The hardened defense, capable of withstanding twenty to thirty explosive tags, was finally shattered. Clearly, it was time to develop a stronger defensive jutsu. As blood slowly dripped from his wound, Kakuzu's thoughts snapped back to reality.
The Sand was not only capable of shredding enemies into pieces but also had a passive effect—its grains of sand could infiltrate the enemy's body and restrict their movements. Kakuzu's arms, now pierced through, were temporarily immobilized.
This was the opportunity Shukaku had been waiting for.
"Die!" Shukaku roared as he clenched his massive fist, hurling it downward with the intent to crush Kakuzu into a bloody pulp.
Unfortunately for Shukaku, such an idea was destined to be unrealistic.
With a light tap of his foot, Kakuzu leaped gracefully into the air. His fluid, string-like body curved in a perfect arc, effortlessly dodging Shukaku's devastating attack. At the same time, the black threads of his Earth Grudge Fear emerged, rapidly stitching up his wounds and expelling the lingering sand grains from his flesh.
"Now it's my turn!" Kakuzu growled, forming hand signs mid-air.
"Water Style: Whirlpool Destruction!"
This was a technique inherited from the First Mizukage, a powerful Water Style user known for conjuring vast quantities of water from even the driest terrain. Kakuzu had mastered this jutsu perfectly.
Beneath Shukaku's feet, the parched, cracked desert floor suddenly burst open, unleashing torrents of water. The water spiraled rapidly around his legs, forming a massive pair of water tornadoes that trapped his limbs.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The twin water whirlpools spun like colossal turbines, their blades slicing through everything in their path. If it had been a human caught in this vortex, they would have been shredded to pieces in seconds.
However, a Tailed Beast's physical resilience far surpassed that of any human. While the ferocious water blades couldn't sever Shukaku's legs, they easily tore through his tough skin, leaving him with numerous bleeding wounds.
"AAARGH!" Shukaku let out a pained, guttural scream as his massive body tilted backward, losing balance.
BOOM!
The giant beast collapsed onto the ground with a deafening crash.
Kakuzu wasted no time. In a few swift jumps, he landed squarely on Shukaku's face, looking down at the creature with cold disdain.
"You can't even handle me!"
"Get off my head, you bastard!" Shukaku howled, his fury boiling over at Kakuzu's mocking tone. He vowed to make Kakuzu pay the moment he got back on his feet—but for now, he had to endure the humiliation.
Kakuzu placed one hand firmly on Shukaku's forehead.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless wooden spikes shot out from Kakuzu's hand, easily penetrating Shukaku's tough skin like needles through fabric. These spikes not only inflicted pain but also began to drain Shukaku's chakra.
Shukaku's eyes widened in shock.
"You... How can you use Wood Style?!?"
For a brief moment, the fear of the legendary Hashirama Senju—the First Hokage—flooded Shukaku's mind. He had not forgotten the sheer terror of being dominated by that man's unparalleled power.
Kakuzu smirked, his voice calm.
"No need to panic. I'm just testing something out."
The Wood Style chakra he was using came from the Hashirama cells within his body. Although the cells were diluted, they still allowed him to perform basic Wood Style techniques like this one. Of course, his proficiency was nowhere near the level of Hashirama. At best, it was comparable to that of Obito when he used the technique with a mask.
Feeling his chakra rapidly draining away, Shukaku roared in desperation, slamming a massive claw toward Kakuzu.
Kakuzu easily sidestepped the attack and used the opportunity to leap away. Shukaku, free for the moment, scrambled to his feet.
"Huff... huff..."
Breathing heavily, Shukaku glared at Kakuzu, who now stood a safe distance away. His voice was sharp and filled with rage.
"You've done it now, you bastard! I'll make sure not even a trace of you is left behind!"
As he spoke, Shukaku's mouth opened wide, and an enormous ball of red and blue chakra began forming in the air. The two energies swirled together, merging in an 8:2 ratio to create a massive Tailed Beast Bomb.
BOOM!
The completed bomb shot forth like a meteor, hurtling toward Kakuzu with devastating force. The sheer size of the attack dwarfed Kakuzu himself.
Yet, Kakuzu remained unfazed. Calmly, he raised his left hand, where a crimson core began glowing brightly.
"Dark Release!"
Shhhhhh!
The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb collided with Kakuzu's palm, it began to shrink. The destructive energy was rapidly siphoned away, absorbed into the black void in his hand.
When the last trace of the bomb disappeared, only a wisp of smoke rose from Kakuzu's palm.
Shukaku was utterly stunned. His mouth hung open in disbelief.
"That... That was a Tailed Beast Bomb! You absorbed it like it was nothing..."
The sight brought back memories of the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan, the legendary eyes said to be capable of absorbing all ninjutsu.
But this wasn't the Rinnegan.
Unlike the Rinnegan, which had no limits, the Dark Release required the user to have enough chakra capacity to fully contain the absorbed energy. If the chakra exceeded the user's limits, the technique would backfire disastrously.
The power coursing through Kakuzu's body now was staggering—six Kage-level warriors merged into one. With the combined might of six Kage-level fighters, could he not overpower something as simple as a Tailed Beast Ball?
"Shukaku, what are you doing, daydreaming?" Kakuzu's voice cut through the air like a blade.
The massive tanuki seemed lost in thought, as though contemplating the meaning of life. But Kakuzu wasn't about to wait. He leapt high into the air, his left hand outstretched.
"Here, take back what's yours!"
A surge of dark energy poured violently from his palm. The Tailed Beast Ball, which Shukaku had launched earlier, was yanked back mid-flight, its trajectory reversed. Only now, its target was none other than Shukaku himself.
The sudden counterattack caught Shukaku completely off guard. He hadn't anticipated the move, and before he could summon a defensive jutsu—or even raise a hand to block—the Tailed Beast Ball slammed into him with full force.
The impact was catastrophic. The energy sphere collided squarely with Shukaku's face, detonating with a thunderous roar. Shukaku's agonized screams reverberated through the air as his massive form was driven backward, gouging deep trenches into the earth beneath him.
By the time the dust settled, Shukaku's body was riddled with fresh wounds. Kakuzu observed him coldly, a calculating gleam in his eyes.
Based on this, Kakuzu estimated that Shukaku was operating at only 70 or 80 percent of his peak strength. Not that it mattered. Even at full power, Shukaku wouldn't pose much of a challenge to him now. With Kakuzu's current abilities, only beasts like the Eight-Tails or Nine-Tails might offer a worthy fight.
Of course, things might have been different if Shukaku had a perfect jinchūriki—a host who could synchronize completely with the Tailed Beast. A perfect jinchūriki could wield the power of both the beast and the host, effectively turning the battle into a two-on-one. The boost in combat potential would be undeniable.
But Kakuzu wasn't interested in hypotheticals. Shukaku was down, and he had no intention of letting him get back up.
Kakuzu launched himself toward the fallen beast, preparing to take what he needed from Shukaku.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound sliced through the air above him.
Out of nowhere, nearly two dozen puppets descended from the sky, weapons glinting as they bore down on Kakuzu like a deadly rainstorm.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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