Within the Land of Fire
"Your heart is mine!" Kakuzu declared.
Gaara, pinned down and struggling, desperately tried to manipulate his sand to rescue Baki.
Kakuzu felt a thrill of excitement as the twenty million ryo bounty was almost within his grasp. Only a Sand ninja turned into cold, hard cash is a good Sand ninja, he thought greedily.
Just as Kakuzu moved to constrict the black threads impaling Baki…
Flash!
In an instant, a brilliant blue-white light blinded everyone present. Kakuzu felt a staggering impact on his chest, an irresistible force throwing him backward at tremendous speed.
Where Kakuzu had stood only moments before, a petite figure now hovered, radiating the same intense blue-white light. Blue-white hair flowed around her as she held a striking pose, fist extended as if having just delivered the blow.
The light faded slightly as Sakura landed beside Baki. She reached down, swiftly pulling out the dark tendrils Kakuzu had left embedded in the Jonin's body. Placing her glowing green hands over the wounds, she began applying the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Thank you," Baki managed, looking up at Sakura.
"If you really want to thank me, let me complete my mission," Sakura replied coolly, her tone flat.
"..." Baki fell silent at her words.
"Gaara, are you alright?" Sakura asked, turning her head.
"...I used too much chakra just now," Gaara admitted. "I need some time to recover."
"No choice then," Sakura sighed, turning back to face Kakuzu, who was slowly pushing himself to his feet across the clearing. "I'll hold him off for a while."
"So, little girl, you intend to join the fray?" Kakuzu snarled. As he spoke, the grotesque masks on his back detached one by one, trailing masses of black threads, and coalesced into four distinct monstrous figures before Sakura.
"Heh," Sakura observed them warily. "So this is your real jutsu?"
"There is an insurmountable gap in real combat experience between you and me," Kakuzu boasted, black threads beginning to writhe on his arms. "Seeing your headband reminds me of my first opponent from Konoha…" He paused, a chilling reminiscence in his voice. "The First Hokage."
"...The First Hokage, huh." Sakura didn't show much surprise. Although she only remembered Kakuzu's name and nothing else about him, startling revelations like this barely fazed her anymore.
Seeing Kakuzu rambling on, Sakura decided to seize the initiative – strike first, gain the upper hand. She directed her Storm Release Clone to attack. Simultaneously, Sakura threw a volley of shuriken, coordinating with the clone's advance.
Kakuzu, despite talking, lived up to his claim of vast experience. Threads lashed out from his body, effortlessly batting the shuriken aside. As the Storm Release Clone closed in, his skin visibly darkened and hardened. He met the clone's charge with a powerful punch.
Wham!
The clone was sent flying. Sakura felt a dull thud reverberate in her own chest; her internal chakra flow momentarily stuttered, her movements becoming sluggish for a crucial second.
The mask monsters instantly capitalized on the opening, lunging forward and binding Sakura with their dark tendrils. She struggled briefly, noting the surprising toughness of the threads – brute force wouldn't easily break them.
But Sakura no longer needed just brute force. With a precise application of Storm Release, she sliced through the bindings effortlessly.
At the same moment, her Storm Release Clone recovered and renewed its assault on Kakuzu. Its hands morphed into sharp blades as it slashed downwards. Kakuzu crossed his hardened arms, blocking the strike.
Since the Storm Release Clone wasn't a physical entity but a construct of pure Storm Release chakra, the power of its manifested blades depended entirely on the strength of the jutsu itself. The blades sliced through Kakuzu's arms and torso, leaving deep gashes.
However, very little blood flowed from the wounds. Instead, more black threads erupted from within, rapidly stitching the injuries shut before Sakura's eyes.
Just as Sakura willed the clone to press the attack, Kakuzu landed two solid, blackened fists square on the clone's form.
Thump!
The clone was flung away once more. Sakura felt another jarring shockwave through her chakra system, her breath catching in her throat.
So it's confirmed, she thought grimly. Damage dealt to the Storm Release Clone resonates back to my main body through the chakra connection. A feedback loop. It was a major weakness, discovered in the clone's very first real battle. And there was no time to figure out a workaround now.
Still, her Storm Release had significantly damaged Kakuzu. That meant there was still a chance.
"A rather impressive jutsu, little girl," Kakuzu conceded, glancing at the rapidly healing wounds on his chest. "But I wonder if you can withstand this."
As he spoke, two of his mask monsters merged together, their mouths opening wide as they gathered an enormous amount of chakra – Fire and Wind natures swirling dangerously.
