With a simple wave of his hands, Shamon deftly manipulated his ten fingers, controlling over a hundred puppets. They swarmed toward Kakuzu from every direction, forming a perfect encirclement.
One advantage puppeteers have in battle is that their puppets don't fear death—they don't have lives to lose. Under Shamon's precise control, the puppets launched relentless attacks, sacrificing themselves without hesitation.
Kakuzu found himself facing a 360-degree onslaught with no blind spots. The puppets' weapons varied widely—each was a deadly tool designed to kill. Yet, no matter how numerous or fearless, harming Kakuzu was an entirely different matter.
Kakuzu's body activated its Earth Release: Earth Spear once more. His fist struck out, shattering seven or eight puppets in a single blow. The remaining puppets' strikes landed on his hardened body, but they were no more than scratches.
Despite holding the upper hand for now, Kakuzu knew better than to lower his guard. With every shattered puppet, Shamon pulled out new ones from his scrolls, replacing them effortlessly. Who knew how many puppets the Second Kazekage had in reserve? A prolonged battle like this was not in Kakuzu's favor.
[He wasn't here to waste time.]
Kakuzu's hands came together in a swift series of seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoosh!
A raging windstorm burst forth, carrying sand and debris in its wake. The fierce gale swept up more than ten puppets, twisting and smashing them into fragments. Those not caught directly in the storm were flung away violently.
Kakuzu's vision cleared as the battlefield opened up before him. His eerie green eyes locked onto Shamon.
[Strike the head to kill the snake. Taking down Shamon would mean completing half the mission.]
Shamon, however, remained calm despite Kakuzu breaking through his forces. His fingers flicked, and several puppets formed a protective wall in front of him.
"Shukaku, what are you waiting for?" Shamon shouted.
In the distance, Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, had been silently observing, his piercing, dart-shaped pupils narrowing at the sight.
"Shamon, you don't need to tell me what to do! I'm no servant of yours!"
Shukaku's claws moved in fluid motions as he formed hand seals. Beneath Kakuzu's feet, the sand began to stir violently, churning like a living thing.
Suddenly, the sand erupted, forming massive walls on all sides. The dunes surged upward, converging into a single point above Kakuzu.
Boom!
The sand crashed down like a tidal wave, submerging Kakuzu completely. From a distance, it appeared as though the sands were building a miniature pyramid around him.
"Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal!"
Shukaku roared, his chakra surging as he manipulated the sand to condense further. The pyramid solidified, the golden granules sparkling ominously in the light.
But it wasn't over. To ensure the seal held, Shukaku began inscribing black sealing runes along the pyramid's four faces. These symbols mirrored the intricate patterns that adorned his body, radiating a dark, oppressive energy.
The runes started to spread from the base, creeping upward. Once all four faces connected, the seal would be complete.
"Heh, you annoying pest! It's too kind to just seal you away, but this'll do for now."
Shukaku's voice dripped with disdain. The thought of Kakuzu's eventual fate—a desiccated corpse locked in this sandy prison—brought a sadistic grin to his face. Decades later, when the seal weakened or someone foolishly broke it open, all that would remain of Kakuzu would be a lifeless husk, forgotten and discarded.
However, as the sealing runes neared completion, something unexpected happened. The black markings faltered, halting just centimeters from joining.
"What's going on?!" Shamon barked, his tone laced with irritation. "Finish the seal, Shukaku!"
Shukaku's confidence wavered as confusion clouded his expression. No matter how much chakra he poured into the technique, the runes refused to complete.
"Why… why isn't it working? My sealing technique… failing at a time like this?"
Panic seeped into Shukaku's voice. His sealing jutsu and Wind Release were his pride, his proof of superiority. How could they betray him now?
The battlefield fell silent as the tension mounted.
Not to mention, they were in the desert. With home-field advantage, there was no way he couldn't complete the sealing technique.
"Sand... Sand, you bastard, don't rush this great lord…" Shukaku grumbled, cursing under his breath, his gaze fixed on the pyramid seal in front of him.
There was something strange about it—an unusual power that seemed to flow continuously into the pyramid, blocking the completion of the seal. What exactly was that power? Shukaku suddenly recalled sensing something similar from the Sage of Six Paths himself.
BOOM!
The pyramid exploded like an overheated boiler. The scorching energy within sent the lid flying into the sky. A steel fist punched through the seal's confinement, shattering it completely.
In the next instant, a wave of violent chakra burst out, radiating from the pyramid in all directions like a raging storm.
CRACK!
The nearly completed pyramid seal broke apart, collapsing into scattered fragments of yellow sand that fell across the desert.
Kakuzu stood once again, his figure now transformed.
He had activated the ultimate form of the Earth Grudge Fear technique. Five masks, each a different color, stood prominently on the threads of Earth Grudge Fear.
Kakuzu's appearance had also undergone a drastic change. Dark runes encircled his eyes, and two winding black lines stretched across his forehead, resembling a third eye.
The technique representing pure strength—had manifested!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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