Chapter 120: Kakuzu: Report, Someone's Cheating!
As he spoke, a figure slowly emerged from behind the tree.
The man wore a dark cloak, half his face concealed by a black mask, and his eerie green pupils stared menacingly at Uchiha Kazuki.
Kakuzu crossed his arms arrogantly, his eyes filled with smug confidence as he waited to witness the extreme shock he expected to see on his target's face.
He had employed this psychological tactic countless times before—especially against Konoha shinobi—and it had never once failed him!
After all, that was the legendary First Hokage who had pacified the chaotic Warring States era, single-handedly distributed the Tailed Beasts among the nations, and ushered in the revolutionary new era of hidden villages. Every shinobi born in Konohagakure grew up hearing tales of Senju Hashirama's legendary exploits. Who among them didn't feel profound awe for the God of Shinobi?
And he, Kakuzu, claimed to be a ninja who had actually fought against the First Hokage himself—that title alone was utterly terrifying!
However, the shocked expression he'd confidently anticipated never appeared on the young man's face.
Not only that, but the corners of Kazuki's mouth seemed to twitch slightly with barely suppressed amusement, and unmistakable contempt could even be seen gleaming in his eyes.
Kakuzu's pride was instantly shattered. Veins bulged prominently at the corners of his eyes as he ground his teeth together furiously. "Arrogant Uchiha brat! Didn't you hear what I just said? Or are you suggesting I'm lying to you?!"
As if to forcibly maintain his dignity and credibility, he directly ripped off his outer cloak, revealing a body that appeared as though it had been grotesquely stitched together from multiple parts.
His entire torso was covered with crisscrossing, densely packed surgical stitches, creating an extremely eerie appearance—as if he'd been forcibly assembled from separate pieces.
"Heh, then allow this veteran to prove it to you directly!"
Kakuzu revealed a cruel, sadistic smile. "A head worth eighty million ryō barely justifies me using this forbidden technique to deal with someone like you!"
Thump! Thump!
Strong, powerful heartbeats pounded audibly, producing clear, deep resonating sounds.
Then Kakuzu's back muscles bulged grotesquely as if being inflated from within, as though multiple entities were struggling to break free from inside his body. On his distended back, four distinctive masks bearing different elemental patterns suddenly tore violently through his flesh. Masses of viscous black substance—resembling crude oil—oozed forth.
The viscous black material dropped heavily to the ground nearby. Then, like creatures composed entirely of countless writhing tentacles, they squirmed obscenely and slowly rose upright—each wearing one of the four differently patterned masks.
"You should consider it an honor to die from this technique!"
Kakuzu stated with evident smugness, casting another arrogant glance before grinning maliciously. "And the only individual who ever survived after witnessing this jutsu was none other than your precious First Hokage—Senju Hashirama himself!"
"Excuse me for interrupting your monologue."
Uchiha Kazuki couldn't tolerate it any longer. Already thoroughly annoyed and irritated, he frowned with visible disgust. "When you claim you 'fought the First Hokage,' are you perhaps referring to throwing a shuriken from eight hundred meters away before running for your life?"
"..."
Kakuzu's eye twitched violently. The boastful declaration he'd carefully prepared got stuck painfully in his throat.
"I genuinely don't understand. Could you please explain something to me?"
Uchiha Kazuki's frown deepened, his expression radiating pure disgust. "How exactly did you manage to survive with these pathetic techniques? With this embarrassingly low skill level, I find it extraordinarily difficult to imagine you could defeat even one of the First Hokage's basic Wood Release clones, am I right?"
Stab! Stab! Stab!
It felt as though several razor-sharp blades had pierced directly through Kakuzu's heart. His face flushed crimson with rage, veins bulging prominently across his features.
Lies don't hurt people—the brutal truth is always the sharpest weapon.
Perhaps because those words ruthlessly stripped away his carefully maintained facade, Kakuzu was instantly consumed by fury.
His eerie green eyes narrowed dangerously as he roared with genuine rage: "Arrogant Uchiha brat! Sharp-tongued and completely ignorant of your own severe limitations! I'll demonstrate just how vast and merciless this world truly is!"
Snap!
He crossed both hands together, forming the necessary hand seal.
The four nearby Earth Grudge Fear entities, as if receiving a synchronized command, charged forward with terrifying speed. Their differently patterned masks suddenly gaped open wide.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
Four distinct types of elemental chakra rapidly condensed within the monsters' gaping mouths.
Then a devastating torrent of combined elemental energy—like an apocalyptic storm—roared forward with the force of thunder itself, carrying the synchronized powers of lightning, fire, wind, and water. The technique directly engulfed Uchiha Kazuki's position. Rolling gales swept violently through the forest like raging tsunami waves, completely tearing up massive sections of nearby trees and ground.
