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Kakashi and Dai, the newly joined Akatsuki member still under evaluation, were locked in an intense back-and-forth battle. From the looks of it, it would be difficult to determine a winner anytime soon.
On Shisui's side, Sasori's focus and seriousness were evident from the puppet he deployed for the fight.
"The Third Kazekage?"
When Sasori unfurled a scroll and summoned the puppet, Shisui initially thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Although Shisui had never met the Third Kazekage in person, he knew of the figure whose disappearance had triggered the Third Great Ninja War. It left a lasting impression on him.
What he didn't expect was for the missing Third Kazekage to reappear, not as himself, but as a puppet controlled by Sasori.
Even more troubling, the puppetized Third Kazekage could still use his signature Magnet Release, the ability that had made him famous across the shinobi world.
Noticing this development, Utatane, who was already unsettled, grew increasingly pale.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had plunged the shinobi world into chaos, costing Konoha dearly. The village had yet to fully recover from those losses. Now, to see that the missing Kazekage had been turned into a puppet—this was a new level of madness.
Danger!
Sensing imminent danger, Utatane quickly moved from her position.
"Boom!"
A fist connected to countless black threads smashed into the spot where she had been standing moments earlier, creating a deep crater.
"You shouldn't let your mind wander in battle," Kakuzu remarked, watching Utatane.
'Is he underestimating me?'
If Utatane knew what Kakuzu was thinking, she would likely explode with rage.
She was already struggling to figure out how to deal with an enemy like Kakuzu, yet Kakuzu mistook her cautious behavior for a slight against him.
Kakuzu launched his arms like cannonballs, relentlessly pursuing Utatane, forcing her into an awkward defensive retreat.
Heaven bear witness, Utatane's strength was never the standout in her generation. Compared to combat, she was more adept at medical ninjutsu—though nowhere near Tsunade's level.
Add to that her advanced age and long years away from active battle, and her fighting capabilities had deteriorated considerably.
Clashing directly with Kakuzu placed her at a severe disadvantage.
Soon, Kakuzu realized it wasn't disdain but rather her lack of strength that made her struggle.
Boredom set in for Kakuzu, whose initial excitement faded. However, while combat might disappoint, money never would.
To Kakuzu, Utatane was no longer a person but a walking pile of cash.
In the forest, Juzo was growing increasingly frustrated. Kazuki's movements seemed deliberately playful.
Kazuki followed Juzo's rhythm, countering each attack. If Juzo pressed forward, Kazuki retreated. If Juzo used ninjutsu, Kazuki disrupted or countered it.
It was as if Juzo could see victory but couldn't grasp it.
Realizing something was off, Juzo's attacks grew more aggressive, his Executioner's Blade slashing fiercely through the air. Yet, none of it landed.
Kazuki's katana would intercept each strike at a critical moment, throwing Juzo off-balance and leaving him exasperated.
What made it worse was Kazuki's calm demeanor throughout the fight. With his Sharingan active, he occasionally gave Juzo sharp looks that made him shiver, fearing a genjutsu.
But Kazuki was only toying with him.
"You brat, are you mocking me?" Juzo snarled.
As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo had earned his infamous reputation with countless kills under his blade. To be humiliated like this was a first.
"You figured it out?" Kazuki said in mock surprise.
"Sorry, I admit I was doing that. But pointing it out only makes it more embarrassing for you."
"..."
Juzo froze for a moment, then erupted in fury.
"You little brat, die!"
Suspecting he was being toyed with, Juzo questioned it—and Kazuki outright confirmed it, even mocking him for daring to ask.
At this point, Kazuki decided it was time to end the charade. Dragging things out further might make it seem like he was sabotaging Utatane on purpose.
Kazuki sidestepped Juzo's strike, using his katana to nudge the Executioner's Blade slightly off course, causing it to miss.
'Again?'
Juzo gritted his teeth in frustration as he swung again, only to see a flash of red.
Kazuki's Sharingan filled Juzo's vision, and everything else seemed to fade.
With a sharp gasp, Juzo's movements halted. His heart felt as though it were being squeezed to the point of bursting.
"When did...?" Juzo muttered weakly, his pupils dilating in shock as he turned stiffly to look at Kazuki.
Kazuki stood in a blood-red world of Juzo's mindscape, holding an invisible object in his hand. His fingers clenched, and Juzo's heart felt like it would explode.
"Perhaps from the very beginning," Kazuki said.
Enhanced by his spiritual energy, Sharingan, and the combined chakra of Indra and Asura, Kazuki's genjutsu was terrifyingly effective.
With Juzo's emotions already in disarray, the genjutsu easily took hold.
"Goodbye," Kazuki said, driving his katana cleanly through Juzo's throat.
The blade pierced through to the back of Juzo's neck, severing his nervous system instantly.
Blood sprayed as Juzo's body collapsed to the ground, his face still frozen in disbelief.
Even in death, he couldn't comprehend how he had been so thoroughly defeated by someone relatively unknown like Kazuki.
At that moment, Juzo learned a hard lesson. arrogance and assumptions could be deadly.
Carrying Juzo's corpse and his Executioner's Blade, Kazuki moved swiftly toward the other battlefields.
A sharp scream echoed nearby, spurring Kazuki to quicken his pace.
He arrived to see a scene that left him satisfied.
Utatane lay on the ground, clutching a gaping wound in her chest.
If she hadn't dodged at the last moment, her heart would have been ripped out by Kakuzu.
"What a shame," Kakuzu muttered. He hadn't expected Utatane to react so quickly.
The sound of rushing wind filled the air as Kakuzu used a Body Flicker Technique to dodge.
"Boom!"
Juzo's Executioner's Blade was embedded deep in the ground, half of its length buried in the earth. The remaining part trembled slightly.
Kazuki glanced at the scene, thinking, 'I might have overestimated the elder's combat abilities.'