Having had one of his hearts destroyed by Kakashi's sneak attack, Kakuzu was seething with anger.
Originally, he had only planned to do a little business that required no capital.
But now—
He would use their hearts to fill the vacancy.
Kakuzu formed hand seals at high speed and directly activated the forbidden technique—
Earth Grudge Fear.
Four black masked creatures burst out of his body, instantly surrounding Kakashi and Kurenai.
Because he had suffered an ambush earlier, one of the masks had already been destroyed the moment it emerged.
Seeing this, Kakashi and Kurenai immediately formed a rough understanding of Kakuzu's ability.
His vital point had been pierced—
Yet Kakuzu himself had not died.
Instead, one of the black masked monsters had fallen.
If each mask represented a separate heart…
Then didn't that mean this enemy had five lives?
At that thought, both Kakashi and Kurenai's expressions turned grim.
Five lives.
For one person.
No wonder he was an Akatsuki member that even Konoha treated with caution.
Even though part of his technique had been seen through, Kakuzu didn't care in the slightest.
Understanding was one thing.
Breaking it was another.
These two Konoha jōnin might have grasped part of how Earth Grudge Fear worked—
But defeating him with that knowledge alone would be extremely difficult.
Kakuzu had roamed the shinobi world for decades.
His strength had long since reached the Kage level.
Two jōnin attempting to take him down were still lacking.
Kakashi and Kurenai didn't dare act recklessly.
So Kakuzu chose to seize the initiative.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
With Kakuzu's low roar, a violent gale instantly swept across the battlefield.
It was an indiscriminate, wide-range attack.
Nearby, Might Guy and the faceless Akatsuki member were caught in it as well—
Along with Uchiha Yusuke, observing from a distance.
Kakashi and Kurenai reacted quickly, immediately taking cover behind sturdy trees to avoid the brunt of the attack.
Kakuzu's strike didn't cause serious injury—
But the sheer force of his Wind Release chakra shook the entire field.
The faceless Akatsuki member shouted at Kakuzu in fury.
"Using a wide-range jutsu without even warning me?!"
"Are you trying to get me killed?!"
Kakuzu looked completely unconcerned.
"What are you yelling for?"
"Just dodge."
The faceless man was about to argue when Might Guy charged in again.
"Don't look around!"
"Your opponent is me!"
The nunchaku whistled through the air.
The Akatsuki member had no choice but to meet the attack head-on.
Kakuzu stared toward Kakashi and Kurenai's hiding spot and sneered.
"Heh. You think you're safe just because you're hiding?"
His hands formed seals rapidly as he controlled the remaining masks.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
The wind subsided—
And flames roared to life.
Under the raging inferno, the towering trees turned to ash in seconds.
Kakashi and Kurenai were forced out into the open, battered and scorched.
Even so—
They were strong enough to avoid fatal damage.
Before they could catch their breath, Kakuzu launched another attack.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
A different chakra nature.
Kakashi and Kurenai's expressions shifted immediately.
Earth Release.
Wind Release.
Fire Release.
Now—
Lightning Release.
Most shinobi possessed only a single chakra nature.
Those with two were already considered rare talents.
Three or more were exceedingly scarce.
As for mastery of all five—
Among known shinobi, only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was widely acknowledged to have mastered all five chakra natures.
Kakuzu had already revealed four.
And that might not even be his limit.
By chakra nature alone—
He was already standing near the peak of the shinobi world.
Lightning crackled like silver serpents, filling the battlefield with suffocating pressure.
Kakashi and Kurenai braced themselves.
Even Might Guy and the faceless Akatsuki swordsman instinctively distanced their fight.
Among Konoha's group—
Only Uchiha Yusuke remained calm.
Kakuzu's techniques were powerful.
But not powerful enough to threaten him.
Yusuke was confident that even without his intervention—
Kakashi and Kurenai could survive this.
Kakuzu's fingers completed the final seal.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
At the critical moment, Kakashi made a snap decision.
"Kurenai—cover me!"
Kurenai understood immediately.
She moved without hesitation.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Kakuzu's movements slowed for a fraction of a second.
That instant was enough.
Kakashi gathered Lightning Release chakra into his palm.
"Lightning Cutter!"
The Lightning Cutter clashed directly against False Darkness.
The air screeched as lightning tore through lightning.