RUMBLE—!
The mutually enhancing and conflicting chakra natures collided catastrophically, unleashing exponentially greater destructive power through their interaction.
In mere seconds, a massive chain reaction spread outward, directly carving a devastating chasm nearly thirty meters wide and over a hundred meters long through the forest. The residual chakra saturating the atmosphere surged violently, raising the ambient temperature by dozens of degrees. Billowing smoke and crackling lightning intertwined chaotically, creating an utterly apocalyptic scene.
"Hmph, the more arrogant someone acts, the less actual capability they usually possess."
Kakuzu sneered with satisfaction, though a hint of regret flickered in his eyes at the chakra expenditure. Still maintaining his disdainful expression, he stated dismissively: "It appears Uchiha Kazuki's head wasn't genuinely worth eighty million ryō after all."
However, the very next second—
Uchiha Kazuki walked out completely unharmed from directly beside him.
Glancing casually at the devastated forest, he commented with perfect calm: "A combined mixture of four elemental chakra natures. Not bad destructive power overall, but your accuracy was severely lacking. Remember to aim more carefully next time."
"What?!" Kakuzu felt genuine terror shoot down his spine. Like a startled cat, he instantly arched his back and retreated dozens of meters in a blur of motion. After creating safe distance, profound confusion and surprise appeared in the depths of his dark green eyes. "You clearly didn't move from that position! When exactly did you..."
His Earth Grudge Fear possessed sophisticated sensory capabilities, yet from beginning to end, it hadn't detected when Uchiha Kazuki had repositioned himself.
Moreover, at such dangerously close range, a sudden surprise attack could have easily destroyed at least one of his precious hearts!
"Although I don't know what methods you employed to evade my sensory detection," Kakuzu stated coldly, his hands forming the Tiger seal as earth-attribute chakra flowed throughout his body. A layer of black hardening covered his skin defensively. He then released a cold, mirthless laugh. "But that was your final opportunity. I won't allow you to approach me again!"
The intelligence provided through the underground black market indicated that Uchiha Kazuki specialized in exceptional taijutsu and genjutsu techniques, and possessed incredibly fast Body Flicker abilities.
Unfortunately for Kazuki, his opponent was him—Kakuzu. Even the most sophisticated genjutsu proved useless against his unique physiology. The Earth Grudge Fear functioned like independent extensions of himself; simply disrupting their individual chakra flows was sufficient to easily break any illusion.
"Long-range combat is my absolute specialty!"
In just seconds, Kakuzu had already devised what he considered a perfect tactical plan.
The Earth Grudge Fear entities hissed as they converged back toward his body. The stitches binding his arms and torso suddenly burst open violently. Masses of black threads poured forth from his mouth and back, filling and reconnecting the separated sections. Within moments, Kakuzu had transformed into a monstrous entity surrounded by massive, writhing tentacle-like threads—looking utterly nightmarish.
"Earth Grudge Fear Mode!"
Now taking the threat completely seriously, Kakuzu abandoned all traces of his initial contempt and resolved to eliminate this opponent with his full power.
"Do you have any idea how many people with severe psychological delusions like yours I've encountered?"
Uchiha Kazuki adjusted his black-rimmed glasses casually, a faint ripple appearing in his eyes. He directly employed hypnotic suggestion to completely immobilize Kakuzu, then slowly walked closer while shaking his head with an exasperated sigh. "I explicitly warned you that I'm in a terrible mood right now. So why... did you absolutely have to provoke me?"
Unable to move?!
Only then did Kakuzu realize with mounting horror that he'd completely lost control of his own body.
"By the way, let me share something interesting with you."
Uchiha Kazuki stated with clinical calm. "Although the Earth Grudge Fear entities operate under your conscious control, from a purely biological and psychological perspective, they actually possess rudimentary emotions and independent thought processes."
Simply put, the Spectator pathway represented a natural hard counter to the Earth Grudge Fear technique.
It didn't even require high-sequence abilities—a simple 'Fright' was more than sufficient to make the Earth Grudge Fear entities, whose minds were as pure and blank as newborn infants, obediently freeze in place.
"Wait! Wait just a moment!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened in genuine terror as he desperately cried out: "I... I was wrong! I'm willing to serve you loyally! I know countless valuable secrets from across the shinobi world!"
"Oh, that won't be necessary."
Uchiha Kazuki's hand moved with blinding speed, slicing cleanly across Kakuzu's exposed throat. His eyes remained utterly indifferent. "Besides, your death will prove far more useful to me than your service ever could. Try to exercise better judgment in your next life."
[End of Chapter 120]
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