Chapter 301

301. Chapter 298: Three Heroes Battle the Golden Horn

"How did you become so strong?"

The Waterfall Ninja leader pointed at Kakuzu with some trepidation; a common Water Release ninjutsu actually possessed such immense destructive power.

Before, they had clearly been chasing Kakuzu and beating him until he fled in panic; how, after not seeing him for a few days, had his strength grown at a speed like a rocket taking off?

"Finished with your last words? Then close your eyes~"

Facing the colleagues who had once wanted to put him to death, Kakuzu did not have a shred of pity, coldly pronouncing their sentence.

"Damn it, don't get happy too early!"

Although the deterrent power Kakuzu radiated far exceeded the past, the Waterfall Ninja leader, having some confidence in his heart, still braced himself. His hands formed seals at lightning speed, and a sharp water whip lashed out from his palm.

Water Release: Water Flow Whip

"Swish!"

The water whip was swung by the Waterfall Ninja leader with a fierce whistling sound. Seeing Kakuzu still standing in place, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the whip lashed directly at Kakuzu's face.

"Snap!"

Hearing a loud bang and feeling the feedback of the hit from the water whip, a trace of surprise flashed in the Waterfall Ninja leader's eyes. *Let's see you act cool now; even if you don't die, you'll lose a layer of skin~*

"Hmm? Is this all the level you have?"

Before he could even laugh out loud in joy, Kakuzu's cold voice came out again. The Waterfall Ninja leader was so startled he shuddered, hurriedly looking toward the other end of the water flow whip.

He saw Kakuzu stretch out a hand, and at the very moment before the water flow whip was about to lash his face, he grabbed it firmly in his hand, which was what had made the Waterfall Ninja leader mistakenly believe he had hit his target.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness."

How could Kakuzu let go of this excellent opportunity? He immediately unleashed a Lightning Release. The irritable lightning light surged back along the water flow whip to the Waterfall Ninja leader's palm. Unable to disperse the Water Release in time, he was immediately struck as if by lightning.

"Ah!!!"

Following a crackling sound, the charred Waterfall Ninja leader spat out a puff of black smoke, then his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight down.

Kakuzu looked at the Waterfall Ninjas lying all over the ground with an expressionless face, not choosing to deal a lethal blow. These people didn't have bounties on their heads; killing them would be working for free, a pure waste of time.

So he turned around, found the kunai that had been shot at him at the beginning, and after pulling it up, weighed it in his hand, a faint look of satisfaction in his eyes.

He hadn't misjudged it; it was top-quality goods, worth at least 3,000 ryo.

"Are you planning to leave just like that, my lord?"

Just as Kakuzu was preparing to leave, several figures suddenly appeared all around, surrounding him tightly. The leader was a man wrapped in bandages, who was sizing him up with curious eyes.

"Are you the helpers he found?"

Kakuzu, who had already anticipated this in his heart, was not too surprised by the appearance of Mu and the others. That Waterfall Ninja had dared to clamor like that earlier; clearly, there was someone behind him. It was a pity the people he found didn't seem to care about their lives, only coming out to save the situation after they had all been beaten down.

"We just have the same goal."

Mu couldn't even be bothered to look at the Waterfall Ninjas lying on the ground. Facing the battle-ready Kakuzu, he couldn't help but feel a bit of appreciation for his talent, so he began his recruitment plan again.

"You are Kakuzu, right? As long as you tell us the clues about the Seven-Tails, you can join our Rock Village."

"Oh? I am a rogue ninja."

Widening his eyes in some surprise, Kakuzu didn't expect the other party to actually recruit him.

"No matter, as long as you join the Rock Village, we will naturally help you solve the Waterfall Ninja side."

"Heh."

Kakuzu didn't reply, only showing a look of mockery, sneered twice, and then turned to leave.

"Did I let you leave?"

Looking at Kakuzu, who ignored him, Mu's blood surged with anger. Yesterday's Ghost Corps was one thing; they had an official establishment, so it was understandable for them to refuse his recruitment.

But you, a rogue ninja like a street rat, actually dare to refuse me!

"You asked the wrong person; I don't know what Seven-Tails thing you are talking about."

Turning his head back, Kakuzu, whose eyes were glowing with a pale green light, showed no clues on his cold expression.

"Still playing dumb? Attack! Take him down!"

