Fire Dragon Dance is a Fire Release ninjutsu that Mutsuki developed by improving the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, and it can be considered a super–Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
The Fire Release's range, power, and flexibility are all greatly enhanced, and aside from consuming too much chakra and having extremely high usage requirements, it has almost no drawbacks.
The high-temperature flames Mutsuki spewed out rapidly devoured the Combination Jutsu Kakuzu had unleashed.
Feeling the scorching heat wave rushing toward him, Kakuzu's pupils shook.
He had originally thought the Fire Release ninjutsu Mutsuki used earlier was already strong enough, but he didn't expect that Mutsuki had been holding back and had not used his full strength.
Kakuzu immediately tried to withdraw the Earth Grudge Fear hearts, but the flames were too fast.
Before they could return to his body, the Earth Grudge Fear hearts were burned to black ash by Mutsuki's fire.
Kakuzu clutched his chest in pain—this single strike had taken two of his lives.
But Mutsuki's Fire Dragon Dance wasn't over.
Under Mutsuki's control, the blazing sea of fire split into six fire dragons that attacked from different directions, surrounding Kakuzu and the remaining two hearts.
Even though Kakuzu decisively tried to retrieve all his hearts at the very start, only the lightning-natured heart managed to return to his body.
The water-natured heart was destroyed by the fire dragon.
Kakuzu's main body was also hit by the fire dragon, and the earth-natured heart couldn't withstand such a terrifying attack and was burned into pieces.
In practically an instant, Kakuzu, who originally had five lives, was reduced to just one. The battlefield situation was completely reversed.
"Amazing! As expected of Uncle Sosuke!" Yahiko said with excitement.
Even from a certain distance from the flames, Yahiko could feel the terrifying heat. This was the most powerful Fire Release ninjutsu he had ever seen.
"So Sosuke sensei is really this strong?" the Ninja who knew Kakuzu exclaimed in shock.
Kakuzu could definitely be called a legendary black-market Ninja, and such a formidable opponent had almost been instantly killed by a single Fire Release from Mutsuki, which left him deeply astonished.
He even felt that Mutsuki's strength surpassed Hanzo's, because he believed Hanzo wouldn't be able to defeat Kakuzu with a single Water Release.
"Can Hanzo really be on the same level as this Sosuke sensei?" Ike Masaya realized he had underestimated Mutsuki's strength.
His imagination simply couldn't keep up with Mutsuki's abilities.
In his previous impression, if a Ninja was strong, it had to be Hanzo.
But from this moment on, Ike Masaya declared that there was a new strongest contender.
Mutsuki's displayed power was overwhelmingly strong—some Ninjas even felt it was almost unreal.
They pinched their own arms, and the slight pain confirmed to them that this was not a dream, but reality.
It wasn't that their psychological endurance was weak; it was that the experience was so extraordinary it felt dreamlike.
They hadn't had to sacrifice anything—simply following Mutsuki allowed them to receive the careful guidance of such a strong Ninja.
Although from Mutsuki's perspective, the Ninjas following him had all made the decision to take risks, for these wandering Ninjas, danger was an everyday matter. To advance, danger was inevitable.
So in their eyes, traveling the Land of Rain with someone like Mutsuki was like a dreamlike journey. Not only were they learning skills, but they were also living more like true Ninjas, achieving both practical and spiritual fulfillment.
Looking at Kakuzu, who lay motionless on the ground, Mutsuki slowly walked over to him.
Although Kakuzu was lying still, Mutsuki knew he wasn't dead yet, because he still had one remaining heart.
If someone unfamiliar with Earth Grudge Fear had seen Kakuzu take such damage, they would have immediately assumed he was dead.
But Mutsuki was different—he was the real Mutsuki, with both appraisal and Byakugan, and he even knew the original storyline.
"Still want to keep playing dead?" As he approached Kakuzu, Mutsuki said calmly.
Kakuzu, lying on the ground pretending to be dead, felt a sudden tightening in his chest, but he still didn't move. He thought Mutsuki might be bluffing.
After all, almost everyone who had seen him use Earth Grudge Fear had died—there was no way Mutsuki could know his information.
"Think I'm bluffing? With only one heart left, what can you even do?" Mutsuki continued.
Cold sweat broke out on Kakuzu's forehead, and he felt as if Mutsuki had seen through his very underwear. He could no longer remain calm and looked at Mutsuki with a puzzled expression.
Kakuzu was certain he had never seen Mutsuki before and had never fought him, and he couldn't understand how Mutsuki could know his information.
"How do you know my information?" Kakuzu, having been exposed, stopped pretending. He stood up and looked at Mutsuki coldly.
At this point, Kakuzu wasn't panicking. After all, the worst outcome was just death.
