A devastating punch slammed into one of Kakuzu's masked monsters.
The creature was blasted through the air with tremendous force, its body torn completely in half at the waist.
Yet before anyone could celebrate, the severed halves were pulled together by strange black threads. In mere moments, the monster's body regenerated completely, as though it had never been injured.
Might Guy's expression darkened.
"Damn it! These monsters are practically immortal!"
Hinata immediately focused her Byakugan on the creatures.
"Teacher!" she called out. "I can see their chakra flow clearly. Inside each monster is a chakra core that beats like a human heart."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I believe that's their weakness. If we destroy those hearts, we should be able to eliminate them completely."
Kakuzu's eyes widened slightly.
"Those eyes..."
He stared at Hinata.
"The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan. Truly remarkable perception."
Guy grinned broadly.
"Excellent work, Hinata!"
He gave her a thumbs-up.
"Your eyes are just as impressive as Neji's!"
Then his expression became serious.
"If ordinary taijutsu isn't enough, then I'll simply use something stronger!"
A powerful aura erupted from his body.
"Come on, my youthful students!"
"The Eight Gates Formation—"
"OPEN!"
Boom!
A violent wave of chakra exploded outward.
Guy's chakra surged wildly as his power skyrocketed.
His hair and clothing fluttered violently as cracks spread across the ground beneath him. Rocks and debris rose into the air while powerful winds swept through the battlefield.
The earth trembled.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.
"What... what is this power?"
Guy laughed.
"You don't get to see this very often!"
"The Sixth Gate—Gate of View!"
"OPEN!"
A brilliant green chakra vapor erupted around his body.
The surrounding terrain shattered beneath his feet.
Trees bent and snapped under the pressure of the raging winds.
The sheer force was enough to push back lake water and devastate an entire forest.
Even Kakuzu felt a chill run down his spine.
"Such power..."
Nearby, Naruto watched with sparkling eyes.
"Awesome..."
But Sasuke quickly snapped him back to reality.
"Naruto. Focus. The enemy is right in front of us."
Naruto immediately nodded.
"Right!"
Meanwhile, Hidan was furious.
"Don't underestimate me, you little brats!"
Swinging his blood-soaked triple-bladed scythe, he moved rapidly between Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
His speed was astonishing.
Despite fighting together, Sasuke and Hinata found it difficult to gain an advantage.
Although they had trained under Jiraiya and Tsunade, they had only been studying for a short time. Their current strength was around elite Jonin level.
Compared to Hidan, a veteran Akatsuki member who could contend with Kakashi, they were still lacking.
"Hahahaha!"
Hidan laughed maniacally.
"Die!"
With a sudden tug on the rope attached to his weapon, the blood-red scythe flew backward at incredible speed.
Its target was Sasuke.
Among the three, Sasuke possessed the weakest defensive abilities.
"Sasuke, watch out!" Naruto shouted.
The blade flashed forward.
Sasuke's pupils contracted.
The attack had come too suddenly.
He barely had time to react.
At that critical moment, a figure appeared before him.
Hinata.
Lightning chakra surged through her hands.
"Gentle Fist Art: Protective Eight Trigrams Palm!"
Countless chakra strikes erupted outward.
Clang!
The scythe's trajectory changed at the last second.
It missed Sasuke entirely.
Naruto finally released the breath he had been holding.
But Hidan merely grinned.
"Idiots."
"You were all paying attention to my scythe."
"That was the trap."
He appeared behind Hinata almost instantly.
A dark spear shot forward.
Piercing her shoulder.
Pshh!
Blood splattered into the air.
Hinata's face instantly turned pale.
A painful groan escaped her lips.
"Hinata!"
Naruto's heart nearly stopped.
Yet Hinata didn't retreat.
She gritted her teeth.
Ignoring the excruciating pain, she stepped forward and forcefully pulled the spear from her own shoulder.
Then she grabbed it tightly.
Hidan's expression changed.
He immediately attempted to retreat.
But he couldn't move.
"Damn it!"
"Why is this girl so strong?!"
Hinata's eyes burned with determination.
"Don't underestimate the willpower I've gained from training under Lady Tsunade!"
Her fist tightened.
A terrifying amount of chakra gathered instantly.
"Super Strength!"
Boom!
Her punch landed directly on Hidan's body.
The force exploded like a volcano.
At that moment, Hidan felt as though an entire mountain had crashed into him.
The dark spear slipped from his hand.
His body flew backward like a cannonball.
