"This is quite troublesome!"
Kakuzu gave a cold stare, and the Masked Beast beside him immediately stepped forward, keeping a sharp eye on any movement from the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
Back when they captured the Five-Tails, he had lost one heart, later replenished by Kitsuchi. However, his Five-Element Circulation had been broken ever since then.
This time, they left in such a rush that they couldn't find proper spare hearts. So although he entered battle at full strength with five hearts, two of them were earth chakra hearts, making his power noticeably weaker compared to his usual Five-Element Circulation form.
The fight against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki here had also taken its toll. At first, among the three of them, only Kakuzu was capable of handling direct frontal assaults. Therefore, he suffered the heaviest losses.
Although Hidan looked even worse off, that was just surface appearance. After all, physical injuries to Hidan were as trivial as losing a tooth—something easily compensated or repaired.
But Kakuzu's supply of hearts took an immense amount of time to acquire. Not just any ninja would do. Over the years, aside from hearts that decayed naturally over time or were damaged in battle, he had used fewer than ten hearts in total throughout his life.
With Earth Grudge Fear's existence, every single heart he used was carefully selected across the entire shinobi world—carefully chosen parts forming his ultimate Five-Element Circulation system. These allowed him to stand among the strongest in the Shinobi World, transforming into a human jutsu cannon capable of wiping out entire nations single-handedly.
Now down to just two hearts, Kakuzu felt himself growing cautious. He dared not charge recklessly like before.
Though the opponent had already reached his limit as a Jinchuriki, if he wasn't careful, there remained a real risk of being counter-killed—an unacceptable gamble.
"Let me take over. You seem to be in pretty bad shape. Normally I wouldn't care about your life or death—I'd even rather you die quickly and become part of my collection—but I don't want you dying so soon on our first mission together!"
Sasori noticed Kakuzu's hesitation and gestured for him to step back slightly. Such words fit his personality exactly—not born from concern for his allies' safety, but rather his own interests.
So far during this fight, he had only lost one Hiruko puppet, while all other human puppets were still in perfect condition.
Moreover, both Roshi and Terumi Mei were clearly suited for dealing with large targets. Roshi's Lava Release and Mei's Boil Release slightly overwhelmed the opponent.
Earlier, it was Sasori manipulating them alongside Hidan's cursed attacks that drove B out of his tailed beast form, leading to the current situation.
"Fine, take over."
After brief consideration, Kakuzu agreed.
Being recklessly aggressive wasn't his style—not at this stage. Getting 'recycled' now, so close to finishing this, would be a lasting humiliation. Even though he valued nothing except money, such shame was unacceptable!
Killer B was clearly on his last legs, and Hidan's Cursed Attack had played the most critical role. Just like when these two had captured Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, everyone who initially underestimated Hidan ended up paying a price impossible to ignore.
"Huh?! He can still move?!"
Hidan noticed B's transformation, twisting the spear in his hand once again as it churned inside B's heart area. Blood sprayed from the wound, splashing onto the cursed symbol of Jashin within the circle, gradually merging with it, making it look even more grotesque.
Amidst pain so intense it nearly blurred his consciousness, Hidan glared with blood-red eyes, shouting wildly: "Hahaha! This is what happens when you underestimate me! Keep enduring this agony!"
Before this, he hadn't gained even the slightest upper hand against Killer B—left completely vulnerable and beaten like a lifeless punching bag. Without obtaining B's blood afterward, his talk about "capturing the Eight-Tails" would've been nothing but a joke.
But everything changed when he acquired the medium necessary for the Cursed Attack technique!
Not even the world's strongest ninja could endure the torment of having his heart skewered and shredded beyond recognition. Jinchuriki may have strong vitality, but that doesn't make them immortal—it just means death comes slowly, prolonging their agony endlessly.
Huff! Huff!
As Hidan kept twisting the spear, Killer B—who had already transformed into Tailed Beast form—froze mid-movement. Several powerful tentacles swung violently, smashing nearby rocks and the ground beneath them, as painful cries escaped from his mouth.
His massive body trembled slightly, his eyes betraying unmistakable agony.
All suffering endured by Hidan was shared with B, which was then passed on to Gyuki, the Eight-Tails. Therefore, when pain arrived, both Hidan and Gyuki suffered terribly.
Of course, tailed beasts handled the pain better than humans—they were made of chakra, not flesh and bone.
"Graaah! Graaah!"
Blood slowly dripped from Killer B's lips as his body curled inward, almost as if doing so could ease the pain.
"In that case, I'll take action now!"
Sasori, seeing Killer B's change, immediately tightened the chakra threads shooting out from his chest, signaling instantly for Roshi and Terumi Mei to charge forward.
