[This kid knows my name?]
Utakata [the Six-Tailed Jinchūriki] looked slightly taken aback. It was odd enough that this young man had managed to track him down, but he also knew his name. Could he be a shinobi from Kirigakure?
But earlier, the person helping out was a puppet user from the Sunagakure, and Utakata noticed another individual wearing a Suna forehead protector moving closer to Sasori.
[A strange kid…]
That was Utakata's first impression.
Before long, Utakata saw Link instantly move close to Kakuzu and, appearing rather reckless, start attacking with his bare hands.
[Earlier, just touching those black threads made that Takigakure rogue ninja lose control of his body. It must be some powerful close-range ninjutsu…]
Utakata silently assessed this new intel.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu found himself in a bind. There was no way he could destroy over a hundred shadows in just a few seconds. Only moments ago, a single "touch" had caused him to lose control of his entire body, costing him one heart.
Although his black threads usually excelled at offense, this time he didn't dare make contact with the opponent. He could only shrink back and fight from a distance.
With shadows pressing him from all directions, neither fleeing nor fighting felt like a viable option.
[If this keeps up, I'm going to die…]
A surge of fear toward death broke past Kakuzu's limit, transforming into anger. His green pupils widened slightly. In a split second, he decided to stake everything on one final gamble.
"Oooohhhh!!!"
The Water-Style masked creature tore itself from Kakuzu's body, stretching out its arms and torso of black threads to encompass both the main body and the other two masks. It opened its mouth toward the surrounding shadows.
Whoosh!
A roaring water cannon fired again, forcing the shadows to retreat. A good number of them failed to flatten themselves into two-dimensional form in time and were shattered on the spot, unable to re-form.
Simultaneously, the Fire-Style and Wind-Style masked creatures opened their mouths at Link, who was charging in from the front. Reusing the same tactic as before, they unleashed:
[Strange Mask Exploding Flame!]
Ka!
Link quickly formed hand seals with his hands, which glowed with Mystical Palm chakra, then clapped them together. A Rashōmon gate rose from the ground in front of him. What appeared to be an unstoppable combined ninjutsu struck the legendary defensive gate as though it were a mere breeze.
Flames boosted by a sphere of wind overflowed along each edge of the Rashōmon.
Boom!
Everything around them crackled and popped under the intense heat, yet the brickwork of the Rashōmon didn't even change color.
"Grngh…"
The gate opened, allowing the sea of fire to surge inside, but it had no effect whatsoever on the swirling vortex within. Amid the scorching air, four figures leapt out and surrounded Kakuzu.
[What is this?!]
Utakata recognized two of them: the "Demon of the Hidden Mist" and Baki of Suna—both of whom should have been confirmed dead!
There was also a middle-aged man whose eyes gleamed with the famous Sharingan—despite the Uchiha clan having been wiped out long ago.
[So he's using some forbidden technique to control life and death? What a terrifying kid.]
Utakata's expression grew serious. Earlier, Link had said he wanted the Tailed Beast's power. Even Utakata would feel considerable pressure facing both the Demon [Zabuza] and Baki at the same time.
[Should I escape now?]
[Damn it!]
Kakuzu felt an immediate headache upon seeing the three-tomoe Sharingan of Uchiha Fugaku. With multiple hearts and multiple chakra types to disrupt enemy illusions, he was normally immune to most genjutsu—much like a Jinchūriki. But a Sharingan was a different matter altogether.
High-level Sharingan illusions are notoriously difficult to break. On top of that, Kakuzu's normal genjutsu-breaking skill was only moderate at best. Worse yet, all three mask creatures had just released jutsu and couldn't launch more to buy him time. Surrounded by such a powerful lineup, even a single second's lapse could be fatal.
Sure enough, the very next moment, he sensed his body growing light and the world spinning around him as countless crimson eyes filled his vision, surrounding him on all sides.
Break free!
After several agonizing seconds in reality, Kakuzu finally managed to dispel the Sharingan's illusion. Snapping back to his senses, he found himself trapped in a Water Prison Technique. On either side, two of his masked creatures had been destroyed, the shattered masks drooping helplessly from black threads that were still attached to him.
Swoosh!
From underground, the black threads he had planted earlier burst out and gathered into a single spear, attempting to pierce Momochi Zabuza, who was controlling the water prison.
"…!"
An invisible wind blade sliced past at high speed, ruthlessly severing the black threads, which flew apart in all directions.
Splooosh!
Seizing the opening, Kakuzu's arms hardened to black—the Earth Element beating Water—allowing him to tear the water prison apart. The black threads on his back exploded outward, writhing to force Zabuza away. Kicking off the surface of the water, Kakuzu leapt into midair.
Before he could land, though, the water below transformed into countless needle-like Senbon that shot toward him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
His Earth-Style: Earth Spear—a defensive technique misleadingly named—managed to block most of the ice senbon with his arms, yet numerous parts of his body were still punctured.
He landed clumsily, barely on his feet, gasping for breath. In that instant, Zabuza, who had just caught a scroll tossed by Link, rushed forward brandishing his trusty Executioner's Blade. The massive blade whistled through the air, aimed squarely at Kakuzu's head.
Simultaneously, an invisible wind blade sped toward Kakuzu's knees, and a formation of kunai—thrown with a classic Uchiha flourish—closed in on his chest and abdomen.
[They're bullying me here…!]
Anger flared in Kakuzu's mind. This merciless flurry of attacks mirrored the uncontrollable chaos of a battlefield where one's life hangs by a thread. And here he was, forced to fight alone.
But anger cannot fight in one's stead. Having lost four hearts, leaving only his Earth-Style heart, Kakuzu no longer had the ability to keep battling with ninjutsu.
The gathered black threads erupted outward once more, pushing against the ground to catapult him back into the air. But then he saw Link appear in his line of sight—
Another all-too-familiar touch, another instant loss of control. This time, Kakuzu had no chance whatsoever to escape or resist.
Squelch!
In Zabuza's hands, the heavy Executioner's Blade felt light as it sliced cleanly through Kakuzu's neck.
At the same moment, Uchiha Fugaku drove a kunai into Kakuzu's heart.
No matter how unwilling, agonized, or ambitious he was, Kakuzu—once a rogue shinobi of Takigakure who had even fought the First Hokage—met his end then and there.
"Phew…"
Uchiha Fugaku, sensing his enemy's chakra vanish, took a small breath. The tomoe in his eyes spun slowly; he hadn't closed them yet. His gaze shifted to Utakata and Sasori in the near distance.
Even as an Uchiha, controlling a veteran monster like Kakuzu with Sharingan genjutsu consumed a significant amount of chakra. Although this body was formed by chakra, it still felt weakened by such a large expenditure. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to simply hurling kunai or going for a close-quarters stab.
As the shadows busied themselves collecting Kakuzu's corpse—preventing someone like Zetsu from sneaking off with it—Link stood at a higher vantage point. Looking down at Sasori and Utakata on the water's surface, he declared:
"Now…it's our turn."
~~~
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