Kakuzu had not yet managed to free himself from Kakashi and Kurenai's pressure.
His situation was already worsening.
On the other side of the battlefield—
Might Guy and the faceless Akatsuki swordsman were still locked in combat.
However, the momentum had begun to shift.
The faceless man was growing increasingly impatient.
He had expected Kakuzu to end his fight quickly and come assist.
Instead—
Kakuzu was entangled.
That bowl-cut Konoha shinobi in green was no simple opponent.
Guy's taijutsu was ferocious.
Relentless.
Explosive.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more pressure the faceless man felt.
This couldn't continue.
If he kept wasting chakra, he would fall first.
He forced Guy back with a desperate slash—
Then abruptly turned and sprinted toward the nearby riverbank.
Might Guy's eyes widened.
"A battle between men has no such thing as retreat!"
"I will never forgive behavior that betrays the burning of youth!"
Without hesitation, Guy chased.
The faceless man ignored Guy's shouting.
He only needed one thing—
Positioning.
Guy closed the distance rapidly, nunchaku spinning.
"Twin Fang Assault!"
Two consecutive strikes slammed into the faceless man's torso, sending him flying.
Blood sprayed into the air.
But just as Guy prepared to press forward—
The body dissolved into water.
"A Water Clone?!"
Guy blinked.
He had been tricked.
"Damn it!"
"Where did he go?!"
At that moment—
A massive blade descended from above.
"Die!"
The faceless man reappeared mid-air, aiming for a decisive strike.
Guy didn't dodge.
He countered.
"Leaf Crushing Rock Rising!"
His elbow smashed upward, colliding head-on with the descending blade.
The impact rang out violently.
But—
That attacker also burst into water.
Another clone.
Guy's eyes widened in realization.
Too late.
A cold voice whispered behind him.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."
Before Guy could fully react, water surged around him, forming a spherical prison.
He was trapped.
The faceless Akatsuki member held the prison with one hand while forming seals with the other.
"Water Release: Water Clone Technique."
A second clone formed.
The clone began weaving an intricate series of seals.
Judging from the complexity—
This would not be a minor technique.
Guy strained within the water prison.
The Water Prison Technique was highly restrictive.
Even elite jōnin required time to break free.
The faceless man's lips curled.
"It's over."
Nearby—
Kurenai glanced anxiously toward Guy.
"Kakashi…"
Kakashi's Sharingan flickered.
He observed Guy's chakra flow carefully.
Then he shook his head.
"At that level, he'll be fine."
"We focus on Kakuzu."
Kurenai trusted his judgment.
If anyone understood Might Guy—
It was Kakashi.
Meanwhile—
The faceless man completed his seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive torrent surged forward.
At that exact moment—
A shocking green aura erupted from Guy's body.
"Eight Gates…"
"Sixth Gate—Gate of Joy, open!"
With a roar—
The water prison shattered.
The faceless man's expression froze in disbelief.
"What—?!"
Guy exploded forward, fists blazing with speed.
He punched through the incoming torrent—
Not with ninjutsu—
But with pure taijutsu.
The Great Waterfall Technique was torn apart.
The faceless man gritted his teeth and charged again, blade raised.
Guy vanished.
He reappeared in front of him in an instant.
A kick launched the Akatsuki member skyward.
Guy followed immediately, leaping high into the air.
His arms spread wide.
Aura blazing.
"Morning Peacock!"
His fists became streaks of blazing light.
Punch after punch rained down like a storm.
The sky filled with shockwaves.
The faceless man screamed as his body was battered relentlessly mid-air.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted.
That ridiculous bowl-cut shinobi—
His taijutsu was monstrous.
Kakuzu's situation deteriorated further.
He was already struggling against Kakashi and Kurenai.
Now Guy had broken free.
He needed to change the battlefield.
Immediately.
Kakuzu formed seals rapidly.
"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear!"
Countless black threads burst from his body like living tendrils.
They shot toward Kakashi and Kurenai from all directions.