After being converted into human puppets by Sasori, both retained their Kekkei Genkai abilities, making them formidable opponents indeed!
As for Han earlier, time constraints meant Sasori hadn't fully completed his conversion into a puppet. Even with Terumi Mei, some imperfections remained due to her rushed creation. Once this mission concluded, Sasori planned to continue fine-tuning both.
At present, he highly valued these powerful human puppets possessing advanced Kekkei Genkai and felt immense research interest toward further experimentation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The transformed Killer B continued curling inward, his tentacles spinning rapidly in front of him like fan blades, generating powerful gusts of wind that affected the three individuals and their puppets, forcing them to halt progress and brace themselves.
Meanwhile, massive amounts of chakra gathered around his mouth area, mixed precisely with Yin-Yang Release energy in strict proportion.
[Tailed Beast Ball!!!]
"Come on!"
Gathering all his strength, B could only think of this one technique to take down the three enemies at once. Among the ninjutsu he mastered, only this one had a wide enough range and sufficient power. If it connected properly, it could instantly turn the tide of battle!
His injuries were severe. If not for Gyuki continuously supporting him, he would have already fainted. Therefore, in this final desperate moment, he couldn't afford to waste time using ineffective techniques against the enemy.
Just having his heart pierced triggered his body's protective mechanisms automatically, slowly slipping into a dormant state. Time was limited.
Moreover, the Tailed Beast Ball was practically his strongest move. Previously, he'd used it to repel enemies, even instantly destroying three of that enemy's Mask Beast clones and severely injuring him.
However, because B hadn't adequately prepared before, that Tailed Beast Ball merely took form but lacked considerable power.
But now...this was his fully unleashed Tailed Beast Ball!
Struggling to stay conscious, B endured the pain radiating from his heart and kept shaping chakra using the familiar method for unleashing the Tailed Beast Ball.
Though determined to hold on, he could feel his thoughts getting fuzzy and his body growing weaker by the second.
Boom!!
Just when he thought he couldn't hold on any longer, the Tailed Beast Ball finally completed its formation. A black-purple energy sphere appeared in his mouth, radiating a powerful aura.
Without wasting words, B aimed at Hidan and others nearby, then snapped his jaws shut, firing it instantly.
The Tailed Beast Ball launched from his mouth propelled his massive body backward several steps. Due to his current weakened condition, his enormous frame tumbled several times before crashing against a stone pillar behind him.
"Not this move again!"
Kakuzu immediately shifted his body quickly as soon as B moved, dodging sideways.
Though the Tailed Beast Ball seemed to have a long charging period, in reality it was nearly instantaneous. Therefore, they barely managed their escape somewhat hastily.
And considering this technique's immense power, Kakuzu definitely didn't want to take another direct hit like last time, which had cost him three hearts. Now, he only had two left!
Furthermore, judging by appearances, this one looked much stronger than the previous one—at least the chakra concentration level was significantly higher, and its size had increased somewhat too.
"Hidan, dodge it!"
While moving, he still remembered to warn his teammate. However, Hidan's innate abilities were much weaker, and right now he was missing parts of his body with serious wounds, so his reaction speed slowed considerably.
Swish! Swish!
Gritting his teeth, four black threads from Earth Grudge Fear shot out rapidly from Kakuzu's arms, instantly wrapping around Hidan's thigh before pulling him sideways forcefully.
[Lava Release - Blazing River Rock Technique!]
Roshi leaped into midair, his entire body enveloped in red Lava Release chakra, releasing multiple sizable magma spheres toward B.
[Boil Release: Monster Ball Technique!]
Terumi Mei followed Roshi closely, spitting out a very dark-colored and extremely viscous acidic liquid.
Thus, magma balls and acid fluid twisted together in midair, eventually forming a massive projectile matching the size of a tailed beast ball.
While controlling his puppets to unleash ninjutsu, Sasori swiftly rolled aside.
As he had anticipated, even though the combined attack was powerful, it was still no match for a tailed beast ball—it could only barely hold it off for a moment, giving him just enough time to flee.
True to his expectations, as he dodged sideways, the tailed beast ball smashed into those acid-covered magma spheres!
Boom...
Just as predicted, the tailed beast ball easily overpowered them, maintaining its speed as it headed straight toward the center where Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan stood.
Judging from the power of the previous tailed beast ball, even if they ran as fast as possible, it seemed impossible to escape the attack range entirely.
"That damn technique! You're on your own—I can't help!"
A blast of high-pressure gas shot out beneath Sasori's feet, rocketing him upward into the air.
Before activating the mechanisms within his body, he quickly glanced at Kakuzu and Hidan, who were fleeing in different directions.
