Both Kakuzu and Hidan had been thoroughly beaten down. The pressure that the Third Raikage brought to bear against them was unlike anything they had ever experienced before.
Combined with the Third Kazekage's constant support, their situation had become truly desperate. The two Akatsuki members found themselves largely helpless against these Edo Tensei entities—after all, neither of them specialized in sealing techniques.
If they possessed proper sealing jutsu, the battle would have been far more manageable.
Fortunately, Deidara arrived at the critical moment, significantly reducing the pressure on his teammates. At least now they had some opportunity to fight back rather than being completely overwhelmed.
With Deidara engaging the Third Kazekage, Kakuzu and Hidan could team up against the Third Raikage once more.
Unfortunately, Hidan had sustained severe injuries, and his taijutsu skills were completely outclassed by the legendary Raikage. This meant Kakuzu remained the primary combatant in their desperate struggle.
Thunk!
The Third Raikage's attack pierced straight through Hidan's chest, sending blood spattering in all directions. The sight was truly gruesome.
"Damn, that really hurts," Hidan groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Temporarily discarding his three-bladed scythe, Hidan used the momentum of the Third Raikage's strike to his advantage. Summoning all his remaining strength into one arm, he grabbed hold of his opponent and bit down savagely on the Third Raikage's neck.
Hidan was truly risking everything, completely disregarding his own safety to forcibly restrain the Third Raikage and prevent his escape.
It was remarkable that when Hidan exerted his full strength in this desperate gambit, even the Third Raikage found himself momentarily unable to break free.
Sizzle...
Brilliant lightning crackled between the two fighters as tremendous power erupted instantly. An acrid, burning smell filled the air.
Hidan's eyes widened as he tried to endure the excruciating pain coursing through his body. The Third Raikage's Lightning Release mastery was absolutely terrifying—Hidan could feel his entire body becoming paralyzed.
No good—I can't hold onto him much longer.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
Kakuzu held nothing back. The chakra within his body surged wildly as his masked monsters unleashed three powerful elemental techniques simultaneously.
There was no doubt that these jutsu struck the Third Raikage directly. With Hidan's desperate restraint, their opponent had no opportunity to dodge.
"Ahhhhh—!"
Hidan's agonized screams echoed throughout the forest.
The Lightning Release attack pierced through both combatants' bodies, followed immediately by the combined Wind and Fire techniques. The wind fed the flames while the fire borrowed the wind's power, creating a devastating combination that exploded the moment it made contact.
The blinding light was intense enough to permanently damage eyesight, while the terrifying shockwave spread in all directions with unparalleled destructive force.
A massive fireball erupted directly within the forest!
Flames rose high into the sky, filling both heaven and earth with their fury.
Everything within several kilometers was completely obliterated!
After what felt like an eternity, the surrounding area slowly began to settle.
The once-lush forest had been transformed into a wasteland of utter ruin.
Crack...
Kakuzu crushed a charred branch underfoot as he stepped forward to assess the damage.
Hidan, who had just moments ago burst with enough strength to restrain the Third Raikage, had been reduced to an unrecognizable pile of charcoal.
Even those most familiar with Hidan would be unable to identify him in his current state.
On the ground not far away, the damaged form of the Third Raikage had already begun regenerating.
This was unavoidable. The Third Raikage's defense and physical conditioning had been legendary during his lifetime. While his current Edo Tensei body wasn't quite as formidable as his living form, his recovery capabilities had been greatly enhanced.
Fortunately, the Third Raikage would be unable to cause them further harm until his body completed its repairs.
Huff...
Kakuzu drew a deep breath. The continuous high-intensity combat had pushed even him to his limits.
After such intense chakra expenditure in such a short period, his physical stamina was manageable, but his chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Despite being burned nearly to charcoal, Hidan had somehow survived.
After several violent coughing fits, he lay on the ground listlessly, weakly asking, "Hey, Kakuzu... how's that guy doing?"
"He's recovering very quickly," Kakuzu replied, glancing toward the Third Raikage's regenerating form. "Edo Tensei bodies are extremely troublesome, and I'm not skilled in sealing techniques."
Kakuzu gestured, and a fresh masked monster separated from his body, moving toward the still-repairing Third Raikage.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Third Raikage, still in the process of regenerating, was bombarded with continuous ninjutsu attacks to prevent his complete recovery.
This was all they could manage until other Akatsuki members arrived.
