While creating distance, Tōshirō's hands were not idle. He quickly formed a hand seal, and the chakra in his abdomen surged, transforming into a burst of flames that he spat toward Kakuzu. Whether it hit or not was secondary; the main goal was to use the force of the flames to create more distance.
The fireball, carrying intense heat, rushed toward Kakuzu, who remained unfazed.
"Boom."
The fireball hit directly, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Tōshirō himself couldn't believe that his fire jutsu had actually landed.
This could only mean one of two things: either Kakuzu didn't dodge, or he simply didn't care to. Given Kakuzu's skills, it was clearly the latter.
As the thick smoke began to thin, a figure slowly emerged—Kakuzu.
Tōshirō's pupils contracted, focusing on Kakuzu's blackened fists. He recognized this as the Earth Release: Earth Spear, one of Kakuzu's signature techniques.
Every time Tōshirō saw Kakuzu use this technique, he couldn't help but think of Armament Haki.
Not only did it look similar, but its effects were also quite alike.
By circulating earth-natured chakra through his body, Kakuzu could harden any part of his body, turning his skin black. This technique provided both offense and defense, and it was how Kakuzu had just blocked Tōshirō's Great Fireball Technique.
Though this technique was only B-rank, it was incredibly practical. Tōshirō had long coveted it. If not for his lack of earth-natured chakra, which would prevent him from fully utilizing the technique, he would have already used his "money power" to buy it from Kakuzu.
Given Kakuzu's greed, buying a B-rank jutsu from him wouldn't be too difficult.
Hmm... earth nature?
Tōshirō suddenly remembered that Tsunade had earth-natured chakra.
If Tsunade learned this technique and combined it with her monstrous strength, the results would be quite impressive.
Kakuzu,keenly aware of Tōshirō's distraction, expressed some dissatisfaction: "You dare to lose focus while fighting me?"
Tōshirō snapped back to attention, focusing on the battle at hand.
"Since you used a fire jutsu, I'll respond with one of your specialties."
Though this was supposed to be a training session, Kakuzu wasn't holding back much. He calmly formed a few hand seals and spat out a small fireball, which expanded rapidly upon hitting the ground.
Fire Release: Headhunter Flames!
Tōshirō didn't dare to slack off. He quickly created an ice sphere to encase himself completely, covering the surface with sharp ice spikes.
Ice Release: Ice Dome.
This technique was an improved version of Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome. Its thickness was significantly enhanced compared to the original, and the ice spikes provided additional defense by acting as a buffer.
The downside was that, unlike the original Ice Rock Dome, which had enough space to protect allies, this technique was more suited for individual defense.
"Boom."
The flames exploded outward, expanding in a circular wave. A burst of fire shot into the sky, filling the air with a thick, obscuring dust.
"That old man is playing for real."
The ice dome surrounding Tōshirō was mostly melted by the explosion, but fortunately, he remained unharmed. Through the mist, Tōshirō saw a shadowy figure standing still.
As the ice dome continued to melt, Tōshirō frowned. His Sharingan detected something approaching him from underground.
Huh!?
Tōshirō leaped into the air, flipping backward to narrowly avoid the black tendrils that shot out from the ground. As the smoke cleared, he saw that the other end of the tendrils was connected to Kakuzu's body.
"Did you dodge it?"
Kakuzu's tone carried a hint of surprise that his attack had been avoided.
Landing gracefully, Tōshirō explained: "I couldn't see the black tendrils underground, but my Sharingan can detect chakra through the ground. The black tendrils, infused with chakra, were clearly visible to me."
"I see. As expected of the Sharingan..."
Kakuzu's voice was calm. He spread his arms, pushed off with his right foot, and charged toward Tōshirō.
Seeing Kakuzu charging, Tōshirō dashed forward as well. When they were within striking distance, Tōshirō suddenly drew his sword, a flash of white light as he swung horizontally in a wide arc.
The experienced Kakuzu had already anticipated the attack the moment Tōshirō drew his sword. He stopped mid-step, leaning back to avoid the decapitating slash.
When the first strike missed, Tōshirō pulled his sword back and thrust forward, aiming for Kakuzu's chest.
Kakuzu tilted his head to the side, dodging the thrust, and used his earth-natured chakra to harden his right arm, deflecting the Kusanagi Sword.
With Tōshirō's guard now open, Kakuzu seized the opportunity. He pulled his fist back,Charge, and with a push from the tendrils, his fist shot toward Tōshirō's chest.
"Bang."
The sword flew out of Tōshirō's hand, and he was sent flying like a ragdoll.
The Kusanagi Sword spun through the air several times before embedding itself in the ground.
Lying on his back, Tōshirō looked up at the sky, only to see a shadow blotting out the sun, descending like a bird of prey.
Tōshirō rolled to the side, barely avoiding the attack.
The force of the impact caused the ground to crack and collapse.
Tōshirō was thrown back by the shockwave, tumbling across the ground before quickly getting to his feet. He stared at the crater Kakuzu's foot had created, feeling a chill. If that kick had landed, he would have been severely injured.
