Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"

As one of Kirigakure's foremost masters of ninjutsu, Mei had kept her eyes locked on Kakuzu the entire time.

The moment he moved, she completed her hand seals.

Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.

A gigantic sphere of water, as large as a falling meteor, erupted from Mei's mouth and slammed toward him.

The raging sea of flames was extinguished instantly.

Even Kakuzu himself was swallowed by the torrent before he could evade.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Mei had no intention of holding back.

The instant the Water Formation Pillar engulfed Kakuzu, a roaring water dragon surged upward from the flood, carrying him high into the sky.

Not good...

Kakuzu immediately recognized how dangerous his opponents were.

Only two people had acted so far, yet he and Hidan were already being suppressed.

He still had trump cards remaining.

But one terrifying fact remained—

Hatake Kakashi hadn't truly joined the battle yet.

As Kakuzu searched for a way to retreat, he suddenly sensed movement.

Kakashi appeared like a ghost.

Riding alongside Mei's Water Dragon.

His blade thrust directly toward Kakuzu's heart.

Clang!

The sword struck.

But it failed to penetrate.

Kakashi felt as though he had stabbed solid rock.

A body-hardening technique!

He instantly understood.

Unfortunately, submerged in water, he couldn't easily amplify the blade's piercing power with Lightning Release.

He needed another method.

Noticing Kakashi behind him, Kakuzu immediately formed hand seals.

His cloak bulged.

A strange masked creature burst from his back and opened its mouth toward Kakashi.

"Wind Release: Pressure Da—"

Before the technique could finish, the mask began drawing in the surrounding water, compressing an enormous amount of wind chakra.

If unleashed, the resulting explosion would be devastating.

Unfortunately—

Kakashi was faster.

"Rasengan!"

A swirling sphere of chakra slammed directly into the mask's face.

The violent rotation blasted Kakuzu clear out of the water dragon and sent him crashing toward the ground below.

Kakashi followed immediately.

Leaping from the water dragon himself, he completed hand seals midair.

Lightning crackled around his blade.

Kakuzu hit the ground.

The impact from the Rasengan left his body momentarily stiff.

Then—

A lightning blade descended from above.

It pierced straight through his heart.

Only after the blade emerged from his chest did Kakuzu fully realize what had happened.

One mistake...

And I'll die here.

Kakashi withdrew the sword.

Smoke and steam filled the battlefield from the clash between Mei's Water Release and Kakuzu's flames.

Without hesitation, Kakashi swung again.

The blade severed Kakuzu's head.

His body collapsed.

Motionless.

Dead.

At least, that's how it appeared.

Kakashi kept a Lightning Cutter prepared in his hand as he stared at the severed head.

After seeing Hidan earlier, he wasn't taking chances.

But nothing happened.

Kakuzu remained completely still.

"Looks like he doesn't have the same immortality as his partner."

What Kakashi failed to notice was that beneath the headless corpse, black tendrils quietly burrowed into the ground.

Meanwhile—

The moment Mei and Kakashi launched their attacks, Naruto had already used Flying Thunder God to pull Sasuke back to safety.

"Hinata, help treat Sasuke's wound."

Then he looked toward Hidan.

The Akatsuki member had half his head split open.

Blood covered the ground.

Yet somehow he was standing again, laughing hysterically.

Naruto stared.

"That guy still isn't dead?!"

"An immortality ability?"

Even Mei shifted her attention from Kakuzu to Hidan.

Despite her experience, she had never encountered anything remotely like this.

At least not in the Land of Water.

Still, Kakashi had already occupied one opponent.

That meant—

This one should fall to her.

"...Sasuke-kun."

Hinata had already taken medical supplies from her pack and begun wrapping his injured hand.

"Hehehe!"

Hidan pointed toward them.

"Trying to heal him?"

"You made me hurt this much!"

"He's already dead!"

Unfortunately, with half his face split apart, his speech came out slurred and distorted.

Sasuke ignored him.

His Sharingan remained locked onto Hidan.

Hidan didn't notice that the dark markings around Sasuke's eyes had already faded.

"Heh!"

"You call that a small injury?"

"You've already got one foot in the grave!"

Then Hidan licked the blood coating the black spike in his hand.

Instantly, black-and-white skeletal markings spread across his body.

His appearance became eerie and unsettling.

"Hehehe..."

"Lord Jashin!"

"Accept this worthy sacrifice!"

Using the blood flowing from his own wounds, Hidan excitedly began drawing a ritual circle on the ground.

Then—

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

An orange-clad leg suddenly filled his vision.

BAM!

Caught completely off guard, Hidan was kicked flying.

His body smashed into a tree before crashing to the ground.

He coughed up blood and staggered back to his feet.

"That hurt!"

"You're interfering with my ritual!"

"Lord Jashin is going to be furious!"

"Oh, please."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"That thing is obviously some kind of curse technique."

"Of course I'm going to stop you."

Then he noticed Hidan secretly completing half of another circle.

"Still drawing?"

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

BAM!

Hidan was launched again.

"Pfft... Lord Jashin—"

"Still talking?"

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

BOOM!

"I'm gonna kill—"

"Rasengan!"

BOOM! BOOM!

"I—"

"Sage Art: Raseng—"

"WAIT!"

Hidan panicked.

"You don't fight fair!"

At this point, his body was practically falling apart.

Both legs had been shattered.

A massive hole had been blasted through his abdomen.

One arm was hanging from a distant tree.

Half his head dangled awkwardly from his neck.

Blood was everywhere.

Most importantly—

His ritual circle was completely ruined.

How am I supposed to make a sacrifice now?!

"You seriously interrupt someone while they're using a secret technique?!"

"What kind of person does that?!"

Hidan could do nothing but roar helplessly.

Naruto blinked.

"Huh?"

"Someone once told me that truly good techniques don't require long preparation."

"The best ones work immediately."

He still held a Rasengan in his hand.

To be safe, he created a shadow clone.

The clone walked over and looked down at Hidan.

"Sounds like your god never taught you how to improve your technique."

"I..."

For the first time all day, Hidan was speechless.

Looking at the battlefield, anyone would think he was the victim of some horrifying ritual.

If Lord Jashin himself appeared right now, he might honestly decide Naruto was the more terrifying one.

Seeing Naruto's completely righteous expression, Hidan finally gave up.

Tears practically formed in his eyes.

"I actually fell for your nonsense..."

Back with the group, Sasuke stared at Naruto.

Then at Hidan.

Then back at Naruto.

For a long moment, he couldn't find a single word to say.

"Wait..."

Mei was equally stunned.

"All this time... Naruto's actually this strong?"

A few minutes ago, she'd thought Sasuke was the most talented member of Konoha's younger generation.

Now?

Watching Naruto casually dismantle an immortal enemy piece by piece—

If Hidan hadn't possessed immortality, Mei wasn't even sure there would be enough of him left to identify.

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