Hearing the clone's words, Kakuzu's face darkened.
"Flying Thunder God technique..."
"So it was at that moment..."
Yes, at the very instant the Sage Art Rasengan struck Kakuzu earlier, the clone had already placed the formula on him.
That was how the previous scene came to be—no flashy techniques, just a plain, unremarkable slash.
Yet that single slash directly took one of Kakuzu's lives.
"Kakuzu, I'll personally see you off!"
"Crystal Release, Crystallization!"
The clone held a blade in his right hand while his left slammed onto the ground.
The power of Crystal Release erupted, instantly turning the surrounding area into crystal.
Seeing this, Kakuzu didn't dare hesitate. He immediately leapt back while covering his entire body with Earth Grudge Fear tendrils, guarding against another Flying Thunder God sneak attack.
"Think you can run?"
"Chōmei!"
Clone or not, he was still Gekko Chizan. Seeing Kakuzu about to flee, he didn't even think before calling out to his comrade.
Chōmei had just swatted Kabuto away with his massive body when he heard the summon. Without hesitation, he charged straight at Kakuzu.
The enormous horn delivered a brutal lesson to Kakuzu, and the lesson's title was: Big always has its advantages!
"Tentacle Crash!"
"Boom!"
Under that immense strength, Kakuzu still wanted to retreat?
He was blasted straight back to where he stood. The Earth Grudge Fear tendrils protecting him were shattered by Chōmei's attack.
"You damned insect!"
That sentence truly enraged Chōmei. He was a Tailed Beast, not some insect!
In Chōmei's eyes, the guy covered in black threads looked far more like a bug—a giant hairy caterpillar!
"You bastard, die!"
Chōmei launched into a savage charge. The physique of a Tailed Beast was far beyond that of ordinary humans—even someone inhuman like Kakuzu couldn't compare.
With that collision, Kakuzu was slammed straight into the crystal layer.
The clone grinned, increasing the speed of the Crystal Release. This time, even the Earth Grudge Fear tendrils couldn't escape crystallization.
"Earth Release, Earth Spear!"
To prevent himself from being crystallized, Kakuzu could only harden his body with Earth Release while coating his skin with chakra to endure the attack.
But the clone had no intention of giving him the chance.
"Earth Release? Too bad—I don't know Lightning Release, but..."
"That doesn't mean you're safe, Kakuzu."
"Fire Release, Rasengan!"
The Rasengan formed rapidly. The next second, Flying Thunder God activated again.
Kakuzu was struck head-on in the masks once more, and this time the attack targeted two masks at once.
"No!"
After a furious roar, both masks shattered simultaneously.
But Kakuzu's Earth Release didn't disperse, because his only remaining heart was Earth-attribute—and it was the one inside his own body.
In just a few short minutes, Kakuzu had lost four lives in succession.
"Tsk tsk tsk. The immortal is about to become a corpse."
"As for the last Earth attribute… I really don't have a good method."
It had to be said—relying on a single-attribute heart allowed Kakuzu to push that attribute's techniques to their absolute limit.
This brought up his Earth Release: Earth Spear. Though only a B-rank ninjutsu, it was incredibly practical.
It could make Kakuzu's body as hard as diamond, activating instantly the moment he was attacked.
"I'll rip out your heart!"
"Earth Grudge Fear!"
Without the clone's assistance, Kakuzu could only rely on Earth Grudge Fear to attack.
Countless black tendrils spread outward like a peacock fanning its tail.
"Heh. Looking at you like this, I suddenly know exactly how to deal with you."
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
The clone smiled faintly, a strange curve on his lips.
Flying Thunder God activated again. This time, the clone appeared directly in front of Kakuzu and pressed one hand onto him.
"Hmph! Out of tricks?"
"Die!"
Seeing the opponent dare to appear before him, Kakuzu's fury surged to its limit. Countless tendrils lunged toward the clone.
But in the next second, Kakuzu sensed something was wrong.
"Crack!"
A thunderous boom. The shock of electricity coursing through his body made Kakuzu's eyes widen.
Even though he was still maintaining Earth Release: Earth Spear, Earth Release's weakness was Lightning Release. Against lightning, Earth Release had no ability to resist whatsoever.
That was elemental countering.
"Bye-bye, immortal."
The clone gave one last grin before turning into white smoke amidst the lightning.
Only then did Kakuzu see where he had been transported.
Before him stood the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and a giant dark-blue python.
The lightning was emitted by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, each bolt striking the Titan Python, causing its entire body to be covered in electric currents.
Unfortunately for Kakuzu, he was within that range as well.
"Hehehehe..."
"Kakuzu, sayonara!"
The clone had sent Kakuzu here via Flying Thunder God precisely to use the lightning power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to erase him.
"This is bad!"
"Too late, Kakuzu!"
Kakuzu tried to escape, but how could Gekko Chizan allow it?
The Titan Python's massive body coiled around Kakuzu, binding him tight, while Sage Art chakra redirected all the lightning straight into Kakuzu's body.
"AHHH!!!"
"Crack!"
As the lightning entered his body, Kakuzu's Earth Release could no longer hold and instantly dispersed.
"This is bad—stop!"
Nagato also realized something was wrong, mainly because Kakuzu's screams were far too clear.
He hurriedly ceased the lightning discharge.
"Only thinking of stopping now? What a joke."
With Kakuzu no longer protected by Earth Release, Gekko Chizan waved his right hand, a crystal longsword forming once more. In the next second, the sharp blade pierced straight through Kakuzu's chest.
Kakuzu's eyes widened as he stared at Gekko Chizan in disbelief.
"No need to look at me. I'll be sending the others down to join you soon."
A sinister grin appeared on Gekko Chizan's face as he pulled the blade out.
With his final heart pierced, Kakuzu had no possibility of survival.
But before the last trace of life faded, he uttered one final sentence—one that successfully gave Gekko Chizan the attribute he wanted.
"You damned bastard..."
"Clearly so strong... and yet you still play dirty..."
"You bastard!"
With that final howl, Kakuzu died.
[Ding! Detected that the host used the lightning of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to deliver the final blow to Kakuzu. This clever act of killing with a borrowed blade is exceptionally skillful. Special reward granted: Six Paths Resistance +10%!]
Tsk tsk. As expected of an Akatsuki member—the reward for killing Kakuzu in the shadows was indeed quite generous.
It boosted Gekko Chizan's motivation considerably.
"Second one."
"Nagato, care to guess whether you'll be the third?"
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