Chapter 257: Saori's Strike
Kakuzu's brow furrowed as he studied the man before him. From his attire and his cold, lifeless demeanor, he could tell that this was no ordinary rogue ninja. This was a man who had been trained by one of the ancient, powerful clans.
A sense of unease began to creep into his heart. Something was wrong.
Just as he was about to capture the man and interrogate him, the sound of movement filled the forest.
In an instant, he was surrounded by a group of similarly dressed shinobi, all of them radiating the same cold, deadly aura.
To avoid a prolonged engagement, he decided to strike first. With a single hand sign, he spewed a torrent of water from his mouth.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
An ordinary shinobi would have been forced to meet the attack head-on. But these men were anything but ordinary. They moved with a fluid, preternatural grace, easily evading the jutsu without taking a single drop of damage.
"How is that possible...? These men..." Kakuzu was stunned. He knew his attack wasn't impossible to dodge, but for so many of them to do so with such perfect, simultaneous precision... it was unheard of.
Unless... unless they all possessed some kind of shared ability, something that allowed them to anticipate his every move.
The Uchiha... The name, a synonym for power, came to his lips. His expression flickered through a series of emotions before settling on a mask of pure, murderous intent.
It didn't matter why the Uchiha were after him. If he killed them all and fled the Land of Fire, their schemes would come to nothing.
His aura, that of a top-tier shinobi, exploded outward, pressing down on his opponents. But just as he was about to unleash his full power, two new figures appeared, and he hesitated.
It was, of course, Kyosuke and Saori, who had teleported to the scene using the Flying Thunder God marker.
"Lord Kyosuke," the secret guards said, gathering before him and bowing respectfully.
"You've done well. You can go," Kyosuke said, his voice light and casual.
"Yes, sir."
In an instant, they were gone.
"Well?" Kyosuke asked, turning to Saori.
Her eyes were fixed on Kakuzu, her expression grave. "...He's strong."
"Interested in a fight?" Kyosuke asked, leaning against his giant fan. He already knew the answer. The ever-competitive Saori would never pass up an opportunity to test her skills against a powerful opponent.
"Heh. Of course I am," she said without hesitation. She walked forward, stopping a few meters away from Kakuzu.
The veins around her eyes bulged as she activated her Byakugan, her own elite-jonin-level aura flaring to life. Without a word, she lunged forward, her palm aimed at his chest.
The Byakugan? The Hyuga clan?! What the hell is going on?
He easily parried her attack, his mind racing. The Uchiha and the Hyuga, working together... it was enough to make even him consider retreating. This wasn't like his time in the Akatsuki, where he had Hidan as a partner and Zetsu feeding him information. He was alone. Even with his immense power, he couldn't take on an entire army.
Distracted by these thoughts, he found himself being pushed back by Saori's relentless assault.
Kyosuke, who had been watching from the sidelines, saw this and smiled to himself. I'll let Saori have her fun. I can always step in if she gets into trouble.
"Hah!"
Saori's full-powered strike was still not enough to break through his defense. But instead of frustration, a triumphant smile spread across her face.
A flicker of alarm shot through Kakuzu, but it was too late.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
He was already within her range. Before he could even think to dodge, a series of rapid, precise strikes rained down on him, striking his tenketsu points. His body was tossed about like a ship in a storm.
With a final, powerful blow, Saori finished her barrage.
But before she could even catch her breath, a black, thread-like arm shot out from his body and slammed into her, sending her flying back, coughing up blood.
She managed to regain her balance, her expression grim as she watched him approach.
He took sixty-four palms to the face and he's completely unharmed? What kind of monster is he?
She stood her ground, her mind racing, trying to find a weakness.
The hardening effect of his "Earth Grudge Fear" technique began to fade. He looked at the two of them, his expression unreadable. "Every time I see a Konoha shinobi," he said, his voice a low growl, "I'm reminded of the first man from your village I ever fought."
"Hashirama Senju..."
He stood there, waiting for their gasps of awe and surprise.
Kyosuke: "..."
Saori: "..."
Kakuzu: "..."
After a long, awkward silence, a look of pure fury appeared on Kakuzu's face. He felt his dignity had been insulted. His chakra exploded outward.
"You ignorant brats! I'll send you to your deaths!"
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