Yui looked at the fallen Kakuzu and raised her short sword to strike his neck. Since she didn't know if he was still alive, she decided to just hack him into pieces.
Just then, the originally fallen Kakuzu suddenly flipped over violently, his foot kicking toward her face with the sound of breaking air.
Yui's pupils shrank, and she instinctively retreated backward, barely dodging the lethal kick.
Seeing that his strike had failed, Kakuzu was not disappointed. With killing intent on his face, he stared straight at Yui.
Then, his back suddenly bulged violently, and his skin was torn open as if by an invisible force. Several hearts wearing masks with different expressions emerged from his body along black tentacles, floating by his side.
At that moment, one of the masks suddenly let out a roar; the mask immediately shattered and turned into a puddle of black mud.
Yui looked at the scene before her in stunned silence. Kakuzu was simply too bizarre; he could survive even with his heart pierced. It was practically an immortal body.
She then looked at the puddle of black mud on the ground and then at the other masked monsters, as if she had thought of something.
At that moment, Kakuzu moved. One of the masked monsters opened its mouth, and Wind Release Chakra gathered inside.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Suddenly, a destructive gale erupted from the masked monster's mouth, turning into an indiscriminate wind pressure that swept through, even carving deep gouges into the ground.
"Wind Breathing: Flowing Wind Shunpo!"
Yui turned into a gust of clear wind, instantly dodging the incoming Wind Release.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A thick bolt of lightning tore through the air, heading straight for Yui.
Looking at the incoming Lightning Release, Yui showed no sign of panic and took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Decapitating Air Wave!"
A Wind Release slash crashed directly into the Lightning Release.
"Boom—"
The moment the lightning and wind slash collided, a blinding flash of electricity and air currents exploded in mid-air.
Using the force of the recoil, Yui flipped backward in the air while rapidly forming hand signs in front of her.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Instantly, the water stream spat from Yui's mouth turned into several violent waves, sweeping toward Kakuzu.
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
The massive Fire Release crashed into the oncoming water waves, exploding into a cloud of surging steam in mid-air.
Using the shockwave, Yui retreated to a safe distance and watched Kakuzu from afar, her mind constantly analyzing.
'Including the main body, each masked monster has only one attribute of Chakra, and they don't have the previous Earth attribute defense. That must have been the one that was killed.'
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Yui's face. Since they were strong in offense but weak in defense, things would be easier.
Then, her hands quickly formed signs: "Although I'm not that well-prepared, it's enough to deal with you."
"Water Release: Steaming Flame Explosive Flow!"
The water mist surrounding Kakuzu instantly turned into violent white steam, enveloping Kakuzu and the remaining three masks like a high-pressure steamer.
"Ah!!"
The scalding steam instantly swallowed Kakuzu and the masked monsters. The sizzling sound of burning flesh and screams mixed together.
As time passed, the movements of Kakuzu and the three masked monsters gradually weakened. Before long, the three masked monsters also turned into puddles of black mud.
Suddenly, Yui's eyes narrowed. She saw that the body of the fallen Kakuzu was slowly changing into another appearance.
Aoki Yoru noticed that Yui's battle had also ended and turned to look at Itachi. "Both of your companions have failed. What are you going to do now? Stop us?"
"No, my mission is complete."
As Itachi spoke, he collapsed, his breath gone. A second later, his body turned into a bearded middle-aged man.
Not long after, Kenta and Yui arrived one after another to gather there.
"Yoru, why did they turn into different people?" Kenta asked with a look of confusion.
Aoki Yoru looked at them. "This should be a technique; their real bodies are not here."
The two showed surprised expressions upon hearing this.
Without waiting for them to say anything, Aoki Yoru continued, "They only had thirty percent of their original strength."
"So, even if you won, don't be arrogant. If you really encountered their original bodies, you wouldn't be their match."
Hearing this, Kenta and Yui's expressions froze, and the joy of victory instantly vanished without a trace.
They had originally thought they had defeated Kage-level experts and believed they were Kage-level themselves.
They were still immersed in joy and couldn't help themselves, but now it seemed they were still far off!
"Then should we continue to investigate the Hidden Rain Village?"
Aoki Yoru shook his head. "No need. It's certain that the Hidden Rain Village is the base of the Akatsuki Organization. It's too dangerous to go in now."
"As for that guy Hanzou, he will either submit or be killed. However, with that guy's pride, the possibility of submission is not high."
Although Nagato was now riddled with ailments, what if the rest of the Akatsuki Organization had set an ambush in the Hidden Rain Village? He wasn't afraid, but it would be hard to say for Kenta and Yui.
Kenta and Yui instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew what kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair was inside? It was best not to enter.
On the other side, Itachi and Kakuzu, whose consciousnesses had returned to their original bodies, woke up in a hidden cave.
Kisame had a sinister smile on his face as he stood up and walked to the cave entrance, looking toward the Land of Rain. "Itachi-san, I remember you wiped out your entire clan when you were thirteen."
Uchiha Itachi's pupils shrank, and his hand under his robe clenched tightly, but his face remained calm as he said indifferently, "That again? So what!"
"The kid who just fought me and that Aoki Yoru from before are both around fourteen years old. Your Konoha really produces many talents. I must admit I didn't have that kind of strength at the same age."
"Is that so? It has nothing to do with me."
Then, Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes. Although it was only a part of his spiritual energy, having his Tsukuyomi broken by Aoki Yoru also caused him to suffer a backlash, making his vision even blurrier.
Toward the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
At this time, the battlefield was already full of craters. Broken ice shards and sand mixed with rain were scattered in the mud. The corpses of three Sunagakure Ninja lay on the ground, long since devoid of any life.
Zabuza and Haku leaned against a broken wall, their chests heaving as they gasped for breath.
The cold rain hit the eaves of the ruins, pattering and soaking their already drenched robes.
The trio from the Hidden Sand Village consisted of an Elite Jonin and two Jonin. Even with Zabuza and Haku's close coordination, it had cost them a great deal to kill them.
Originally, when Zabuza saw the enemies' strength, he felt it would be enough to make them retreat. But thinking of the leader's orders, if he didn't complete the mission, he would surely be relentlessly pursued by the Akatsuki Organization.
Thinking of the strength of the leader and Yagami Light, Zabuza couldn't help but shudder.
"I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama, it was I who held you back," Haku said with a face full of guilt.
If he hadn't failed to hold back the enemies, Zabuza-sama wouldn't have been injured.
"If you know your shortcomings, then train with all your might. You know that if your strength isn't enough in the Akatsuki Organization, you could die at any time. Don't hold me back."
As he spoke, Zabuza wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes cold as ice.
Haku's expression became determined. "Yes, Zabuza-sama."