Kakuzu still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. His ghostly green pupils locked onto Senju Tobirama behind the group.
Although Senju Tobirama was the younger brother of Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, Kakuzu didn't believe Tobirama's strength surpassed his own.
Taking risks was just part of earning money!
Even if he couldn't win, he still had five lives to spare.
Losing a few hearts wasn't a big deal — compared to two hundred million, that was nothing.
After all, he had once dared to assassinate Senju Hashirama himself. There was no way he'd be afraid of this younger brother.
...
"Second Hokage, your head is worth two hundred million ryō," Kakuzu said coldly, raising his hand as the black tendrils on his back writhed violently.
"I'll be taking it today."
Renya raised his brows, a little surprised. So this old guy was worth that much?
Two hundred million… No wonder Kakuzu came to assassinate him.
The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning really had too much money to throw around. It seemed Renya would need to bleed him dry later.
If the Daimyō could spend two hundred million on a bounty, then he really was filthy rich.
Renya needed to come up with a way to make him cough up a big payment.
Meanwhile, the Second Raikage quietly put some distance between himself and the others. Gravely injured and having lost his combat ability, the last thing he wanted was to get caught in the crossfire.
He still had to make it back alive… to kill the Daimyō himself.
Dying here was absolutely unacceptable.
Thinking that, he moved a bit farther away.
Yes, this distance should keep the battle from affecting him.
...
"You think hiding behind this group of brats means I can't get to you?" Kakuzu sneered.
Before his words even faded, the black tendrils on his back shot forward at frightening speed, lunging toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
The group immediately dodged the attacks.
Kakuzu used the opportunity to charge straight at Senju Tobirama, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
"Your head is mine!"
With a bounty of two hundred million on Tobirama's head, there was no way Kakuzu would give up this massive payout!
"Arrogant!" Tobirama coldly snorted, his hands forming seals in an instant.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure water blade sliced through the air. Kakuzu swiftly dodged while simultaneously directing his tendrils to continue their assault.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others were about to join the fight when Renya raised his hand to stop them.
"Relax. The old man can handle himself."
Having everyone gang up on Kakuzu felt unfair. Renya had no intention of letting the guy get mobbed to death.
After all, Kakuzu still owed him fifteen million ryō.
That wasn't a small sum — enough to fund the development of several new poisons.
If Kakuzu died here, who would pay him back?
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others shot Renya strange looks, suspicion flashing in their eyes. They were starting to think he might be an undercover spy sent by the enemy… but they had no proof.
Given Tobirama's strength, there was no way this old man would be killed by Kakuzu.
Sure, Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear made him much stronger than before, but he was still no match for Tobirama.
As long as Tobirama wasn't caught off guard, there was almost no chance of things going wrong…
Speaking of being caught off guard, Renya suddenly remembered the special nature of Earth Grudge Fear. It seemed necessary to warn Tobirama — better safe than sorry.
"Old man, watch out! He's got five hearts — five lives!" Renya shouted.
The battlefield fell silent instantly.
"Renya-kun, is that true?!" Uchiha Kagami asked, his jaw dropping in shock. This was the first time he'd ever heard of someone having five hearts and five lives.
That was insane.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others looked equally stunned. None of them had ever heard of anything like it.
They couldn't help worrying about Tobirama-sensei's safety. An enemy with five lives wasn't easy to deal with; one mistake could be fatal.
After all, Tobirama-sensei only had one life.
The group silently prepared themselves to jump in at any moment if things turned south.
The two combatants froze upon hearing Renya's words.
Though Tobirama was surprised by the intel, his battle-hardened instincts kicked in instantly. He adjusted his strategy on the spot, calmly reassessing the situation.
"Five lives, huh?" Tobirama snorted coldly, hands flashing through seals. "Then I'll just take them one by one!"
Kakuzu's head snapped toward Renya, his gaze locking on him with murderous intent.
"Brat… how do you know about Earth Grudge Fear's secret?!"
Earth Grudge Fear was a forbidden technique from Takigakure, known only to a handful of people. And Kakuzu had killed every single Takigakure elder who knew the truth.
By all logic, no one else in the entire shinobi world should have known.
He had never told anyone. So how did this brat find out?
Having already exchanged blows with Tobirama, Kakuzu knew the man's strength far surpassed his own.
He had been planning to take Tobirama down with a mutual-death strike — after all, he had five lives to gamble with, so dying once was no big deal.
But this kid's warning had completely ruined his plan.
Renya ignored Kakuzu's murderous glare and continued calmly:
"The masks on his back are his hearts. Each one represents a different chakra nature. Just destroy the masks."
"Courting death!" Kakuzu roared in fury, launching a powerful Wind Release jutsu straight at Renya.
Renya instantly retreated out of range, raising his hands helplessly.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop talking."
Why was this guy so hot-headed? He'd just revealed Earth Grudge Fear's weakness, no big deal, right?
Was there really any need to get so worked up?
If it weren't for Tobirama's safety, he wouldn't have said a word.
For the sake of keeping the old man alive, Kakuzu would just have to suffer for now.
Anyway, the guy had five lives. He wouldn't die that easily.
Seeing Renya's nonchalant attitude only made Kakuzu's veins bulge with fury.
"This damn brat!"
If not for Renya's meddling, Tobirama would already be dead.
Wait… Tobirama?
Kakuzu suddenly realized something was wrong.
In the split second he'd been distracted, Tobirama had vanished.
"Looking for me?" a cold voice whispered from behind him.
When—?!
Kakuzu's face twisted in shock. Before he could react, a sharp kunai plunged into his body.
Squelch!
One of Kakuzu's hearts was instantly pierced.
"Urgh…" Kakuzu staggered back, retreating quickly, his expression darkening.
Damn that Tobirama! Taking advantage of his distraction to pull a sneak attack!
Losing a heart for nothing — that was a huge loss.
"As expected of the Second Hokage," Kakuzu snarled. "But don't think this is enough to beat me!"
He quickly switched masks, and the Fire Release mask roared to life, spewing scorching flames.
"Fire Release!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Tobirama countered immediately, raising a massive wall of water.
Flames clashed against water, instantly filling the area with thick steam, obscuring everyone's vision.
Renya activated his Sharingan without hesitation.
Through the haze, he spotted Tobirama moving like a shadow, several sharp kunai appearing in his hand before he hurled them unerringly at Kakuzu's position.
"Attacking blindly just because you lost sight of me?" Kakuzu sneered. "Second Hokage, is this all you've got?"
Renya's eyes widened.
Wait a second… could this be the legendary…