"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot!"
This was Kakuzu's ultimate killing technique—his final trump card and greatest secret.
The remaining elemental mask monsters unleashed their powers simultaneously. Wind, Fire, and Lightning chakra merged into a devastating combination, creating a storm of destruction. Violent winds howled across the battlefield, blazing flames roared through the air, and crackling lightning twisted into a deadly vortex.
The overwhelming attack collided head-on with Might Guy's strongest technique.
"Morning Peacock!"
For a moment, heaven and earth seemed to lose their color.
Countless fiery fists filled the sky. Fire dragons, violent gusts, and flashes of lightning intertwined and clashed, creating a series of deafening explosions. Brilliant flames illuminated the battlefield as shockwaves rippled in every direction.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others watched with tense expressions.
No one could tell who would emerge victorious.
The spectacular clash finally reached its conclusion.
As the dust slowly settled and the smoke dispersed, two figures appeared on opposite sides of the battlefield.
Might Guy stood there breathing heavily.
Across from him, Kakuzu's expression was equally grim.
The Water Release mask monster had been completely destroyed.
The Wind Release mask monster had suffered the same fate, torn apart by the overwhelming power of Morning Peacock.
Only the Fire Release and Lightning Release masks remained, and even they were severely damaged.
As for Kakuzu himself, he had survived by relying on his strongest defensive technique.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
His skin had hardened into a black metallic sheen, granting him extraordinary defensive power.
Thanks to that secret technique, he had avoided fatal injuries.
Even so, the force of Morning Peacock had left him battered.
Might Guy wasn't in much better condition.
Morning Peacock was the ultimate technique of the Sixth Gate. Although its power was astonishing, the strain on the body was equally terrifying.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
Even standing had become difficult.
Kakuzu stared at the destroyed masks, rage flickering in his green eyes.
"This is the first time in many years that someone has pushed me this far..."
His voice was cold and murderous.
"I'll replace the hearts I lost with yours, Konoha shinobi."
The remaining elemental masks immediately launched another attack.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A spear of lightning erupted from the Lightning Release mask.
At the same time, the Fire Release mask unleashed a massive sea of flames that rapidly spread across the battlefield.
The attacks surged toward the exhausted Might Guy.
Just then—
Two figures flashed forward.
Naruto and Sasuke arrived simultaneously.
Without exchanging a single word, they instinctively divided their targets.
Naruto would handle the Lightning Release mask.
Sasuke would face the Fire Release mask.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Naruto unleashed one of his strongest Wind Release techniques.
Empowered by Wind Release Chakra Mode, the compressed mass of wind chakra became terrifyingly destructive.
The blast shot forward like a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
Boom!
The wind attack collided directly with False Darkness.
Because Wind Release naturally countered Lightning Release, Naruto's attack immediately gained the upper hand.
The lightning spear shattered.
The remaining force continued forward without slowing down.
The Lightning Release mask monster's eyes widened.
An instant later—
Boom!
The mask exploded.
Its body was ripped apart into countless strands of black threads.
The Lightning Release heart was completely destroyed.
"What?!"
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on Kakuzu's face.
He had never expected Naruto to possess such overwhelming power.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Sasuke spread his black wings.
The Curse Mark's second stage covered his body.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
Fueled by the immense chakra granted by the Curse Mark, a torrent of flames erupted from Sasuke's mouth.
The attack crashed into Kakuzu's Searing Migraine.
The resulting explosion shook the battlefield.
Although Sasuke's flames lacked the range of Kakuzu's technique, their concentrated power was enough to pierce through the inferno.
Might Guy looked at the two young shinobi protecting him.
A faint smile appeared on his exhausted face.
"Well done, Naruto. Sasuke."
Kakuzu snorted.
"Foolish brats."
"Do you really think this is enough to defeat me?"
Black threads suddenly erupted from his arms.
His fists detached from his body and shot forward at incredible speed.
The tentacle-like attacks targeted both Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously.
However, Naruto remained completely calm.
In Wind Release Chakra Mode, not only had his speed increased dramatically, but his sensory abilities had also reached an extraordinary level.
The moment the attack was launched, he sensed it.
Naruto's figure blurred.
He moved like a gust of wind and effortlessly avoided the incoming strike.
The Kusanagi sword flashed.
Slash!
The black threads were instantly severed.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly.
Using the predictive abilities of his three-tomoe Sharingan, he anticipated Kakuzu's attack.
Then he activated a technique inherited from Jiraiya.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His long hair suddenly expanded and hardened.
Countless strands shot outward like living whips, wrapping tightly around Kakuzu's black-thread tentacles.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.
"This technique..."
For the first time, he truly began to reevaluate the two young shinobi standing before him.
These weren't ordinary children.
Both possessed talent far beyond their age.
Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Sasuke, the last surviving Uchiha.
Neither could be underestimated.
After quickly analyzing the battlefield, Kakuzu came to a decision.
The greatest threat was no longer Might Guy.
It was Naruto.
That strange Wind Release Chakra Mode possessed incredible power, but Kakuzu believed it couldn't last forever.
All he had to do was survive until it ended.
Suddenly, the remaining Fire Release mask returned to his body.
The scattered black threads from the destroyed masks also flowed back into him.
Then Kakuzu opened his mouth.
An enormous amount of black threads erupted outward.
His body rapidly transformed.
The black threads twisted and expanded in every direction, creating a monstrous form unlike anything human.
This was Kakuzu's ultimate state.
Earth Grudge Fear Mode.
Eight enormous black-thread tentacles extended from his body, writhing like giant serpents.
From a distance, he resembled a gigantic black spider.
Naruto frowned.
"What kind of monster is this?"
But he didn't hesitate.
Wind Release Chakra Mode could only be maintained for a few more minutes.
He had to finish the battle now.
"I don't care what kind of monster you are!"
"I'll crush you completely!"
A powerful gust exploded beneath his feet.
Naruto vanished.
His speed became so great that only a faint afterimage remained.
"Wind Release: Hurricane Fist!"
The surrounding winds gathered around his arm.
A massive vortex formed around his clenched fist.
All of the surrounding air seemed to be compressed into a single devastating strike.
The attack possessed enough power to shatter an entire hill.
Kakuzu's expression finally changed.
Eight massive tentacles immediately wrapped around his body, forming a powerful defensive barrier.
The next moment—
BOOM!
Naruto's Hurricane Fist slammed into Kakuzu's defense.
The impact shook the battlefield.
The enormous black-thread tentacles twisted violently from the force, spinning uncontrollably as Kakuzu's entire body was sent rotating backward like a giant top.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)