Countless trees shattered as he crashed through them.
The surrounding forest collapsed in his wake.
Finally, he slammed into the ground.
His body looked utterly broken.
One arm dangled uselessly.
Half his body was drenched in blood.
Numerous bones and internal organs had undoubtedly been destroyed.
Blood poured from his mouth.
The Taki Village ninjas stared in horror.
"E-Even that female ninja is terrifying!"
Naruto quickly rushed to Hinata's side.
Although he was amazed by her strength, concern overwhelmed everything else.
He looked at the wound on her shoulder.
His own face became pale.
"Hinata!"
"Are you okay?"
Hinata immediately used Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding.
Despite the pain, she forced a gentle smile.
"I'm fine."
"He injured me, but I prevented him from obtaining my blood."
"He failed."
Sasuke remained silent for a moment.
Then he lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you."
Hinata smiled softly.
"You don't need to thank me."
"We're teammates."
Although she acted calm, everyone could see she had suffered a serious injury.
She wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
A dark power erupted from his body.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven spread rapidly across his skin like black flames.
His chakra surged.
His strength increased dramatically.
"Rest, Hinata."
Sasuke stepped forward.
"We'll handle the rest."
The Taki ninjas quickly escorted Hinata and Fu to safety.
Seeing Hinata injured ignited Naruto's fury completely.
"Sasuke."
Naruto's voice became cold.
"Leave this guy to me."
At that moment—
Naruto finally unleashed his full strength.
A violent storm of Wind Release chakra erupted from his body.
Every cell within him awakened.
The massive energy swirled around him like a living hurricane.
The surrounding air distorted.
Countless streams of wind wrapped around his body.
It was as though Naruto himself had transformed into a gigantic spinning vortex.
Everyone froze.
"What is that?"
"Such terrifying power!"
The Taki ninjas stared in disbelief.
Even Kakuzu and Hidan's expressions changed dramatically.
Wind Release Chakra Mode.
For the first time, it appeared on a true battlefield.
Sasuke stared silently.
A complicated expression flashed through his eyes.
"So this is Naruto's full strength..."
"He really is still far ahead of me."
His fists tightened.
"But I won't give up."
Dark chakra exploded around him.
Without hesitation, Sasuke entered the Second State of the Cursed Seal.
His body transformed.
Bone-like wings burst from his back.
His hair grew wildly.
His eyes turned yellow-green.
Strange cross-shaped markings spread across his face.
His chakra reached an entirely new level.
Yet even then...
He still couldn't compare to Naruto.
The difference between them remained enormous.
Naruto's Wind Release Chakra Mode resembled a natural disaster.
A scorching storm.
A raging inferno.
A devastating lightning strike.
A world-destroying flood.
The pressure he emitted was overwhelming.
Majestic.
Unstoppable.
Like a true Kage-level powerhouse.
Meanwhile, Hidan struggled to stand.
Hinata's punch had nearly destroyed him.
His shoulder was shattered.
Half his body had been crushed.
Most of his bones and organs were ruined.
Yet thanks to his immortality, he still survived.
When he looked at Naruto and Sasuke, even he felt fear.
Especially when he looked at Naruto.
"What exactly is that form?"
"Just standing here feels like I'm being sliced apart by countless blades."
His eyes narrowed.
"That bastard..."
"As expected of the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."
Then he frowned.
"No..."
"There's no tailed beast aura."
A horrifying realization struck him.
"Don't tell me..."
"Has he reached this level using only his own power?"
Despite his shock, Hidan forced a grin.
"Excellent!"
"That only makes you a better sacrifice!"
"Lord Jashin will be pleased when I offer him both of you!"
Before he could finish speaking—
Naruto moved.
"Wind Body Vibration Technique!"
Whoosh!
His body merged with the wind itself.
To everyone present, he simply disappeared.
Even Sasuke, empowered by the Second State of the Cursed Seal and possessing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, could barely follow the faint afterimage.
One moment Naruto was standing hundreds of meters away.
The next—
He appeared directly in front of Hidan.
"Too fast!"
Both Hidan and Sasuke shouted simultaneously.
Naruto had not yet fully mastered every technique within the Wind Release Chakra Mode.
However, the enhancement it provided to his Body Flicker Technique had already surpassed human limits.
Hidan saw nothing but a rushing wall of wind.
He had no time to react.
Yet years of relentless battle had forged instincts deep within his body.
And those instincts screamed a single warning.
Danger.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)