Sakura immediately recognized the threat. Wind Release amplified Fire Release, creating a far more devastating effect.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!" "Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
Seeing the two ninjutsu launching simultaneously, Sakura didn't hesitate. She activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal, flooding her system with chakra for Creation Rebirth, and simultaneously employed a Chakra Hardening Technique. She positioned the Storm Release Clone defensively before her, its hands morphing into broad shields to protect her main body. Her own hands flew through seals: "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
She had layered every defense she currently possessed. She'd seen the power of Kakuzu's wind jutsu alone; adding potent fire magnified its destructive power and range enormously. Dodging was impossible; the attack was simply too vast.
The preparations were completed in a mere instant – they had to be. The combined fire and wind onslaught was already upon her. Gritting her teeth against the searing heat and burning pain, Sakura desperately held her ground.
The power difference between jutsu cast by different individuals was immense. Sakura felt like she was trapped inside a giant steamer. Aided by the wind, the flames didn't just hit head-on; they swirled around her defenses, attacking her less protected back.
Without the clone's shield behind her, the Water Wall evaporated almost instantly under the intense heat. Scalding steam billowed, searing Sakura's skin. While Water Release countered Fire Release, that advantage vanished when the power disparity was too great. Burns blossomed across her body, but under the constant effect of Creation Rebirth, they were healed almost as quickly as they appeared.
Finally, the devastating combination attack subsided. Sakura gasped heavily, chest heaving.
Her Storm Release Clone had shrunk dramatically, now barely reaching her waist – a miniature version of herself stood unsteadily in the clearing.
Before the steam could even dissipate, Sakura sent the mini-clone charging towards Kakuzu's last known position. Simultaneously, she expanded her own sensory perception, trying to pinpoint his location amidst the chaos.
"Found you!" She detected five distinct chakra signatures. The clone immediately veered towards the strongest reaction, presumably Kakuzu himself, located near the center of the group. This time, the clone didn't form blades. Its hands sharpened into spear points, designed for maximum piercing power, leveraging Storm Release's penetrative properties.
Just as the clone reached Kakuzu's apparent location, a sinister voice suddenly spoke from directly behind Sakura.
"I see. So you are the apprentice of Tsunade-hime, one of the Sannin."
Sakura instinctively threw herself sideways, but it was too late. Black, sinewy tendrils erupted from the ground, binding her tightly.
"A Storm Release user!" Kakuzu's voice was filled with avaricious delight as he emerged from the lingering steam behind her. "Excellent! Looks like I'll be adding a Storm Release heart to my collection!" The threads tightened, sharp points aiming straight for Sakura's heart.
"Ngh—!" Sakura's face contorted in apparent agony. She gasped, her voice strained and broken. "You... you... have to..."
"Hm?" Kakuzu paused, victory seemingly assured. He lifted the bound Sakura slightly, curious. "Any last words?"
"You... have to... watch... out... be—"
Before she could finish, a blinding blue-white beam of energy erupted, piercing straight through her chest—and continuing onwards, impaling Kakuzu through his own heart region.
The Sakura impaled by the beam dissolved into a splash of water. A Water Clone.
The real Sakura materialized behind the now collapsing Kakuzu, her hand still aimed where the beam had originated. "You have to watch out behind you," she stated coolly, watching him fall. "You got careless."
"Is... that so..." Kakuzu rasped from the ground.
Seeing Kakuzu down, Sakura dismissed her miniature Storm Release Clone and started walking towards the Sand shinobi. Suddenly, a prickle of danger shot down her spine. Instantly activating Lightning Release Chakra Mode, she blurred sideways.
CRASH!
A black fist, trailing dark threads, slammed into the earth exactly where she had been standing, shattering the ground.
"What?!" Sakura whirled around, stunned. Kakuzu was somehow standing again, pulling his fist back. "I definitely pierced your heart! Why aren't you dead?!"
Kakuzu let out a dry scoff. "Immortal? There's no such thing in this world." He offered no further explanation, simply launching his black tendrils towards her once more.
Sakura quickly recalled – perhaps through the lingering connection to her destroyed clone – that the mask monsters hadn't seemed to "die" either when damaged. Realizing something was fundamentally wrong with this opponent, she rapidly retreated.
She sliced through the incoming threads with Storm Release, flashed through hand seals, and created another Storm Release Clone.
"Tch," Kakuzu clicked his tongue, eyeing the newly formed clone. "This jutsu is certainly troublesome. But," he added dismissively, "it's still just a coagulation of chakra."
Facing Kakuzu again, Sakura felt the pressure mounting. Why didn't he die? That was definitely his heart... unless... Her mind raced. His body might have been modified somehow. He can't be judged by normal standards.
A grim determination settled over her. If that's the case... then maybe cutting him into pieces will finally do the job. No matter how strange his body is, that should kill him, right?
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