Under the sunlight, Gari's body gleamed as he activated his Steel Release to its maximum limit, hardening his entire body thirtyfold. He refused to believe that Kakuzu could break through his defense.
"Partner!" Kakuzu's gaze remained calm as he issued a command to the figure behind him.
Glug… glug…
Dark red bubbles rose from Water Release's body. The sight made Gari's pupils contract violently.
That… that was unmistakably Tailed Beast chakra!
It wasn't just Gari who reacted—every surrounding shinobi instinctively halted their battles, turning to witness this shocking development.
Kakuzu can control a Tailed Beast?! What the hell is going on?!
A chilling sense of foreboding surged through Gari, but it was already too late.
Boom!
A Tailed Beast Bomb formed in Water Release's mouth.
Bang!
The sphere of destruction shot out like a cannonball.
At that moment, Gari's expression shifted to sheer terror. He wanted to evade, but the speed of the Tailed Beast Bomb was too overwhelming—there was no chance to dodge!
There was only one option left—
With a crazed determination, Gari braced himself, reinforcing his defense with Steel Release while shifting his body to the side, attempting to minimize the impact zone.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted at the center of the battlefield, sending black smoke and dust billowing into the sky.
Swish!
Kakuzu leaped into the air with Water Release, distancing themselves from the explosion's range the moment the Tailed Beast Bomb was released. As the shockwave dissipated, he lowered his arms, revealing an unhurried smirk while surveying the battlefield ahead.
The Tailed Beast Bomb was one of the most powerful attack in the shinobi world, but that didn't mean it was unstoppable. Opposing forces—Yin against Yang, softness overcoming hardness—offered ways to counter it. Techniques like Kakuzu's Dark Release could seemingly absorb its destructive force. Even some specialized Water Release users had means to withstand it.
But if one chose to meet it head-on…
That required an unimaginable level of toughness.
If they lacked it and still tried to endure… they would end up just like him.
As the smoke and dust settled, the battlefield revealed a scene of utter devastation—charred earth and shattered debris.
"Oh? That sturdy, huh?" Kakuzu's eyes flickered with surprise, though his expression quickly returned to indifference. In fact, there was even a hint of admiration.
Up ahead, Gari wavered unsteadily, his entire body still smoldering. His once-impenetrable Steel Release had been completely shattered. His left arm had been blown off, the severed stump still glowing from the intense heat.
Yet, despite the gruesome injury, Gari barely registered the pain.
His body was already so severely wounded that his nerves had numbed most of the sensation.
He had survived a direct hit from a small-scale Tailed Beast Bomb—not purely through brute force, but also by cleverly avoiding vital areas. Even so, his Steel Release was undeniably formidable.
"Unexpected, but reasonable… A defense of this level—Gari, you have my acknowledgment!" Kakuzu smirked and took a step forward, ready to formally recognize his opponent's resilience.
However—
Before he could act, a squad of Iwagakure shinobi surged forward like the wind, catching Gari and stabilizing him. As they did, they erupted in furious outbursts.
"Damn Konoha bastards! How dare they use a Tailed Beast?!"
"Konoha broke the rules first! If that's how they want to play, we won't hold back either!"
"Shit! Damn it all! Gari-sama, you have to hold on!"
Their voices carried unrestrained fury.
In the battles between the Five Great Nations, an unspoken rule had always existed—
A nation would not deploy a Tailed Beast unless the enemy did so first.
Tailed Beasts were considered strategic weapons, akin to nuclear warheads in the modern world. Their mere presence could wipe out thousands of shinobi in an instant. The loss would be catastrophic for any nation.
Thus, despite their deep-seated rivalries and the brutal nature of war, the five nations had exercised restraint, rarely resorting to their ultimate weapons.
But today, Water Release had unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb—an attack belonging to the Three-Tails.
To the Iwagakure shinobi, this was an unforgivable provocation.
Their hatred for Konoha boiled over.
Watching the enraged Iwa shinobi, Kakuzu simply shrugged.
After all, their fury was directed at Konoha—it had nothing to do with him.
But when he saw them trying to carry away the barely-breathing Gari, his expression darkened.
"Put him down." Kakuzu's voice was cold and final. "Then the rest of you—get lost."
Gari was his target. There was no way he would allow him to escape.
But the Iwagakure shinobi had no intention of backing down.
"Even if we have to fight to our last breath, we must bring our commander back!"
Gari wasn't just their squad leader—he was their Explosion Corps captain, a vital figure in their ranks. Even if today's battle against Konoha ended in failure, they couldn't allow Gari to fall here.
However, they still wanted to show their last bit of resolve.
The dozen or so Iwagakure shinobi in front of Kakuzu formed hand seals in unison.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
With a loud rumble, torrents of mud and stone poured from their mouths like flowing streams. As the multiple streams converged, they formed into a massive, surging river of earth.
RUMBLE!!!
The immense mudslide roared forward, rising to a height of seven or eight meters. This was the true power of a large-scale cooperative jutsu—its sheer momentum alone was breathtaking.
BOOM!
The enormous wave of mud crashed down, completely engulfing Kakuzu's body.
Without hesitation, the Iwagakure shinobi swiftly formed new hand seals. In perfect synchronization, they shouted in unison—
"Ignite!"
SIZZLE—
The mudslide reacted as if subjected to extreme heat. The moisture within it rapidly evaporated, hardening into a solid mound. In mere moments, a small hill stood where Kakuzu had been buried.
Gazing at the earthen hill, the Iwagakure shinobi's eyes flickered with hope. They clenched their fists tightly.
"Did we finally kill him?!"
The same thought echoed in every one of their minds.
However, the answer came in the form of a crackling sound.
Zzzzt—
Sparks of blue electricity flickered across the surface.
A few seconds later—
BOOM!!!
The small hill exploded violently. Chunks of hardened earth blasted into the air, soaring over ten meters high.
Emerging from the debris, Kakuzu strode forward, his body crackling with the lightning of Storm Release. He pulled his legs free from the ground, stepping out alongside Sui, who had remained unscathed.
Before him, the Iwagakure shinobi were frozen in shock. Some reacted quickly, realizing that their attack had failed. Without wasting a second, they formed hand seals, preparing for a second assault.
But Kakuzu had no intention of wasting time on them.
His sharp eyes locked onto a group of Iwagakure shinobi retreating at full speed, carrying their injured companion, Kari, on their backs.
They think they can escape? That his prey could just slip away?
Did these Iwagakure shinobi really take him for a fool?
A cold glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes.
"Fire off consecutive Tailed Beast Bombs!"
Behind him, Water mask obeyed immediately. Bending down, he revealed the three chakra tails floating behind him. In front of his mouth, a Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly began to form again.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Read more than +100 chapters and support me on Patreon
Patreon(.)com/Jixo