Did Kakuzu want to die? Of course not—he hadn't earned enough money yet.
But was Kakuzu afraid of death? Certainly not. If he were, he wouldn't have attempted to assassinate Senju Hashirama.
For a Ninja, dying in battle wasn't such a bad ending in Kakuzu's view. It was certainly better than being betrayed by comrades and dying in prison.
"He's still not dead," the other Ninjas said in amazement at Kakuzu's vitality.
Mutsuki's Fire Release had turned most of the area into scorched earth, and yet Kakuzu withstood such a terrifying attack and was still able to stand. To them, his vitality was absurdly strong.
"This is ancient wisdom," Mutsuki said with a vaguely mystical smile.
Whether it was the storyline, the appraisal, or the Transformation technique that allowed him to copy anyone, none of it could be explained—he could only be treated as a riddle master.
"Is it that so-called Ninja Sect inheritance?" Kakuzu asked further.
Kakuzu was a little curious about what this so-called Ninja Sect inheritance actually was. It was so mysterious—no wonder people were willing to spend so much money on bounties for it.
"You can think of it that way," Mutsuki said, guiding Kakuzu toward the image he had in mind.
Although Mutsuki's answer was vague, it was still an answer. Kakuzu once again assumed a fighting stance, ready to face his death.
Even though the outcome of the battle was already determined, Kakuzu wouldn't lie down and wait to die; he would fight until the very last moment.
Kakuzu quickly tore open the stitching on his wrists, then used the Earth Grudge Fear black threads inside his body to control both fists and hurl them at Mutsuki.
Though it looked plain, the attack had considerable power. An ordinary Jonin might have been pierced and instantly killed by his fists.
After finishing Fire Dragon Dance, Mutsuki exited Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and switched to his most commonly used Stone Breathing.
With the support of Stone Breathing, Mutsuki's strength increased and his skin became tougher, allowing him to easily neutralize the incoming flying punches.
Whoosh!
Mutsuki's body blurred as he appeared to the side of Kakuzu.
Kakuzu quickly used Earth Grudge Fear black threads to defend himself.
Bang!
Mutsuki's immense strength directly shattered Kakuzu's defense, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.
Mutsuki's incredibly sharp Taijutsu left Kakuzu no time to use Lightning Release ninjutsu to counterattack.
Now Kakuzu felt like a helpless punching bag, unable to strike back, forced to take Mutsuki's Taijutsu blows endlessly.
Kakuzu's consciousness gradually began to blur.
"Dying at the hands of such a strong opponent isn't so bad," he thought as he fell again.
Mutsuki's strength was immense. In Kakuzu's long Ninja career, he had only encountered one opponent stronger than Mutsuki—the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
Looking back now, Kakuzu still found his past self somewhat ridiculous.
He had prepared himself mentally to assassinate Senju Hashirama, only to be inexplicably gravely injured, returning to the village in disgrace and punished severely.
At that time, Kakuzu hadn't been mature enough—he only thought they were despicable. Now, Kakuzu understood everything.
There was no special reason; it was simply reality. This was the Ninja world.
He was far too strong and had achieved too much. The Elders, fearing their positions were threatened, sent him on a mission to die.
Their mouths spoke of the village and its ideals, but in their hearts, it was all about their own interests.
"I am Kakuzu," Kakuzu said with his last bit of strength.
At this moment, he was in the worst state imaginable, even more gravely injured than during his battle with Senju Hashirama. He no longer had the strength to stand.
Just as Kakuzu thought the final attack was coming, it never arrived.
He opened his eyes to see Mutsuki standing quietly beside him, observing.
Mutsuki was weighing the pros and cons.
His actions would bring about an unprecedented upheaval in the Land of Rain. Mutsuki wanted to guide the Land of Rain toward a better direction, but maintaining that required strength. Relying only on Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan wasn't enough. Nagato still couldn't fully control the Rinnegan, and Mutsuki couldn't stay in the Land of Rain forever. Strengthening the Ninja Sect was therefore necessary.
If he started something and then ran away without taking responsibility, Mutsuki would become the kind of person he once despised.
Kakuzu's strength as a Ninja was undeniable. Even a small Third was still a Third. With a method to counter Hanzo's Poison Mist, Kakuzu could contend with Hanzo.
Mutsuki thought for a moment and finally placed his hand on Kakuzu's chest.
Kakuzu thought Mutsuki intended to kill him completely, but nothing happened. Half a minute later, a complex Sealing Jutsu appeared on Kakuzu's chest.
"Why didn't you kill me? What do you want?" Kakuzu asked Mutsuki, puzzled.
"If you intended to leave a method inside my body to coerce me into serving you, then you've underestimated me."
Kakuzu had his pride. He would rather die than live in such humiliation.