Mu waved his hand, and the surrounding Rock Ninjas formed seals in unison. Countless stones floated up from the ground, turning into sharp cones, and shot rapidly toward Kakuzu.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Kakuzu slapped the ground with both hands, and a stone wall rose from the ground, blocking all the stone cones. Then he raised his head to look at Mu, who was crossing his arms, and suddenly asked,

"Do you have a bounty?"

"Hmph~ That is natural."

With a look of confusion, Mu answered with a frown. As the second-in-command of the Rock Village, he naturally had bounties placed on him by enemy ninjas.

"That's good, I hate working for free the most."

Upon hearing that Mu had a bounty, Kakuzu immediately got energized. His hands formed seals at lightning speed, his big mouth took a fierce breath, and then he rapidly spat out a high-pressure wind ball, attacking the Rock Ninjas surrounding him.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage."

The basketball-sized wind ball, in the process of flying, rapidly condensed into a vortex-shaped storm eye. Accompanied by a piercing roar and carrying strong wind force, it made the Rock Ninjas' hearts tighten, and they immediately scattered.

However, how could Kakuzu's ninjutsu be so simple? They saw that storm eye suddenly explode after falling into the crowd. Everyone only felt the sharp wind pressure rushing toward their faces.

Caught off guard, the Rock Ninjas were swept into it. The tyrannical wind-attribute chakra made them feel as if they were being cut by knives, and they couldn't help but let out miserable screams.

"Ah! Ah~"

"Damn it!"

Mu was now furious, not expecting that the good hands he brought would stumble in the hands of a rogue ninja. He was so angry he pulled out the long sword behind him and killed his way toward Kakuzu.

"Clang~"

Hearing the piercing sound of metal clashing, Kakuzu held a kunai made of refined steel and began to compete with Mu in taijutsu. After a few moves, the two fought back and forth, and for a time, it was hard to tell who was better.

"Curly-haired baboon, hurry up, the fight has already started!"

Just as Kakuzu and Mu were fighting inseparably, the late-arriving Uchiha Gin and his group were hiding on a big tree not far from the battlefield. Senju Itama, with a face full of excitement, shouted at Uchiha Gin, who was moving slowly behind him.

"Yare yare, is it so lively?"

Lazily picking his ears, Uchiha Gin, who landed on the treetop, said in a very annoying tone.

"Gin, shall we make a move?"

Uchiha Hikari, standing beside Uchiha Gin, was sizing up Kakuzu, who was fighting Mu to a draw. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. The girl's keen perception told her that this rogue ninja had something familiar on him, so she immediately asked.

"No rush, no rush, let's watch for a while longer."

"But, it won't be long before ninjas from other villages discover..."

"No, we are the ones who arrived the latest."

Facing the somewhat anxious Uchiha Hikari, Uchiha Gin shook his head calmly.

"Eh?"

Mu was fighting Kakuzu intensely, the long sword in his hand almost swinging out afterimages, and the sharp sword aura slashed down directly.

"Crack~"

Kakuzu raised both hands, barely blocking this slash. The top-quality kunai made of refined steel in his hand finally couldn't bear the burden and snapped in response.

"Surrender, I haven't used my full strength yet."

Mu, who had the slight upper hand, looked at Kakuzu, who had borrowed the force to retreat a few steps, and advised him to surrender. He could suppress him even with taijutsu, which he wasn't good at, let alone the Bloodline Elimination he hadn't used yet.

So in Mu's eyes, Kakuzu at this moment was a turtle in a jar, unable to escape.

"I haven't lost yet!"

Kakuzu, upholding the principle that it could still be sold if repaired, painfully put the half-broken kunai into his backpack, then a look of determination flashed in his eyes, and he decided to take out the things in his backpack.

"Hahaha, bandage man, did you miss me?"

Suddenly, a sharp laugh interrupted Kakuzu's movements. Turning his face in confusion, he saw a flashy little mustache jumping out of the jungle not far away, shouting wildly at Mu with a face full of arrogance.

"You little mustache, don't get in the way!"

Enemies are especially jealous when they meet. Mu directly left the confused Kakuzu behind and started fighting with Hozuki Gengetsu, who had suddenly appeared. For a time, stones flew and water splashed.

Looking in surprise at Hozuki Gengetsu, who was fighting with Mu, the girls all cast their eyes on Uchiha Gin, who had a calm face, as if looking at a wise general who was planning strategies.

