Beneath the burning sky of a shattered forest, a hunter and an immortal monster clashed—each determined to claim the other's heart.
Earth Release — Earth Spear!
Kakuzu's skin instantly darkened, turning as hard as steel.
At that exact moment, Hoshishita Shu descended from above, his ninja blade cleaving down onto Kakuzu's shoulder.
Crack!
The ground beneath Kakuzu exploded as his feet sank into the earth.
Yet the blade only sliced through Kakuzu's clothing. It failed to fully break through his hardened skin.
Hoshishita Shu's Wind Release nature transformation was already extremely refined—but Kakuzu's Earth Release was no less formidable. The clash ended in a perfect stalemate.
Shu wasn't surprised.
His aerial attack had never been meant to finish Kakuzu. It was only there to draw Kakuzu's attention—so the Wood Release could seize him.
"Wood Release secret technique!"
Kakuzu's gaze sharpened.
"You're from Konoha."
He stared at Hoshishita Shu, his voice cold.
"I didn't expect someone after the First Hokage to master such a technique."
A greedy gleam appeared in his eyes.
"In that case… I'll take your heart."
The moment he finished speaking, Kakuzu's body suddenly collapsed into a puddle of mud.
Earth Clone.
Hoshishita Shu had used a clone—but Kakuzu, a veteran who had survived since the Warring States era, naturally did the same when facing an unknown enemy.
Just as the clone disintegrated, Kakuzu's real body appeared nearby.
Beside him floated three grotesque masked creatures.
Kakuzu formed hand seals.
Two of the masks opened their mouths.
The next moment—
Ninjutsu erupted.
Fire Release — Searing Migraine!
Wind Release — Pressure Damage!
BOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion thundered across the battlefield.
A terrifying storm surged forward, flames and wind intertwining as they swept across the forest. Everything in their path—trees, grass, soil—was instantly pulverized.
Hoshishita Shu had never witnessed ninjutsu on this scale before.
In terms of sheer explosive power, it even surpassed the incomplete Wind Release: Rasenshuriken he had used earlier.
Against an attack of this magnitude, ordinary substitution techniques were useless.
One could only endure it head-on—or retreat.
The two Hoshishita Shus watching the incoming inferno formed hand seals simultaneously.
Wood Release — Wood Locking Wall!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Layer after layer of wooden vines erupted from the earth, forming a massive hemispherical barrier that sealed them inside.
The outer layers intertwined tightly, weaving into a dense structure that reinforced the defense.
This technique had once been used by Hashirama Senju himself—and had even resisted the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb.
But the attack they faced now was different.
The instant the defense formed, the blazing storm slammed into it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Wood exploded violently.
Layer after layer of the Wood Locking Walls shattered under the relentless assault of flame and wind.
The two Shus retreated repeatedly as new barriers erupted from the ground—only to be torn apart again by the raging storm.
When the inferno finally passed, only one of the six layers remained.
The once-dense forest had been obliterated.
A massive clearing stretched across the battlefield, filled with charred stumps and smoldering earth.
Hoshishita Shu inhaled sharply.
Even the air was scorching, burning his throat as he breathed.
Suddenly—
BANG!
The final Wood Locking Wall exploded.
A bolt of lightning pierced straight through one of the Shus.
That Shu immediately began transforming into wood, turning into a lifeless wooden dummy.
Lightning Release — False Darkness!
Shu's eyes widened in shock.
He swung his blade upward as the barrier shattered completely, launching himself into the air.
By now the two masked creatures had already flown overhead.
They opened their mouths—
And unleashed ninjutsu again.
A massive fireball and a compressed wind sphere blasted toward Shu midair.
Shu swung his blade repeatedly.
Wind blades spiraled outward, colliding with the incoming attacks. Violent storms and waves of fire erupted across the sky.
But the moment Shu landed—
Lightning tore across the ground like a plow, racing toward him with lethal speed.
He could only evade repeatedly.
Facing three masked monsters at once, Shu quickly found himself forced onto the defensive. He didn't even have time to form hand seals.
Before he realized it, he had retreated all the way to the edge of the clearing created by the earlier blast.
