In the ninja world intelligence records, Kakuzu had once crossed paths with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and was utterly defeated by his Wood Release.
It wasn't even the kind of exaggerated rumor like "throwing a shuriken from 800 miles away and running," but the real, recorded humiliation he had fought Hashirama directly and survived only because he ran faster than death itself. Back then, Kakuzu was already relying on his forbidden Earth Grudge Fear technique, but against Wood Release, it meant nothing.
Chinatsu had even speculated before that what Kakuzu encountered might not even have been Hashirama in full strength… maybe just a Wood Release clone or a fragment of his technique. Yet even that had been enough to break him psychologically.
Because after that battle, Kakuzu developed a deep-rooted fear of Wood Release that never faded even after decades.
Kakuzu: "Do you know what it feels like after being hit by Wood Release? You can't possibly guess. That thing… it doesn't just attack your body, it buries itself in your mind. You can't imagine the trauma… you really can't."
At that moment, Chinatsu clapped her hands together.
"Wood Release: Advent of a Sea of Trees."
The ground instantly responded.
Massive roots tore through the earth, vines surged like living snakes, and towering trees erupted upward in violent succession, turning the battlefield into a rapidly expanding forest.
Kakuzu immediately jumped back, trying to escape the rising vegetation but the moment his feet left the ground, there was no safe landing point left.
Every direction was turning into a forest prison.
Vines whipped, branches speared, roots twisted like restraints space itself was being overwritten. Kakuzu's body was forced deeper and deeper until he lost footing completely and was dragged into the chaotic "abyss" of growing trees.
The technique lived up to its name "Sea of Trees" a jutsu that literally creates a forest from nothing.
But even as she maintained it, Chinatsu's expression tightened slightly.
"Damn… this consumes way too much chakra… I really need to push my chakra development plan forward. With only six or seven times Kakashi's chakra, this is already my limit…"
She exhaled slowly, focusing on control rather than output.
A few seconds later, deep within the forest, explosive sounds began echoing outward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kakuzu wasn't down yet. Even buried, he was violently tearing through the Wood Release structure using raw force and his Earth Grudge Fear threads.
Chinatsu understood immediately this wasn't something that would finish him quickly.
Realistically, she could defeat both Kakuzu and Hidan if she went all out… but forcing submission through overwhelming power alone would be inefficient. These two were not ordinary opponents; they were Akatsuki-level fighters.
Hidan was still pinned beneath Susanoo's skeletal hand, unable to move, while Kakuzu continued struggling beneath the forest, his resistance growing stronger by the second.
Finally, after nearly a minute, Kakuzu erupted out of the Wood Release mass.
His body burst through the vines with black threads exploding outward, masks writhing on his back like living organs.
Earth Grudge Fear.
The technique that stole hearts and with them, elemental chakra natures. Each mask represented a stolen heart, each one granting him another life and another elemental ability. In raw versatility, Kakuzu was far above Hidan.
But Chinatsu wasn't panicking.
Not even slightly.
Susanoo still held Hidan firmly in place while Kakuzu stood breathing heavily, his body tensed, surrounded by torn earth and shattered wood.
Despite the exhaustion, Hidan still grinned like a madman, mocking even while restrained.
Kakuzu, however, was different.
He was shaken.
Not because of Chinatsu alone but because of what her techniques represented.
Wood Release.
And that pressure… that presence…
It reminded him of that man.
Hashirama Senju.
The First Hokage. The Shinobi God.
Even after all these years, the fear was still there.
"I see…" Kakuzu muttered inwardly. "This woman… she has both the Uchiha's power and Wood Release… what kind of monster is she?"
Cold sweat dripped down his face.
Even if she was weaker than Hashirama, the mere resemblance was enough to shake him. And Kakuzu didn't gamble against unknown monsters.
"Looks like you've calmed down," Chinatsu said lightly, raising a hand. "I never intended to fight you seriously from the start. Wouldn't it be better if we cooperated?"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.
"What exactly are you?"
Chinatsu ignored the tension and continued smoothly.
"Why are you even in Akatsuki? You work so hard just to make money, but most of it goes upward anyway, right?"
Kakuzu's eyes widened slightly.
She was right.
Akatsuki's finances were centralized most bounty earnings were funneled through Konan for organizational funding. Only a portion remained with the operatives.
"You're being used," Chinatsu continued calmly. "You must know it too. You don't seem like the type who enjoys working for free."
Kakuzu didn't answer immediately.
He was calculating.
Analyzing.
This girl… she knew too much.
"You want me to leave Akatsuki?" Kakuzu finally asked.
Chinatsu smiled. "No. Keep the cloak. Keep the identity. I don't care about that."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I just want you to work under me instead."
Kakuzu froze.
Then Chinatsu added casually, almost like she was discussing groceries:
"I'll pay you. Proper salary. Better than what Akatsuki gives you."
That line hit harder than any jutsu.
Money.
For Kakuzu, that word mattered more than fear.
Still, his eyes stayed cautious.
Chinatsu's calm expression didn't change.
Wood Release… Susanoo… unknown intelligence about Akatsuki…
Everything about her contradicted normal logic.
Kakuzu slowly fell silent.
Meanwhile, Hidan was still pinned under Susanoo, completely unable to interfere, yet still laughing like a madman.
Chinatsu glanced at him.
Unlike Kakuzu, Hidan didn't have emotional weaknesses to exploit. He was just a fanatic pure chaos wrapped in immortality.
Talk? Useless.
So the question remained.
Should she suppress him the same way?
Or use the right eye's ability…
Kotoamatsukami.
Chinatsu narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking carefully.
Its cooldown was long… but not unbearable in her case.
She stared at Hidan, still struggling beneath Susanoo's grip, and weighed her next move in silence.
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