"Mr. Gin, good opportunity!"

Uchiha Jiri caught a glimpse of Kakuzu, who wanted to slip away in the chaos, so she reminded him.

"No rush, no rush, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind~"

Raising his hand to soothe the girls, Uchiha Gin revealed a mysterious smile and continued to shake his head calmly.

"Whew~"

Calming the rolling blood in his body, having just exchanged a few blows with Mu, Kakuzu's arms were still numb. Seeing the two fighting selflessly, his eyes rolled, and he prepared to slip away.

As a result, as soon as he turned around, he was blocked by a fierce-looking bald tattooed man. Shamon, who had jumped out at some unknown time, led a group of Sand Ninjas and surrounded Kakuzu tightly.

"Mr. Rogue Ninja, can you tell us a little about the news of the Seven-Tails?"

Shamon revealed a smile he thought was "kind," scaring Kakuzu so much that his heart trembled.

"I really don't know any Seven-Tails or Eight-Tails; all of this is the slander of those traitors in the Waterfall Village!"

Judging from his appearance alone, Kakuzu also knew that Shamon was definitely not a kind person, so he secretly reached his hand toward the bag behind him, while arguing with certainty in his mouth.

"Since that's the case, I'll have to have you come with us for a trip."

Sighing, Shamon's eyes narrowed, and the aura radiating from his whole body was not inferior to Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu before.

"Oioioi~ You guys from the boondocks, actually also want to get your hands on the Seven-Tails?"

"Yeah, big brother, when we asked them to pay before, they said they didn't like it; how come now that there's a wild one, they are rushing to grab it."

Just as Shamon was preparing to take down Kakuzu, who was in a bad state, two muffled voices sounded from behind them.

They saw two burly men, leading a team of dark-skinned ninjas, jumping down from the high treetops, their fierce faces carrying a thick look of mockery.

"Oh? Golden Horn and Silver Horn brothers, did the people of the Cloud Village feed them gold fertilizer? How come they grew up so anxiously?"

Uchiha Gin, who was sitting firmly on the fishing platform, rubbed his eyes hard. Looking at the two brothers who came to stir up trouble, his chin almost dropped.

"You are the Silver and Gold brothers of the Land of Lightning!"

Shamon looked at the newcomers vigilantly, his eyebrows furrowed into a big "chuan" character. But as the second-in-command of the Sand Village, he must not lose face, so he said coldly, his attitude very tough.

"The Seven-Tails has no owner; those who are capable will occupy it."

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, who were fighting intensely on the side, saw that others had joined in, stopped their hands tacitly. After pulling away the distance, the several groups each took a direction and surrounded Kakuzu tightly.

The four groups secretly sized each other up, temporarily choosing to remain still. Kakuzu, who was surrounded in the middle, felt much more relaxed. After looking around, he hummed and said,

"The turnout is really big; four of the five great ninja villages have come. Is there still a Leaf hidden?"

"!!!"

"Curly-haired baboon, that rogue ninja is amazing; he actually knows we are hidden!"

Hearing Kakuzu's words, Senju Itama almost stumbled and fell. Then she grabbed Uchiha Gin's sleeve and said with a face full of surprise.

"Shh~ keep your voice down, no one knows we are here."

Pressing down on the head of the restless little ghost, Uchiha Gin warned with a shush.

"Leaf? Aren't they not interested in tailed beasts?"

Hozuki Gengetsu touched his little mustache and spoke first.

"Indeed."

Mu rarely had the same view as his mortal enemy.

"Leaf, huh..."

Compared to Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, the complexions of Shamon and the Gold and Silver brothers suddenly became a bit unnatural. They had encountered acquaintances from the Leaf before. Although the other party explained that they were just passing by, when it came to the mission, it was hard to say if they were keeping three parts of their words.

Hope it's just a coincidence~

"Everyone, since our goals are the same, why don't we join forces to take down this rogue ninja, and then share the information later?"

Shamon, who had the worst comprehensive strength among the four groups, proposed after analyzing the situation.

"Impossible!" *2

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu retorted in unison. It seems that at least the two of them couldn't cooperate. Shamon then cast his eyes on the Gold and Silver brothers.

"Big brother, what do you say?"

"It's getting a bit hot, then let's kill them all!"

