The group turned around and saw a dozen rogue ninja holding an elderly couple hostage, nervously threatening them.
If one only looked at their trembling bodies, they'd think they were the ones being held captive.
Kabuto shot them a look like they were complete idiots. "Are you guys seriously stupid? We don't even know these people. What good is this kind of threat?"
Ren feigned contempt, masking his pity. "Who knows if they're not working with you? Once we rescue the captives, you'll probably attack from within."
The elderly guesthouse owner stammered in fear. "We don't know anything, please noble ninja masters have mercy and let us go!"
The leader of the captors nodded repeatedly. "Look how tearfully... uh, emotionally expressive he is crying! Don't you know we aren't working together? Aren't you supposed to be the conscience of the shinobi world? Can you bear to watch two innocent lives perish because of you?"
The other rogue ninja began clamoring loudly.
"Just look at these poor old folks... cough, I mean these two seniors! How can you bear it?"
"Yeah, how hard must life be for the elderly!"
Kabuto and the others exchanged strange glances—something about what was said made them feel like they were the kidnappers!
"Perfect. Keep drawing their attention!" Kakuzu whispered from a shadowy corner, dark threads flowing silently along the floor.
Seiki slowly lifted his right hand, and the rogue ninja scrambled backward in terror.
"I'm warning you not to make any hand seals!"
"If you dare try forming any seals, we'll kill these two elders first and then commit suicide immediately!"
Seiki couldn't help but smile wryly. "Rest assured, no hand seals will be made!"
Only after hearing Seiki's assurance did they dare speak again, using the most cowardly tone to say the harshest words: "Hmph! Good thing you understand!"
Seiki placed his raised right hand against his forehead. "Although I can't create large-scale shocks yet, at such close range, there shouldn't be a problem."
As Seiki mumbled to himself, the rogue ninja asked nervously, "What are you saying..."
Before the sentence could finish, an almost physical aura exploded outward from Seiki's body.
[Immortal Descending from the Heavens!] The invisible pressure blew outward, cracking the walls and floor beneath them, and the group of rogue ninja rolled their eyes backward, frothing at the mouth before collapsing unconscious.
Seeing all these people fall to the ground with a 'plop', the elderly couple also jumped in fright. "What happened to them?"
Although the three young ones didn't really understand what had occurred, in moments like these, simply admiring their teacher with wide, star-struck eyes always felt appropriate.
Kakuzu too was momentarily stunned by this terrifying [Spiritual Pressure]. When he finally recovered, he realized everyone around had already fallen flat on the ground.
"One moment took down every single person here—damn it, exactly what kind of ability is this?" As this shook him mentally, Kakuzu suddenly froze. "Wait a second—if they've all passed out, then anyone still conscious would obviously be..."
Realizing this, Kakuzu slowly twisted his stiff neck to look behind him, directly meeting six pairs of calm eyes.
He who had been secretly lurking in the shadows was now standing alone among friends—incredibly conspicuous!
The air was tense, but Kakuzu remained calm and pulled back the black threads coming out of his body. "I never imagined that after Hashirama Senju, Konoha would produce another outstanding young shinobi like you!"
Seiki gave a gentle smile. "I would never dare to compare myself to the First Hokage (leader of Konoha)!"
"I used to think the same way too," Kakuzu said meaningfully, "but my opinion has changed slightly now. At the very least, Hashirama couldn't suppress me purely through aura alone."
Not that he couldn't do it—he just didn't think you were worth the effort... Seiki inwardly muttered. Before he could speak, Mist widened her eyes in shock. "Does this mean you've fought against the First Hokage? Just how old are you anyway?"
A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Kakuzu's mouth. Aren't you supposed to be shocked by his power?
Kakuzu snorted coldly and smashed through the wall, fleeing outside.
"If you're not afraid of death, then follow me!"
However, the moment he reached the courtyard, there stood Seiki already waiting.
"You—?", Kakuzu stammered.
"I had previously left several Flying Thunder God markers around before entering. Now it seems they did come in handy after all."
Kakuzu's expression darkened. Didn't this brat understand the meaning of caution?
"Hmph, looks like I underestimated you!" He was, after all, an ancient veteran who had survived from the Warring States period. Once decided, he wouldn't hesitate for even a moment longer.
[Earth Release: Yin Burial - Orochimaru!]
Two masked faces appeared on his left and right shoulders, then eight massive black threads emerged from his body, like pitch-black scaled snakes, rushing toward Seiki in a torrent.
[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!]
Facing such a grand attack, Seiki calmly formed a shuriken in his palm and hurled it forward.
Boom!
The solidified chakra rapidly expanded and multiplied, transforming into countless sharp wind blades slicing cleanly through the entire black tide in an instant.
Seeing that his tendrils hadn't even managed to delay his opponent momentarily, Kakuzu's pupils suddenly contracted. The masks on both of his shoulders simultaneously opened their mouths.
[Compound Ninjutsu: Flame Tempest Surge!]
Wind and fire combined—the wind fueling the flames—instantly creating an immense sea of fire.
However, Seiki clearly possessed more chakra, directly suppressing his opponent using raw 'chakra' power, forming a small lake on the flat ground.
[Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!]
"Whatever attribute your ninjutsu may have, I will counter them all!" Kakuzu's gaze turned cold as another mask sprouted from his chest, exhaling a surge of lightning. The lightning surged through the water and almost reached Seiki in an instant.
Yet the lightning was immediately blocked by a layer of ice.
"Ice Release?" Kakuzu took a deep breath, and two additional masks appeared on his knees.
[Compound Ninjutsu: Five Elements Rotation!]
Five different elemental techniques converged into a terrifying energy storm, distorting light itself.
"Is this really the limit of your abilities?" Facing such a formidable presence, Seiki seemed slightly disappointed. "Compared to the compound techniques of the Third, you still fall far short!"
After all, Kakuzu's five elements were merely stolen through heart theft, so their coordination inevitably felt sluggish.
Then again, being able to use abilities that aren't originally his own to this extent really shows how powerful he is.
Amazed, Seiki immediately entered Sage Mode and created three Shadow Clones. The clones and the original all simultaneously mimicked the motion of throwing shuriken.
[Sage Art: Wind Release, Water Release, Earth Release, Ice Release Rasengan!]
With so much Sage Chakra, you can basically go wild and do anything you want!
Four horrifyingly massive shuriken erupted forth, effortlessly crushing Kakuzu's combined attacks before surging toward him with unstoppable force, as he watched in shock.
Due to the jutsu's enormous area of effect, Kakuzu immediately ruled out the option of fleeing.
"Damn it, I've got no choice but to go all out!" Kakuzu first used Earth Release: Earth Spear to boost his defense to the max, then slammed down several consecutive Earth Release Walls.
Then he had no time for further action.
In an instant, a terrifying energy storm swallowed him whole.
Sound and light vanished; heaven and earth fell into complete silence.
After what felt like an eternity, the shockwaves finally faded.
The surrounding walls and houses left not even a trace behind—completely erased. At the center lay a massive crater, within which Kakuzu's battered body rested, seemingly already dead.
Inside, Kakuzu was furious. He had planned to fight his opponent head-on, and if things turned bad, he would activate his 'True Death' technique to escape.
After all, he had five lives—one death wasn't a big deal.
But now, the situation was dire. Four of his hearts had already been destroyed in just one attack. If this kept up, he might actually be killed!
At this point, he could only play dead!
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