"You young man from Iwagakure," Kakuzu sneered. "Don't underestimate me! I'm a ninja who has walked the underworld for decades! Even your father, Onoki, wouldn't dare be so disrespectful to me!"
Kakuzu's voice was icy cold. His arm had pierced through Kitsuchi's body, his hand tightly gripping the old man's heart.
Black threads of [Earth Grudge Fear] spread across him like wild seaweed, swaying violently through the air before slithering up and coiling around Kitsuchi's limbs and torso.
Moving with eerie precision, these pitch-black, tentacle-like strands bored into Kitsuchi's flesh and pierced his muscles—as if alive—leaving him paralyzed.
"Heh heh!"
Kitsuchi's breath came in short, heavy gasps, like a broken bellows straining to keep working despite its damage.
After all, anyone whose body had been torn open by an enemy, their heart gripped and muscles locked down, would look this bad—even worse than Kitsuchi did now.
At this moment, Kitsuchi's life hung by a thread, entirely in Kakuzu's hands.
With just the slightest pressure from Kakuzu's fingers, Kitsuchi's fragile heart would shatter instantly, ending his ninja career forever.
He hadn't expected the enemy—whose heart he'd already shattered—to survive. Worse still, that same foe had pretended to die instantly from his attack just to land a killing blow.
At first, Kitsuchi hadn't expected this—but now, it all made sense. Could it be that this enemy here, and the other one fighting elsewhere, shared that strange "undying" ability?
If they were allies, then sharing similar powers wasn't impossible!
But according to Deidara's earlier intelligence report, this opponent should have been different from the other enemy. Perhaps Deidara's information was faulty, or maybe the enemy simply hadn't revealed this power until now.
He couldn't blame Deidara—the full truth about any ninja remains hidden until their final moments.
Before his breath ran out completely—or before Kakuzu decided to kill him outright—he slowly turned his head sideways, using his peripheral vision to look at the enemy behind him, hoping to read more from Kakuzu's emotionless face.
Just now, he'd heard voices from Akatsuchi and others. He was preparing to turn around when, unexpectedly, he found himself struck by an enemy attack instead.
In the blink of an eye, he hadn't even had time to react. The enemy had attacked from behind—at close range and lightning fast. All he could do was barely form a thin layer of rocky armor across his chest and back.
Yet such defense proved utterly useless against an ambush launched with such prepared force, shattering like paper.
Though he had previously confirmed the enemy's heart had shattered and assumed them dead, this reversal left him totally unprepared!
Just seconds ago, he'd thought his enemy had been reckless—no matter how strong, they'd still died by his own hand. Now, though, he'd made that exact same mistake… and was about to pay dearly for it!
Akatsuchi and several other shinobi who had just arrived stood frozen in place, their expressions still stiff—especially Akatsuchi, whose wide eyes and slightly puffed cheeks clearly showed his disbelief.
If only he had noticed the enemy's ambush earlier and warned Captain Kitsuchi, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this?
Akatsuchi actually began to feel a pang of guilt, clenching his fists tightly while glaring at Kakuzu's back.
"Haha! So it really is you, Kakuzu!"
Hidan caught sight of Kakuzu's successful ambush and couldn't help but feel a spark of satisfaction. Instantly, he increased the distance between himself and Deidara before rushing toward Kakuzu's direction.
He moved with sudden lightness, practically gliding across the ground.
Because the moment Kakuzu succeeded in his surprise attack, Deidara naturally noticed the change as well.
So he immediately abandoned Hidan and flew over toward them.
His eyes burned with intensity as he watched Kakuzu—Kitsuchi had actually been struck down. The tide was turning against them. Killing Hidan had now become relatively less important.
Although he could suppress Hidan, killing him seemed somewhat troublesome and complicated, and there were certain techniques Deidara wasn't willing to use right now.
Right now, they needed to protect what strength they had left—and see if Kitsuchi could still pull through.
Earlier, he definitely hadn't misjudged—the hole torn through the enemy's back and the crushed heart should have been decisive. Yet now, the enemy had not only survived but also counterattacked with a fatal blow against Kitsuchi.