Jin Jiao never thought about uniting. A pair of tiger eyes glared round, sweeping the whole field with thick contempt. His fan-like big hand waved hard, and the Blackie brothers behind him, who were ready to go, instantly understood.

Accompanied by a dazzling lightning flash, the Blackie brothers killed their way toward the other three sides with lightning speed.

Are these two guys crazy? Actually wanting to fight three!

Caught off guard by Jin Jiao's move, Shamon quickly retreated with his men to open the distance. But how could their speed be faster than the Cloud Ninjas who were proficient in Lightning Release? In the blink of an eye, they were killed by the Blackie brothers, who were radiating weak arcs of electricity.

"Meet the enemy!"

At this point, they could only bite the bullet. Shamon immediately hardened his heart and directed his men to start counterattacking.

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu on the side also began to fight with the Blackie brothers.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the subordinates of the two brothers are not bad; they are all elites among elites. Have they been hollowed out by the Ai brothers?"

Uchiha Gin, who was watching from the sidelines, looked at the muscular Blackie brothers with great interest. These people were all top-notch experts, at least having the strength of Jonin, and were well-equipped, with clear tactics, and their cooperation was seamless.

It was almost as if they were trained to encircle and suppress Kage-level experts.

Encircle and suppress?

White Hair: Danger!

"Thump!"

"Ugh..."

Besieged by several Blackie brothers, Shamon, who didn't have high fighting spirit, was caught off guard and took a punch from an elite Jonin-level Blackie brother. While the wound was numb, his body was in turmoil.

"Lord Shamon!"

Seeing their leader injured, the Sand Ninjas gathered around one after another.

"I'm fine, you guys be careful; these guys are well-trained, don't underestimate the enemy."

Thinking that he, the dignified second-in-command of the Sand Village, was actually thwarted by the unknown Blackie brothers, Shamon, who couldn't hold his face, prepared to go all out to teach the Cloud Village ninjas a lesson and show off his muscles.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

They saw Shamon spitting out a lotus flower, his signature ninjutsu shooting out, accurately hitting several Blackie brothers. For a time, blood flew, and the scene was unbearable to look at.

"Poor Sand Ninja, take my punch!"

Having killed several Blackie brothers with one blow, Shamon hadn't been proud for long before a fist the size of a sand pot descended from the sky. Unable to dodge, he took the punch head-on, immediately knocking him flying for dozens of meters, during which he also snapped several big trees in half.

"Cough cough cough... such great strength."

As the smoke dissipated, Shamon, with one arm dislocated and hanging, slowly stood up. Looking at Jin Jiao, who had ambushed him, his forehead furrowed tightly.

This person must not be fought head-on.

So he cast his eyes on Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, who were surrounded by the Blackie brothers. After thinking for a while, he said loudly,

"We must join forces, otherwise not only will this rogue ninja fall into the hands of the Cloud Village, but we will also have our lives at stake."

"Ugh... no way, bandage man, as long as you beg me, I will temporarily join forces with you."

Hozuki Gengetsu, who relied on the Hydrification Technique to avoid the Blackie brothers' attacks, shouted at Mu on the side.

"Hmph! No way, unless you kneel down for me, I will consider joining forces with you."

Mu, who was manipulating stones to knock away a Blackie brother, took the time to turn his head and say something disgusting.

The Hydrification Technique is known as the nemesis of physics; the taijutsu that the Blackie brothers were proud of couldn't hurt Hozuki Gengetsu at all.

"I'm going to... you want to fart... ah ah ah~"

However, the Blackie brothers were not vegetarians either. After a brief analysis, they released several Lightning Releases toward the pool of water that had been hydrated. The powerful current penetrated into the water, making Hozuki Gengetsu, who had turned into water, miserable.

"Cough cough cough..."

"Thump!"

Hozuki Gengetsu, who was smoking all over, turned into human form. Under the numbness of his body, he leaned forward and knelt on the ground. Under the action of gravity, he happened to kowtow in front of Mu.

Following a dull kowtow sound, the scene fell into dead silence. Mu, with a strange expression, straightened his body and looked at Hozuki Gengetsu, who was climbing up quickly, and said in a teasing tone,

"I only said let you kneel, why did you kowtow without permission?"

"Damn it! You..."

"Forget it, forget it, since you are so sincere, I will reluctantly join forces with you once."

Waving his hand to repel the Blackie brothers around him, Mu, with an inexplicable smile on his face, flashed to Hozuki Gengetsu's side.

