Fu's voice trailed off.
Kakuzu's green eyes stared at her gloomily. "Since you have no money, then you must come with us obediently."
With that, he raised his right hand. Black tentacles burst from the cracks of his arm, shooting straight toward Fu.
'Earth Grudge Fear...!?' Fu's pupils constricted.
"Do it!" Seeing this, Haruki roared as he rapidly formed hand seals. "Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling before he spat forward. A barrage of fist-sized water bullets shot from his mouth in rapid succession, whistling through the air.
Over a dozen of them formed a dense barrage, streaking toward the black threads Kakuzu had launched at Fu, forcing his attack back.
Beside him, Kōga lowered his stance, his feet digging into the gravel of the riverbank before he lunged straight at Hidan.
Hidan grinned, baring his teeth. With a flick of his wrist, his three-bladed scythe slid down from his shoulder, its edge pointing diagonally at the ground.
"You're dead!" he shouted with a laugh, charging forward to meet Kōga.
Kōga clenched his right fist, enveloping it in chakra. With a sharp twist of his waist and a thrust of his shoulder, he drove his fist toward Hidan's face with crushing wind pressure.
Hidan sneered, making no effort to dodge or flinch. Gripping his scythe with both hands, he swung the weapon in a wide arc, the blades slashing horizontally toward Kōga's abdomen.
Kōga realized the danger instantly. 'A mutual strike?' he thought, quickly weighing his options. 'No, my fist is faster!' Gritting his teeth, he followed through with his attack, refusing to retreat.
Crack! "Ugh—!" Kōga's fist smashed into Hidan's face with a sickening thud. Hidan's head snapped back, the impact lifting him off his feet and sending him flying backward.
Slash! Almost at the same instant, the scythe's blade grazed Kōga's side. His clothes tore, leaving behind a shallow, bleeding gash.
Hidan tumbled away, his back slamming into the sandy riverbank and carving a trench through the dirt.
"I got him!" Kōga looked at Hidan sprawled along the riverbank with delight... completely unconcerned about the minor wound on his abdomen.
A relieved smile spread across Haruki's face. As long-time partners, he knew the sheer destructive power of Kōga's tempered taijutsu.
A heavy, chakra-infused punch to the head would leave even an enemy renowned for their defense dead or crippled. The tide of battle had seemingly turned in an instant.
'Good job, Kōga!' Haruki thought with certainty. He turned his gaze back to Kakuzu...
"We've already dealt with your partner. Now it's three against one...the advantage is ours. You'd better retreat, otherwise..."
Kakuzu's green eyes swept over Hidan lying on the ground before settling on the trio in front of him. "Advantage?" Noting the bloodstain on Kōga's abdomen, he spoke with eerie nonchalance. "You know nothing of Hidan's power."
Kōga furrowed his brow. He glanced at Hidan lying in the distant sand pit, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. However, the insignificant sting of his wound and the satisfying crunch of his successful strike quickly suppressed his unease.
"Cheap tricks," Kōga sneered, his chakra flaring. Since the rogue refused to retreat, he made his decision... "Haruki...cover me!"
Before the words faded, chakra erupted from beneath Kōga's feet. He abandoned the incapacitated Hidan and blurred toward Kakuzu, moving even faster than before.
Gathering his chakra, Kōga clenched his right fist once more... "Take this!"
Kakuzu watched the lunging shinobi, his green eyes entirely devoid of emotion. He merely raised his right hand, forming a single-handed seal. "Earth Release: Earth Spear."
In an instant, Kakuzu's skin and muscles hardened, taking on a dark, metallic sheen.
Kōga's fist smashed into Kakuzu's chest.
Thud!
The impact sounded dull and heavy. Kōga's expression dropped. His fist throbbed as if he had punched a solid block of iron. Kakuzu hadn't moved an inch.
Kōga stared at his reddened knuckles, then slowly looked up into Kakuzu's expressionless face.
"Wh-what's going on?!" Fu cried out from the riverbank. "Why was Kōga's strike completely useless?!"
Haruki gasped. "Impossible! Kōga's taijutsu can shatter boulders! That punch... he hit him dead on!"
Realizing his attack was ineffective, Kōga quickly retreated, bounding back to Haruki and Fu's side in a few swift leaps. He shook his numb right arm, staring at Kakuzu in shock.
Kakuzu dropped his hand seal and stretched his neck. He looked up, his green eyes settling on the horrified trio. "It's pointless. Physical attacks are useless against me."
Kōga's face darkened.
Haruki gritted his teeth. "Damn it, then try Ninjutsu!" He quickly formed hand seals, preparing to launch a new technique.
But just then...
"Ugh!" Kōga let out a muffled groan, his body violently shuddering.
He looked down at his chest, his face twisting in disbelief. Right over his heart, a spray of blood erupted without warning. Blood stained the front of his clothes.
"How... could this..." Kōga murmured. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Kōga!" Fu cried, her wings unfolding behind her. She rushed over and knelt beside him, supporting him. "Kōga, what happened?! Who attacked you?!"
Haruki also rushed over, staring in horror at the expanding bloodstain on Kōga's chest. He whipped his head around, scanning their surroundings. "There's no attack trajectory... no one even moved!"
As the three of them panicked, a mocking laugh echoed from the far side of the riverbank.
"Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood!"
Everyone snapped their heads toward the sound. Hidan, who had been sent flying just moments before, was standing in the center of a complex, blood-drawn ritual circle.
His skin had turned pitch black, marked with stark white skeletal patterns, and he had a long iron spike driven straight through his own chest.
"Hahaha... it really hurts like hell!" Hidan cackled, pulling the spike out of his heart. Blood seeped from the hole in his chest, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he wore an expression of twisted enjoyment.
"Gah...!" Almost simultaneously, Kōga let out a final, breathless scream. His body twitched violently, his eyes rolling back before he went completely limp in Fu's arms.
"Kōga! Kōga!" Fu shook him frantically, tears streaming down her face. "How... what on earth is happening?!"
Holding Kōga's rapidly cooling body, she felt completely helpless. Even with her status as a jinchuriki, without tapping into the tailed beast's chakra, Fu was only a chunin...far from enough to confront such enemies.
Her only option was to break the seal and release the Seven-Tails!
"Alright," Kakuzu said, as if he'd had enough amusement, "the game ends here."
As he spoke, his figure blurred, and he appeared in front of Haruki.
Haruki's eyes widened in panic. He instinctively raised his hands, desperately trying to weave defensive seals. But he was too slow.
Kakuzu threw a punch, the muscles in his right arm bulging as his skin darkened.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear"
Haruki barely had time to cross his arms over his chest before the blow landed.
Crack!
The sound of snapping bone echoed across the riverbank. Haruki's forearms shattered and deformed on impact. The terrifying force blew straight through his defense without losing any momentum, slamming heavily into his chest.
Pfft!
Haruki coughed up a violent spray of blood.
His body was launched backward like a broken doll, flying over ten meters before slamming into the rocky cliffside with a dull thud.
He slid limply into the dirt, leaving a thick smear of blood down the rock wall. He didn't move again.
Just one strike.
For a jonin from a minor village like Takigakure facing a veteran S-rank rogue ninja like Kakuzu, the gap in power was an insurmountable chasm. The lack of intel and the crushing weight of combat experience rendered the fight completely one-sided.
With a single blow, life and death had been decided.
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