That kind of Ninjutsu! But it was now an undeniable reality!
Standing atop the giant bird, Deidara quickly arrived at Kakuzu's side and slowly hovered midair.
He looked at the closely entangled figures of Kitsuchi and Kakuzu, noticing the black threads connecting both of them.
He didn't attack directly, instead frowning while analyzing the situation—because Kitsuchi wasn't dead yet, merely teetering on the edge between life and death.
Deidara had originally believed only Hidan possessed such a bizarre form of immortality within the Shinobi World. Abilities like that were extremely rare, at least until today when it was the first time he'd ever encountered one.
But now, he was facing *two* of them in one day—one more enemy right in front of him appeared to share that same twisted immortality! Otherwise, there was no way to explain how he had survived with a shattered heart!
"You must be dying to know the truth, aren't you?" Kakuzu mused, casting a cold glance at Kitsuchi's profile. He continued speaking while gradually extending more [Earth Grudge Fear] threads from his hand. Slowly, they coiled around Kitsuchi's heart, wrapping into layers.
Kitsuchi said nothing. He had a thousand questions burning in his mind, but he knew full well the enemy wouldn't just hand over the truth like that.
Besides, maintaining silence was the last bit of resistance left to him.
"Not talking, huh?"
Kakuzu didn't care about Kitsuchi's silence. His pause just now was merely to satisfy a slight sadistic pleasure in his heart—to make the enemy feel deeper despair. Since the enemy refused to cooperate, however, there was no need to prolong it further.
"Then," Kakuzu continued, "I'll be taking your heart—even though its attributes might overlap somewhat, its quality is truly excellent!"
"Kakuzu glared coldly, continuing his words while gradually increasing the force in his hands.
The Black Threads entwined around the heart instantly tightened, destroying the blood vessels and meridians connected to its surroundings one by one.
'Hmph!'
Kitsuchi let out a cold snort, enduring indescribable pain and discomfort. He realized—shockingly enough—that the enemy was trying to rip his heart away.
Moreover, what the enemy had just said sounded strange—heart?
He himself had destroyed Kakuzu's heart, yet now Kakuzu was talking about collecting his heart as if compensating for the heart Kitsuchi had previously shattered?
Even in this life-or-death moment, Kitsuchi kept his mind racing. On the contrary, his thoughts surged with even more ideas, expanding far beyond normal circumstances.
Tearing sound!
A violent ripping sound came from his body as sudden understanding struck him like lightning.
"So that's how it is?"
A faint bitter smile flickered across Kitsuchi's face, as though he had figured everything out.
At the same time, glancing sideways, he noticed something beneath Kakuzu's feet—something resembling the same material as those black threads inside his own body.
However, the threads on the ground appeared lifeless, devoid of vitality, simply falling onto the floor.
These were exactly the threads that had fallen from Kakuzu's body when he ambushed him moments ago, along with some shattered pieces of flesh, seemingly remnants of the heart Kitsuchi himself had just destroyed.
"The reason you didn't die...was because of the heart?"
Though phrased like a question, Kitsuchi's tone remained firm and resolute, as if declaring an undeniable truth.
"So what? You've already lost the strength to resist. Furthermore, your heart will soon belong to me—as compensation for the one Kitsuchi destroyed!"
Kakuzu increased the intensity of Earth Grudge Fear's entanglement. Along with his intensified action, blood gushed rapidly from Kitsuchi's wound, and his face grew increasingly pale.
"So that's really how it is!!"
Kitsuchi turned his gaze forward, sweeping his line of sight sideways momentarily toward Deidara.
He knew—he probably wouldn't be walking away from this one. Carelessness, incomplete intel, a power gap... too many odds stacked against him.
Feeling the rampaging black threads coursing through his body, Kitsuchi's expression slowly hardened, turning solemn. His eyes briefly flashed with madness.
"Deidara! Take Akatsuchi and retreat! Bring back the enemy intelligence!"
Roaring loudly, Kitsuchi suddenly charged straight ahead, completely disregarding that his very heart was still gripped tightly by the enemy.