Before Tōshirō could catch his breath, Kakuzu launched another attack, swinging his arm and sending a black tendril-connected fist flying toward him.
Tōshirō sidestepped, avoiding the fist, while keeping an eye on his surroundings. He noticed another tendril looping around from behind.
Anticipating the trajectory, Tōshirō twisted his body and kicked off the ground, spinning to avoid the attack. As he landed, he placed both hands on the ground, elbows bent,Charge, and performed a backflip, leaping high into the air. His hands moved swiftly through hand seals, and with a deep breath, he spat out several flaming dragon heads that roared and dove toward Kakuzu.
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Singing Technique!
The flaming dragon heads rushed forward with incredible speed, and Kakuzu's eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
Water Release: Water Wall.
With a series of quick hand seals, Kakuzu erected a wall of water in front of him, successfully blocking the flaming dragon heads.
"Sizzle, sizzle..."
The air filled with steam, obscuring vision.
At that moment, Kakuzu sensed something massive approaching through the mist. As the steam cleared, he saw a roaring ice dragon charging at him.
Instead of dodging, Kakuzu clenched his fist,Charge, and focused earth-natured chakra into his knuckles.
Earth Release: Earth Spear.
Earth Release countered Water Release, and although Ice Release wasn't exactly Water Release, it was still closely related.
With his blackened fist, Kakuzu punched the ice dragon's face. The force of the impact sent him sliding back a meter, but that was all.
Standing on the ice dragon, Tōshirō's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Kakuzu to be so direct.
A crack appeared on the dragon's head, and with a series of cracking sounds, the fissures spread across the entire dragon's body.
Tōshirō's crimson eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly jumped off the ice dragon.
At that moment, the dragon's body shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground.
After landing, Tōshirō stared at Kakuzu's "Armament Haki"-like fist, his gaze intense.
The sheer power of Kakuzu's punch was undoubtedly due to the Earth Release: Earth Spear technique.
At the same time, Tōshirō's desire for the Earth Release: Earth Spear grew even stronger. In theory, if earth-natured chakra could harden the body and enhance defense and offense, then his Ice Release should be able to achieve something similar. Even if not fully, he could probably replicate 70-80% of its effects.
To pave the way for buying the Earth Release: Earth Spear later, Tōshirō put on an admiring expression and showered Kakuzu with praise: "As expected of Kakuzu, my newly developed Ice Release: Crystal Ice Dragon Technique was shattered by your single punch. I'm truly impressed."
Kakuzu shook his hand, remaining silent, exuding an air of a master. Despite dominating the fight, he wasn't particularly happy.
Aside from summoning the creatures hidden within his body, Kakuzu hadn't held back much.
In just over half a year, Tōshirō had clearly grown stronger compared to when they first met. At this rate, Kakuzu felt that in another two or three years, if they fought again without holding back, the outcome would be hard to predict.
But the problem was, how old was Tōshirō, and how old was he now?
Thanks to his secret techniques, Kakuzu's physical condition had always remained at its peak.
Back in his youth, he had been hailed as a genius by those around him...
Thinking about this, Kakuzu felt a bit depressed. At his age, fighting a kid to a standstill made him feel like he had wasted his life.
"Let's get a little more serious."
While he still could, Kakuzu decided to teach this kid a proper lesson, fearing he might not get another chance.
"I'm already quite serious."
Tōshirō looked confused. He had already activated all his abilities—wasn't that serious enough?
Kakuzu tore off his clothes, revealing a body that looked like it had been stitched together. Tōshirō couldn't help but shudder, wondering if Kakuzu was about to do something... inappropriate.
As he feared, Kakuzu formed hand seals and released the monsters hidden in his back, lining them up neatly beside him.
Tōshirō felt the pressure, his face twitching: "Kakuzu, you're not expecting me to fight you in this state, are you?"
In the original story, Tōshirō always felt that Kakuzu's death was somewhat unfair. At the start of the fight, he lost his original earth-natured heart, which prevented him from using his most powerful techniques and drastically reduced his combat ability. Even so, while fighting multiple opponents, he had dominated Kakashi from start to finish.
What was most unfair, however, was that despite his centuries of combat experience, Kakuzu had failed to see through the protagonist's shadow clone feint, nearly dying right at the start.
Tōshirō couldn't imagine how strong a fully-powered Kakuzu with all five hearts would be.
So, facing a fully unleashed Kakuzu, Tōshirō would have to be out of his mind to engage head-on.
He had paid Kakuzu for training, not to get himself killed.
Considering Kakuzu's naturally bloodthirsty nature, there was a real risk of him getting carried away and accidentally going too far.
Seeing Tōshirō's face turn pale, Kakuzu felt quite pleased: "You performed well earlier, so I'll show you a bit of my true strength."
Tōshirō quickly backed down: "I think we should end the training here."
"That won't do. Since I took your money, I have to see this through to the end."
(End of Chapter)
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