Chapter 442: 386. Chapter 378: Kakuzu Who Recited the Wrong Lines

386. Chapter 378: Kakuzu Who Recited the Wrong Lines

BOOM!!!

"That is..."

"What a powerful aura!"

"Can we really win?"

Accompanied by the appearance of Uchiha Madara's transformation effects, the entire small island trembled under the aftershocks of his terrifying power. The knights currently engaged in battle stopped their movements one after another, their gazes filled with a series of emotions including curiosity, shock, and fear.

The blinding white light slowly dissipated. Standing before Kakuzu was the ultimate Fox God in white and red, its yellow compound eyes carrying a faint, scarlet afterglow that made people subconsciously flinch and look away.

"Gulp~"

Kakuzu swallowed hard. Truly, only after experiencing it firsthand could one understand the terror of Uchiha Madara. He felt a bit of regret for his impulsiveness just moments ago.

But there is no medicine for regret in this world. Kakuzu could only brace himself and push forward; the short blade in his hand did not hesitate like its master, remaining incomparably sharp.

"Clang~"

If this strike had landed on an ordinary ninja, they would likely have been torn to shreds. But for Uchiha Madara, the exquisite sword strike Kakuzu unleashed had not a shred of lethality. With a simple wave of his hand, the wind pressure alone sent him flying back several meters.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Having blocked Uchiha Madara's casual strike, Kakuzu felt a churning sensation in his chest. Upon landing, he looked down at his trembling arm with a bitter expression.

"Lord Tailed Beast, please lend me your strength!"

At the critical moment, Kakuzu chose to ask Chomei for help.

"It's hopeless, just wait to die~"

The Seven-Tails had already prepared itself to be humiliated by the Nine-Tails; after all, the eight of them combined might not be a match for the Nine-Tails, let alone a single caterpillar like itself.

"If that's all the level you have, you might as well voluntarily end your transformation and admit defeat."

Uchiha Madara looked at the silent Kakuzu and shook his head lightly. He had absolutely no interest in an opponent of this caliber.

But unexpectedly, Kakuzu did not do as told. Instead, he stood up and blocked Uchiha Madara's path, the trembling short blade in his hand beginning to steady.

Frowning, Uchiha Madara vanished from his spot in an instant, entering high-speed movement. In less than the blink of an eye, he was already behind Kakuzu, throwing a simple punch.

"Bang!"

Sensing the world-destroying aura behind him, Kakuzu reacted swiftly, drawing his blade to stab backward toward Uchiha Madara's exposed ribs.

"Got you!"

Just as he thought his counterattack had succeeded, a look of disdain flashed across the corner of Uchiha Madara's mouth beneath his faceplate. Ignoring the short blade stabbing toward him, he slammed his fist into Kakuzu's back.

"Screech~"

"BOOM!"

Two sounds rang out in succession. Kakuzu's sharp short blade left not a single mark on Uchiha Madara's armor.

But Kakuzu, having taken the punch, was smashed into the ground like a cannonball, instantly creating a large crater in the hard stage.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed from the mouth of Kakuzu's faceplate, his body tightly embedded in the ground.

"Senior Sword!"

If Mako could still just stand there and do nothing at this moment, she would truly be a monster. She flashed to Kakuzu's side, reached out with her small hand, and gave a fierce tug, actually pulling the silver knight out from where he was deeply embedded in the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Senior Sword, are you alright?"

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Having suffered severe internal injuries, Kakuzu gasped for air and pushed away Mako, who was supporting him. He bent down to pick up the short blade from the ground, turned, and limped toward Uchiha Madara.

"Still want to fight?"

Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise; this guy's courage was indeed commendable.

"I haven't lost yet!"

As he walked, Kakuzu inserted a card into the slot on the hilt of his short blade.

"Absorb Queen! Fusion Jack!"

Golden light showered down. Enveloped within it, Kakuzu's pace began to become vigorous. A pair of insect wings unfolded from his back, and the short blade in his hand transformed into a long sword.

"Round two! It's my turn to attack!"

Having successfully upgraded, the injuries Kakuzu had just sustained instantly recovered as if they had never happened. The long sword in his hand emitted a chilling cold light, and with a spread of his wings, he charged at Uchiha Madara at extreme speed.

"This move is more like it~"

Sensing that Kakuzu's current aura was several notches stronger than before, Uchiha Madara's thoughts stirred. Light particles condensed in his hand, and in the blink of an eye, a blade-spear appeared.

"Clang!"

The two weapons collided, emitting a sharp, explosive sound. The shockwave generated by the clash nearly sent Onoki, who was flying in the air to dodge ice blades, tumbling away.

"That guy can actually go toe-to-toe with Uchiha Madara?"

Stabilizing his figure, Onoki blinked in surprise. As a man who had been ravaged by Uchiha Madara several times, how could he not know the other's terror?

"Clang!"

"Snap!"

"Bang!"

With the speed boost from his wings, Kakuzu could barely keep up with Uchiha Madara's movements, but the long sword in his hand was repeatedly blocked with ease by his opponent, and his mindset gradually began to shift.

"Thud!"

Finally, Kakuzu's rapid-fire attacks, like a torrential rain, showed a flaw the moment he lost focus. Uchiha Madara, having had enough fun, raised his hand for a simple thrust, ending the "hearty and thorough" battle.

Unable to dodge in time, Kakuzu was sent flying away again just like that. After landing on the ground, his expression turned a bit sour.

"Are you playing with me?"