Tearing sound!
An audible noise only Kakuzu and Kitsuchi could hear emerged between them. A red fleshy mass was pulled from Kitsuchi's body, rapidly drawn into Kakuzu's body under the influence of Earth Grudge Fear.
"What?!"
Mid-air, Deidara witnessed everything, instantaneously guesses flashing through his mind. Although moments earlier he had listened to both Kitsuchi and Kakuzu's conversation, he hadn't fully grasped its meaning."
The only thing certain was that the enemy's ability to strike back—and survive even after his heart shattered—both had something to do with the heart.
Kakuzu's attempt to tear out Kitsuchi's heart made this realization even clearer.
"Run!!"
Kitsuchi charged forward. He barely broke free from Kakuzu's grasp when his heart was torn out—leaving him clinging to life.
Yet it was precisely at this moment that a ninja's strength became evident.
Even without a heart, while feeling extremely hollow inside, Kitsuchi didn't die right away. Instead, like a dying flame flaring one last time, his face flushed red.
Swiftly turning around, his body gradually became encased in rock, faint outlines of explosive tags visible within the cracks.
This was his final move, his last act of defiance.
He knew his fate was sealed, but in his final moments, he wanted to give Deidara a fighting chance to escape.
Without their combat strength, the Iwagakure team couldn't stand against the enemy!
And Han, the jinchuriki, had already been incapacitated before he arrived, unable to fight anymore.
Although Deidara was powerful, neither Akatsuchi nor the others could match Kakuzu and his comrades.
So, in a flash of thought, he chose to use his own body as a bomb—to damage the enemy and buy time.
The moment the explosive tags crackled to life and he took his first step toward Kakuzu, several images flashed through Kitsuchi's mind: his father, that ornery but lovable old man; his daughter, Kurotsuchi, the one they'd both placed their hopes in...
Swish!
At the exact moment Kitsuchi shouted for them to run, Deidara immediately maneuvered his giant bird closer to Akatsuchi and the others.
There was no hope left for Kitsuchi. With his heart ripped out by the enemy, survival was absolutely impossible.
That he could still move at all was purely due to his unyielding willpower and resolve.
Therefore, he knew exactly what had to be done!
"Captain!!"
Beside Akatsuchi, several ninjas turned pale.
They watched helplessly as Kitsuchi, in the blink of an eye, was gravely wounded by someone they'd believed was already dead—then had his heart torn out on the spot—now choosing to sacrifice himself directly to increase their chances of survival.
"You've got no idea what you're messing with! You really think they can run and live?"
Controlling Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu directly absorbed Kitsuchi's heart into his body. In an instant, the gap created earlier when Kitsuchi pierced his heart was completely filled.
Earlier, Kitsuchi's surprise attack from behind had pierced his heart, shattering the one responsible for wind chakra.
Though Kitsuchi's heart carried earth nature chakra, and Kakuzu already possessed one primarily earth-natured, Kitsuchi's heart was very vibrant. Even though there was some overlap in properties, such a heart was still rare and valuable.
Therefore, Kakuzu directly decided to temporarily retain Kitsuchi's heart as a supplementary organ.
When a better replacement comes along, he can always replace it again!
Swish!
Fearlessly spinning around, Kitsuchi, wrapped in explosive tags and clad in rocky armor, charged straight at Kakuzu.
However, without a heart, the human body becomes like a car without an engine—deprived of its power source.
Thus, although Kitsuchi believed he had exerted his utmost to sprint forward, in Kakuzu's eyes, his speed was still extremely slow, like that of a snail.
Boom!
Kakuzu lifted his foot and instantly kicked it straight into Kitsuchi's chest. The rocky armor covering Kitsuchi's torso exploded violently as he was flung backward from the impact.
[Kitsuchi] Farewell... To die like this is really suffocating!
After receiving Kakuzu's kick, Kitsuchi's face darkened before his consciousness faded and his breath vanished completely as he sped backwards.
On his body, the Explosive Tags were already at their detonation edge; the explosion would come any second now.