"Sure enough, the strong are lonely."

Jin Jiao looked at the three who had temporarily reached an alliance and shook his head with disdain. In his view, only the weak would choose to unite.

"You guys come together!"

Jin Jiao, who was not afraid at all in his heart, rubbed his hands and grinned fiercely. His burly body, combined with the two horns rushing to the sky on his head, looked just like a legendary evil ghost.

"A-cough!"

The three of Shamon looked at each other, then made a move tacitly, and their respective signature ninjutsu instantly poured out.

"Oioioi~ Let me enjoy the thrill of battle!"

Jin Jiao, who had entered the state, radiated a very strong sense of oppression. He had an extra feather fan half the height of a person in his hand at some unknown time and killed his way toward the few.

Kakuzu, the protagonist of the event, seeing the melee escalate, thought about taking the opportunity to slip away, but was blocked by Silver Horn, who had been prepared.

"You stay here peacefully first, wait for big brother to clean up those guys, and then we will communicate with you properly~"

"What if I insist on leaving?"

Kakuzu furrowed his eyebrows and said coldly.

"Then I can only break your five limbs first."

Silver Horn's cold gaze carried a faint contempt. In his eyes, Kakuzu, born in a small ninja village, wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

"Eh?"

Seeing that Silver Horn wouldn't let him go easily, Kakuzu then began to examine the silver-haired man who was blocking him. He didn't know until he looked; under careful perception, he actually captured a trace of strange aura, giving him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"It's Matatabi."

Just as Kakuzu was confused, a sharp voice sounded in his mind.

"Lord Divine Beast, who is Matatabi?"

Having never heard the name Matatabi, Kakuzu couldn't help but ask in his mind.

"Same as me."

After the Seven-Tails replied simply, it fell into silence again.

Kakuzu furrowed his eyebrows. Could it be that the silver-haired man in front of him, like himself, was a person chosen by a tailed beast?

Just as the two were deadlocked, the other side of the battlefield was about to decide the winner. Jin Jiao, holding the Banana Fan, easily used the nature transformation of the five-element ninjutsu, turning into a ruthless turret, beating Hozuki Gengetsu and the three until they fled in panic.

The three, who had no cooperation, fell into a disadvantage after fighting Jin Jiao for a few rounds.

"Damn it! Baldy, don't you have any awesome secret techniques?"

Under the bombardment of gorgeous ninjutsu, Hozuki Gengetsu, hiding behind the Earth Flow Wall raised by Mu, couldn't help but slander Shamon.

"I don't."

Shamon, who had been throwing conventional Wind Releases, blushed. In this team battle, he couldn't carry, couldn't heal, and his output was the lowest; he could only paddle on the side to gain experience.

"If you don't, then get out of the way, Grandpa is going to use his ultimate!"

The annoyed Hozuki Gengetsu kicked Shamon's butt, then formed seals with his hands and released his signature secret technique.

Water Gun Explosion!

They saw a large amount of damp water mist suddenly permeate the battlefield, then slowly condense into a smiling face.

"Want to run?"

Jin Jiao had never seen this move before and thought it was the Hidden Mist Technique used for escaping, so he threw out a Fire Release, trying to evaporate this piece of water mist.

"Hee hee hee..."

However, the moment the fire appeared, this water mist, which looked like steam, actually condensed rapidly, finally turning into a sloppily drawn little fatty, with a strange smile on his chubby face, striding toward Jin Jiao.

"You guys cover me well."

Hozuki Gengetsu, panting, hid behind the wall and said in a low voice to Mu and Shamon, a smile of revenge about to be fulfilled on his pale face.

"You guy playing god!"

Looking at the little fatty running toward him quickly, Jin Jiao smiled with disdain, waving the Banana Fan again, and several Fire Releases smashed over as if they didn't cost money.

Who would have thought that this little fatty had great skills, actually dodging all the Fire Releases. Under the influence of the scorching air around him, his short body actually began to expand rapidly.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"

Mu, who knew the power of Hozuki Gengetsu's move, flashed a murderous intent in his eyes, then took a deep breath, wrapped his fists in heavy rocks, and smashed toward Jin Jiao.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

No, brother Shamon, you are the Second Kazekage, not the 5.5th Hokage; how come you only know the "pui pui pui" Vacuum Sphere? (End of chapter)