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[Konoha] Chapter 239: Kakashi vs. Kakuzu!
🕑 Added 2024-11-29 15:30:01 +0000 UTCCrash!
Suddenly, Kakuzu, whose heart had just been pierced by a blade, crumbled into a heap of rubble on the ground.
"Watch out! He's underground!"
The warning came from White Zetsu, though he was being controlled by a Yamanaka clan ninja.
Gekko Hayate’s pupils shrank as he immediately withdrew his blade and leapt back. However, a black tendril-covered hand shot out from the ground, gripping his neck tightly.
With a thunderous boom, the ground exploded as Kakuzu leapt into the air. Landing forcefully on White Zetsu’s shoulders, he stomped him into the ground, using the maneuver to evade the Nara clan’s Shadow Imitation Technique.
Just as Kakuzu began retracting his tendrils, Hayate swung his blade, severing them.
Kakuzu’s hand fell away from Hayate’s neck, and the latter quickly retreated, his heart still racing.
"Lucky I have three respiratory systems," Hayate thought to himself. "Otherwise, being choked like that would’ve rendered me incapable of fighting."
"As expected of an S-rank fugitive."
Hayate’s gaze shifted to the severed hand on the ground, which was quickly reattached by Kakuzu’s tendrils.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu regained control of his body. But just as he pulled himself out of the ground, he was immobilized once again.
This time, it was the Shadow Imitation Technique.
"Such an annoying jutsu!"
White Zetsu grumbled, then called out to Kakuzu: "Hey, maybe we should retreat for now!"
"I have no intention of abandoning my mission so easily," Kakuzu replied coldly.
He removed the Akatsuki cloak, revealing four inverted masks embedded in his back. Black tendrils began unraveling from his stitched-up skin.
In the next instant, three mask-like creatures burst out of his back, hovering in the air.
"What are those things?"
The four Konoha shinobi were visibly stunned.
The intel provided by Shūichi only mentioned Kakuzu’s mastery of the Five Great Nature Transformations, with no specifics about his abilities.
"Those things are dangerous. Stay alert!"
Nara Enkaku warned gravely.
Yamanaka Ichi and Akimichi Torikumo nodded in unison.
Meanwhile, Hayate raised one hand in a gesture and vanished from sight.
In the air, two of the mask creatures opened their mouths, quickly gathering chakra.
"Careful!" Enkaku shouted.
The next moment, a blazing fireball and a powerful wind sphere collided midair, detonating with a deafening boom. The resulting inferno storm surged outward, engulfing everything in its path.
Enkaku and his team retreated behind a courtyard wall, but the wall crumbled under the onslaught, and the flames chased after them relentlessly. Though they managed to avoid the worst of it, the firewave left them scorched and disheveled.
Outside the daimyo’s palace, Kakashi observed the roaring flames ahead.
"Yamato, I’ll leave this place to you."
Yamato’s face emerged from a wooden column. "Be careful, Kakashi!"
Kakashi nodded before disappearing into the darkness.
---
Back on the battlefield, the Shadow Imitation Technique restraining White Zetsu finally wore off, freeing him.
"This is the mode we should’ve been using from the start!" White Zetsu exclaimed.
"Idiot," Kakuzu grunted.
One of the mask creatures opened its mouth, unleashing a bolt of lightning that shot toward White Zetsu.
"Hey!" White Zetsu yelped, startled. The lightning narrowly missed him and struck Gekko Hayate, who had appeared behind him.
Hayate’s Samehada absorbed the lightning completely, its bandages unraveling fully.
Dodging a swing from White Zetsu’s scythe, Hayate once again disappeared.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu’s wind and fire mask creatures continued their aerial assault, raining down wind spheres and fireballs. Enkaku’s team was forced into a desperate retreat, unable to muster any effective counterattacks.
At that moment, Kakuzu sensed danger. One of the airborne masks suddenly dodged a glowing kunai streaking through the air.
But then, Kakashi appeared in midair, gripping his White Fang short sword in one hand while the other hand gathered a crackling spear of lightning. The lightning shot forward, piercing the lightning mask creature and slicing it cleanly in half.
"What?" Kakuzu exclaimed in shock, quickly hurling shuriken toward Kakashi.
However, Kakashi’s figure vanished midair. A split second later, Kakuzu felt an attack coming from behind.
Clang, clang, clang!
White Zetsu appeared, deflecting the incoming kunai.
Turning around, Kakuzu saw the kunai spinning through the air in a peculiar trajectory. Alarmed, he shouted, "Watch out!"
The next moment, Kakashi appeared beside one of the kunai, his Chidori crackling intensely. Lightning surged through his entire body as he moved with blinding speed, resembling a bolt of lightning himself.