"You have quite an active imagination." Mutsuki reached out his hand to Kakuzu.
He had only left a Sealing Jutsu inside Kakuzu to interfere with his Chakra. With this Sealing Jutsu, it became extremely difficult for Kakuzu to gather Chakra, making it impossible for him to use Ninjutsu.
Mutsuki planned to travel the Land of Rain together with Kakuzu. If Kakuzu accepted and genuinely joined the Ninja Sect, it would be a happy outcome for all. Otherwise, Mutsuki would ensure Kakuzu's death was painless.
Mutsuki disliked using coercive methods. Such tactics were prone to accidents—if the technique was broken or the opponent chose to go all out, the end result could be disastrous.
Kakuzu looked at Mutsuki in confusion, not understanding what he was thinking.
"How about joining us? After completing the journey through the Land of Rain, I will establish the Ninja Sect," Mutsuki offered.
"The Ninja Sect? You don't mean that Ninja organization whose duty is to protect peace, do you?" Kakuzu sounded as if he had just heard a very funny joke.
In fact, Kakuzu had not known about the Ninja Sect before; after all, it was a history from thousands of years ago.
He had learned about it while investigating Mutsuki's background, which was why he thought Mutsuki was naive.
To Kakuzu, the Ninjas Mutsuki spoke of existed only in fantasies. Real-world Ninjas were always driven by self-interest. Protecting the peace of the entire Ninja world? Forget it. Even protecting their own village or country required calculating how to maximize benefits.
"That's not all, but you can understand it that way for now," Mutsuki replied with a smile.
He wanted to establish the Ninja Sect, but there was no way it would truly be like the Six Paths Sage's sect—it was just for show.
Even the Six Paths Sage had failed to maintain his Ninja Sect; how could Mutsuki create an identical one?
"In the Ninja world, only self-interest lasts forever. You'll never succeed," Kakuzu said dismissively.
"How will you know if it works unless you try?" Mutsuki's face remained relaxed, his smile unchanged by Kakuzu's words.
"One drop of water can put out a whole fire? Some things are impossible even without trying." Kakuzu still rejected Mutsuki's idea, convinced he was bound to fail.
"Why not?"
Mutsuki entered Water Breathing Chakra Mode, compressing a massive amount of water-nature Chakra into a single drop and threw it at the remaining flames, extinguishing them all instantly.
Kakuzu fell silent. This level of control exceeded his understanding.
"Sosuke sensei, you really shouldn't waste your effort. A bounty Ninja like him, only motivated by profit, can never become a true Ninja," Ike Masaya said after thinking for a moment, stepping forward.
Kakuzu glanced at Ike Masaya coolly. "A Ninja of your strength doesn't even deserve my attention normally. No one would ever place a bounty on a weakling like you."
Kakuzu was already over seventy years old. If he could still be provoked by such a simple taunt, he might as well have wasted his entire life.
"If you and the others stay by his side, sooner or later you'll meet death alongside him," Kakuzu said mercilessly.
If it weren't for underestimating Mutsuki's strength, and for not dealing with those outside the bounty, Kakuzu could have caused real casualties to this team.
Kakuzu didn't think his death would make Mutsuki's bounty disappear; on the contrary, Mutsuki's bounty would definitely increase—by a lot.
By then, it might not just be individual bounty hunters attacking Mutsuki. Entire Ninja factions could target the inheritance of Mutsuki's Ninja Sect.
"That's just your fantasy. The reality is Sosuke sensei is moving toward success, while the ones failing are you and those with the same goals as you," Ike Masaya retorted.
"Everyone knows danger exists. Sosuke sensei warned us long ago that avoiding danger is human instinct, but there are things that can surpass that instinct."
"So naivety is contagious too?" Kakuzu mocked aloud, though inwardly a strange thought began to stir.
This team was indeed a little different from what he had imagined.
Even though some recognized him, they didn't run away.
Kakuzu could see that the wandering Ninjas following Mutsuki didn't know his true strength either; their faces were full of shock when Mutsuki used Fire Release.
Kakuzu was curious what gave them the courage—how could such weaklings not only refuse to flee but even dare to attack him?
"You've been spouting your self-righteous nonsense all this time. If you think we'll fail, then come and see whether we do or not," Yahiko joined in the Talk no Jutsu.
"Travel with us through the Land of Rain. By the end, whether you join us or continue trying to claim a bounty on me will be your choice," Mutsuki said finally.
"But during the journey, I won't remove the Sealing Jutsu on you, for everyone's safety."
A flicker of hesitation appeared on Kakuzu's face.
"I want to see what tricks you have besides naivety," Kakuzu thought and agreed to Mutsuki.
Because he realized that refusing or agreeing was just a difference between dying sooner or later. His own naivety had already died the day he returned to the village severely injured.
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