This guy was a monster.
Using Earth Release to hide beneath the ground outside the battlefield, Kakuzu had watched the entire fight from start to finish.
And by now, he was completely certain of one thing.
The information from the black market and the client had been right… and completely wrong at the same time.
The name was correct.
The appearance was correct.
But everything else?
Worthless.
At that moment, Kakuzu felt an urge to drag out the black market broker who had handed him the file and ask him one simple question.
Was this what they called a "Konoha genius"?
This wasn't a genius.
This was a monster born in Konoha. A second Hashirama Senju.
What did "powerful" even mean at this point?
This was already beyond human.
Kakuzu had lived a long life and traveled all across the shinobi world. He might not claim to know everything, but he trusted his own judgment.
That ten-year-old target…
If he kept growing, he might one day surpass even Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, the man once hailed as the God of Shinobi.
And for a target like that, the bounty was only 750 million?
Who in their right mind would risk their life for that?
Not a chance.
If they wanted him dead, they would need to pay much more.
Just as Kakuzu was beginning to reevaluate Kizaru's worth, Kizaru stepped up beside the Third Raikage and once again formed his shining blade.
"What a frightening body you have," Kizaru said with a lazy smile, holding the sword in one hand.
The Third Raikage turned toward him and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"You're the frightening one."
"Oooh, hearing that from you is a little embarrassing."
The moment the words left his mouth, Kizaru moved.
He stepped in with terrifying speed, both hands gripping the Ama no Murakumo Sword as he raised it overhead and brought it down in a brutal slash.
The Third Raikage didn't dare take it head-on. He immediately retreated, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Even so, as he slipped past the golden slash and felt the sharpness brushing by him, cold sweat broke out across his skin.
This monster was only ten years old.
Just what kind of freak had the Shimura clan produced?
"What a sharp reaction," Kizaru said lightly, smiling as though he were merely making conversation.
The Third Raikage let out a cold snort, but inwardly, his expression darkened.
The most troublesome thing about Kizaru was not his destructive power.
It was his speed.
And those intangible, elusive movements that made him nearly impossible to strike.
How were you supposed to fight someone you couldn't even hit?
The Third Raikage had lived for more than forty years, but never in his life had he felt this suffocated in battle.
He stared at the unharmed Kizaru in front of him and forced himself not to attack recklessly. He could only stay alert while desperately searching for a way to deal with him.
But while the Third Raikage hesitated, Kizaru had no such concerns.
Seeing the Raikage remain still, Kizaru flashed forward again.
The blade in his hand swept out in a rapid arc. Just as he expected, the Third Raikage dodged.
And in that instant, Kizaru's body dissolved into light and reappeared behind him as if he had teleported.
"You're too slow."
As he spoke, Kizaru swung the Ama no Murakumo Sword again.
Too fast!
The Third Raikage's eyes widened. He twisted midair, desperately adjusting his body to evade while channeling more Lightning Release chakra into his back to reinforce his defense.
But he was still too late.
Before he could fully stabilize the Lightning Release Armor around his body, Kizaru's blade had already struck.
The thickened chakra armor managed to stop the sword from cutting all the way through, but it couldn't block it completely.
A new wound split open across the Third Raikage's back.
Smaller than the last one, but still deep enough to leave a diagonal cross-shaped cut.
The blow slammed the Third Raikage out of the air and sent him crashing toward the ground.
This time, Kizaru didn't let up.
Even though he could already sense Kumogakure shinobi rushing in, he didn't stop. Tightening both hands on the sword, he aimed the tip straight at the Third Raikage's heart and dived down after him.
"Stop!"
Just as the blade was about to pierce through the Raikage's body, a right fist cloaked in blue tailed beast chakra came crashing toward Kizaru, accompanied by a furious shout.
Kizaru didn't halt.
Instead, his body turned to light.
The sword in his hand still drove straight through the Third Raikage's body—
But to Kizaru's surprise, the chakra-covered fist still connected.
