this is what a true powerhouse is."
Sasuke thought to himself, subconsciously comparing Kakuzu to Hidan.
That Hidan was just relying on his immortality and curse jutsu. In reality, he wasn't strong. As long as you had intel and a good plan, he was easy to kill.
They had taken him down easily earlier.
To be honest, Sasuke had been underestimating Kakuzu, his usual arrogant flaw. But now, after being slapped down, he finally woke up.
Shino released his swarm to attack, but Kakuzu formed hand seals swiftly and spat out a fireball, burning a large portion of the insects before Shino could react.
"Everyone attack together! Shikamaru, cover us!"
Asuma didn't stand idle. Equipping his chakra blades, he charged in.
His slash was caught by Kakuzu, who glanced at him and froze for a moment.
"Sarutobi Asuma… bounty: thirty-five million ryo."
Asuma's face darkened.
Damn, that really was the amount!
But Kakuzu looked at him like a rat seeing cheese. He grabbed Asuma's wrist tightly, and black threads shot toward Asuma's heart.
Thankfully, Neji arrived just in time, unleashing Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms with blazing speed.
His strikes were imbued with chakra, actually managing to slice apart many of the threads. However, these threads were far tougher than normal chakra threads, and even Neji struggled to cut them.
Still, Asuma took the chance to break free, slashing his chakra blade infused with wind chakra to sever a large bundle of threads.
But Kakuzu's combat instincts were terrifying. From his chest, more threads surged out, binding both Asuma's and Neji's arms.
"Hand over your hearts."
Kakuzu's voice was calm, but full of confidence.
The next instant, there was a double splurt as a blade and a hand pierced through his back.
It was Natsuki's cursed blade and Kakashi's Raikiri (Lightning Blade). While Kakuzu was distracted by Asuma and Neji, they had moved in together for a sneak attack.
However, both of their expressions turned grim.
Something felt wrong.
"I've been prepared for you two. I moved my heart aside long ago. Only that Byakugan kid can see it."
As he spoke, Kakuzu twisted violently, flinging the four of them away. He would have continued binding them, but Natsuki's cursed blade and Kakashi's Raikiri, with their lightning attributes, made him uncomfortable. Plus, Uchiha Sasuke and Shino were still watching for an opening. He couldn't afford to stay still as a target.
But he hadn't noticed – before being flung away, Natsuki had planted a Flying Thunder God seal on his back.
All seven were panting heavily, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer terror of what they had just experienced. This opponent was too strong. Direct taijutsu wouldn't work.
Kakuzu seemed to sense this as well.
He tore off his Akatsuki cloak, revealing his body full of stitches and the masks on his back.
Natsuki warned them quickly.
"The masks are his hearts!"
Everyone nodded, holding their breath in tense focus.
In the next second, Kakuzu's body began swelling and twisting, as if something inside was about to burst out. His back bulged grotesquely.
With a ripping sound, his stitches tore open completely. Masses of black threads surged out, carrying the masks, transforming into four mask beasts standing beside him.
The sight made everyone gulp. For a moment, none dared to act rashly.
Kakuzu formed hand seals silently.
"Katon: Zukokku (Fire Style: Intelligent Hard Work)!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One of the mask beasts opened its mouth, spewing an ocean of flames that seemed capable of burning the world to ash. Everyone's faces turned pale at the sight. The chakra consumption for such a jutsu was unimaginable.
They all scrambled to dodge.
Kakuzu then entered full ninjutsu assault mode. He formed seals rapidly, and the mask beasts unleashed jutsu in sync.
"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Wall)!"
Bang! A high-pressure water cannon tore through several massive trees effortlessly.
"Raiton: Gian (Lightning Style: False Darkness)!"
Crackle! Thick lightning spears shot out, obliterating an entire rocky hill.
"Fuuton: Atsugai (Wind Style: Pressure Damage)!"
Whoosh! A giant wind sphere roared forth, sweeping the land like a typhoon.
[Check Out My For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]