Kakashi was forced back step by step—
But he successfully neutralized the fatal strike.
A flicker of surprise crossed Kakuzu's eyes.
"Oh?"
"You're still alive?"
"So you canceled it with the same chakra nature?"
Kakuzu immediately recognized what Kakashi had done.
But he also saw the cost—
Kakashi's chakra reserves had been heavily drained.
Kurenai's genjutsu was troublesome.
But she lacked decisive lethality.
Kakuzu's lips curved faintly.
Even two against one—
He still held the advantage.
He looked at them calmly.
"Give up."
"With just the two of you, you're not my match."
He did not press forward.
Because from beginning to end—
He felt wary of Uchiha Yusuke.
That young man had seen through his feigned death at a glance.
And had remained calm throughout.
Kakuzu had a faint intuition—
The one who had not acted yet was the most dangerous.
Yet Kakashi and Kurenai refused to retreat.
"We killed you once."
"We can kill you again."
Kakuzu's gaze hardened.
"You don't know when to quit."
"You're courting death."
"Compared to me, your combat experience is shallow."
"When I see your forehead protectors, I remember the first Konoha shinobi I ever fought…"
"That was the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama."
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Senju Hashirama.
The God of Shinobi.
A legend from more than sixty years ago.
If Kakuzu had truly fought the First Hokage—
Just how old was this man?
Kakashi's face remained steady, but his thoughts churned.
Hashirama was hailed as a god among shinobi.
Was the man before them truly capable of surviving such a battle?
Uchiha Yusuke's lips curved slightly.
As expected—
Kakuzu couldn't resist boasting about his "battle with the First Hokage."
But there was no such thing as a fifty-fifty fight.
Hashirama crushed him.
Even Uchiha Madara with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—
And the Nine-Tails—
Had fallen before Hashirama.
Kakuzu?
He was not even top-tier among Kage-level shinobi.
Watching Kakashi and Kurenai hesitate, Kakuzu lifted his chin proudly.
I fought the First Hokage and survived.
Are you afraid yet?
But Kakuzu misjudged one thing.
In this era—
Few truly understood how terrifying Hashirama had been.
After Hashirama and Madara passed—
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
The Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu.
One by one, the giants of the previous generation faded.
A generational gap formed.
The new era was weaker—
Yet louder.
"Demigod" Hanzō.
"Strongest Hokage" Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Strongest Kazekage."
The titles grew—
But the understanding of true power shrank.
Among those still alive—
Only elders like Ōnoki, Hiruzen, and Chiyo truly grasped how monstrous Hashirama and Madara had been.
Kakashi and Kurenai?
They did not.
So Kakuzu's intimidation fell flat.
After a brief pause—
Kakashi and Kurenai attacked again.
"No matter what you say…"
"You're not leaving today."
For a split second—
Kakuzu was stunned.
Even after invoking the First Hokage—
They still dared charge?
Kakashi and Kurenai did not hesitate.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
"Lightning Cutter!"
Kakuzu hurriedly formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Curtain!"
He deliberately chose a defensive technique to counter both genjutsu and lightning simultaneously.
But—
Kakashi suddenly shifted his target.
Not Kakuzu's body—
But the Lightning Release mask.
"Lightning Cutter!"
The blade of lightning pierced through the mask's core.
Crack!
The masked monster collapsed.
Another heart—
Gone.
Kakuzu snapped back to clarity, fury exploding within him.
Two hearts lost—
In one battle?
Humiliation burned through him.
"I was going to let you live."
"Now you'll all stay here!"
His killing intent surged violently.
The remaining masks roared.
To prevent being dismantled one by one again—
Kakuzu reactivated Earth Grudge Fear and fused the remaining masks back into his body.
Black threads wrapped around him like living armor.
He transformed into a grotesque, stitched abomination.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The compound jutsu detonated forward.
Kakashi and Kurenai responded.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Water countered fire—
But wind amplified the flames.
Their defense trembled violently.
Not good.
They were being overwhelmed.
Yet—
Even as Kakuzu pressed forward relentlessly—
Uchiha Yusuke still did not move.
The harsher the battle—
The sharper a shinobi becomes.
Kakashi and Kurenai were not weak.
They lacked experience—
Not potential.
And Kakuzu—
Was the perfect whetstone.
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/aureliusstudios
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!