Bang.
The blow struck Kizaru's elemental body and sent him flying.
His body scattered into golden light before reforming some distance away, landing lightly on the ground.
"Oooh… now that's troublesome."
Standing there without a single injury, Kizaru looked toward the figure who had appeared beside the Raikage, amusement flickering across his face.
The newcomer was wrapped in dense blue chakra streaked with black markings. His eyes were red, and his expression was twisted with pain and fury.
Kizaru recognized him immediately… not the individual exactly, but the nature of it.
The Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
So tailed beast chakra with its own will could strike an elemental body.
Interesting.
Kizaru showed no panic at all after being hit. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtful.
Ever since obtaining the Glint-Glint Fruit's power, he had constantly studied the nature of his own elemental transformation.
One of the things he had focused on most was a simple question:
Could chakra interfere with elementalization?
After years of trial and observation, Kizaru had only confirmed one thing so far—
Pure Yin Release chakra, the kind tied directly to spiritual energy, could affect his elemental body.
Techniques like the Nara clan's shadow techniques were a good example.
That much, he could understand.
In the world of pirates, the power that let someone strike a Logia user was Haki—a force born from willpower and spirit.
It was the power all people possessed to some degree. Presence, fighting spirit, killing intent, determination… once honed and weaponized, it became a terrifying force.
Kizaru remembered that explanation clearly.
So from the beginning, he had speculated that in this world, chakra rooted heavily in spiritual force—like Yin Release—might produce a similar effect.
And later experiments had proven him right.
But now, he had made a new discovery.
Tailed beast chakra, overflowing with consciousness and will, could also make contact with his elemental body.
Looking at Buyūmu standing before him and the badly wounded Third Raikage behind him, Kizaru fell silent for a moment.
Then a faint look of understanding passed through his eyes.
"Oooh, that was dangerous. I nearly died there," Kizaru said with a smile.
His tone was as casual as ever.
But those words only pushed Buyūmu further over the edge.
"I'll kill you!"
Under the influence of the Two-Tails' chakra, Buyūmu had already lost much of him restraint. The moment he heard Kizaru speak, he charged forward in a rage.
Even after learning that tailed beast chakra could disrupt elementalization, Kizaru still wasn't worried.
Being able to touch him and being able to hit him were two very different things.
In the world of One Piece, Haki users were everywhere among the truly powerful.
And even among them, Kizaru still stood at the peak, a monster among monsters, one of the Navy's three Admirals.
His body became light once more.
In a flash, Kizaru vanished from sight and appeared behind Buyūmu.
"Too slow."
As he spoke, he casually tossed a sphere of light toward the Third Raikage, who was still struggling to rise from the ground. At the same time, his right leg shone brilliantly as he lashed out with a kick at Buyūmu's neck.
Crack.
The sound of breaking bone rang out clearly.
Buyūmu was sent flying.
"Buyūmu!"
The Third Raikage roared, his face twisting with fury and alarm. He tried to force himself forward, but the sphere of light Kizaru had thrown exploded into a glowing cage, trapping him inside.
If he had been in peak condition, the Third Raikage could have shattered it by force.
But now, with his injuries, he no longer had the strength.
Once he saw the Raikage contained, Kizaru turned into a streak of golden light and shot toward where Buyūmu had fallen.
He landed beside him as he struggled to get up.
"Well then… goodbye."
Still wearing that relaxed smile, Kizaru raised his right foot high and brought it down toward him without hesitation.
"Stop!"
Inside the light prison, the Third Raikage could only watch in helpless fury as Kizaru's foot came down.
PS: Unfortunately for all of you…
Bad news.
(Just kidding… mostly.)
I started another Naruto story.
Title: Naruto: Breaking The Limiter
The MC is Yujiro.
He breaks his limiter, gains increasingly illegal abilities, and eventually turns the Naruto world into his personal gym.
Anyway, give it a try and feel it yourself.
Tagged below 👇