Being hammered seventy to eighty times by Kakuzu's iron fists would be enough to take down over ninety percent of Kage-level shinobi in the ninja world. But today, he had met a true tough opponent.
Kakuzu wiped his sweat once again. The cracks on the horns of his adversary had already reached over forty centimeters. Yet, compared to the massive body of the Tailed Beast, it was still insignificant.
"No choice, looks like I really have to hit a billion times." Kakuzu had already prepared himself. If he wanted the treasure, he had to go all out.
As for the bound Kokuō under his foot, whether he had any objections was irrelevant. After being hammered and inhaling the poisonous mist from the Slug, he could no longer move. Returning to his Jinchuriki's body was also nearly impossible.
Since his opponent had resigned to his fate, Kakuzu had no reason to hold back.
After another twenty or so strikes, Kakuzu was just about to take a breather when, suddenly, a dazzling light appeared in the sky above him. It was like a star shining in broad daylight.
The next moment, a massive surge of chakra solidified in the air. A rectangular beam of light shot downward at an incredible speed. It came so fast that Kakuzu barely had time to react.
Just as the beam was about to strike, Kakuzu's eyes narrowed slightly. Then, in the very spot he stood, an explosion occurred at a near-microscopic level.
This explosion was unlike any grandiose "art" or the typical detonation of explosive tags. It was silent, yet its power could only be described as "annihilation."
When Kakuzu landed, his left arm had been completely obliterated. The black threads of Earth Grudge Fear immediately started repairing it. In his right hand, he clutched a chunk of metal-like material—it was a broken piece of Kokuō's horn.
Glancing at his regenerating left arm, then at the severed horn in his hand, Kakuzu instinctively looked toward the sky.
He had struck that horn seventy or eighty times without breaking it, yet someone else had shattered it with a single technique. There was no doubt—the newcomer was a formidable opponent.
At that moment, the Five-Tails finally managed to break free from Kakuzu's grip. The beast glared at him furiously but didn't dwell on its broken horn. Without hesitation, it quickly shrank down like a whirlpool of water, retreating into Han's body.
Han, now back to his human form, lay on the ground in the same half-dead state—his breathing shallow and weak.
As for the three Iwa shinobi who had been there earlier? They had long since vanished, likely hiding in some far-off corner.
Now, only Kakuzu remained, staring up at the figure in the sky.
"Onoki, get down here!" Kakuzu's voice boomed as his left arm finished regenerating.
"Heh heh..." A chuckle echoed from above. Onoki slowly descended, controlling his flight, finally hovering about twenty meters away from Kakuzu.
The Onoki before him was no longer the youthful, carefree boy obsessed with luxury. Time had left its mark—he was now nearly forty, his face showing the traces of age.
Once, Kakuzu and Onoki had shared a somewhat amicable relationship. During the Five Kage Summit, when Madara had mercilessly beaten Onoki, Kakuzu had even lent him a hand.
But in this world, there were no eternal friends, only shifting alliances. Now, circumstances had changed—if it was time to turn against each other, so be it.
"I sincerely apologize."
"If you continue this slaughter, you'll cross into the borders of the Land of Earth. I must stop you here!"
"Heh, stop me? You sound quite confident." Kakuzu's tone was indifferent.
Onoki's words might have seemed arrogant, but in truth, he did have the strength to back them up.
Among the Five Kage of later generations, Onoki stood above the rest. His mastery of Dust Release was unparalleled. Even Madara's Susanoo had been torn apart by it.
This time, Onoki had tried to ambush Kakuzu from a distance. Fortunately, Kakuzu's quick reflexes had minimized the damage, costing him only an arm. Had he taken the attack head-on, he might not have walked away from it.
Onoki was indeed a real threat to him.
However, there were two others in the ninja world that Kakuzu had to be wary of.
One of them was the elusive Madara.
By age alone, Madara should be nearing sixty now. He was likely past his prime, no longer at the peak of his power. Yet, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and his immense physical prowess remained formidable.
Kakuzu wasn't even sure if Madara had awakened the Rinnegan by this point.
If he were to fight Madara now, what were his chances? Hard to say—but one thing was certain, it would be a dangerous battle.
Aside from Onoki and Madara, there was one more person who could pose a real threat to him.
The Third Raikage.
Kakuzu had never personally met the man, but his reputation was well-known.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Raikage had single-handedly fought ten thousand Iwa shinobi until he died of exhaustion.
Of course, there might have been some exaggeration in that story.
But even with a bit of embellishment, the Third Raikage was still a monster on the battlefield.
No matter what, however, there was no denying the Third Raikage's incredible strength—on par with the Eight-Tails, Gyūki. If the opportunity arose, Kakuzu was determined to spar with him.
These three individuals posed a certain level of threat to him. But only a certain level.
Kakuzu bent his knees slightly, resting his palms on them, his sharp gaze locked onto Ōnoki, who floated in midair.
"Let's see how much you've improved over the years."
"Heh heh heh, you're still as impatient as ever!"
Despite the smile on his face, Ōnoki couldn't help but feel a weight settle in his heart. He knew that a fight with Kakuzu would be a battle to the death. But as the Tsuchikage, he had no room to retreat.
Slowly, he brought his hands together. A vast amount of chakra gathered in the vacuum created between them.
Boom!
A transparent cube of Dust Release began forming in his palms, its target locked onto Kakuzu below.
Seeing this, Kakuzu immediately readied himself. The power of Dust Release was terrifying—anything caught in its blast would be reduced to nothing but dust.
Since that was the case...
Kakuzu's gaze swept across the battlefield. The best way to take down Ōnoki was a trade—life for life. Use a single life as bait to lure Ōnoki into attacking, while his hidden "partners" struck at the same time.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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