"The Darkness Shinobi of Konoha..."
"Shimura Danzo!"
Kakuzu, enveloped in his trench coat, narrowed his eyes, a grave expression emerging from within.
"When did it happen?"
Kakuzu glanced sideways at Shimura Danzo, who was still battling on the battlefield.
Clearly, the figure fighting there was a clone.
But despite having kept a close eye on Danzo's every move, why had he been deceived?
Moreover, Danzo seemed to possess some powerful reconnaissance ability; otherwise, it would have been impossible to easily detect someone hiding a kilometer away.
The moment Kakuzu laid eyes on Danzo, a flood of speculations flashed through his mind.
These were the knowledge and habits he had accumulated over decades.
As an "old-timer" who had survived from the era of Hashirama Senju, Kakuzu's combat intelligence was certainly not lacking.
Noticing Kakuzu's flickering gaze, Danzo immediately guessed his thoughts and said indifferently, "Rest assured, I have no ill intentions this time. I merely wish to invite Mr. Kakuzu to join Konoha's Root."
Danzo's gaze was sincere. Of course, this was also his true intention.
In the original story, there were only a handful of bounty hunters who could catch his eye.
Kakuzu, as a member of the Akatsuki and displaying significant combat strength, was undoubtedly the one Danzo most wanted to recruit.
If he could bring this man into Root, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance Root's combat power.
However, Kakuzu expressed skepticism. After all, the title "Darkness of the Shinobi" was well-known throughout the ninja world.
Who knew what Danzo's real plan was behind the invitation?
What if he was lured to Konoha and then attacked by a mob?
Moreover, compared to serving an organization, Kakuzu preferred the freedom to chase money.
So he probed, "What if I refuse?"
Hearing this question, there was no surprise on Danzo's face.
He had anticipated that Kakuzu would say this. After all, strong individuals have personalities, and Danzo could fully understand!
Therefore, he had already prepared.
That was to emulate the way Pain recruited members in the original story—through force.
"If Mr. Kakuzu does not give me the honor, then I am also somewhat familiar with hand-to-hand combat."
With these words, Danzo's withered body suddenly radiated an astonishing aura.
His exposed single eye emitted an alarming killing intent.
This killing intent was not feigned.
If the other party truly rejected his invitation, it would be better to strangle him than to let such a combat force fall into the hands of potential enemies.
In this regard, Danzo, nicknamed the "Darkness of the Shinobi," would not show the slightest mercy.
Sensing the killing intent from Danzo, Kakuzu was not to be outdone and unleashed a terrifying aura.
"Lord Danzo, I do not wish to cause trouble, but if you persist in forcing me, then do not blame me for being impolite."
Faced with Danzo's threat, although Kakuzu was wary, he was not afraid.
If the other party insisted on forcing him, then a good fight would be necessary.
In response, Danzo showed an expression of "just as I thought."
"Since that is the case, then I have no choice but to test Mr. Kakuzu's abilities."
It was not that Danzo was eager to fight, but rather, to control someone of Kakuzu's caliber, one must demonstrate overwhelming power.
Only in this way could one truly command respect and submission. This was the reason Danzo initiated the conflict.
Hearing Danzo's repeated provocation, Kakuzu finally lost his patience. Although he was cautious, he was not cowardly or weak!
So he directly used a body flicker technique and suddenly appeared in front of Danzo.
Then, the thick arm under the trench coat shot out, throwing a punch that smashed towards Danzo!
With the cooperation of the Sharingan and the Byakugan, Kakuzu's movements were completely visible.
Thus, Danzo reacted in the first place. Having already enhanced his strength to an A+ level, he chose to take the punch head-on!
Twisting his waist, turning his body, swinging his fist, and exploding with power, Danzo's movements were smooth and seamless.
For a moment, the two fierce punches collided in the air!
The terrifying force even squeezed and deformed the air, producing a roar.
Although Danzo's strength at this moment was already quite formidable, it still seemed somewhat insufficient when facing Kakuzu.
Under the skin of the latter's arm, black lines like steel cables burst with astonishing power.
"Indeed, strength is still not my strong point," Danzo thought after sensing the opponent's power.
He decisively changed his move.
Green chakra instantly burst from his body, and a bright green chakra giant rose from the ground.
Danzo activated Susanoo without hesitation.
The terrifying Susanoo's massive fist crashed down, and Kakuzu hastily retreated, crossing his arms to take the blow.
The immense force sent Kakuzu flying backward.
He tumbled through the air for what felt like an eternity before finally regaining his composure and digging his feet into the ground to decelerate.
The ground was plowed into two deep trenches, each dozens of meters long, before he finally came to a stop.
"This is the power of the Uchiha clan?" Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with a hint of longing.
Over the years, he had consumed countless hearts and acquired a variety of jutsu.
But the Sharingan, one of the most powerful and mysterious bloodlines in the ninja world, had always eluded him.
