Kakuzu's sudden leap from above sent waves of pressure crashing down on the gathered puppet users. The group quickly shifted their formation, reconnecting their puppets with precision. Over hundreds of puppets formed an overwhelming, dense array, their shadows stretching across the battlefield like a suffocating net.
"Advance with an offensive formation!" commanded Kazuo, his voice steady and resolute.
At his command, the swarm of puppets surged forward, aiming to compress the enemy's movement space with sheer numbers—a tactic they frequently relied on.
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed faintly gold as he watched. Did these puppet users truly believe numbers alone would secure victory?
Tiger. Ox.
With just two swift hand seals, Kakuzu unleashed an immense wave of chakra, surging through him like a raging torrent. The raw energy rapidly transformed into a specific elemental property, igniting the battlefield.
"Fire Style: Blazing Rend!"
This Fire Style jutsu was Kakuzu's signature move. While not a high-ranking technique—merely a B-rank jutsu—its destructive potential far exceeded expectations. Unlike many jutsu of similar rank, it was versatile enough to be used for both close-range and long-range combat, making it a reliable, all-encompassing tool in his arsenal.
In the past, this technique could engulf dozens of enemies in one go. Now, with Kakuzu's modified and enhanced body, the scale of its destruction had increased exponentially. The current version of Blazing Rend could cover hundreds of opponents in a single attack.
The enormous flames erupted, roaring forward like a tidal wave, completely consuming the advancing puppet users.
For many of them, this was the first time they had witnessed a Fire Style technique of such an overwhelming scale. Trapped under its sheer magnitude, escape seemed impossible.
The massive blaze surrounded them entirely, leaving no path to evade. Though most of the puppet users were stunned into silence, their commander, Kazuo, quickly took charge.
Biting his lip, Kazuo suppressed his rising panic. Despite being relatively young and lacking extensive experience in large-scale battles, he was no stranger to high-stakes situations. As a trusted confidant of the Second Kazekage, Kazuo had received rigorous training and guidance from Shamon himself.
Even as the monstrous firestorm filled his vision, threatening to snuff out hope, Kazuo forced himself to remain calm.
"Everyone, follow my command! Use your puppets as shields! This Fire Style can destroy our puppets, but it won't harm us directly!"
Kazuo's authoritative tone snapped the puppet users out of their daze. They obeyed without hesitation, maneuvering their puppets to block the encroaching flames. Though crude, this strategy offered a chance at survival.
Watching his enemies scramble to defend themselves, Kakuzu showed no surprise. If they couldn't muster even this much resistance, the fight would have already been over.
But Kakuzu wasn't done.
Releasing the hand seal, he raised his left hand. A red glow began to emanate from the hollow in his palm, a sign of his next attack.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
Unlike fire, wind was formless and invisible, its presence only felt through its effects. But for a powerful shinobi, wind could become an unrelenting force of destruction.
Kakuzu's Pressure Damage conjured a massive tornado, pulling in sand and debris from the battlefield as it grew. The resulting whirlwind was sharp and violent, capable of tearing flesh to shreds in an instant.
The wind jutsu rushed forward, colliding with the flames.
In an instant, the battlefield transformed.
Whoosh! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The firestorm, fueled by the powerful winds, expanded with terrifying speed. The combined force created an inferno that engulfed everything in its path.
The scale of destruction was now incomparable. What had initially been an attack capable of covering four or five hundred enemies now extended to over two or three thousand.
While this technique still fell short of Madara Uchiha's legendary Great Fire Annihilation from the Fourth Shinobi War, Kakuzu was unbothered. After all, Madara and Hashirama were monsters beyond human comprehension.
Kakuzu understood this reality all too well. To surpass monsters, there were only two paths:
The first was to become a monster oneself, though this carried significant risks—one mistake, and the immense power could backfire disastrously.
The second was to remain at one's peak and train tirelessly for decades, slowly closing the gap.
Fortunately, Kakuzu still had time. The climactic battles of this world's future lay ahead, and he was in no hurry.
As the firestorm roared across the battlefield, obscuring all vision, Kakuzu silently assessed the results of his combination attack.
Fire followed by wind...
Though effective, the sequence lacked the maximum impact. For the most destructive results, Fire Style and Wind Style had to be unleashed simultaneously, allowing the wind to directly amplify the fire's strength.
Kakuzu made a mental note to refine this strategy. His heart carried no urgency—he had endured countless battles and would continue to perfect his craft in preparation for the storm to come.
The battlefield remained ablaze, a sea of fire consuming all in its path.
This task was child's play for Kakuzu. All it required was summoning the two "partners" within his body or activating the final form of the Earth Grudge Fear technique. But really—was it worth going all out just to deal with a handful of small fry?
The opposing commander, Kazuo, stood frozen as his pupils contracted in fear. He had initially planned to resist, but now, faced with the overwhelming flames before him, his resolve seemed utterly futile.
A sea of fire surged forward, a monstrous inferno capable of swallowing thousands of people whole. Against such terrifying flames, the seventy-odd puppet masters and their hundreds of puppets were no more significant than drops of water in the ocean—insignificant and powerless.
The scorching heatwave crashed against their faces, no longer causing discomfort but rather signaling the inevitable. The flames surged like a raging torrent, engulfing their bodies with devastating speed.
A few minutes later, the golden desert of the Land of Wind was transformed into a nightmarish landscape. The once-pristine sand dunes had turned pitch black, scorched by the firestorm. Amid the charred earth, small flames flickered stubbornly, like mouths greedily devouring what little remained of the obliterated battlefield.
Kakuzu surveyed the scene, his gaze cold and indifferent. His thoughts wandered to a peculiar rule often heard in the shinobi world: Fire Release can't kill people.
There was some truth to that statement, but it wasn't entirely accurate. Case in point: the elite squad preparing to ambush the Land of Fire. Among the seventy puppet masters, most had been roasted into charcoal. It was clear—using Fire Release to clear out small fry was effortless.
However, the two captains leading the group hadn't succumbed immediately. One of them, Kazuo, who was now charred black, trembled as he struggled to rise. Though his body had lost all capacity for combat, he stubbornly clung to life. Beside him lay his wife, Tachibana, her chest barely moving as she clung to her last breath.
So, was there some kind of automatic resistance buff against Fire Release for those stronger than mere fodder?
Kakuzu shook his head slightly. These musings no longer mattered. His Fire Release had already sealed their fates. Whether or not to finish them off with a killing blow wasn't something he felt the need to consider.
From behind Kakuzu, the sharp sound of a blade being unsheathed rang out.
Shing!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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