Since the Edo Tensei body couldn't fight while undergoing repairs, keeping it in this damaged state seemed like their best option.
Fortunately, the rest of the organization would be arriving soon.
Kakuzu looked down at the half-dead Hidan. Given enough nutrition, the immortal zealot could still recover, but there simply wasn't time for that luxury at the moment.
"Damn it! This time I'm definitely going to offer Orochimaru to Jashin-sama!" Hidan cursed from his prone position, hurling abuse at their elusive enemy.
Speaking of which, where exactly was Orochimaru?
Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto continued observing from the battlefield's periphery.
"That person is still alive?"
"What incredible vitality!"
Even the Edo Tensei body couldn't withstand the explosion they had just witnessed and required time for repairs.
Yet although Hidan's injuries appeared extremely severe—severe enough that he should have died—he remained surprisingly energetic.
The sound of his constant cursing directed at Orochimaru reached their ears clearly, demonstrating just how remarkable his constitution truly was.
Jiraiya had experienced countless battles, both large and small, but this was his first encounter with a shinobi like Hidan.
With this level of vitality, he genuinely wondered how anyone could possibly kill such an opponent.
Jiraiya carefully committed information about each fighter to memory, hoping it might prove useful if they became enemies in the future.
Boom, boom, boom!
Continuing explosions high above drew both Jiraiya's and Naruto's attention skyward.
Deidara and the Third Kazekage weaved through the air, constantly unleashing powerful techniques against each other.
Iron sand shifted into various forms, seeking opportunities to strike at Deidara.
Standing atop his clay bird, Deidara reacted with impressive speed, continuously hurling explosives at the Third Kazekage.
The aerial battle appeared extremely dangerous—one careless moment could result in death.
Even Deidara, usually arrogant and prideful about his art, had become completely serious.
All manner of unique explosives emerged from his hands before detonating in the sky.
While iron sand possessed excellent hardness, it couldn't withstand continuous explosions indefinitely, leaving the Third Kazekage unable to gain a decisive advantage over Deidara.
"I've found an opening—get down here!"
"Take this!"
Deidara grinned as he stood on his flying creation. The Third Kazekage, who had been maintaining flight through iron sand wings, failed to notice several explosive clay spiders crawling across his wings.
Deidara had silently placed these during a previous explosion, using the fire and smoke as cover.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Yeah!"
Deidara maneuvered his bird to avoid the Third Kazekage's iron sand attack while shouting his signature phrase.
BOOM!!!
Flames suddenly erupted from the Third Kazekage's wings as the violent explosion destroyed most of his iron sand flight apparatus.
Although the wings weren't completely obliterated, the Third Kazekage could no longer maintain his aerial position. He spun rapidly as he plummeted toward the ground.
Naturally, Deidara wouldn't waste such an opportunity.
Before the Third Kazekage could reform his iron sand wings, wave after wave of explosions pursued him earthward.
The relentless bombardment made it impossible for the Third Kazekage to properly execute Magnet Release techniques. He could only hastily condense an iron sand shield in front of himself, hoping to temporarily block the explosions and gain time to release other jutsu.
But Deidara, having secured this advantage, wouldn't let it slip away easily. Instead, he unleashed his art even more enthusiastically.
"Hahaha, down you go!"
"Art is an explosion—that's absolutely true!"
"Sasori's puppets, just like this thing, are no match for my art!"
"Art is beauty that blooms in an instant!"
Deidara circled the falling Third Kazekage, his hands never ceasing their work as explosions continuously accompanied his opponent's descent.
Under such frequent attacks and powerful blasts, the iron sand shield was blown to pieces almost instantly.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Technique!"
As the battered Third Kazekage was about to hit the ground, Deidara formed hand seals. Suddenly, countless sharp rock formations erupted upward like deadly spears.
Thunk!
The sharp stones pierced through the Third Kazekage as he fell from the sky, inflicting several large wounds across his body.
For the moment, the Third Kazekage was unable to move.
"It's not over yet! Yeah!"
"Take this!"
Deidara released more explosives from his palms, continuously raining destruction down upon the immobilized Third Kazekage.
The violent explosions continued, causing the very earth to tremble.
"It's finished! Yeah!"
Deidara stood proudly atop his bird, watching his successful battle conclusion as he slowly descended.
"Hey, you guys... Orochimaru!!!"
Deidara had just turned to address Kakuzu, who was searching for Orochimaru nearby, when a sharp blade suddenly erupted from the ground, instantly piercing Kakuzu's body.
