Chapter 116: The Empowered Prey
Kakuzu's audacity was a direct slap to Akatsurugi's face. The Fourth Hokage had just taken office, and this rogue ninja dared to cause trouble right at his doorstep? It was an intolerable insult. Akatsurugi was furious.
Of course, Kakuzu's success so far was only due to the unfamiliarity others had with his kinjutsu. In terms of raw power, Akatsurugi didn't think much of him. There were plenty within Konoha who could end Kakuzu.
Fortunately, Hatake Sakumo had returned just in time and was now leading a tracking team to hunt him down.
Hatake Sakumo obeyed the order without hesitation, sensing the Hokage's simmering anger. He felt a burning shame himself. He had been out chasing shadows while his quarry was brazenly hunting at Konoha's very gates. It was an unbelievable, suicidal move. Who would have the nerve to provoke Konoha so soon after its victory over the four great villages? It defied all logic.
Without even pausing to rest, Hatake Sakumo set out with his team.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu was grinning from ear to ear. The bounties on Konoha ninja were substantial, and over the past two days, he had managed to bag a few valuable targets. He sealed their bodies into scrolls, planning to cash in after he completed his primary mission for Madara.
I refuse to believe that after such direct provocation, you, Akatsurugi, can still sit comfortably in your office, he thought.
Hatake Sakumo left Konoha with only two companions—a Hyūga and an Inuzuka. Any more would be a liability. These two were there for one purpose only: to find Kakuzu.
True to their skills, the Hyūga's Byakugan soon pinpointed Kakuzu crouched in the underbrush. Hatake Sakumo's eyes turned to ice. To think you'd still be here, right outside the village. You have a death wish.
The White Fang dagger gleamed in his hand as he flashed forward, appearing beside Kakuzu and slashing directly at one of the masks.
Swish!
The figure dissolved into mud. An Earth Clone!
Hatake Sakumo leaped back in surprise as a web of black threads erupted from the ground where he had just stood.
"An Earth Clone? How?" the Hyūga ninja exclaimed, shocked that a mere clone could evade his all-seeing eyes.
"The scent is coming from over there!" the Inuzuka clansman barked, sniffing the air. He bit his thumb and slammed his palm on the ground. A summoning circle flared, and a pack of ninken appeared, immediately pointing their noses toward a new direction.
Following the dogs' guidance, Hatake Sakumo charged, his White Fang crackling with lightning. He was confident; in his mind, Kakuzu's only real threat was his bizarre physiology.
This time, his judgment was fatally flawed. Kakuzu didn't evade. Instead, he smirked, clapping his hands together. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A forest of sharpened earth spikes erupted from the ground in a massive area, shooting toward Hatake Sakumo. The ninken pack was decimated, some impaled instantly. Only the distance saved the Hyūga and Inuzuka trackers from a similar fate.
"What?!" Hatake Sakumo's eyes widened. What's happening? His power is on a completely different level!
He reacted instinctively, driving the White Fang into the soil. Lightning chakra surged through the blade, earthing itself and shattering the earth spikes immediately around him. But the scale of the attack was staggering.
Looking at the devastation he had wrought, Kakuzu's grin was harder to control than a straight line. This was his new strength. This was the power of the hearts given by Uchiha Madara. He was desperate to know what those white creatures were, to possess such immense vitality and chakra. All he knew was that he felt invincible.
"Die!" Despite his shock, Hatake Sakumo's resolve didn't waver. He swung his blade again, his movements a blur of speed enhanced by Lightning Chakra. He was a speed-type specialist, and now he pushed himself to his absolute limit.
He became a silver arc in the air, the White Fang a streak of starlight in his hand. This sword carried all his fury and determination, an unstoppable force aimed directly at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu was startled by the sheer velocity, but he was prepared. He had fought this man before and knew his approximate limits. He stomped the ground. "Earth Release: Dwelling of the Earth!"
A dome of solid earth enveloped him.
Hatake Sakumo's lightning-infused blade struck the dome, but the chakra was absorbed and dissipated. A faint, shimmering layer of water chakra flowed over the earth, conducting the electricity harmlessly away while the earth itself negated the physical force. Kakuzu's mastery over the two natures was profound.
"Look out!" the Hyūga ninja yelled.
Hatake Sakumo flung himself backward just as a volley of stone shards shot from the dome's surface. A moment's delay would have seen him shredded.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon!" The earth lid retracted, and Kakuzu unleashed a colossal fire dragon that roared, its maw wide enough to swallow Hatake Sakumo whole.
A flash of white light cut through the inferno as Hatake Sakumo used his supreme sword technique to cleave the dragon in two. He emerged, singed and breathing heavily, strands of his hair scorched away.
He stared at Kakuzu, his expression now one of grave seriousness. He had never expected such a dramatic increase in power. Was he always this strong? he wondered, the legend of Kakuzu's "assassination attempt" on the First Hokage suddenly feeling less like a boast and more like a warning.
"Retreat!" Hatake Sakumo commanded. He unleashed one final, brilliant slash of pure chakra, forcing Kakuzu to raise another earthen defense. By the time the dust settled, Hatake Sakumo and his trackers were gone, vanished into the forest.