He pushed down his sunglasses, revealing crimson demon like eyes with horizontal pupils. "Kekkei Genkai, Blood Dragon Eye."
"Bloodline Inheritance Ninja?" Sasori smiled and took out a Scroll. "Looks like my luck is good today. I came up empty in the last village, but decent Puppet material delivered itself."
He tossed the Scroll and formed seals. With a burst of white smoke, a Puppet appeared, clad in black robes with long blue hair. The familiar face was unmistakable.
"Well, that's impressive," Juzo stepped back as Miyashiro En laughed. "The so called strongest Kazekage, Third Kazekage, turned into a Puppet."
As he spoke, he raised his hands as if drawing a bow. A white longbow appeared in his grasp. Ninja Tool: Sacred Annihilation Arrow.
Sasori pulled his strings, sending the Third Kazekage Puppet forward with eerie clicking sounds. A blood red arrow formed on the bowstring, and Miyashiro En released it. The arrow shot forth with a sharp hiss.
In the depths of a forest that should have been quiet, heavy sounds of bodies crashing kept exploding. Two figures moved so fast they left afterimages, chasing and colliding among dense trees and bushes. Each impact sent out a blast of air that shook the trunks and tore leaves, dust, and branches apart.
In the next instant, one large figure and one much smaller one struck at the same time, their fists slamming into each other's chests. A deafening boom rang out, like a bell clashing with metal, and the remaining trees swayed violently. The recoil threw both of them flying backward.
kacha! Another thunderous crash followed as the two figures smashed into massive trees. Thick trunks snapped and collapsed with harsh tearing sounds, kicking up clouds of dust and splintered wood. Smoke and debris rolled outward as the forest was torn open.
From the drifting dust, the two figures stood up and walked forward. One was tall and powerfully built, his upper body bare, muscles covered in twisted, ugly stitches, his skin a grayish brown like stone. He activated Earth Release and Earth Spear, his body hardening as he moved.
Kakuzu raised a hand and patted the spot on his chest where he had been hit, stone chips falling away as his green eyes fixed on the figure ahead. "Good defense, and good speed, but it is a pity." He clenched his fingers with a mocking tone. "Your strength and technique are far behind mine."
"Those flashy abilities of yours must all come from Chimera Technique, stolen from others just like the intel says," Kakuzu continued coldly. "All show, no substance."
Across from him, Hiruko was also in torn clothing, revealing a thin body wrapped in bandages, his skin gleaming with a metallic silver sheen. With Steel Release and Swift Release, his defense and speed surpassed Kakuzu, yet his breathing was clearly heavier and blood lingered at the corner of his mouth. The gap in skill and experience left him under constant pressure.
"Humph." Hiruko stared darkly at Kakuzu, taking in the horrifying stitches and the writhing Black Threads beneath them. "You think you are qualified to say that to me?" he said coldly.
Their abilities, Chimera Technique and Earth Grudge Fear, shared clear similarities in plunder and body modification. One transformed the body into living Black Threads, while the other reshaped it into Black Water. The former relied on organ level grafting, while the latter had already reached cellular fusion.
That did not mean Chimera Technique was superior. It required special rituals and could not be changed at will like Earth Grudge Fear. From a certain angle, the two techniques could even complement each other.
"If these two techniques could be merged..." As a developer type expert in Ninjutsu, Hiruko quickly saw through part of Kakuzu's ability. A faint sense of insight brushed his mind, though it was nothing more than a passing thought.
This so called immortal had suddenly appeared, asking him to join some organization called Akatsuki. It was ridiculous. His experiments, inspired by those called Xu, were at a critical breakthrough point, and there was no way he would join some unknown group.
"Sharp tongue," Kakuzu snorted. "If you do not join Akatsuki, then I will just make use of you by killing you and claiming the bounty. The body of an S rank rogue ninja is worth a lot."
With that, he stomped the ground and charged again, forming seals to unleash Lightning Release. Hiruko's eyes flashed with cruelty as he leaned forward instead of retreating, violently swinging both arms.
Strips of white-colored bandages shot out like living snakes, hardened by Steel Release and gleaming with cold metallic light. Their spear like tips screamed through the air, aiming for eyes, throat, and heart. The attack was fast and precise, showing clear killing intent.
Kakuzu snorted and did not slow down, his arms shaking violently. Thick, black, writhing Black Threads burst from his shoulders, arms, and back, surging forward to meet the hardened bandages. Metal clashed violently as sparks flew, the black threads blocking, wrapping, and even piercing the attacks.
Some of the Black Threads followed the bandages back toward Hiruko. His expression changed sharply as he used Swift Release to retreat like a phantom, biting his finger in one smooth motion. He slammed his palm to the ground and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A huge cloud of white smoke exploded outward, filling the area. A sharp, violent bird cry echoed through the forest as the smoke cleared. In front of Hiruko appeared a massive Guai bird, closer to a moth than anything else.
Its wings and abdomen were covered in stitches, its head lacking a beak and bearing only red eyes. Hiruko leapt onto its back as it screeched and beat its wings, escaping the Black Threads and soaring upward. Wind roared as it gained height.
"Bastard, take this before I go," Hiruko shouted from above, a feral grin on his face as he waved his hand downward. The monster bird slammed its wings, firing countless feathers like arrows toward Kakuzu. The barrage covered a huge area, embedding into ground, trees, and rocks.
Kakuzu instantly formed seals, his body fully covered by Earth Release and Earth Spear as he blocked the attack. He began forming seals again, two masked creatures tearing out from his back. At that moment, the feathers suddenly erupted with blinding light.
Explosions roared like countless Explosive Tags detonating at once. Flames and shockwaves tore through the forest, blasting trees apart, pulverizing rocks, and carving deep black craters into the ground. Smoke and burning stench swallowed the entire area.
Standing atop the bird, Hiruko watched the inferno below with a satisfied smile. He did not believe anyone could emerge unscathed from such saturation bombardment. Before he could mock further, a chilling presence surged upward, filled with raw malice.
His smile froze as the bird shrieked in panic, flapping to climb higher. It was already too late. A massive claw tore through the smoke and grabbed the bird's leg, halting it in midair.
From the blazing smoke below, a huge silhouette rose. It was a grotesque monster, its body black and covered in feathers, with no head at all. In the center of its chest yawned a horrific mouth, and its long waist connected to clawed legs like those of a giant bird.
This was the ultimate monster born from the Box of Ultimate Bliss. It was known as Wu. Its massive wings were folded low, shielding an intact area beneath them. Under that protection, Kakuzu stood completely unharmed.
"What is that thing?" Hiruko muttered, his pupils shrinking. The mouth of Wu opened wide, revealing endless darkness inside. From within, a figure wearing the Black Red Cloud Cloak stepped out slowly.