"Hmph, so it's a Kekkei Genkai too?"
"Just a brat who's all talk."
"Huh... Your face looks kinda familiar..."
Kakuzu's pupils suddenly shrank—he had recognized the kid in front of him.
He abruptly stopped attacking, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and started flipping through it.
Seeing this, Kazuyama's mouth twitched. He immediately realized what Kakuzu was doing.
He's checking if my head is worth anything...
Kakuzu flipped through the pages quickly. Within moments, his eyes lit up with a sharp glint as he stared at Kazuyama Gekkō, his gaze filled with greed.
"Well, well... didn't expect your head to be worth this much."
"Just a punk, yet you're called Konoha's Ghost, standing alongside the Yellow Flash, known as the Twin Stars of Konoha."
"Fifty-five million ryo... tsk tsk, that's a hefty payday."
Kazuyama's face darkened with countless black lines.
He thought to himself: Well, at least it's more than Chiriku and Asuma—thirty million and thirty-five million respectively.
But this isn't why he should have a bounty! Which idiot decided to put a price on him?!
And it can't just be him, right?
"How much is Minato Namikaze worth?"
"Hmm... sixty million ryo."
Kazuyama: ...
What the hell?! Why is that uptight Namikaze Minato worth five million more than him?
Why?!
The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got. Kazuyama Gekkō's mood instantly soured, his body radiating rare, seething anger.
"Water Release! Fang Cage!"
He struck without warning—no signal, no hesitation.
Water surged across the ground, and dozens of whirlwinds shot up, shredding nearby trees and sending a storm of wooden shrapnel toward Kakuzu.
Kakuzu and the mask monster were sent flying back.
But suddenly, a violent gust of wind erupted.
"You traitor!"
"Yahiko, help me take him down!"
"Wind Release! Pressure Damage!"
The whirlwind burst forth in a deafening blast. The trees behind Kakuzu were pulverized in an instant, and even Kakuzu's expression turned grim.
This level of jutsu was a real threat, even to him.
Kazuyama's water tornado attacked from the front, and the cyclone whipped up by the wind struck from behind.
Kakuzu responded with overwhelming strength, as two more black monsters emerged from him.
"Wind Release, Nine Candles."
"Lightning Release, False Darkness."
"Earth Release, Earth Spear."
"Water Release, Water Formation Wall."
Kakuzu's entire body turned pitch black. It was Earth Release enhancement—his body hardened like steel. This was the same technique that had just blocked Kakashi's blade.
The storm winds clashed head-on with the violent gale.
Water cannons mixed with lightning, surging together with Kazuyama's water tornado.
"How can this be?!"
"He's using four elemental jutsu at once?!"
"Is he even human?!"
Obito's eyes widened in disbelief. Not even the Sharingan could suppress his shock.
It wasn't just him—Kakashi, Rin, even Pakura were stunned.
They each had different chakra natures, but could only use one type of jutsu at a time.
And yet this stitched-up monster could unleash four elemental jutsu simultaneously—it shattered everything they thought they knew.
"Stand back. Don't be shocked."
"Stuff like this? Our old Hokage and even the Sannin could pull it off. No need to be surprised."
"Pakura, take Kakashi and the others and fall back to the Land of Fire."
Seeing his Water Release about to collapse, Kazuyama increased the flow output while giving the retreat order. His jutsu was a pure Water Release, while Kakuzu's was a composite of water and lightning. It was normal for him to be overpowered—he just needed to buy time.
"Got it. Be careful."
Pakura glanced behind them. Seeing the Takigakure shinobi in pursuit, she understood that staying wouldn't help.
"Move! Retreat!"
Kakashi and the others seemed like they wanted to protest, but one look at Pakura's serious expression, and they swallowed their words.
They turned and dashed toward the Land of Fire.
Kakuzu, watching his prize slip away, was immediately displeased.
"Don't run!"
With a roar, he unleashed his ninjutsu again—another composite blast, this one even stronger than before.
"Don't chase them—you're not getting through!"
"Crystal Release: Pyramid Head!"
The crystal defense reappeared. A massive triangular prism enveloped Kazuyama, absorbing the blow from the combined water and lightning technique.
The pursuers countered Kakuzu's jutsu with a Wind Release of their own, neutralizing the attack before landing behind him.
It was Bobosai and Yahiko.
Bobosai's face was twisted with restrained fury, while Yahiko was solemn.
The three of them surrounded Kakuzu.
Faced with the encirclement, Kakuzu showed not a trace of fear. He even glanced at Bobosai.
"Hmph, so you're the current Village Head of Takigakure?"
"What's this? Out to avenge your village elders? Ridiculous. You think you have the strength for that?"
Bobosai's expression was grim, his voice low and menacing.
"You traitorous bastard. You murdered your own comrades. You stole a Kinjutsu. And now you dare set foot here again?"
"You've been on the run all these years. It's long past time you paid for what you did."
Kakuzu responded with contempt. With a flick of his hand, he summoned three of his masked monsters to his side.
His presence turned suffocating, black thread-like tendrils waving eerily in the air.
"Kinjutsu: Earth Grudge Fear."
"A technique this powerful, left to rot in the village? I'll never understand what those old fools were thinking."
"My only regret is not stealing it sooner."
"Bobosai, was it? You want revenge? Then let's see if you've got the power!"
Another shift—one last mask emerged from behind him.
With his true body and all four masked creatures, the total count rose to five.
"You may not be worth much, but I've got no problem sending you off."
"And that little one over there too. You can all die together!"
Black tendrils surged from Kakuzu's body.
To Kazuyama, it was clear—this guy had gone all out from the start.
Not holding back at all... Just like the old monster he was!
"Hmph! Freak!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
As always, he led with a storm, but this time the Wind Release was more refined—tornadoes spun toward Kakuzu, bearing down with precision.
In front of Bobosai, the raging wind compressed into a dense blast—an air cannon took shape.
"Not bad. Strong technique."
"Too bad you chose the wrong target..."
"Huh?!"
Before Kakuzu could finish his sentence, he sensed a figure appear behind him.