They were clearly much slower and closer to the incoming tailed beast ball. Thus, Sasori had little hope for their survival unless someone else came to save them.
But at this moment, who could possibly come to their rescue?
Zetsu hiding in the shadows?
Excellent for intelligence infiltration, but he had never displayed any combat prowess. In such a scenario, even he probably couldn't do anything.
Facing an unstoppable tailed beast ball, Sasori wanted to assist Kakuzu and others but lacked the strength. Besides, he himself hadn't fully escaped danger yet—he had just moved away from the most dangerous zone.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Propelled by the jets under his feet, he soared into the distant sky, desperately fleeing. His two puppets followed closely behind, guided by chakra threads. As for the Third Kazekage puppet, he had already put it away. Although its Iron Sand Body could provide some defense, its effectiveness was limited—it was better to run a little farther.
"This damn guy! His heart was totally shattered, so how does he still have the strength to keep using ninjutsu?"
Hidan wasn't particularly fast. The tailed beast ball was already close behind him, its surface developing clear cracks, and the bright white glow inside began to shine outward like it would explode any second.
Swish!
The final Mask Beast—the being previously used as a heart substitute by the Yellow Figure—suddenly dropped back one step behind Kakuzu and slammed both hands onto the ground.
Boom!
A massive earthen wall shot up, decorated with majestic stone carvings, clearly built for heavy defense.
Crack!
The tailed beast ball resembled a jade about to shatter, its cracks expanding rapidly until immense energy burst forth.
"Done for!"
Hidan's face turned pale as he felt intense heat approaching from behind. An irresistible force struck his back in the next instant, sending him flying forward.
During that flight, his sense of his own body gradually vanished, as if he'd been melted away—mysteriously and inexplicably.
Pfft!
Although Kakuzu was a few steps ahead of Hidan, and the masked beast continuously released techniques behind them as defense, they were still hit by the powerful shockwave, causing Kakuzu to immediately spit out a mouthful of old blood.
In the last clear moment before impact, the masked beast clung closely behind him and released another technique...
Among the three, Sasori remained the most relaxed—he was simply the farthest away and ran the fastest!
[Wood Release - First Eruption!]
Suddenly, a voice rang out. Though barely noticeable in the chaos, it effectively limited the Tailed Beast Ball's blast radius.
Shushushu! Cickiccki!
The ground instantly erupted. Thick roots and branches burst forth, and at their center lay the still-erupting Tailed Beast Ball, surging with explosive force in all directions.
With deliberate intent, the tree roots wrapped around the Tailed Beast Ball, layer after layer.
Once consumed, new roots regrew in seconds, as if limitless!
This continued for quite some time until the Tailed Beast Ball finally exhausted its energy. The area gradually grew calm, as though that intense explosion had never occurred.
Boom!
The final shockwave sent Sasori flying into a distant stone pillar, burying him deep and knocking him out cold.
As for Kakuzu and Hidan, they were completely obliterated from the spot, leaving no trace whatsoever.
"Nah, we still didn't make it in time!"
White Zetsu's amused voice appeared. He stood on the edge of the massive crater left by the Tailed Beast Ball, surrounded by countless roots and branches. His body was also wrapped in Zetsu leaves, adding to his eerie presence.
"Hmm? Did everyone die except Sasori? Oh, wait—Kakuzu is still breathing."
White Zetsu sensed around, finding only Sasori's presence clearly identifiable, with absolutely no sign of Hidan's chakra left behind. As for Kakuzu, his life force was very weak.
"Where's Tobi?"
"Over there."
It seemed like he was speaking to himself, yet Black Zetsu and White Zetsu conversed together before White Zetsu directed his gaze toward their target. Sure enough, he saw a pale figure crouched in the distance!
The one who just used Wood Release was definitely over there—Tobi—a rather strange figure in White Zetsu's eyes, whose fighting strength was decent. At least under his own and Black Zetsu's power enhancements, he could stand directly against a single Tailed Beast Ball.
"Ugh… did I fail?"
Collapsed on the ground, B once again returned to his human form. This time, he truly had no strength left for retaliation—the previous Tailed Beast Ball drained every ounce of power he could currently use.
Combined with his wounds, he had no choice but to enter a state of self-preservation—that is, unconsciousness!
In his last glimpse of vision, he saw a pale-skinned man wearing an odd smile walking step-by-step toward him, then crouching down and stretching out one finger to poke at him.
Thud!
That single finger pressed against his forehead—not forcefully, yet it instantly crushed whatever consciousness he had left. He completely fell into unconsciousness!
As for Eight-Tails Gyuki, the instant it released the Tailed Beast Ball, it weakened greatly and immediately entered hibernation.
"This Jinchuriki B doesn't seem that strong, does he?"
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