The tomoe spun, and the illusion descended.
The sound of chains rang between reality and illusion.
Riiiip—!
About half a second.
That was how long Kakuzu remained trapped by the shock of the eye’s power.
It was also how long Sakumo needed to cut down the Earth Grudge Fear mask.
“Aaaaaaah!!!!”
Pain far worse than having his Wind Release heart destroyed swept through Kakuzu’s entire body, forcing an agonized howl from his throat.
Huge black tentacles surged from every part of his body, thrashing wildly as terrifying chakra erupted.
Several of them had clear severed ends, black liquid pouring out from the cuts.
It was not just the heart.
He could clearly sense that even part of the Earth Grudge Fear had been cut away!!
You bastards!!
What have you done!!!
“Got it!”
Sakumo held his sword in one hand and the Fire Release mask wrapped in pitch-black tentacles in the other.
The tentacles writhed and twitched madly, a horrifying sight.
This was the chance Sakumo had been waiting for throughout the battle.
Two decisive strikes, both timed to perfection.
Konoha’s White Fang, even without any Dōjutsu, possessed eyes sharp enough to see through everything.
During the earlier battle, the seasoned Kakuzu had seen through Shingetsu’s true nature.
At the same time, they had also been gathering specific intelligence on the Earth Grudge Fear.
The Earth Grudge Fear could control four hearts.
To kill him, they would have to destroy all four of them, along with Kakuzu’s own Earth Release heart.
But their goal had never been to kill Kakuzu.
They could not have done it anyway.
Shingetsu’s close-combat ability only reached the edge of Jōnin level.
Sakumo, who had yet to be tempered by large-scale war, was also a heavily specialized Jōnin.
His instantaneous attack power even surpassed that of some elite Jōnin, but his stamina fell far short.
It was probably because he had been too spoiled as a child, leaving him rather frail as an adult.
A traditional Hatake Clan trait.
Kakuzu had already been Takigakure’s strongest fighter since the era of the First Hokage, an undisputed elite Jōnin.
Otherwise, he would never have been sent to assassinate Hashirama Senju.
After that, he had obtained the secret art of the Earth Grudge Fear and accumulated decades of combat experience.
If not for the enormous gap in intelligence between the two sides, this battle would never have reached this point.
A ninja battle was a battle of intelligence.
“Aaah…”
Kakuzu’s roar died down.
When his furious gaze shifted toward Shingetsu, he instinctively looked away.
He did not understand.
His guess should have been right, so why…
Even more incomprehensible was this.
Even if he had been careless, how could a mere one-tomoe Sharingan make his consciousness freeze?!
Looking at the piece of Earth Grudge Fear in Shingetsu’s hand, Kakuzu’s eyes burned with rage.
“Who…
exactly are you…?”
That feeling, as if every secret he had was being seen through, made Kakuzu ask the question again and again.
“Have you lived so long you’ve gone senile?”
Shingetsu gripped the Earth Grudge Fear tightly.
Black tentacles coiled around his arm as if alive, their tips trying to pierce into his flesh.
“You’ve already seen proof that I’m an Uchiha, and you’re still asking that?”
“Shingetsu, why do you insult him every time you talk?
That’s not very polite.”
Sakumo panted lightly.
That last strike had consumed far more energy than the one he had used to shatter the Wind Release mask.
In that single instant, he had needed to cut through the tentacles while making sure not to damage the heart at the mask’s core.
His chakra could support at most one more Lightning Release: White Fang Instant Kill.
Now that they had what they came for, it was time to get ready to run.
Stop provoking the enemy!
“You should learn from it.”
Shingetsu said calmly, “Instead of letting the enemy’s words shake you, it’s better to get ahead of them and make them lose their composure first.”
“When a ninja loses their cool, their strength takes a major hit.”
“You…
are right.”
The one who answered Shingetsu was Kakuzu.
The anger in his eyes gradually settled, and for the first time, he looked straight at the enemy before him.
An enemy, not prey.
“Your target wasn’t me.
Or rather, it wasn’t entirely me…”
Kakuzu said in a low voice, “It just had to be Fire Release, the thing Uchiha are best at.
You’re planning to use that portion of the Earth Grudge Fear to perform ninjutsu, aren’t you?”
“You deliberately appeared head-on and made me think you were a reckless brat.
Little by little, you let me realize how unusual your body was, causing me to lower my guard against the Sharingan…”
“Shingetsu Uchiha…
you are an outstanding ninja!”
He had the result right, but the process completely wrong.
Shingetsu really had wanted to charge straight in.
When he told Kakuzu he did not want the Hiki’s first battle to be tarnished, he had meant every word.
He had never expected Kakuzu to suddenly meet his eyes, staring wide-eyed right at him.
Who could resist hitting him with it?
He had not discussed any tactics with Sakumo beforehand either.
This had been entirely Sakumo’s own ability, seizing an opportunity that was not truly an opportunity at all.
As he spoke, the calm Kakuzu had only just regained was thrown into turmoil again.
The Earth Grudge Fear in Shingetsu’s hand stopped struggling.
No hand seals.
No complicated ritual.
The moment Shingetsu’s crimson gaze fell upon it, the black tentacles drew back into the mask like shellfish facing a natural predator, wrapping around the heart and trembling faintly.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
“This…
is impossible…”
The words were almost squeezed from Kakuzu’s throat.
Three days.
When he had seized the secret art of the Earth Grudge Fear, it had taken him a full three days to erode and assimilate it bit by bit with his chakra, taming it completely before he could make it part of his own body.
And now.
In an instant!!
His connection to that portion of the Earth Grudge Fear was completely gone!!!
Kakuzu had taken countless hearts.
He could accept the reality of the Earth Grudge Fear being stolen.
But a gap in talent this vast was something he could not accept!!
His eyes turned red, and the stitches at the corners of his mouth began to split.
Black liquid seeped out, making him look like a demon.
“Give it back…”
“Give me back the Earth Grudge Fear…
Give me back Takigakure’s treasure!!!”
Kakuzu slammed his hands together.
His chakra surged violently, and the Lightning Release mask on his shoulder blazed with silver light.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!!!!
“I’ll think about it…”
“Actually, no.
After all…
this is my treasure now!”
The corner of Shingetsu’s mouth lifted faintly as he took the Hiki from Sakumo’s hand.
The crimson in his eyes and the edge of the blade formed a single line.
Between them, fire began to spread.
From his arm to his palm, a stream of dark red flames raced wildly along the spine of the Hiki, the heat warping the air around it.
Dark red patterns covered the entire blade, making it look like a scarlet crescent moon.
This was the legacy that man had poured his heart and blood into forging, yet never managed to give to the person he loved.
For a moment, it seemed almost alive, carrying a faint, wordless sorrow.
The next instant, the hand gripping the hilt scattered that sorrow.
With unstoppable force, he swung the blade.
Rumble!!
The flames were thick as blood, shaped like the moon, moving like a blade, and a scorching heat that could burn through everything roared forth!!
“Fire Release: Flame Wheel Scarlet Moon.”
He softly called their names.
Lightning and fire lit up the entire night sky.