Before White Zetsu could react, Kakashi sped past him.
"So fast!"
White Zetsu’s mouth opened in shock as his head was severed cleanly from his neck by a swift Lightning Cutter.
Kakashi's movements didn’t falter for a moment, charging straight at the retreating Kakuzu.
However, Kakuzu had already completed his hand seals. Opening his mouth, he released a torrent of water, striking Kakashi’s high-speed charge head-on.
Yet in the next instant, the water column smashed into the ground, and Kakashi’s figure reappeared beside a kunai embedded in the earth.
"You’ve mastered the same Teleportation Technique as the Fourth Hokage, huh?"
Kakuzu halted, his expression growing serious.
At that moment, a thunderous explosion echoed nearby, and Kakuzu saw his Wind Release mask shatter.
Gekko Hayate had engaged the battlefield there, using the chakra absorption abilities of Samehada to fend off the attacks of two mask creatures. This gave Akimichi Torikumo an opening to crush the airborne Wind Release mask with a Human Bullet Tank.
Kakuzu’s heart sank. He quickly formed seals, splitting off a Water Release clone to target Kakashi, while he dashed toward White Zetsu. Using his tendrils, Kakuzu began stitching Zetsu’s wounds.
Boom!
The Water Clone was destroyed, instantly transforming into a water prison, trapping Kakashi. But the next moment, Kakashi’s body vanished from within the watery confines.
"Retreat!"
Kakuzu gave a low command, immediately pulling back with White Zetsu.
The remaining Fire Release mask unleashed two consecutive fireballs to provide cover before disappearing into the night.
"Don’t pursue them!"
Kakashi ordered, halting the team.
Hayate and the others stopped in their tracks.
Still shaken, Nara Enkaku said, "Those two were really tough. If not for you, Captain, we might have all been done for this time."
Yamanaka Ichi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Wind, Fire, Lightning... and he even used Water and Earth earlier. Just as the intel said, he’s mastered all five chakra natures, and every one of them is devastatingly powerful."
"People like him... in the village, only the Third Hokage, Shinnosuke, and Shūichi could match him!" Akimichi Torikumo added. "And maybe that guy, Kogami Kohai. We might only be able to deal with him using sealing techniques."
Hayate remarked, "His immortality seems even more formidable than before. No wonder he managed to escape last time."
Kakashi speculated, "It’s possible he was rescued by the Akatsuki."
Enkaku nodded. "Kogami Kohai isn’t too hard to handle, but Kakuzu... if we run into him again, we’ll need to be extremely cautious."
---
Outside the Grass Country daimyo’s estate, Kakuzu stopped, glaring at White Zetsu coldly.
"You owe me two hearts!"
White Zetsu laughed. "It’s true, I couldn’t have done it without you this time. Two hearts? No problem. We’ll just get some from Sunagakure or Kumogakure."
"Still, you were careless this time. We should’ve snuck in quietly and assassinated the target."
Kakuzu ignored Zetsu’s hindsight commentary and continued walking.
White Zetsu followed closely. "So, we failed the mission, right? What’s next?"
Kakuzu replied icily, "We replenish the hearts."
Without enough hearts, there was no sense of security.
---
Meanwhile, Shūichi hadn’t sent his spirit form to control the White Zetsu clone disguised as Kogami Kohai. Instead, he was currently at Orochimaru’s experimental base.
"Jugo’s cells?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Shūichi-kun, with your abilities, mastering Sage Mode shouldn’t be a problem at all, right? Or have you already perfected it?"
Shūichi replied calmly, "You’ve met the Snake Sage, so you should know. Sage Mode and true sages are vastly different."
"From what I know, true sages have lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths. Even if I perfect Sage Mode, I can’t live for over a thousand years."
Orochimaru’s eyes widened in astonishment, his gaze burning with intrigue. "Living since the Sage of Six Paths’ era? Fascinating!"
He hadn’t been aware of this detail before. Recalling the Snake Sage, such a being was indeed comparable to the tailed beasts.
"There must be a secret behind it," Orochimaru murmured, his mind racing. However, considering the Snake Sage’s power, he restrained his curiosity for now.
"Jugo’s cells are flawless," Orochimaru continued. "But, Shūichi-kun, what do you plan to offer in exchange?"
Shūichi smiled. "How about information on the Rinnegan?"
"The Rinnegan?"
Orochimaru’s expression sharpened. "One of the Three Great Dojutsu, the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths?"
"You even have intel on that, Shūichi-kun? It’s not just a myth, is it?"
Shūichi chuckled. "Remember the three children Jiraiya and Tsunade encountered during the Second Shinobi War in the Land of Rain?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Those three? Are you saying one of them had the Rinnegan?"