If he could obtain the heart of the "Darkness of the Shinobi" before him, Kakuzu dared not imagine how much his Earth Grudge Fear would grow!
At this thought, Kakuzu's heart burned with excitement.
"Facing an enemy like you, holding back seems a bit too arrogant," Kakuzu said coldly, tearing off his trench coat to reveal his robust body, covered in sutures.
He looked like a zombie stitched together from different body parts.
In the next second, countless black threads erupted frantically from these sutures.
Under Danzo's watchful eye, these threads slowly gathered on his shoulders, forming two monstrous heads.
On top of the two heads were a red and a blue mask.
"This is the secret technique I obtained from Takigakure—"
"Earth Grudge Fear!"
A rare note of nostalgia crept into Kakuzu's voice, but it was quickly replaced by the battle intent in his eyes.
"Let me show you my composite jutsu next..."
Kakuzu bent his knees slightly and formed hand seals.
Meanwhile, the red and blue masks that had grown on his shoulders opened their mouths.
The red mask condensed a large amount of Fire Release chakra, which then transformed into a raging torrent of flames!
"Fire Release: Headache!"
The blue mask condensed a large amount of Wind Release chakra, compressing it into a high-speed airflow!
"Wind Release: Pressure Harm!"
As the saying goes, wind aids fire.
With the high-speed airflow's boost, the flames from the red mask instantly surged several times, becoming a towering sea of fire that enveloped Danzo.
Sensing the terrifying heat wave heading his way, Danzo's admiration grew even stronger.
"Such a well-coordinated jutsu fusion, its strength is already on par with the Hiruzen," Danzo acknowledged Kakuzu's ability in composite jutsu.
Of course, this only referred to the fusion of two nature transformations.
As far as Danzo knew, Kakuzu's strongest composite jutsu was a fusion of three nature transformations. In contrast, Hiruzen Sarutobi could combine five natures.
In this regard, no one in the ninja world could surpass him.
That being said, facing the terrifying sea of fire, Danzo did not take any special measures.
He simply stood his ground and activated Susanoo to withstand the onslaught.
As it turned out, this seemingly reckless choice proved effective. The massive green giant stood like a towering reef, unyielding under the relentless waves of fire.
"If that's all you've got, I must say I'm disappointed, Kakuzu," Danzo said indifferently.
After all, he had high expectations for Kakuzu!
Perhaps to prove his strength, the moment Danzo finished speaking, Kakuzu's hand shot out from the ground like lightning!
He aimed to grab Danzo's ankle, but he didn't expect that all his moves were exposed in Danzo's 360-degree field of vision.
Thus, Danzo dodged his attack in advance.
He then drew his tantou from his waist, gathered sharp Wind Release chakra, and unleashed a Wind Blade at close range, striking Kakuzu's chest as he broke through the ground.
Instantly, Danzo's tantou sliced through the opponent's skin.
The next second, the high-speed airflow swirling around the blade collided with the black Earth Grudge Fear hidden beneath Kakuzu's skin!
For a moment, a terrifying, grating sound like a chainsaw cutting through steel cables rang out.
At the same time, countless sparks flew from between the tantou and the Earth Grudge Fear!
Kakuzu's expression changed, and he quickly swung his fist towards Danzo's face. Seeing this, Danzo had no choice but to retreat.
After dodging the punch, he reassessed his opponent.
After enduring the Wind Release's cutting, the Earth Grudge Fear on Kakuzu's chest had sustained some damage. Several black lines were severed, not many, but still leaving a deep scar on his chest.
"If I had used the Wind Blade, it might have worked..." Danzo speculated inwardly.
Since Naruto's Rasengan could destroy Kakuzu's body, the Wind Blade, which emphasized cutting power even more, should also pose a significant threat to Kakuzu's body.
His Earth Grudge Fear couldn't possibly be harder than the Third Raikage's Lightning Release armor, right?
It was worth a try.
After all, this guy had several lives.
While Danzo was analyzing Kakuzu, Kakuzu was doing the same to him.
Firstly, there was the green giant with its formidable attack and defense capabilities.
The weakness was that it couldn't cover the feet. Kakuzu had just tried to use this weakness to launch a surprise attack on Danzo.
Unfortunately, this guy also possessed a terrifying reconnaissance ability. No matter how concealed the attack was, it would be seen through!
Kakuzu proved this with the wound on his chest.
In addition, there was the peerless Wind Release jutsu of the ninja world.
The high-speed airflow was enough to cut through his prideful Earth Grudge Fear.
Although only a small part could be cut, it couldn't be ruled out that Danzo had an even more powerful Wind Release technique.
He had to be cautious!
Kakuzu steadied himself, and the Earth Grudge Fear in his body quickly repaired the injuries.
At the same time, countless black lines detached from his body.
"Since close combat poses too great a risk, then I can only resort to long-range attacks."
_
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