The Wind Release monster and Fire Release monster immediately cut off his path, driving him further away from the forest.
At that moment—
Several shuriken suddenly shot out from within the forest.
Kakuzu's pupils shrank.
"So it was a clone after all."
The masked creatures in the sky twisted and maneuvered agilely, attempting to dodge the incoming weapons.
But these weren't ordinary shuriken.
Hoshishita Shu had infused them with Wind Release chakra, vastly increasing their cutting range.
The Fire Release monster was grazed.
Instantly, a chunk of its dark body was sliced off, causing it to falter midair.
Whoosh!
A wooden spike shot through the air and pierced straight through it.
Inside the forest, Hoshishita Shu formed hand seals.
Impaling Stakes Technique!
The wooden spike that had pierced the monster immediately sprouted countless branches, bursting outward like a swarm of spears.
The mask shattered instantly.
The Fire Release heart was destroyed.
The Lightning Release monster immediately flew above the forest canopy and opened its mouth.
A spear of lightning blasted downward.
Shu flashed aside to evade, but the descending lightning chased him relentlessly.
Suddenly—
Shu drew his blade and swung.
Several wind blades spiraled into the sky, slicing apart the lightning before continuing toward the Lightning Release monster.
The creature dodged in midair.
But at that exact moment—
Shu spun around.
Kakuzu had already closed in from behind.
The close-quarters clash lasted only two exchanges before Kakuzu forced Shu's blade from his hand.
The sword clattered to the ground.
Hoshishita Shu had considerable combat experience, and his taijutsu wasn't weak.
But compared to a veteran like Kakuzu—who had survived countless battles since the Warring States era—the gap was enormous.
Under the pressure of the high-speed melee, Shu had no chance to perform ninjutsu.
He relied entirely on explosive chakra bursts to enhance his strength just to barely hold his ground.
Even so—
After a dozen exchanges, Kakuzu delivered a brutal kick.
BANG!
Shu flew backward and slammed into a tree trunk.
His body slid down the bark.
Before he could even stand—
Black tendrils burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around his body.
Kakuzu's detached hand shot forward and clamped around Shu's throat.
"You're impressive," Kakuzu said coldly.
"But compared to me, your combat experience isn't even worth mentioning."
Kakuzu stepped forward.
His right hand rose as the skin hardened into black steel.
"This heart of yours… will probably be the most valuable one I've ever taken."
With a wet sound—
His hand pierced straight into Shu's chest.
He ripped out the heart.
The heart still beat in his palm.
Joy flickered in Kakuzu's eyes.
Wood Release…
He remembered Hashirama Senju very clearly.
No—
It was something he could never forget.
Thud.
He casually tossed Shu's corpse aside.
Black tendrils wrapped around the heart and guided it into the opening on Kakuzu's back.
Shu had destroyed one of his hearts earlier.
Now he had the perfect replacement.
The ability of Earth Grudge Fear allowed him to use the nature transformations of any heart he possessed.
Kakuzu eagerly anticipated the results.
Turning, he began walking out of the forest.
The Wind Release monster and Lightning Release monster descended from the sky and returned to his body.
The other Wood Clone of Hoshishita Shu had already dispersed, turning into a lifeless wooden figure.
Suddenly—
Kakuzu vanished sideways.
Even with his fast reaction, however—
A wooden spike still pierced straight through his back.
He immediately pulled it out, blood soaking through his clothes.
Then he saw it.
Standing behind him—
Hoshishita Shu.
Hands forming seals.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This… how is that possible?"
"I clearly took your heart."
Shu said nothing.
His seals completed.
Impaling Stakes Technique!
The wooden spike still lodged inside Kakuzu's body suddenly began to grow wildly.
Branches exploded outward inside him.
With terrifying precision, the wood pierced through three of Kakuzu's remaining four hearts—
Including the one he had just stolen from Shu.
Kakuzu spat out blood.
His body swayed violently.
Then—
Thud.
He collapsed.
Hoshishita Shu did not approach immediately.
Instead, he formed another set of seals.
Thick wooden vines burst from beneath the ground, binding Kakuzu's fallen body and lifting him into the air like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
And in the silent, scorched clearing of the ruined forest—
The battle was far from over.
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