As Kakuzu's mind trembled, he unleashed his full strength; the information he had just realized was too important!
Naruto, however, had no idea what Kakuzu was imagining.
If he knew, he'd probably die laughing.
Kakuzu actually thought the Umbrella Organization was nothing more than Konoha's front!
His killing intent surged, and countless black threads from Earth Grudge Fear whipped out violently, creating a horrifying sight. Even Izumi frowned at the display; though she was an Uchiha, she was still just a young girl.
Faced with something so grotesque, she instinctively wanted to erase it completely.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
One of Kakuzu's masks opened its mouth, spitting out a bolt of lightning that arced toward Naruto and Izumi. Because they were standing on water, the current spread rapidly across the surface.
Izumi's hands blurred through seals, and with a roar of flames, countless fireballs shot toward Kakuzu. He didn't even bother dodging, spitting out another blast of False Darkness while his Earth Spear technique hardened his body into stone-like armor. Still, even with that monstrous defense, the searing heat of the fire singed him.
Naruto darted across the water's surface, his movements sharp and agile. Suddenly, Kakuzu's instincts screamed at him. Death was near.
Naruto's palm was already glowing with swirling chakra, rapidly forming into the high-speed rotation of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Every strand of the compressed wind chakra carried unbelievable piercing power. No matter how durable Earth Spear was, it could never withstand such destruction.
Kakuzu's years of combat told him instantly—this attack was deadly beyond measure.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken… even among S-rank Ninjutsu, this one was top-class.
Naruto hurled it forward.
The Rasenshuriken slammed into Kakuzu, and a devastating shockwave exploded outward, tearing the surroundings apart in a whirlwind of raw destruction.
Izumi's Sharingan widened at the sight. The sheer force of it made her heart tremble. Against that technique, even she could only rely on Susanoo. The Uchiha's most prized genjutsu arts were practically useless against Naruto.
After all, Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. To affect him, one needed layered genjutsu, and even A-rank illusions could be broken by his sheer willpower.
Though his mental energy developed slowly, his unyielding spirit—Heaven Rewards Diligence—continued to grow stronger over time.
Kakuzu's body looked as if it had been torn apart. To Izumi, he was as good as dead.
But Naruto wasn't convinced.
Earth Grudge Fear made Kakuzu notoriously difficult to kill. He had five hearts, and unless all of them were destroyed, he wouldn't die. Could it be that all five had been obliterated at once?
Naruto doubted it. He grew cautious. When he noticed Izumi preparing to check the corpse, he quickly stopped her.
"Wait a moment."
Half a minute passed in silence. The body didn't move. Finally, Naruto stepped forward and flipped over the mask.
But Kakuzu's form dissolved instantly into water—it had only been a Water Clone.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. So he escaped…
If Kakuzu had prepared the clone earlier, Naruto's senses would have caught it. Which meant… he must have used the technique in that split second of impact.
The sheer pain tolerance—and the will to sacrifice an arm to survive—was something only a hardened veteran could manage.
It was like the Golden Cicada technique, shedding one's shell to escape death. Kakuzu had turned into water amidst the chaos and slipped away.
Naruto let out a low whistle of admiration. As expected of someone who had lived for decades. Kakuzu's combat instincts, experience, and decisiveness were terrifying.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu fled, his expression twisted in pain and fury.
Two of his hearts were gone.
Even with Earth Spear reinforcing his body, he had narrowly avoided losing more.
He didn't dare stop running. If Naruto and Izumi pursued him now, he wouldn't last.
No, he had to report this immediately.
After circling around and replenishing his hearts, Kakuzu finally found a safe place to contact the leader.
He relayed everything he had seen.
Pain—Nagato's Deva Path—listened silently, his eyes thoughtful.
"A mysterious organization… understood. Gather the members. We will convene."
Back on Naruto's side, Izumi wrinkled her nose and asked softly, "He escaped?"
"Yes. Let's go back." Naruto's voice was calm.
Izumi hesitated. "We're not going to chase him? What if this exposes us completely?"
"It doesn't matter," Naruto said, eyes steady. "With our strength, exposure isn't a threat."
He glanced toward the horizon.
"Ninja may be powerful, but most are still just people. The nobles who rely on us won't allow us to be crushed. We control the largest grain exports, and secretly many nobles themselves. Even if our existence becomes known, the Daimyō won't risk plunging the world into chaos unless it threatens the balance of the entire shinobi system."
"At worst, they'll send small squads after us. And small squads… we don't fear."
His words were full of confidence.
Izumi thought it over. By following Naruto, she had been pulled into something far larger than she had realized. This wasn't just a hidden group—it was a force already rivaling a great nation.
It was almost unthinkable.
After all, if the Akatsuki had gone all out in the original timeline, no single Hidden Village could have stopped them.
Pain alone had reduced Konoha to rubble. If not for Naruto's intervention and Nagato's Rinne Rebirth, the village's strength would have been crippled beyond recovery.
If not for Obito's schemes, the endless army of White Zetsu, and Konoha's revival through the Rinne Rebirth, the outcome of the Fourth Great Ninja War might have been entirely different.
Perhaps Danzo could have realized his ambition of becoming Hokage—seizing power through Root and consolidating his influence within the village.
But the other Hidden Villages were never easy opponents. When faced with overwhelming external threats, they had no choice but to unite. After all, Akatsuki's goal was the Tailed Beasts—the very foundation of the entire Ninja World.
In the years that followed, Naruto and Sasuke stood as the new Madara and Hashirama. Their very existence was a deterrent, like a living mushroom bomb. As long as the two of them lived, the Ninja World dared not plunge into another great conflict.
Sasuke, having seen the truth of the world, came to believe that lasting peace required unity under a single hand. He walked the same path Madara once had, choosing to shoulder everything alone.
Naruto, however, chose a different path—saving Sasuke once again. Their battle forced Sasuke to place his trust in Naruto's conviction.
Perhaps both were right. Perhaps both were wrong.
The Ninja World, lacking any true ideological foundation, was never destined to become what they imagined. Only through a revolution of blood and fire could an immortal empire be born.
For true peace to exist, both material resources and ideology must be unified. Without a shared vision, peaceful coexistence is nothing but an illusion. And without balance in resources, class conflict will always resurface.
This was why the other Hidden Villages so often set their sights on Konoha.
What use would it be to attack Sunagakure? The Land of Wind was nothing but deserts and stone. Even if they won, the spoils would barely cover the cost of war.
Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, however, the other villages had long since understood his temperament.
Even if they lost a war, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never impose crushing reparations. On the contrary, he would extend a hand of peace, choosing reconciliation over vengeance.
Time and again, history repeated itself.
At most, Konoha would make only symbolic demands—small concessions so insignificant they hardly mattered.
...
TN:
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