Chapter 82: Defeating Kakuzu – Subjugation
"Shinra Tensei!"
Facing the ferocious sea of flames rushing toward him, Ling Yu showed no fear. He raised one hand forward.
The Rinnegan in his eyes flared with power. A massive repulsive force formed an invisible barrier in front of him. With a forward push, Ling Yu sent Kakuzu's inferno roaring straight back at him.
"What kind of technique is this?!"
Caught off guard by Ling Yu's bizarre move, Kakuzu immediately stopped his ninjutsu and retreated rapidly to avoid the returning flames.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!"
Before Kakuzu could steady himself, Ling Yu appeared behind him in an instant. A colossal chakra fist smashed toward Kakuzu's heart.
"Not good!"
Kakuzu's hair stood on end. Reacting on instinct, he sent the fire-affinity mask creature from his shoulder backward to block the attack.
But Ling Yu's strike was too powerful—the fire mask shattered instantly.
This meant Kakuzu now had only four hearts left. Yet Ling Yu's chakra fist continued forward with undiminished force, aiming straight for Kakuzu's chest.
Sizzle—
Though no blood sprayed, a massive hole was blasted through Kakuzu's torso. Fortunately, he had shifted his heart in time and avoided losing another life.
Leaping backward several steps, Kakuzu maintained a safe distance. The gaping wound in his chest began filling with black threads from his body, and in moments it was completely healed.
"It seems I underestimated your strength. Your head really is worth me using my strongest form."
Kakuzu tore open his shirt and spoke arrogantly.
In the next instant, his body swelled dramatically. His arms elongated, and eight massive black-thread tentacles erupted from beneath his chin. The remaining three masks also appeared around his head.
"Hahaha! Everyone who has seen me in this form has died by my hand. You'll be the next!"
Kakuzu laughed wildly at Ling Yu. The eight tentacles lashed out simultaneously, streaking toward him at blinding speed.
Using Space Power, Ling Yu flashed aside and dodged the encirclement.
Though the tentacles missed and smashed deep craters into the ground, Kakuzu didn't retract them. Instead, he poured even more chakra into them.
BOOM!
In the next moment, countless black threads erupted from beneath Ling Yu's feet, weaving together like a prison that instantly enveloped him.
"Die! Your head is mine!"
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
"Water Style: Water Curtain Tent!"
The moment Ling Yu was trapped, the masked creatures on Kakuzu's shoulders unleashed their ninjutsu simultaneously. Three different elemental attacks surged toward him.
"Susanoo!"
No longer holding back, Ling Yu switched his eyes to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. A golden giant burst through the black-thread prison. Its overwhelming defensive power completely blocked Kakuzu's triple attack.
"How is this possible?! How can someone from the Senju clan possess the Uchiha clan's dōjutsu?!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.
He had lived in the era of Hashirama Senju and knew far better than most just how terrifying Susanoo was. Back then, Uchiha Madara had relied on his Mangekyō Sharingan to fight Hashirama evenly.
Though Madara ultimately lost to Wood Release, Susanoo was no less fearsome—it had been one of the most dreaded bloodline limits in the ninja world.
Whoosh!
Fully powered, Ling Yu swung the Totsuka Blade in a devastating arc. Even the mere wind pressure from the swing cracked the earth around them. In that instant, Kakuzu felt no desire to resist.
Watching the colossal blade descend, Kakuzu finally realized he couldn't dodge. He had no choice but to block it head-on.
He gathered all eight tentacles into a massive shield, hoping to withstand the attack.
But the Earth Grudge Fear that Kakuzu had always prided himself on shattered like paper under Ling Yu's blade, cleaved open in a single stroke.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the solid ground split into a fissure more than ten meters deep. Three of Kakuzu's hearts shattered instantly. Only because Ling Yu held back did Kakuzu survive.
"Cough… I lost. I never expected you to be this strong."
Looking at Ling Yu who had jumped down, Kakuzu spoke bitterly.
He had thought this bounty would be easy to claim. But Ling Yu's techniques grew more monstrous with every move—five more hearts wouldn't have been enough.
"Don't worry—you won't die. I can spare your life!"
Looking at the half-dead Kakuzu, Ling Yu gave a light laugh. He had no intention of killing him.
"Hm? What do you want?"
Kakuzu—who had closed his eyes expecting death—snapped them open at Ling Yu's words. His gaze turned wary.
He didn't want to die either, but he knew nothing in the world was free. If Ling Yu was sparing him, there had to be some scheme.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Forming hand seals, Ling Yu mimicked Uchiha Itachi's crow technique. Activating his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he fed Kakuzu a fruit containing countless cherry blossoms.
As chakra flowed through Kakuzu's body, the fruit gradually fused with him.
"This is a seal I've placed inside your hearts. As long as you obey me, it won't activate. But if I wish it—no matter how far away you are—countless cherry blossom blades will erupt inside you and destroy all your hearts in an instant."
After planting the seal in Kakuzu's body, Ling Yu threatened coldly:
"And no matter how many hearts you replace, the seal will remain. Only I can remove it. From now on, you will follow my orders. I am your master—your life and death are in my hands."
"Don't worry—I won't send you to your death. As long as you complete the tasks I give you, I might even set you free one day."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Kakuzu asked cautiously.
"I want you to travel the ninja world and gather information on all the tailed beasts—except the Nine-Tails. When the time comes, I'll find you."
Thinking about how he would soon awaken Wood Release, Ling Yu had already set his sights on the tailed beasts.
Once he absorbed the chakra of all nine beasts and awakened Six Paths Mode, he could head to the moon to investigate the Rinnegan.
"Alright. You can leave now. Remember—don't come looking for me unless it's about the tailed beasts. Understood?"
After giving Kakuzu one final warning, Ling Yu didn't linger. In an instant, he vanished from the spot.
After Ling Yu left, Kakuzu took several dozen minutes to recover. Enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body, he picked up his torn black cloak and draped it over himself.
Before departing, he cast one last deep glance toward the direction of the Hidden Rain Village, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Ding! Congratulations, host! Defeated Kakuzu. Reward: Exquisite Chest ×2, Exchange Points +200.
At the same time, the system notification appeared in Ling Yu's mind. Now he had finally accumulated enough Exquisite Chests to synthesize one Precious Chest.
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