Hearing Yugito's warning, the other Kumogakure ninja quickly fled from Kakuzu's attack range.
One of Kakuzu's masks shot out a fireball while another unleashed a tornado-like wind that compressed the flames before releasing them as a scorching torrent.
Yugito had no choice but to shift into her complete Two-Tails form to shield the others from the jutsu's effects.
Drained of all her strength, she reverted to normal and collapsed onto the ground, covered in burns.
"Damn it!" Ahebi shouted before rushing straight at Kakuzu. "I'll end this myself!"
[Lightning Mirage – Lightning Pillar!]
A blinding light erupted from Ahebi's body.
Kakuzu closed his eyes and grabbed Ahebi by the throat.
The masked man examined the young ninja briefly before smirking:
"So you're lightning-natured, huh? Your heart is mine now."
Suddenly, a red, chainsaw-like blade slashed through the air, cutting off Kakuzu's arm that held Ahebi, allowing him to retreat to his allies.
Jay dropped to his knees beside him:
"Are you okay?"
Ahebi coughed, gasping for breath:
"Who was that?"
Tarui pointed aside.
Naruto stood not far from Kakuzu, wearing bladed gauntlets and greaves.
Kakuzu's severed arm reattached as if nothing had happened.
"You took down Hidan? How'd you get here so fast?"
"Let's settle this once and for all, stitch-face. I'm sick of looking at your grotesque face."
Kakuzu ordered two masks to attack Ahebi, Tarui, and Jay.
"I don't need anyone interrupting us. You understand."
Naruto shot toward Kakuzu at a speed that even surprised Kakuzu—faster than when he used Nine-Tails Chakra.
Kakuzu leapt away, but not fast enough to avoid a slash across his stomach. Thick black threads spewed from the wound, attempting to surround Naruto.
Naruto turned and sliced through Kakuzu's threads, retreating to a safe distance.
The black threads pouring from Kakuzu's body increased in volume, coiling around him in an octopus-like mass.
He lashed one of those limbs at Naruto.
******
Jay dodged an attack from Kakuzu's Fire Release mask.
"What kind of freak is this guy?"
Tarui drew his machete, hacking repeatedly at the Wind Release mask.
"So this is what Yugito's been up against this whole time?"
He sliced through the wind mask's body, but it regenerated before his very eyes.
"Ahebi, how is she holding up?"
Ahebi had already carried Yugito out of harm's way and was now trying to treat her wounds again.
"She won't recover anytime soon. Her internal organs are badly damaged."
Tarui formed a dragon-style hand seal:
[Storm Release: Lariat Beam Cannon!]
A bright halo formed around his hand before unleashing a barrage of beams at both masks.
Realizing the threat, the fire mask ducked behind a rock while the wind mask tried to evade in the open area.
The beams bent and pursued their target relentlessly.
The wind mask generated chakra and released [Wind Release: Atsugai], slamming Tarui onto the ground.
The mask then advanced toward Ahebi and Yugito.
Ahebi looked up just in time to see the black thread monster approaching.
[Lightning Tackle!]
Ahebi was saved by a large, muscular arm.
"Raikage-sama!"
A turned to face his subordinate who was standing beside Yugito.
"Good timing. Where's the fool who tried to take our Yugito?"
Before Ahebi could respond, he noticed Jay was still being chased by the masked ninja.
The masked ninja launched a fireball.
"Fire Sealing Method!"
Suddenly, the fireball changed direction completely and was absorbed into a scroll.
Jiraiya rolled up his sealing scroll.
"Seems like we made it just in time, Raikage-sama?"
The masked ninja prepared for another attack, but Jiraiya smirked and vanished in a puff of smoke.
The mask shattered under the impact of a Rasengan.
Ahebi stared in awe but quickly pulled himself together.
"Raikage-sama, the one who wanted to take Yugito is over there!" He pointed in the direction where Naruto was fighting Kakuzu.
A cloaked himself in lightning chakra, preparing to enter the battlefield, but Jiraiya called out,
"Raikage-sama, let Naruto see it through himself. He's come this far. I want to see how he finishes it himself."
******
Naruto started sweating profusely.
"Damn, this feels like déjà vu from the Forest of Death!"
Suddenly, Naruto grinned.
Kakuzu was taken aback.
"What are you smiling at, brat? You still can't lay a hand on me."
"Last time I tested this jutsu, I blew up half a spider's nest," Naruto muttered quietly under his breath, too softly for Kakuzu to hear.
"What? Already praying? Don't rush it—you're not dead yet..." Kakuzu taunted.
Naruto struck the blade attached to his protective gauntlet three times with force, producing a low hum that echoed across the battlefield.
Kakuzu ignored it, dismissing it as meaningless noise.
As he ran, Naruto struck the blade on his greaves three more times, generating an even higher-pitched sound.
When all the threads retracted toward him, Kakuzu thought Naruto had finally exhausted his energy and laughed.
Naruto struck the blades again, channeling the sound into the one attached to his leg.
Lifting one foot, Naruto slammed it into the ground. The vibrations from the blade on his leg rippled through the battlefield.
Kakuzu leapt upward, mistaking it for an Earth Release technique.
[Ultimate Exhaustion Howl!]
A high-pitched wailing drilled into Kakuzu's ears, seemingly draining all his energy.
******
At the same time, other shinobi felt their strength vanish suddenly, and were clearly gasping for breath—except for Jiraiya and Raikage A.
A said,
"I can feel my chakra slipping away. Is it caused by this sound?"
Jiraiya watched the battle between Naruto and Kakuzu unfold.
"I guess so."
******
Blood trickled from Kakuzu's mouth, eyes, and ears.
"What are you doing!" He tried to move by manipulating the threads, but they flickered briefly before falling limply to the ground.
Blood also trickled from Naruto's ears.
"Anyone caught in the sound wave loses chakra depending on how drained I am."
Kakuzu's eyes widened in disbelief.
With only one heart left, he didn't possess Naruto's ridiculous chakra reserves, and just like Naruto, he had already fought the entire day.
"You… kid," Kakuzu said weakly, collapsing onto the ground.
"How could I lose to some brat?" He muttered softly, muttering weakly, his voice trailing off.
Naruto slowly walked toward him, blood now streaming from his eyes as well.
"Because this 'mere brat' has been training nonstop since he was six years old—just to kill people like you."
Naruto inserted the blade on his foot into Kakuzu's chest, piercing straight through his heart.
Kakuzu let out his dying breath before finally falling completely still.
Naruto groaned in pain, returning his weapon to its original form, then began walking toward the others.
******
Jiraiya saw his apprentice finish off Kakuzu and head toward them, and a proud grin spread across his face:
"I told you, Raikage-sama, he could do it."
A chuckled while looking at Jiraiya, clearly proud of Naruto's performance:
"He's bound to become Konoha's protector."
"You bet," Jiraiya replied with a wide grin.
"Wait." Jiraiya's face darkened instantly when he saw Naruto collapse from exhaustion in the distance.
A started sweating and signaled his ninja to move in:
"Is he going to be alright?"
Jiraiya shrugged casually:
"Yeah, he'll be fine."
Then his gaze drifted back to Naruto:
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