Kakashi couldn't help but nod, "What you said makes sense. Akatsuki might really have that kind of intention, although… that person has never admitted to such a thing."
Mei Terumi's curiosity was piqued, "That person, you mean the member of Akatsuki you cooperated with?"
"Could it be, the one you came into contact with… is also that masked man?"
Kakashi had long understood Obito's methods, and he replied faintly, "It's him."
Mei Terumi instantly recalled how that masked man had once mimicked Kakashi's gesture of reading Icha Icha Paradise right in front of her.
So the masked man and Kakashi knew each other, no wonder he played that trick on her.
Thinking about it that way, that masked man's personality was really quite awful.
Kakashi saw that Mei Terumi didn't reply for a moment and asked, "What's wrong? Thinking about something?"
Mei Terumi looked at Kakashi and smiled slightly, "I just think that masked man seems to know you too well. He even knows what kind of books you like to read and what posture you use when reading them."
"He's not secretly watching your every move, is he? If it were a woman, that'd still be understandable, since you are handsome, but if it's a man…"
Mei didn't finish her sentence, but looked at Kakashi with a teasing, mischievous expression.
A chill instantly ran down Kakashi's spine, "What nonsense are you imagining? That kind of joke isn't funny."
———
At this moment, on the battlefield, the situation had already turned completely one-sided.
First was Suigetsu's brother, Kisame's comrade, the wielder of Samehada, Hozuki Mangetsu, no, actually, it was Fuguki Suikazan, the wielder of Samehada, charging straight at Nagato.
He watched as Nagato slowly raised one hand toward him and uttered four syllables, "Shinra Tensei!"
In an instant, a powerful, oppressive, and unstoppable repulsive force erupted between them.
For a split second, Fuguki Suikazan's body was frozen in place. Then, in the next instant, his entire body was blown backward uncontrollably at an unbelievable speed.
Along with him, the trees, soil, and everything in the area were swept up and sent flying.
Fuguki's entire form was instantly swallowed by the swirling torrent of mud and debris.
The sudden explosion of power made the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen pause in shock, interrupting their ongoing clashes.
Among them, because Samehada could absorb chakra, Fuguki's combat power was considered one of the highest.
But now, he'd been taken out in just one move.
Jinin Akebino, the wielder of the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari, who had just raised his weapon to smash open Sasori's armored shell, stopped halfway through his swing.
His head involuntarily turned toward Nagato.
He caught sight of Nagato calmly lowering his hand.
His pupils shrank sharply. He had assumed that the first casualty would come from Akatsuki's side, but to his surprise, it was them.
That red-haired man with the ripple-patterned eyes, he was terrifyingly strong.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Sasori's aged, hoarse voice sounded beside his ear.
"Hmph! You dare to get distracted in a battle against me? Courting death." [T/N: Young master incarnate]
As soon as he said it, the tail hammer of Sasori's puppet, Hiruko, suddenly detached, revealing a small hole inside.
Jinin felt a sudden, deadly sense of danger.
For a moment, his body froze, but in the next instant, his instincts kicked in, and he flickered to the side.
Just as he did, a compressed stream of water shot out from the tail mechanism of Hiruko, grazing right past Jinin's body.
Where it passed, blood sprayed into the air.
Cold sweat broke out all over Jinin's body. If he had reacted even a second slower, that water jet would've pierced straight through his vitals, he'd be dead for sure.
But before he could even catch his breath, Sasori spoke again.
"You don't actually think my water jet can't move, do you?", As his words fell, Sasori's tail rotated slightly.
Immediately, the jet of high-pressure water fired from the tail moved along with it, slicing horizontally across Jinin's body.
Under Jinin's disbelieving gaze, his body split in two, like a sheet of paper cut cleanly apart.
Thud!
The two halves of his body fell to the ground separately.
Jinin Akebino, the mighty wielder of the Blunt Sword, had just lost his life, just like that.
Sasori calmly retracted his tail.
In fact, the idea of installing a high-pressure water jet in his tail mechanism had been suggested to him by Nagato.
And judging by the results, it was extremely effective.
Clearly, working in isolation had its limits. Sometimes, even among comrades, collaboration led to new inspiration.
Sasori looked at the bisected corpse of Jinin and said indifferently, "You claimed you could crush a puppet master's creations. Sounded impressive."
"But your own body… turns out it's not even as tough as one of my puppets."
After saying that, Sasori didn't glance at Jinin's remains again. He turned toward Nagato instead.
After dealing with Fuguki, Nagato showed no intention of continuing to attack. Instead, he seemed rather interested in observing his comrades' battles.
Sasori did the same.
Not that there'd be much left to watch for long.
The wielder of the Longsword: Nuibari, Kushimaru Kuriarare, had just been intercepted by Kakuzu. After that, he immediately changed his target.
He leaped lightly into the air, spinning midair, and at a perfect 180-degree angle, dove straight toward Kakuzu.
From his sword, countless threads instantly shot out, wrapping tightly around Kakuzu.
Kakuzu's body was bound by the wires, which tightened all at once, cutting into his flesh.
At the same time, Kushimaru's attack continued. He thrust his Nuibari forward, stabbing straight into Kakuzu's heart.
Squelch!
Kakuzu lifted his head to look at him, as though only now registering the attack.
He sneered, "Your Fire Release is impressive. But in other areas, you fall short. Looks like I'm the one who's better suited to be a tailor."
At that moment, the scene of Nagato annihilating Fuguki with a single Shinra Tensei caught Kushimaru's attention. He turned his head slightly to look.
But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kakuzu's head twitch ever so slightly.
His heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned back, fixing his gaze firmly on Kakuzu, "You're not dead?"
Kakuzu never liked playing dead. He tilted his head again and replied, "Since you're a decent tailor yourself, I'll tell you, you really did pierce one of my hearts. But I have five of them."
"Now, I'll use your heart to repay the debt."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu's body suddenly moved again. He reached out, grabbed Kushimaru by the throat, and lifted him into the air.
Then, from within Kakuzu's body, countless black threads burst forth, spearing straight into Kushimaru's chest.
Kushimaru's eyes widened. Before he could make a sound, the black threads coiled around his heart.
His heart began to beat uncontrollably, faster and faster, producing a pounding, fluttering rhythm.
The sound grew louder as the threads tightened.
Then, Kushimaru's consciousness faded. His heart was ripped from his chest, its surface tangled in black threads forming a demonic face, then absorbed back into Kakuzu's body.
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