With one hand gripping the sword's hilt, Orochimaru slowly emerged from underground.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Orochimaru, you bastard..."
Kakuzu's body became rigid due to heavy exhaustion from the previous battle. Additionally, with one of his masked monsters separated and constantly attacking the Third Raikage, Kakuzu had retracted his black threads, allowing Orochimaru's sneak attack to succeed.
"Ahhh—Orochimaru, you piece of garbage!"
Hidan's scream suddenly rang out as a sharp blade emerged from his prone, immobilized form.
Swish!
Countless black threads shot from Kakuzu's body, strangling Orochimaru at tremendous speed.
With a poof, Orochimaru was struck repeatedly by the black thread assault before dissolving into smoke.
It had been a shadow clone all along!
Kakuzu clutched his chest—he had already lost two hearts in this battle. Even if he could capture or kill Orochimaru in the end, it wouldn't diminish his fury.
"Hmm—"
Before Kakuzu could react further, the Sound Five suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Led by Kimimaro, they instantly destroyed the masked monster that had been attacking the Third Raikage, preventing its recovery.
The masked monster had been focused entirely on suppressing the Third Raikage, and with Kakuzu distracted by Orochimaru's attack, he couldn't respond in time to the Sound Five's assault.
As the mask shattered, Kakuzu's third heart was destroyed.
The Sound Five then turned their attention to Kakuzu, joining forces with the newly appeared Orochimaru!
"Hmph! You think you can kill me so easily?!"
Kakuzu angrily tore off his cloak as numerous black threads erupted freely from his body, revealing his Earth Grudge Fear mode.
Wind Release and Water Release masked monsters appeared on his shoulders, preparing to unleash devastating ninjutsu.
Swish, swish...
Numerous bone projectiles suddenly emerged from the ground, rushing toward Kakuzu like arrows.
Boom!
A whirlwind formed into a vortex and was released, crushing countless bone spears while blowing away four of the Sound Five members. Only Kimimaro, who hadn't yet closed distance, remained standing.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
The powerful Water Release formed a high-pressure water bullet, blasting toward the rapidly approaching Orochimaru at speeds too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Seeing that evasion was impossible, Orochimaru slashed his left hand across his right arm, activating a technique he had prepared long ago.
"Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon!"
Bang, bang, bang...
Accompanied by violent tremors, three massive gates suddenly rose from the ground, blocking Orochimaru's position.
The powerful water cannon directly struck the first gate, instantly demolishing it, followed by the second gate. The technique was finally stopped by the third gate!
"Orochimaru!"
Kakuzu's expression was extremely grim, a cold light flashing in his eyes as he watched Orochimaru leap atop the Rashomon gate.
"Hehehehe... Kakuzu, have you forgotten something?!"
No—without the masked monster's suppression, the Third Raikage...
Lightning suddenly crackled before Kakuzu's eyes, filling him with dread.
The Third Raikage had appeared directly in front of him!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Several swift clay birds flapped their wings as they approached—Deidara's explosives!
The clay birds had already positioned themselves between the Third Raikage and Kakuzu. Seeing the fuses beginning to spark, the Third Raikage retracted his attack at impossible speed, transformed into lightning, and circled behind Kakuzu instead.
Boom!
Explosive flames engulfed Kakuzu!
Simultaneously, the Third Raikage's hand severed the black threads on Kakuzu's body before stabbing hard into one of the masked monsters on his shoulder. Lightning Release suddenly erupted!
"Gah!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed forth!
While the black thread protection had prevented Deidara's explosion from seriously injuring Kakuzu, the Third Raikage's strike from behind, targeting his masked monster directly, inflicted severe damage.
With only one heart remaining, Kakuzu instantly retracted his final masked monster while his black threads expanded and contracted throughout his body. While protecting himself, he attempted to strangle the Third Raikage.
But the Third Raikage had already dodged to the side.
Boom, boom, boom...
Explosions continuously tracked the Third Raikage, making it impossible for him to stop and attack Kakuzu.
Deidara had arrived before Kakuzu, and seeing his teammate's battered condition, he was about to mock him when he noticed the Third Kazekage had also recovered and was flying rapidly toward them.
Hidan remained lying on the ground, unable to move. Deidara descended on his bird to stand back-to-back with Kakuzu.
The Third Kazekage, the Third Raikage, Orochimaru, and Kimimaro surrounded the two Akatsuki members on all sides!
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