Jūzō directed those words at Kakuzu, clearly hoping that the elder would be the one to test the waters.
Kakuzu felt nothing but disdain.
'What a coward.' He knew the person who attacked him was strong, but there was no way it was Madara.
'Madara is eighty or ninety years old; how could he still have this kind of physical prowess? You've got to be kidding me.'
'He doesn't even possess a secret technique like Earth Grudge Fear.'
Besides, Kakuzu had already boasted that if Madara appeared, he would be the one to deal with him.
"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear!"
"Tentacle Fist!"
His two fists shot out like cannonballs, hurtling directly toward the man in the white mask.
The attack was incredibly fast.
Kakuzu wasn't holding back, nor did he see any reason to.
Regardless of whether the opponent's goal was to capture the Tailed Beast, he intended to kill anyone who dared strike at him.
Facing the assault, Ryōsuke simply swung his own fist, knocking both of Kakuzu's fists away and slamming them into the surrounding walls.
'So this is Kakuzu's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear. Another method of achieving immortality in the shinobi world.'
'What a shame. It turns the user into such a monstrous abomination that I don't have the slightest interest in it.'
Looking at the injured people on the ground—some of whom were likely still alive—he realized this cave wasn't the ideal place for a full-scale battle.
He flickered forward and scooped up the small girl with green hair.
To his surprise, Fū was still quite young, looking even smaller than Haku.
'A pity. I thought I'd find a fine woman and maybe a Magnificent Chest.'
'Guess I'll just have to raise her for a while.'
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted back toward the tunnel he had entered from.
Once they were outside, he could let loose and kill all three of them.
Aside from Deva Path Pain and Konan, Ryōsuke didn't think much of the other Akatsuki members; they were just high-level fugitives.
Jūzō, who had been watching from the sidelines, was taken aback by this sudden development.
'He's actually running? Is that really Uchiha Madara?'
The legendary Uchiha Madara was supposed to be invincible; Jūzō had never heard of the man retreating from a fight.
Kisame, who had been on high alert, realized the masked man was trying to kidnap the Jinchūriki.
How could he possibly let him get away with it?
His feet blurred as he used the Body Flicker Technique to intercept the man's path.
He unwrapped the bandages on his back, revealing the shark-like Samehada, and swung the massive blade toward the white-masked man.
"I won't let you leave."
The Jinchūriki was too valuable to lose.
Carrying Fū, Ryōsuke met Kisame's attack with a heavy kick delivered straight to Samehada.
The force of the impact sent Samehada and Kisame crashing violently into the tunnel wall.
Kisame coughed up blood, feeling his internal organs rattle. 'What incredible physical strength.'
Fortunately, he was exceptionally durable, so these minor injuries weren't a concern.
He immediately gave chase down the tunnel.
Kakuzu and Jūzō finally reacted and pursued them as well. They couldn't let the intruder escape.
Kakuzu was now even more convinced that the real Uchiha Madara—someone on the same level as Hashirama Senju—would never run from him.
This man was a fraud.
Jūzō felt confident that with Kakuzu and the "Tailless Tailed Beast" Kisame on his side, taking the guy down would be no problem.
Chapter 298: Throwing a Kunai from Eight Hundred Miles Away
Ryōsuke dashed quickly out of the tunnel.
He soon encountered Haku and Zabuza waiting at the waterfall's entrance.
Earlier, when they entered the waterfall and found the three dead Takigakure ninja,
He knew things were going south and told them to stay put there.
Ryōsuke burst through the waterfall with the girl in his arms and spoke to Zabuza.
"Get out of here!"
Zabuza didn't hesitate and followed him out of the waterfall.
Once they were in the open, Ryōsuke told Zabuza to take Haku and Fū away first.
He didn't want them getting caught in the crossfire while he dealt with the trio.
Among the three, Biwa Jūzō was a total scrub, but the other two were undoubtedly Kage-level.
Jūzō was a joke; in the original story, he died after being hit by a fragment of his own Executioner's Blade. Talk about pathetic.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, had five lives because his body was modified by Earth Grudge Fear, giving him five hearts.
As for Kisame, he was a powerhouse who could defeat the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki in the original series.
If Samehada hadn't betrayed him, Killer B would have definitely been captured.
It wasn't long before the three Akatsuki members caught up.
Kakuzu was seething with excitement.
"You won't escape!"
The attack he had just suffered only fueled his killing intent.
Jūzō was equally eager.
"Who the hell are you, hiding behind that mask?"
"You aren't going anywhere today."
"Our friend Kakuzu here has fought against Lord Hashirama Senju himself."
"Especially since you're just a fake Madara."
Unlike his companions, Kisame wasn't quite as excited. Having traded blows briefly, he knew how powerful the opponent was.
He suspected the man hadn't been running away out of fear, but rather leading them somewhere. However, a quick look around revealed no signs of an ambush.
Hearing their words, Ryōsuke retorted,
"Who told you I was running? The space inside was just too cramped for me to move freely."
"And as for Kakuzu fighting Hashirama..."
"Are you talking about the time he threw a kunai at Hashirama from eight hundred miles away and then ran for his life because he was too scared?"
"Strictly speaking, that doesn't really count as a 'fight,' does it?"
Kisame and Jūzō turned to look at Kakuzu, their image of him shattering. Had he been bragging all this time?
Jūzō didn't hold back and asked,
"Kakuzu, is what he's saying true? Were you just full of crap?"
Kakuzu felt a rare sting of embarrassment. How did this guy know about that?
When he had attacked Hashirama, there had been no one else around.
Even Hashirama himself probably hadn't recognized him.
His escape speed was top-tier, after all.
His pride as a ninja wouldn't let him lie, but it also wouldn't let him admit he had been exaggerating.
He maintained a calm expression and said,
"Does it matter? Our priority is to capture this man and make him hand over the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Besides, haven't you noticed? The Hidden Waterfall's Jinchūriki has already gotten away!"