Using Explosive Tags for one last strike was just a desperate attempt—he had no other choice in that condition.
[Akatsuchi, let's go!!]
In the instant Kitsuchi gave the warning, Deidara made up his mind and darted toward Akatsuchi.
"Heh! You want to escape? No way!"
Hidan noticed Deidara's movement and immediately chased after him toward where Akatsuchi and the others were fleeing.
Up until now, Hidan had been beaten down again and again by Deidara, wounded and deeply humiliated each time.
But now, with Kakuzu turning the tables and defeating Kitsuchi, the situation had drastically changed. Since Deidara wanted to flee, naturally, Hidan wouldn't allow him to leave so easily.
Shwip!
Carrying his weapon on his shoulder, his figure flickered as he directly pursued Deidara's Giant Bird, ready to strike the moment Deidara lowered his altitude to pick up his companions.
"Damn it!"
Deidara slightly tilted his head and caught sight of Hidan close behind, grinning arrogantly. His brow furrowed instantly.
Yet, without hesitation, he abruptly changed direction. Instead of heading toward Akatsuchi, he dove low and swooped down straight at Hidan who was pursuing them.
He could either save them or walk away—he'd always hated being pushed around.
Boom!
Meanwhile, Kitsuchi's body, midair after being kicked away by Kakuzu, exploded. The rocky armor covering his body shattered into countless fragments scattering outward, while his own form fell onto the ground incomplete and damaged.
A quasi-Kage from Iwagakure Village, the son of Onoki—the village's leader—and Jonin-ranked warrior, Kitsuchi, had died here in battle against Hokuto, a member of the Akatsuki Organization bearing the codename Hokuto.
To Kakuzu, Kitsuchi's final attack was nothing more than feeble and absurd.
Although Kitsuchi possessed considerable strength, undeniably on the level of a quasi-Kage, against Kakuzu, whose power reached true Kage-level, he ultimately proved insufficient.
Certainly, the battle had taken some unexpected turns, but Kakuzu emerged victorious anyway—accomplishing exactly what he needed.
Thud! Kakuzu turned away from Kitsuchi's corpse, setting his gaze upon Hidan, who continued chasing after Deidara, and also on Deidara himself, circling high above. Nearby stood several other Iwagakure ninja stunned, lost in shock.
Killing these remaining Iwagakure ninja would complete the mission successfully!
As for Kitsuchi's head, he'd retrieve it later—it was worth tens of millions of ryo after all, not a small sum even for the Akatsuki Organization.
As treasurer, it was his duty to protect the organization's interests and fund more fights—something he saw not just as duty, but as joy.
"Now then, it's your turn!"
Kakuzu glared at Akatsuchi and the others, his eyes filled with cold disdain—as if those enemies weren't even worth noticing.
To Kakuzu, they were less than nothing—already ghosts erased from his mind.
Now that Kitsuchi was dead, there was no force left in Iwagakure strong enough to stop him!
Those enemies were already doomed!
Except for that guy flying around up there—he was just a minor pain. As far as Kakuzu was concerned, every other ninja was already dead.
"What?! Just like that—Kitsuchi-sama is gone?!"
"No way! How could someone as mighty as Kitsuchi-sama be defeated?!"
"Have the enemies really gotten this strong? What hope do we even have then...?"
Nearby, several Iwa ninja wore shifting expressions, their faces paling as if foreseeing their own fate.
They were all jonin or special jonin of Iwagakure—but if even the mighty Kitsuchi-sama, whose strength nearly matched a Kage's, couldn't beat this enemy, how could they stand a chance?
A heavy sense of helplessness settled over them.
But then, their eyes locked onto Deidara—and suddenly, the dark sky cracked open with hope.
If they could get on the bird, maybe the enemy wouldn't be able to touch them? Just like Deidara, floating above while the enemies could only shout from below!
They tightened their fists—hope finally taking shape in their grasp.
"Deidara, let us board your bird now!"
They noticed the bird Deidara stood on now was bigger than the one he used earlier for scouting—it could easily hold several people!
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