Kakashi slashed repeatedly with lightning-coated kunai.
Kurenai cut through threads with chakra-enhanced strikes.
For a moment, they cleared the space in front of them.
But—
More threads erupted from underground.
Too fast.
Before they could react—
Their limbs were bound.
Kakuzu sneered.
"You underestimate me."
He formed seals instantly.
"Compound Ninjutsu: Flame-Wind Chaotic Wave!"
Fire and wind fused together, amplifying each other into a violent inferno.
Kurenai formed seals desperately.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
But ordinary Water Release could not fully counter a wind-amplified firestorm.
The water barrier trembled violently.
Cracks formed.
Guy, still glowing green from the Sixth Gate, attempted to rush over—
But the strain of the Gate was catching up to him.
His movements slowed.
Kakuzu's voice was ice-cold.
"Die."
At that critical instant—
Kakashi tore down his mask.
His left eye—
Spun violently.
"Mangekyō Sharingan…"
"Kamui!"
A spiraling space-time vortex manifested.
Kakuzu's compound ninjutsu twisted unnaturally—
Then was dragged into another dimension.
Yusuke's eyes glinted faintly.
So.
Kakashi had awakened Kamui.
Kakuzu stared in disbelief.
"My jutsu… vanished?"
Space-time ninjutsu was extremely rare.
Even among Kage-level shinobi, few could use it.
Kakuzu had never personally faced such a technique.
Shock was natural.
But Kakuzu quickly composed himself.
"Sharingan…"
"So that's the power of the Uchiha."
Despite the surprise—
He did not retreat.
The caravan carried real wealth.
Three Konoha jōnin as escorts meant high-value cargo.
People die for wealth.
Birds die for food.
Retreating now would mean losing everything.
Kakuzu shifted his gaze subtly toward Might Guy.
He could see it.
The Sixth Gate had taken a toll.
Guy was weakening.
Kakuzu calculated quickly.
Even with Guy rejoining—
He still held a slight advantage.
He straightened.
"Hand over the valuables."
"And I might let you live."
Kakashi and Kurenai stared at him.
After all this—
Still for money?
Uchiha Yusuke smiled faintly.
There were many powerful shinobi in this world.
All of them strange in their own ways.
Madara loved battle.
Hashirama loved gambling.
Tobirama invented forbidden techniques obsessively.
Jiraiya wrote questionable novels.
Sasori called murder art.
Deidara worshiped explosions.
Nagato played god.
Obito chased a dream world.
Compared to them—
Kakuzu was almost straightforward.
No ideology.
No dream.
Just profit.
Kakuzu suddenly shifted direction.
Instead of continuing pressure on Kakashi and Kurenai—
He lunged directly toward Uchiha Yusuke.
Kakashi and Kurenai blinked in surprise.
He wants to rob the Uchiha?
Yusuke's expression turned mildly amused.
Ah.
So that's it.
The money.
Kakuzu's threads coiled tightly around his arm.
"Tentacle Punch!"
He abandoned wide-range ninjutsu.
A concentrated, piercing strike aimed straight for Yusuke's torso.
Yusuke activated Fire Release Chakra Mode instantly.
Flames enveloped his body.
Kakuzu's punch passed through—
With no effect.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.
"What is this…?"
Yusuke removed the pack from his back casually.
"You want these valuables?"
"If you can hurt me…"
"They're yours."
Kakuzu's face darkened.
"Arrogant brat."
"You think I can't break you?"
Yusuke simply looked at him—
Wordlessly.
Kakuzu's anger flared violently.
Since entering the shinobi world—
He had never been looked down upon like this.
Not even by Pain.
Fine.
Then he would end this.
Kakuzu began forming seals rapidly.
Chakra surged.
"This is my ultimate technique."
"Prepare to die."
Three chakra natures fused together.
Fire.
Wind.
Water.
A mixed-nature chakra cannon condensed before him.
The pressure alone was enormous.
Even Kage-level shinobi would hesitate.
Kakuzu smirked.
Now.
Let's see if you still smile.
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