"So Jiraiya stayed behind because he discovered the Rinnegan? Is that why Danzo targeted the Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru’s mind connected the dots rapidly.
Shūichi revealed, "The red-haired boy named Nagato possessed the Rinnegan. He also carried the Uzumaki clan’s bloodline."
"As you know, the First Hokage’s power was exceptionally compatible with the Uchiha’s Sharingan. From what I’ve learned, the Senju and Uzumaki clans are descendants of Asura, the Sage of Six Paths’ younger son, while the Uchiha are descendants of Indra, his elder son."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "I see. An incredible discovery."
"So, unlocking the Rinnegan requires both Senju and Uchiha powers. But even with the First Hokage’s cells transplanted into Shisui Uchiha, it seems there are still other conditions to fulfill. That means... Nagato’s Rinnegan isn’t naturally his!"
"How fascinating..."
Eyeing Shūichi, Orochimaru asked, "Shūichi-kun, are you asking me to infiltrate the Akatsuki as a spy?"
Shūichi smiled. "No, merely to collaborate in the future."
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "It seems you’re playing a very elaborate game, Shūichi-kun."
"I’ve considered leaving Konoha at the right time. And the Rinnegan... definitely piques my interest."
Even so, Orochimaru couldn't deny his lingering attachment to Konoha.
Konoha was rapidly transforming, like an old tree sprouting new buds, growing vibrant and thriving once again.
Unfortunately, the path Orochimaru had chosen was destined to be one Konoha could never accept.
This time, upon returning to the village, he had already resolved to leave. He intended to establish more experimental bases outside Konoha to pursue his goals.
Looking at Shūichi, Orochimaru said, "You can have Jugo’s cells, but Shūichi-kun, I’m curious—what level have you reached now?"
Shūichi thought for a moment before replying seriously, "If I went all out... I could take down the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara."
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "So, Shūichi-kun, you’ve already faced Uchiha Madara?"
"So Nagato’s Rinnegan... it came from Uchiha Madara, didn’t it?"
As expected of Orochimaru.
Shūichi silently praised him before nodding in confirmation.
"This keeps getting more fascinating," Orochimaru said excitedly, his tongue reflexively darting out to lick his lips. "Very well, Shūichi-kun, I agree to our future collaboration."
His instincts told him that Shūichi still had much more information he hadn’t revealed yet.
---
Leaving Orochimaru’s experimental base, Shūichi suddenly remembered his spiritual clone. "I hope that Zetsu guy didn’t end up sealed by Kakashi and the others."
Sensing carefully, he quickly relaxed. Splitting off a spiritual body, he sent it out to act.
As for the safety of Kakashi’s team, Shūichi wasn’t too concerned.
Even if they couldn’t defeat Kakuzu, they wouldn’t suffer any casualties.
With Kakashi’s Flying Thunder God technique, though not as improved as his or Minato’s, combined with the Eight-Tails’ chakra, evacuating the team wouldn’t be a problem.
Moreover, Yamato and Hayate weren’t weaklings.
---
The next day.
The team’s report was delivered, and Shūichi learned about the previous night’s events. He wasn’t surprised by the outcome.
This development meant the situation in the Grass Country would temporarily stabilize.
Now, it was a matter of whether Onoki, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, could remain patient.
---
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage’s office.
After hearing the report, Onoki frowned deeply. "Even the Akatsuki failed."
Kitsuchi remarked, "According to the intel, Konoha’s White Fang’s son, Kakashi, has mastered the same Teleportation Technique as the Fourth Hokage and the Blue Flash of Konoha. He’s far more troublesome than anticipated."
"Father, you should know that with someone like him around, it’s practically impossible to deal with the Grass Country’s daimyo."
Onoki gritted his teeth. "In that case, the Grass Country will likely be absorbed by the Land of Fire!"
Kitsuchi’s expression was grim. "Even the daimyo has already raised concerns about this. The Land of Fire’s daimyo’s direct involvement is highly unusual."
After a moment of thought, Onoki said, "For now, we’ll abandon the plan but monitor the situation closely."
"Konoha won’t keep Kakashi stationed in the Grass Country indefinitely."
Kitsuchi hesitated. "But, Father, didn’t you previously conclude that even if the current Grass Country daimyo were removed, it wouldn’t make a difference in the long term? Why the change in approach?"
Onoki’s tone was calm. "Eliminating the Grass Country’s daimyo alone won’t solve the problem. But if we deal with everyone collaborating with the Land of Fire, then there will be no issue."
Kitsuchi was shocked. "That... that could reignite a war with Konoha!"
Onoki snorted coldly. "Konoha won’t go to war so easily!"
(End of Chapter)