"I'm playing with a fool~"

Unexpectedly, Uchiha Madara actually nodded. This made Kakuzu so angry his vision went black for a moment. Fortunately, his years of cultivating his temperament held firm; he knew he couldn't be swayed by the other's words.

"Huff... The world is so beautiful, yet you are so irritable. Is this good? This is not good!"

After a bout of self-counseling, Kakuzu regained his spirits, brandished his golden long sword, and charged at Uchiha Madara once again.

"But I'm tired of playing now."

Facing the aggressive Kakuzu, Uchiha Madara only shook his head slightly. The blade-spear in his hand erupted with several beams of fiery red light, shooting toward the approaching Kakuzu.

Rumble... rumble...

Accompanied by the sound of violent explosions, black smoke shrouded the entire arena. When the dust settled, Kakuzu, who had reverted to his silver-white base form, lay in a large crater, smoke rising from his body. If not for the fact that his red compound eyes still held a glimmer of life, Uchiha Madara would have been ready to start the funeral feast.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Turning the blade-spear back into light particles, Uchiha Madara walked past Kakuzu toward the direction where Mako was hiding. But before he had taken many steps, he discovered his foot had been grabbed.

"Oh?"

Looking down at the large hand gripping his calf, Uchiha Madara frowned, then spoke indifferently.

"Is it worth it? You clearly have no desire to fight."

"Cough..."

Uchiha Madara had been able to sense it from the very beginning of the battle: this man under his feet had never once thought about truly fighting. What drove him was perhaps only the money promised by that woman.

"Cough, cough, cough... I... have no dreams, but I can protect the dreams of others."

"Although the lines were from the wrong script, I won't watch this year's 'Top Ten Moving Figures of the Ninja World' or 'National Model Worker' awards without you~"

Trembling as he stood up, Kakuzu's voice carried a certain unwavering conviction. The power born from this conviction made even Uchiha Gin, who had been watching the battle, cast a sidelong glance.

"Well said. I can spare your life."

Except in necessary situations, Uchiha Madara was not usually a bloodthirsty person. So, even though Kakuzu had been pestering him relentlessly, he had no intention of taking his life, especially since this guy seemed to have a conviction that surpassed ordinary people; he was a character.

"Senior Sword!"

Just as Uchiha Madara wanted to raise his hand to push Kakuzu away, Mako's figure appeared ghost-like between the two. This time, the roles were reversed, and she was the one protecting the heavily injured Kakuzu.

"Cough, cough, cough... Idiot! What are you doing? You're the employer. If you die, who am I supposed to ask for money?"

Kakuzu, who was slowly recovering under the nourishment of the Seven-Tails' power, looked at Mako standing in front of him, the veins on his head popping with anger.

"Senior Sword, rest and recover. Leave the rest to me. I'm actually very strong~"

Turning around, she flexed her small muscles for the exasperated Kakuzu. When she turned back, the playfulness on Mako's face vanished, replaced by a serious expression that gave Uchiha Madara the illusion of seeing a female version of Hashirama.

"The thing inside you is quite interesting."

The scarlet eyes beneath his faceplate had long since seen through Mako. Of course, not the lecherous kind of "seeing through" like the Byakugan, but seeing the monster hidden within her body with perfect clarity.

"Uchiha Madara has targeted that woman. She's a goner. She's clearly just an ordinary person, yet she insists on participating in this kind of battle."

The knights, unaware of the truth, looked at Mako confronting Uchiha Madara and shook their heads with regret. In their view, a woman who wasn't a Tailed Beast knight had simply stumbled into this battle of the century, and her final fate would likely be nothing other than death.

"Interesting? I actually think it's quite troublesome, and it even secretly did some nasty, bad things."

Mako curled her lip at these words, then, to the surprise of most, pulled a gray driver identical to theirs out of the small bag on her back.

"Huh?"

"Nani? Baka!"

"Could it be that besides the nine Tailed Beasts, there are other unknown secret Tailed Beasts?"

For a moment, all the knights stopped fighting by tacit agreement, staring straight at Mako as she buckled the driver around her slender waist, their various compound eyes overflowing with curiosity.

After Mako buckled the driver, she slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a tyrannical aura that shocked everyone emanated from her beautiful eyes. Immediately after, a scarlet card filled with a man-eating aura appeared in her hand.

"A guy I've never seen before. Doesn't look like a Tailed Beast."

Kinkaku, who had done quite a bit of research on Tailed Beasts, looked at the ferocious monster on the card in Mako's hand, his brows furrowing tightly.

"Number Eight, do you recognize that guy?"

In the sea of consciousness, inside the Golden Horn arena, he sought help from the Eight-Tails; these Tailed Beasts had lived for so many years and were knowledgeable, so they should recognize that monster.

"So, Chongming wasn't bragging after all?"

The Eight-Tails stared blankly at Zhenzi as she pushed the scarlet card into the driver, recalling the boast Chongming had made in the Tailed Beast chat room years ago, where it claimed to have fought eight hundred rounds against a monster that even the Old Man couldn't eliminate; they had scoffed at it then, thinking it was just a caterpillar having a daydream.

"Stop talking in riddles, what exactly is it?"

Seeing that the Eight-Tails recognized this monster, Golden Horn couldn't help but urge it.

"It is Satori, a type of monster that feeds on humans."

In the spectator stands, Chiyo frantically rubbed her large, sparkling eyes; she had painstakingly collected data on all the Riders, but she never expected that she had missed one, so she immediately asked Seeing Shenhuo, who was standing to the side with a look of heartache on his face,

"Your wife can actually transform too? Is she also a Rider?"

"Rider? No, Zhenzi prefers to call herself—"

"Amazon!" (End of chapter)