Haruchika Taro was restless—he would never allow anyone to disturb the fragile peace here!
He had long grown weary of the endless wars in the Shinobi World, but the Umbrella Organization had shown him a glimmer of hope. Even if it meant wagering his life—everything he had—he was willing to bet on it.
He only needed to hold out until reinforcements arrived!
Drawing upon a martial arts method, Taro forcefully stirred his blood and qi, squeezing his very cells to convert them into chakra.
He had turned to martial cultivation only after his path as a shinobi had reached its limit. If he wanted to grow stronger, he had no choice but to walk this new road.
But in truth, he was still only in the body-refining stage—far from the mastery of ninjutsu.
Stimulating his blood and qi carried fewer side effects than simply draining cell vitality to forcefully create chakra, though it still left lasting damage.
Yet he had no time to worry about that now!
With a shout, Taro burst out of the barrier, buying the others a chance to breathe.
"Oh? Finally decided to stop hiding?"
Kakuzu sneered.
Without hesitation, he moved to attack. He knew better than to drag things out—if reinforcements from the Umbrella arrived, things could turn troublesome.
It was precisely this caution that had allowed him to survive for nearly a century.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A spear of lightning crackled forth, only to be intercepted as Taro forced himself to block.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. Even after a single exchange, he could tell his opponent had grown stronger. One glance at Taro's pale face told the story—a secret technique?
"Humph."
Kakuzu's hands blurred through seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Combination Technique: Flaming Tornado!"
The roaring flames merged with the howling wind, forming a blazing inferno.
Though Kakuzu was undeniably powerful, he lacked a kekkei genkai. Among Kage-level shinobi, he was considered near the bottom in raw strength. But in terms of survival ability—few could match him.
For now, Haruchika Taro proved too resilient to be taken down quickly.
Against the overwhelming jutsu, Taro clenched his teeth and threw up several Water Release: Water Walls. Still, the combined torrent of fire and wind smashed through, sending him tumbling back, blood spilling from his mouth.
Yet he rose again, charging forward with his blade in hand—moving like a phantom.
His speed was sharp, easily on par with Elite Jōnin, but still insufficient before Kakuzu.
Kage-level… the gap was simply too vast.
Kakuzu pressed the advantage, his hand seals flowing without pause. Taro burned through chakra at a frightening rate just to keep up.
"It's over!" Kakuzu barked, unleashing another devastating technique.
Death's shadow closed over Taro.
I'm sorry, Naru-sama… Shisui-sama… I've failed you both.
But the killing blow never came.
Instead, a familiar voice rang out:
"Taro, you've done well. I'm not too late, am I?"
"Na–Naru-sama!" Taro's eyes lit up with relief.
"Save the reunion for later," Naruto said calmly. "First, let's deal with our guest."
With a single hand seal, an Earth Release: Earth Wall surged upward—far sturdier and larger than any ordinary one. It slammed into place, intercepting Kakuzu's attack with ease.
Kakuzu's expression flickered. In the next instant, he heard a rush of wind and realized his technique had been stopped.
"Reinforcements from the Umbrella, hm?"
Kakuzu muttered to himself. He had no intention of leaving—on the contrary, he wanted to probe the strength of this cloaked youth standing before him.
"Are you a high-ranking member of the Umbrella Organization… or perhaps its leader?"
His gaze lingered on Naruto. Though cloaked, his figure and voice betrayed his youth.
A genius, then?
But in the shinobi world, geniuses were a dime a dozen. Survival—that was what truly mattered.
"And who might you be?" Naruto asked, feigning ignorance.
Kakuzu's lips curled into a cold smile.
"I am Kakuzu. Seeing you reminds me of my battle with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. You are indeed a prodigy… but compared to Hashirama, you are still far too lacking."
Naruto couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth. He schooled his expression into one of awe, his acting flawless. Kakuzu genuinely believed the boy was taken aback by his words.
"You fought against the First Hokage? That's incredible!"
Then, with a sudden shift of tone, Naruto casually picked his nose and said,
"But aren't you the shinobi who threw a shuriken from eight hundred meters away and scared off the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju?"
Kakuzu's face darkened instantly. The brat was mocking him!
Scared off Hashirama? More like Hashirama scared me off…
Naruto's jab wasn't far from the truth. Years ago, he had been dispatched by Takigakure to assassinate Hashirama. A fool's errand. Assassinating the God of Shinobi was absurd.
Back then, the overwhelming aura of Hashirama had paralyzed him. Out of pride, he had hurled a shuriken from a distance—he couldn't even recall how far. Moments later, a mere Wood Clone had overwhelmed him, and Hashirama had spared his life.
"Damn brat!" Kakuzu roared, his hands flashing through seals.
Boundless chakra surged forth, his anger fueling it. His pride, rooted in his clash with the First Hokage, had just been trampled on.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!"
Water surged, and lightning arced, combining in deadly harmony.
Naruto's eyes gleamed as he observed. "Using water to conduct lightning, huh? Clever… but you've miscalculated."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Wind fed flame, the fire roared hotter. Water extinguished fire, but fire also turned water into steam. And as for lightning—wind dispersed it.
Boom!
The jutsu collided, the impact splitting the earth. Steam exploded outward, shrouding the battlefield in mist.
Kakuzu's expression grew grim. To an outsider, it seemed like a draw—but he realized Naruto had the advantage. His flames had evaporated Kakuzu's water, shifting the balance.
Leaping backward, Kakuzu flipped into higher ground. His fingers blurred, weaving one hand seal after another. In a breath, five elemental techniques erupted together, their combined aura swelling around him.
The torrent of power surged toward Naruto.
Naruto only curled his lips into a smirk, his gaze flicking past Kakuzu.
Whoosh!
Kakuzu's eyes widened in disbelief—his jutsu vanished into thin air. Two figures now stood at Naruto's side.
Izumi Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, its intricate pattern glowing ominously. She had erased the attack.
Though her eyes throbbed with pain—it was her first time nullifying something of such magnitude—her Mangekyō was strong enough to endure. Naruto had warned her of its dangers, so she rarely used its power until now.
Kakuzu froze. Recognition struck him harder than any jutsu.
"That's… the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Shock ran through him. He had thought only Uchiha Itachi and his younger brother remained alive after the clan's downfall. Yet here stood another Uchiha—one who had awakened the eyes of legend.
Izumi's Mangekyō pattern shimmered—a circle adorned with three delicate tails.
Kakuzu's thoughts raced. He was no fool. Between this Uchiha, the mysterious young leader cloaked in power, and another formidable presence nearby, he knew he couldn't win.
This… this is information the organization must know. I need to retreat.
But whether he would get the chance was another matter entirely.
...
TN:
⚒️ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin