After observing for a while, Gari suddenly turned his head toward the middle-aged man beside him, whose entire body radiated an icy indifference like a statue carved from ice.
"Mr. Kakuzu, do you happen to know what exactly the leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall drank just now?"
Kakuzu remained silent for a moment before replying flatly, "That's valuable intelligence. It'll cost extra."
Hearing this, Gari was momentarily taken aback before letting out a chuckle and nodding readily.
"Naturally. The price is negotiable."
Only after receiving the promise of additional payment did Kakuzu speak unhurriedly.
"Hero Water, the thing that guy just drank is called Hero Water."
"Hero Water?"
Gari asked curiously. "What's that?"
Kakuzu calmly replied, "Hero Water is the sacred water passed down through generations in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. After drinking it, the user's chakra reserves increase by dozens of times for a short period."
He paused, his gaze casually sweeping toward the man below who was burning away his own life in battle, and for the first time, his voice carried an indescribable hint of emotion.
"But the price is that it devours all of the drinker's life force within an extremely short period. By the time the battle ends, the drinker is usually dead as well. That's why Hero Water has always been reserved for those willing to give their lives for Village Hidden in the Waterfall at critical moments. That's how it got its name."
"Oh? That actually sounds like a very useful item."
Gari nodded before asking with evident interest, "Then, Mr. Kakuzu, have you ever drunk Hero Water yourself?"
Kakuzu merely remained silent.
Seeing his reaction, Gari immediately understood and chose not to pursue the matter further, instead changing the subject.
"Our Village Hidden in the Stones is quite interested in this Hero Water. Would you be able to obtain some Hero Water for us, Mr. Kakuzu?"
A slight ripple flashed through Kakuzu's eyes as he answered indifferently, "That's a separate fee."
Gari smiled faintly, showing no concern.
"Of course."
With those words, Kakuzu nodded, and his figure vanished from where he stood in an instant.
At that very moment, the battle between the two tailed beasts in the distance finally reached its conclusion. Accompanied by a shrill wail that pierced the heavens, the Seven-Tails' enormous blue body rapidly disappeared within a curtain of light before ultimately vanishing into nothingness.
A short while later, the Four-Tails' mountain-like crimson body also dissipated. Returning to human form, the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, Roshi, strode back carrying an unconscious elderly man with graying hair over his shoulder.
Roshi dropped the Jinchuriki beside Gari and said in a hoarse voice, "Mission accomplished. Prepare to withdraw."
Gari smiled slightly and was just about to issue the order.
"Don't even think about it!"
It was obvious that Village Hidden in the Waterfall's leader, Shibito, had witnessed the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki being captured.
He suddenly let out a furious roar, and in that instant, his skeletal frame withered and shrank even further, as though his life force itself were being violently drained away at a speed visible to the naked eye. Yet at the same time, the blue tidal wave of chakra surrounding him surged to an unimaginably terrifying level.
The next moment, Shibito transformed into an overwhelming torrent of blue chakra that engulfed the sky as he charged directly toward Gari.
"So, you've come for me."
Gari narrowed his eyes slightly. Facing the ferocious attack flying toward him, he showed not the slightest intention of retreating.
Just as the blue tidal wave was about to engulf him, a faint white glow seemed to flash across the surface of his body.
The next instant…
Clang!
A deafening metallic collision rang through heaven and earth, while the tremendous shockwave swept shattered rocks and ruined walls flying in every direction.
Gari's body was merely forced back several steps before he firmly regained his footing. His expression remained completely unchanged, clearly indicating that he still had strength to spare.
On the other side, Shibito, who had launched his final desperate strike, was sent flying backward. Blood continuously poured from his mouth and nose, scattering across the ground along his path.
'Steel Style!?'
A Kekkei Genkai known as Steel Style, whose effects were identical to the Earth Style hardening technique, allowing the user to harden parts of the body to resist physical attacks.
The reason Gari was regarded as one of the Village Hidden in the Stones' top elite Jonin, and why he had enjoyed the unwavering trust of the third Tsuchikage, Onoki, for so many years, was that Steel Style was one of the most important factors.
With Steel Style, Gari could be said to possess a natural mechanical advantage over ninety-nine percent of close-combat ninja in the Shinobi World.
Blades could not cut him, fists and kicks were ineffective, and any ninja who relied primarily on physical attacks would find their combat ability greatly diminished before him!
The reason Steel Style was only described as one of the important factors was that Gari possessed more than just this one Kekkei Genkai.
He also possessed another incomparably powerful Kekkei Genkai, Explosion Style.
If Steel Style granted him absolute defense as immovable as a mountain, then Explosion Style granted him overwhelming offensive power capable of crushing all resistance.
Perfectly balanced in offense and defense, that was Gari.
A top-tier ninja acknowledged throughout the Village Hidden in the Stones, possessing both the Steel Style and Explosion Style Kekkei Genkai.
Clap! Clap!
Accompanied by a crisp round of applause, a tall figure dressed in black appeared beside Gari.
The newcomer was a tall young man in black, the central figure of the Village Hidden in the Grass's operation, Mui.
"As expected of Gari-sama's Steel Style. Even the Village Hidden in the Waterfall leader's desperate final attack was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree before you."
Hearing this, Gari withdrew his gaze and stopped looking toward the dust-filled ruins in the distance.
Village Hidden in the Waterfall's leader, Shibito, lay there with his fate unknown, but after suffering the recoil from that countershock, he was unlikely to survive.
Turning his head toward Mui, Gari curled the corner of his lips into a faint smile. "Mui-sama's mastery of Fire Style and Sealing Jutsu is equally extraordinary. I never expected Village Hidden in the Grass to have someone like you."
Mui's expression remained unchanged as he gave a slight bow. "You flatter me, Gari-sama. My insignificant skills are nothing worth mentioning before the distinguished ninja of the Village Hidden in the Stones. Without your village's full support, Village Hidden in the Grass alone would likely never even have reached Village Hidden in the Waterfall's gates, much less be standing here now. The success of this operation is entirely thanks to Gari-sama and lord murasaki overseeing it."
"However, now that the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki is in our hands..."
After offering his compliment, Mui lowered his gaze to the unconscious Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki lying at his feet before continuing, "Konoha should already have received the news by now, and they may even be on their way here. To avoid unnecessary complications, Gari-sama, we should withdraw."
"Indeed."
Gari nodded and glanced up at the sky before saying thoughtfully, "Judging by the time, Konoha's people should already be on their way."
The moment his words fell, Kakuzu silently appeared not far away.
At this moment, three transparent glass bottles had appeared in his hand, each filled with a mysterious, crystal-clear liquid.
It's the Hero Water.