Seeing Kakuzu in such dire straits, Hidan, who was originally just watching from the sidelines, could no longer hold back. Not that it was out of concern for his partner; the cult of Jashin didn't preach anything close to compassion. Rather, Hidan knew that if Kakuzu went down, he wouldn't be far behind.
The Akatsuki operated in two-man cells, typically consisting of a dominant and a subordinate member. In the infamous immortal duo of Kakuzu and Hidan, the former was clearly the leader.
Hidan, arrogant and prideful as he was, had never admitted to this hierarchy. But after a brutal defeat in a head-on clash with Kakuzu, he knew full well just how terrifying the man was. And now… that very Kakuzu had been taken down by some kid?
He couldn't believe it.
"Clang!" Hidan gripped his scythe with his remaining right hand and charged straight at Kirito.
Kakuzu's main heart had just been pierced by over a dozen blades, there was no saving that one. But with three more hearts still external, he hadn't lost consciousness yet. However, in order to move again, one of those hearts had to be recalled to his main body.
Grunting, he used his vein-like tendrils to painfully pull the blades out of his chest, one by one. Not far off, the lightning-element mask creature's body, composed of those same tendrils, began to disassemble. The mask and tendrils slithered back into his torso, beginning the rapid reassembly process.
Kirito narrowed his eyes. There was no way he was going to let Kakuzu recover. He'd finally exploited a rare mistake and dealt serious damage, if he let him bounce back now, there wouldn't be a second chance.
He snapped his fingers. A blade rained down from above. But just then, shhk!, Hidan blurred into view and blocked it, swinging his massive scythe.
"Clang!" The force of the impact sent tremors up Hidan's arm, his face flushing red from the shock. The sheer explosive force behind Kirito's sword in the Senkei state was far beyond what Hidan could handle, especially with just one arm.
"Crash!" A second blade shattered his scythe and drove deep into his shoulder.
"ARRRGH, DAMMIT! You little bastard, that hurt like hell!!" Hidan howled, but as always, his immortality meant no matter how much he bled or broke, he wouldn't die.
Kirito's expression darkened. In the next instant, boom!, he flashed forward, fist clenched.
Eight Extreme Collapse!
With a thunderous blow, Hidan's chest caved in as he was launched like a cannonball into the distance by the explosive force. Kirito snapped his hand down, sending another blade flying, thunk!, it skewered Hidan through the gut and pinned him to the ground like a butterfly to a board.
Then, shhk! shhk!, two more blades flew into his hands. Kirito charged at Kakuzu like a human missile.
But just as he closed in-
"Tch..." Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. Thanks to Hidan's interference, he'd bought just enough time to recover.
"Lightning Style: Earth Walk!"
Slamming a hand to the ground, he sent a surge of lightning chakra racing across the earth.
Kirito's feet twitched, halting his step, but he wasn't fazed. He slashed his swords down, carving deep gouges into the earth with raw sword pressure, severing the flow of lightning before it could reach him.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!"
Fully mobile again, Kakuzu launched a counterattack. Massive blasts of chakra-infused air pressure hurtled toward Kirito like cannonballs. Knowing the destructive force contained within, Kirito leapt back to avoid them. In Senkei state, his strength was entirely focused on explosive strikes, not defense.
The cherry blossom blades forming the sword array were fixed in place to maintain the dimensional seal; they couldn't be redirected to defend.
"Hmph!"
Whether from fatigue or a split-second lapse, Kirito's body stopped mid-air. One of the vacuum bullets slammed into his waist, boom!, sending him crashing into a rocky outcrop.
"Khff!" Blood spurted from his lips.
Kakuzu's counterattack had landed. But he wasn't in great shape either. Losing two hearts, especially one linked directly to his main body, had taken a massive toll on him.
He panted heavily, his aura flickering. But don't mistake that for weakness. He still had three hearts left.
Across the field, Kirito leaned against a rock, gasping. His pale face and shaky hands betrayed his limits. And yet… the glint in his narrowed eyes remained sharp as ever. One opening, and he'd strike like a storm.
Kakuzu saw it too.
"Still enough chakra left to keep fighting... but, " he glanced at the remnants of his shattered earth-element mask. Without the earth chakra, I can't use my strongest technique...
Scorching Hellfire Barrage, a triple-release technique combining fire, wind, and earth elements. An S-class technique and his ultimate move. But now, without the earth heart... it was off the table.
Kirito, meanwhile, was trying to calm his frayed nerves and regulate his breathing. Every muscle screamed in exhaustion, his arms barely able to lift his swords.
And yet he stood, solid, unwavering.
He had no idea that destroying Kakuzu's earth-element mask had crippled the man's strongest technique. But he knew one thing: he couldn't fall now.
He had to keep up the pressure. Keep looking invincible. If he faltered, it would all be over.
And it worked.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. Everything about Kirito, his posture, his focus, his calm, spoke of danger. He'd already tasted that sword once. If he kept pushing his luck, the kid might land another blow... and that might be the last.
He had no interest in gambling with death today.
The tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear slowly retracted back into Kakuzu's skin. He vanished in a blur, reappearing beside the impaled Hidan.
Without a word, he pulled the sword out of Hidan's gut and tossed it aside.
He grabbed the broken, limp body by the collar.
"Oi oi oi! What the hell, Kakuzu?! You're not gonna kill that little bastard?!" Hidan shouted, still screaming despite half his bones being shattered.
"Don't forget what the boss said," Kakuzu replied coldly. "Our mission was to assess his strength. If he's qualified, we bring him back to the Akatsuki."
"Right now, we don't have the strength to do either."
He turned away.
"We retreat."
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