Chapter 432: That, I'm afraid, is not necessarily true

Potential, or perhaps talent, is an important part of what constitutes a ninja's value.

And Kakuzu's talent can simply be called the worst among Kage-level powerhouses.

The secret technique Earth Grudge Fear brought Kakuzu a near-immortal life.

During the First Shinobi World War, Kakuzu was already a Kage-level powerhouse.

And right up until the eve of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kakuzu was still only Kage-level.

Over such a long stretch of time, Kakuzu's strength had not made the slightest bit of progress!

One must know, Kakuzu was an existence possessing five attributes! Over such a long time, was it really that hard to develop some powerful techniques based on his own abilities?

Yet in these decades, Kakuzu seemed to have done nothing; apart from bullying the weak every day to earn bounties and indulging in these low-level amusements, his strength improvement was utterly rotten.

Poor talent is one aspect, but the most important thing is his mindset.

In his long life, Kakuzu had long since lost his way; his soul had long since decayed, and he would only be satisfied with the insignificant comfort of the present.

In fact, Mizunuki Ryosuke had not been without thoughts of recruiting Kakuzu; after all, who would complain about having one more Kage-level combatant under their command?

Kakuzu's greed for money meant that Kakuzu was always at risk of betraying his allies for profit.

Kakuzu's notoriety also meant that if Mizunuki Ryosuke were to recruit him, it would bring negative influence to the Hidden Mist and simultaneously sour relations with the Hidden Waterfall.

Kakuzu's inertia and decay also indicated that he had no potential for further growth in the future.

Recruiting Kakuzu would be a case of the losses outweighing the gains.

For various reasons, Mizunuki Ryosuke made the decision to kill Kakuzu.

In front of Kakuzu and Mizunuki Ryosuke, who was even stronger than Killer Bee, Kurotsuchi's strength was indeed not worth mentioning.

But as a Jonin-level ninja, Kurotsuchi could definitely be counted as part of the elite class in the ninja world.

Her identity as a ninja left Kurotsuchi full of curiosity about the battle between the two.

She curled her body into Mizunuki Ryosuke's embrace, watching intently as the two Ice Dragon Kings clashed with a Kakuzu who was firing on all cylinders.

After all, a battle between powerhouses of this level was not something she saw often.

Mizunuki Ryosuke was in no rush to act; he seemed to notice Kurotsuchi's gaze and spoke slowly, his clear, steady voice reaching Kurotsuchi's ears.

"Kakuzu is using a secret technique called 'Earth Grudge Fear'."

"This was originally a secret of the Hidden Waterfall Village, stolen by Kakuzu and used upon himself."

"The effect of this secret technique allows Kakuzu to possess five hearts simultaneously."

"And each heart possesses a completely different attribute."

"This is why, theoretically, he possesses 'five lives'."

Mizunuki Ryosuke explained indifferently, a single sentence laying bare Kakuzu's bottom line, making the expression of the Kurotsuchi in his arms increasingly astonished.

Such a secret technique, in Kurotsuchi's memory, was something she hadn't even heard of!

Moreover, this is a secret technique that can grant a person five elemental attributes! In the era Kurotsuchi lives in, a ninja possessing five attributes has long since become a legendary existence.

"No wonder that freak was able to use Earth Release, Lightning Release, and Fire Release to attack me at the same time!"

Kurotsuchi understood everything in an instant.

Not just Kurotsuchi; Kakuzu, on the side, was also struck with a sudden shock.

In fact, on the surface, Kakuzu was very focused on his battle with the Ice Dragon Kings, but most of his attention was on Mizunuki Ryosuke to the side.

Kakuzu understood very well that the seemingly peerless Ice Dragon Kings were merely techniques cast by that man.

His true opponent remains the calm and composed Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Because of this, Kakuzu heard every word Mizunuki Ryosuke said.

At that moment, Kakuzu's mind trembled violently, and a mistake appeared in his battle with the Ice Dragon Kings; he was almost hammered to pieces by an Ice Dragon King because of that one slip.

"How is this possible!"

"How could he know so much about Earth Grudge Fear!"

Fortunately, Kakuzu relied on his seasoned experience to suppress the horror in his heart, letting out an incredulous roar internally.

For a ninja, there is nothing more dangerous than having one's abilities seen through.

Kakuzu's shock was naturally normal; although he had been active in the ninja world for a long time, he had always carefully hidden the secret of his abilities, fearing that one day his bottom line would be exposed.

To preserve his secret, Kakuzu usually wrapped himself in his robe like a rice dumpling, and every time he went all out, he would inevitably clean up the surroundings without leaving any survivors, all to hide his own secrets.

Therefore, even though some intelligence about Kakuzu's abilities circulated in the ninja world, they were all just insignificant trifles.

No one had ever completely fathomed the secret of Earth Grudge Fear; now that Mizunuki Ryosuke had exposed the secret in one word, how could Kakuzu not be shocked and angry?

Who exactly is this man? Why does he know his secrets like the back of his hand?!

Fire Release: Searing Migraine!

At that moment, Kakuzu directly drove the fire-attribute Earth Grudge Fear beside him, releasing a scorching sea of fire to temporarily force back the Ice Dragon King that was entangled with him.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Subsequently, Kakuzu could no longer hold back, and taking advantage of this gap, he turned and questioned in the direction of Mizunuki Ryosuke.

"The one who will kill you."

To Kakuzu's questioning, Mizunuki Ryosuke spoke with an unwavering tone, his eyes still carrying a calm indifference.

This sentence was so understated that it seemed as if killing Kakuzu was as easy as crushing a bug in a gutter.

Hearing this, Kakuzu was furious, his heart instantly swallowed by rage.

Facing this indifferent contempt, Kakuzu instantly remembered the group of bounty hunters who had died at his hands a few hours ago.

Did they also have such anger and unwillingness in their hearts before they died?

A bad premonition flashed through Kakuzu's heart, but it was quickly suppressed by him.

He is Kakuzu! He is an existence with an immortal body! This man must be pretending to be calm!

Once he destroys these two troublesome ice dragons, he will definitely tear this hateful man into ten thousand pieces!

"Roar!"

Not giving Kakuzu time to ponder, the Ice Dragon King, forced back by the scorching sea of fire, flapped its wings again and killed its way toward Kakuzu.

"Bang!"

A dull impact sound came, and one dragon and one person, two monsters, were once again entangled together.

"These black-haired monsters are the carriers of Kakuzu's other four hearts; each of them can be regarded as a part of Kakuzu."

"Therefore, to kill him, one must destroy all five of his hearts."

"As long as one heart remains, Kakuzu can continue to live."

Ignoring Kakuzu's gaze, which seemed capable of hacking a person into a thousand pieces, Mizunuki Ryosuke continued to speak indifferently.

"Then..."

"Then wouldn't he be impossible to kill forever?"

At this moment, the Kurotsuchi in Mizunuki Ryosuke's arms slowly raised her head and asked Ryosuke weakly.

After all, Kakuzu isn't stupid; if he can't win, he will naturally run.

If the four Earth Grudge Fears and Kakuzu's main body all ran in five different directions, how would one chase them?

"That's not necessarily true."

Hearing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke just smiled and rubbed Kurotsuchi's little head, a deep glint blooming in his eyes.