Earth Grudge Fear—its life hidden beneath the battlefield, its black tendrils writhing in secret. Controlled through chakra, these black tendrils can launch devastating long-range attacks and even be used to stitch together flesh.
That's the terrifying nature of this Kinjutsu—but its most fearsome trait is granting the user immortality.
Kakuzu had used this forbidden technique to dominate the mercenary world.
And now, this powerful monster was suddenly... hugged by something.
Yes—hugged.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted without warning, engulfing the spot where Kakuzu and his mask monsters stood.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Silhouettes burst from the blast. Last to emerge was Kakuzu himself.
His expression was sour, but before he could even speak, Bobosai's Wind Release was already upon him.
"Wind Release: Nine Candles!"
Fierce gales blasted from the mask's mouth, wind clashing against wind.
In that brief gap, Yahiko struck.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A dragon surged forth, but was instantly shattered into a spray of mist by bolts of lightning that filled the sky.
"Hmph!"
"Hm? What now?"
Kakuzu suddenly sensed something beside him.
On alert, he immediately spread out his black tendrils. As they whipped through the air, he finally saw what was approaching.
A figure—entirely made of crystal?
"Boom!"
Another explosion. The crystal clone detonated on the spot.
Flames and shards rained down on Kakuzu again, but this time, protected by his tendrils, he remained unharmed.
"Crystal..."
"You little brat. Are you that eager to die?"
Kakuzu roared in frustration. But when he turned to search for Kazuyama, he realized—the boy was gone.
"What? Where is he?!"
He scanned the area, fury rising within him. Just then, a movement above caught his attention. Looking up, he saw several crystal clones descending from the sky.
"Little Kakuzu... How pathetic! You can't even find me."
"Raging and useless!"
"Eat this—Kamikaze Squad!"
Not far off, Kazuyama, cloaked in Transparent Escape, watched calmly.
Of course, it wasn't his real body taunting Kakuzu—it was his clones.
He had crafted them with Crystal Release, making them completely transparent, then hidden explosive tags inside and thickened the crystal to fully conceal them.
With help from the wind and light, the clones appeared nearly invisible.
Thus, the Kamikaze Squad was born.
"You damn brat!"
Kakuzu, never one for patience, lost it completely at Kazuyama's taunts.
He erupted with a torrent of jutsu in every direction.
Various elemental combinations tore through the battlefield.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
"Wind Release: Nine Candles!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Wind and fire in one barrage, water and lightning in another—obliterating the surrounding terrain.
Even Bobosai was forced to halt his jutsu and dodge. Yahiko followed suit.
Only Kazuyama remained completely calm. With a flap of his wings, he rose into the sky, watching Kakuzu rampage below.
"Tsk tsk tsk, not bad, Kazuyama. The guy you're impersonating is pretty strong."
"His chakra's almost on par with Shukaku's."
Chōmei glanced down at Kakuzu, who was rampaging below, and couldn't help but mock him. Good thing Shukaku couldn't hear—otherwise he'd stuff Chōmei's mouth with sand.
"With five hearts, of course he has that much chakra."
Kazuyama looked at Kakuzu and sneered.
Earth Grudge Fear was powerful, but its weakness was obvious—his hearts, or more precisely, those masks.
Once the masks were destroyed, Kakuzu would die.
When the rampage finally ceased, the ground around Kakuzu had become a barren wasteland.
Bobosai and Yahiko had already retreated over a hundred meters, both of them injured to varying degrees.
"This monster..."
Bobosai's expression darkened. He knew what Earth Grudge Fear was, but hadn't expected it to be this terrifying.
"Shhk!"
Suddenly, the sound of something sharp piercing flesh rang out.
The ground split open, and countless black tendrils burst forth, driving straight into Bobosai's abdomen.
"Damn it!"
The pain made him roar in anger. He raised his right hand, gathering a fierce wind into a blade. With a single slash, the tendrils were all severed.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Bobosai leapt back as Yahiko rushed over to support him.
"Lord Bobosai!"
"I'm fine... it missed the vitals..."
Even so, being run through the gut left him in agony.
"Hmph. Since the Konoha brat won't show himself..."
"I'll just kill the two of you first."
Kakuzu's voice, laced with murderous intent, echoed across the battlefield. He was already approaching with four of his masked monsters in tow.
"Who said I wasn't showing up?"
"Didn't I just arrive?"
"Crack!"
A sharp snap rang out beside Kakuzu.
A crystal blade had pierced straight through the mask on one of the creatures.
As the mask shattered, Kakuzu's body trembled, and his black tendrils recoiled violently.
"Damn you, brat!"
Kakuzu's eyes bulged with fury. The mask creature struck by the attack instantly lost all vitality and began crumbling.
Kazuyama stepped forward, revealing himself with a mocking smirk.
"With a weakness that obvious, how have you even survived this long?"
"Running around with broken masks—do you actually think you're some kind of monster?"
"One poke and they shatter. I'm guessing once they're all gone, you drop dead too?"
The ruthless taunts made Kakuzu's expression even darker.
Bobosai and Yahiko heard every word. Their eyes immediately turned to the remaining masks, a glint of realization flashing through them.
It's not the strength of an enemy that's frightening—it's not knowing their weakness. Now that they knew? The situation had changed.
"You little bastard!"
"You're dead!"
Kakuzu's rage reached a boiling point.
Yet, even in his fury, he didn't act recklessly. Instead, he gathered the remaining masked monsters to his side. Clearly, he feared another sneak attack from Kazuyama.
"Die, die, die! I'll just walk away—you'll never kill me."
"Who do you think you are, Hashirama Senju?"
"You're just some punk who throws shuriken from 800 miles away. What the hell are you so smug about?"
Kazuyama spun a crystal Wing Blade in his hand, mercilessly taunting him.
At the mention of Hashirama Senju and those cutting words, Kakuzu's expression suddenly twisted.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake