Right now, Kakuzu was not far from Hidan's side. However, despite this short distance, he couldn't reach out in time to help his partner and could only watch helplessly as Han delivered a punch straight toward Hidan.
Bang!!!
Han's fist finally shot forward, hitting Hidan squarely in the chest without missing by even a hair.
Puchi!!
A flash of pain crossed Hidan's face. His eyes widened, bulging suddenly as if they were about to pop out. Then his entire body flew backward like a cannonball, creating a sonic boom as it smashed away rapidly.
Peng peng peng!
His body kept tumbling across the ground, leaving behind an extremely long and narrow barren strip before finally stopping inside a pile of snow, which slowed his momentum.
Swish! Kakuzu, although unable to assist Hidan just now, could now attack Han after Han had finished attacking Hidan. The timing was perfect—he had just enough time for a deadly strike.
He darted sideways toward Han, clenched one hand into a fist, and aimed straight at Han's head. The color of the fist was very dark, resembling hard obsidian, while visible chakra wrapped around it. Sparks flew as the chakra tore through the air with each punch.
His face was expressionless, his only thought being to beat this Jinchuriki until he no longer dared to resist, obediently becoming just a temporary host for the Tailed Beast.
This Jinchuriki, clearly at the end of his strength, still dared to retaliate arrogantly. Kakuzu decided to teach him a good lesson using his iron fists!
A flash of cruelty and killing intent passed through his emerald green eyes. Just when the punch was about to land, Kakuzu caught sight of a faint smile on Han's lips—a smile laced with mockery.
"What the hell?! This kid?"
A sense of unease rose within Kakuzu's mind, but there was no turning back once the bow had been drawn. Thus, he gritted his teeth and increased the force and output of both his physical strength and chakra.
Even if this kid had something planned, why would he—a man in his prime—be afraid of a half-dead amateur who was practically dying already? With that thought, Kakuzu strengthened his resolve and stopped all unnecessary hesitation.
"I haven't forgotten you either... you Akatsuki bastard."
Han tilted his head slightly, as if he'd been expecting Kakuzu to come at him the moment he finished dealing with Hidan.
In Han's view, even if Hidan had some way to delay death, he should be dead by now. Therefore, what came next was shifting his focus entirely onto Kakuzu.
Around Han, white steam hissed and spewed out continuously, filling the air with heat, humidity, and moisture.
Meanwhile, his pale face gradually turned rosy as he exerted himself.
But that flush wasn't a sign of health—it was a false flush of vitality, like the last flicker of life before fading away.
None of that slowed Han down.
Han twisted his body smoothly. The fist that had sent Hidan flying moments ago was now swiftly thrown forward again, ready to meet the approaching Kakuzu head-on.
His gigantic fist resembled an enraged bull's charge, while the steam billowed like snorting breaths from its nostrils.
Boom!!
A red phantom and a black phantom collided in an instant. The air froze for a moment, then became even more intense and chaotic.
Gusts of wind, shockwaves, and thunderous impacts followed in rapid succession...
After this initial collision, neither seemed to gain any advantage, so they continued crashing together repeatedly. Muffled impact sounds constantly filled the air, accompanied by their roars and heavy breathing.
The two fighters, both masters of close-range taijutsu and supportive ninjutsu, clashed like wild beasts battling for dominance, using nothing but raw power and instinct.
[Steam - Steel Punch!]
[Earth Release - Earth Spear Jutsu!]
In this chaotic battle situation, they clashed again. Kakuzu hadn't expected this jinchuriki, who had suffered such serious injuries, could still unleash such combat effectiveness and endurance!
As for Han, after dozens of exchanges with Kakuzu in an extremely short time, his wounds started acting up. A rush of weakness and helplessness coursed through his body, causing occasional mistakes in his fight against Kakuzu, which Kakuzu immediately seized upon for a brutal assault.
"Phew!"
Over there, Hidan finally stood up, spitting blood as he rose. His hair was messy, and his clothes were in tatters, looking rather disheveled.
Right at his chest was a huge wound exposed to the air, revealing rolling muscles and clearly visible internal organs still functioning—that was Han's handiwork.
To Han's dismay, the wound looked terrible—but Hidan refused to die. He not only survived but even managed a sinister smile directed at Han.
Midair, Deidara continuously observed Hidan. Ever since Han had attacked him, Deidara had focused his attention entirely on Hidan.
He wanted to figure out how Hidan could use self-damaging curse techniques so recklessly—was it really as he suspected, that Hidan couldn't die?
Looking at Hidan standing up again, Deidara's brow furrowed deeply.
Of course, he noticed Hidan's horrifying wound. Anyone else with such a wound wouldn't have made it out alive. Yet Hidan remained full of vitality, with only some painful expressions showing on his face and seemingly no other effects.
Seeing this, though unwilling to admit it, Deidara realized his previous guess was probably about eighty percent correct.
But at the same time, he also noticed that although the wound didn't affect movement or fighting ability, it didn't heal quickly either.
In that case, this "immortality" wasn't all that scary after all—it was something he could work with.
At least Deidara now understood how to deal with the enemy. It seemed that the enemy's "immortality" applied only to his soul—his body was still vulnerable to pain and impairment from physical damage.
In other words, the enemy was just like those training stone figures back at the Ninja Academy—minor injuries were meaningless. Unless...
So since the enemy could remain immortal yet not heal itself, all he needed to do was blow it into pieces, just like how he treated those stone figures back in school. Then the battle would be declared over.
As this thought came to mind, Deidara showed a confident smile.
Explosions? Shrapnel?
He knew explosives inside out—you'll be reduced to dust in seconds!
Immortal? Yeah right! Once you're shattered like that, I doubt you can put yourself back together!
Gugugu!
The giant white bird flapped its wings again, circling upward to a certain altitude where it wouldn't be disturbed.
Deidara shoved both hands into his clay pouch. The sound of chewing and swallowing grew louder as his eyes gradually lit up.
"What a perfect day this is! Art will burst into bloom again and again at this very moment, ultimately becoming a classic!"
A wild grin slowly formed on Deidara's face. He controlled the giant bird to flap its wings. If his explosion succeeded in killing two powerful members of the Akatsuki Organization, the reputation of his "art" would definitely rise to an incredibly high level.
"This damn bastard—I'll make sure to send him straight to Lord Jashin!"
Hidan stood firmly on the ground, watching Han fighting Kakuzu with a dark expression.
His hand touched the wound across his chest. Without care, he pushed the exposed muscle strands messily back into his abdomen while taking deep breaths, constantly sensing the pain his enemy had caused him.
Han's attack had come unexpectedly—not only was it fast, but also extremely powerful. Not at all like someone who had already been badly injured. And what made it worse was that the attack occurred right during the explosion—or more precisely, the exact moment of the explosion. That's why he hadn't reacted in time, because his focus had been completely drawn to those explosive spiders from earlier.
And if it weren't for the fact that he had clearly stabbed his spear through the heart and saw the exact same injury appear on the target's body, Hidan might have doubted whether the blood he collected really belonged to Han.
"Crap!"
Over there, Han pushed off with one leg behind him, ready to accelerate again and launch another attack against Kakuzu. However, suddenly he tasted sweetness in his mouth, felt sharp pain in his chest, and his heart pounded violently. His entire body instantly weakened, collapsing like a balloon losing air.
His vision blurred. With heart damage and intense physical exertion, the blood flow to his brain became insufficient, causing his sight to black out until everything turned dark and hazy, leaving only unclear shadows in front of him.
Thump.
Han directly dropped to his knees, blood thickly dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the ground. Even the steam surrounding his body had gradually weakened, nearly disappearing altogether.
At this moment, he fell into grave danger.
"I thought Jinchuriki had some crazy stamina—still fighting with a busted heart, huh! Tch!"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, sensing Han's aura drop drastically within an instant, like a candle flickering in the wind, about to extinguish any second.
Without hesitation or mercy, Kakuzu launched his attack the moment he sensed Han was vulnerable.
He blurred into motion, vanishing instantly—and reappeared right beside Han, who knelt wounded on the ground.
The air grew heavy. Han, still on his knees, felt an ominous presence. Though his vision blurred, he caught a glimpse of Kakuzu standing just inches away.
But what could he do? The wounds Kakuzu had inflicted flared up all at once—wounds even the Tailed Beast's power couldn't heal, only barely keeping him alive, prolonging his final breath.
"Is this really the end?"
Han struggled to force his eyes open toward where Kakuzu stood, but his eyelids felt like lead, and waves of exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave, swallowing him whole.
[Earth Grudge Fear - Tendril Fist!]
Kakuzu tilted his body slightly, then swung his fist halfway around himself to build momentum. Supported by thick black threads resembling tentacles, the punch shot forward like a projectile, aiming straight at Han on the ground.
[Earth Release - Earth Split!]
At that moment, a familiar voice reached Han's ears—like a drowning man grasping at a straw—it flickered through his fading consciousness.
Crack! Crack!
A ripping sound echoed as cracks tore across the ground, stretching all the way beneath Han's body. Just before Kakuzu's fist connected, the ground opened and pulled Han under, while rising stone countered the blow.
Crash!
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