With Kakuzu's strength, dealing with an ordinary Jonin was effortless.
And yet, the fight had barely begun, and he had already lost two hearts.
He leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Kaede Kitahara. Fury burned in his eyes.
Damn the Bounty Station.
Even their intelligence was wrong.
This was no ordinary Chunin with "Jonin-level combat ability."
An average Jonin facing Kaede would be killed instantly.
"Flying Thunder God…?"
Kakuzu recalled the characteristics of that technique.
Its reputation was legendary.
Back in the day, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had earned the title of Yellow Flash through this very jutsu.
It had been created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
In all these years, only one successor had mastered it, Namikaze Minato. It was widely acknowledged as nearly impossible to learn.
Even though Konoha possessed all the records of the technique, they had failed to produce a second inheritor.
Young ninja today barely even knew of Flying Thunder God.
Only someone as old as Kakuzu would have such knowledge etched into memory.
"No wonder you have the Sword of the Thunder God. You're not some nameless nobody. You're Konoha's carefully cultivated prodigy, aren't you?"
In Kakuzu's mind, someone who could use Flying Thunder God had to be a secret trump card raised by Konoha.
He must have offended someone high up to end up betrayed and sold out.
That explained why a mere Chunin possessed a treasure like the Sword of the Thunder God.
In terms of rank alone, that blade was no weaker than the Seven Swords of Kirigakure.
Those were usually granted to elite Jonin, the pillars of the village.
In a heartbeat, Kakuzu constructed an entire narrative in his mind, complete with dark political struggles.
After decades in the ninja world, he had seen every ugly side imaginable.
"And the Eight Gates."
Kakuzu recognized that as well.
The next instant, his body split apart like a broken puppet, sections separating as black threads spilled outward.
Behind him, the attribute masks of Earth Grudge Fear detached, forming two grotesque mask creatures woven entirely from black threads.
Of the four attribute masks, two had already been destroyed.
Two lives gone.
This was the true form of Kakuzu.
"The earth and water attribute masks were destroyed," Kaede observed calmly.
The remaining three masks represented fire, lightning, and wind.
Without warning, the lightning attribute mask opened its mouth.
A massive lightning spear formed instantly and pierced straight through the ground beneath Kaede's feet.
Just before it struck, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already on the opposite side of the hall.
"Damn it. Slippery like a monkey."
Kakuzu's rage boiled over.
Losing two hearts in such a short time was no small loss.
Earth Grudge Fear allowed him to seize others' hearts for his own use.
But to fully unleash its potential, he needed the hearts of truly powerful ninja, preserving their elemental techniques.
The ninja world was vast.
Yet those he deemed worthy were few.
His earth and water hearts had been destroyed before he even had the chance to use them properly.
Recovering from that loss would take time.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine."
The fire attribute mask spewed an overwhelming torrent of flames, swallowing everything in its path.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kaede inhaled sharply and unleashed a hurricane of wind in response.
Fire and wind collided midair, forming a roaring inferno that shook the hall.
When Kakuzu saw the sheer power behind what was technically a low-level Wind Release technique, his expression twisted.
This was a Chunin?
Was that even reasonable?
His Chakra reserves surpassed most Jonin.
Before Kakuzu could process it further, Kaede charged straight through the storm of fire and wind with four gates open.
The violent Chakra surrounding him blasted the flames aside.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Kakuzu.
"What?"
Kakuzu had not expected this.
No clever trick.
No Flying Thunder God.
Just raw speed and direct assault.
The next moment, Kaede's leg snapped out in a brutal arc.
Leaf Gale.
It was a foundational taijutsu technique in Konoha.
But that depended on who was using it.
In the hands of a Genin, it was basic.
In Kaede's hands, it was devastating.
Kakuzu grunted as his body was sent flying, smashing through a pillar before crashing into the far wall.
Meanwhile, the fire and wind attribute masks had already prepared a combined attack.
Fire Release: Searing Migraine.
Wind Release: Pressure Damage.
Wind fed the flames, amplifying them into a monstrous inferno far beyond a normal jutsu.
This was no simple blaze Kaede could brute-force through with Chakra alone.
Unless he had something like Uzumaki Naruto's future Tailed Beast cloak, breaking through head-on would be nearly impossible.
"Tch. Just a wind and fire combination is already this troublesome. If it were the Third Hokage's Five Release Great Combo Technique, how terrifying would that be? Probably like a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb."
Even in the middle of battle, Kaede's thoughts flickered to the Third Hokage's signature technique.