Naruto: From Shikotsumyaku to Otsutsuki

"Huh? Is that person still chasing us?"

From the sky, Kaguya Kazama could see someone chasing her relentlessly on the ground.

The man was not slow; although running on the ground was inconvenient, he was still able to keep up far behind.

"Although I also have a bounty on my head, looking like this, no one should be able to recognize me. I'd like to see what you're up to."

Kaguya Kazama stopped and landed on a giant tree.

He's just an ordinary Jonin. With his current strength, he could take on a whole platoon.

Soon, the Jonin caught up with them.

He had short hair, carried a large sword on his back, and had a stubble beard.

He adopted a condescending attitude and said, "Kid, I saw you go into the exchange with Kisame Hoshigaki. What's your relationship with him?"

"Kisame-sensei?"

Kaguya Kazama assessed his strength and said in surprise, "You're the bounty hunter ninja I'm going to use to hunt him? How come you're so weak?"

"What did you say?" The Jonin instantly flew into a rage, his forehead throbbing.

He drew his greatsword abruptly and snarled, "Damn brat! You can ignore Kakuzu, but you dare to underestimate me?"

Just then, another person appeared in an instant.

He wore a headband bearing the insignia of Takigakure, with a slit running down the middle.

He was wearing a mask, and his body was covered in wounds made up of stitches, as if his whole body had been sewn together.

As soon as the person appeared, Kaguya Kazama recognized him immediately upon seeing his distinctive appearance.

"Kakuzu?"

He looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, pointed to their clothes, and said, "Where are your team uniforms? The black ones with red cloud patterns."

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu and the nameless Jonin immediately narrowed their eyes.

"What's going on?" Kakuzu asked.

"How would I know? I thought he was Kisame Hoshigaki's comrade, and when I saw he could fly, I was going to take care of him first. You know, the corpses of ninjas with special abilities are very valuable at the exchange."

"The organization's intelligence has been leaked." Kakuzu said coldly, "Then kill him, and then hunt Kisame Hoshigaki."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two launched an attack.

Kaguya Kazama suddenly leaped into the air, dodging the kunai that was being shot at her.

He soared hundreds of meters into the sky, extended his right index finger, and a bright blue orb of light, like a precious gem, condensed at the tip of his finger.

"Storm Release: Thunder Roar Cannon"

The pearl unleashed a terrifying laser beam five or six meters thick, accompanied by exploding lightning, which struck the area where the two were located.

"???"

The two were stunned for a moment as they watched the terrifying attack descend from the sky.

In a fight, don't people usually test each other with physical techniques first?

There's no way to start by firing cannons; that's not very tolerant.

But the Thunder Roar Cannon won't give them a chance to regret it.

In the next instant, blinding light and deafening explosions engulfed the earth.

Kaguya Kazama had already activated his Byakugan, and he clearly saw that the minor Jonin was blown to smithereens by the Thunder Roar Cannon.

As for Kakuzu, he used the advantage of the Earth Grudge Fear to avoid the terrifying attack.

He stood at the edge of the pit, and under the cover of the billowing dust, a masked creature named Di Yuan Yu emerged from his shoulder, its mouth wide open, forming hand seals to gather wind escape energy.

Kaguya Kazama's eyes narrowed, not waiting for Kakuzu's attack to arrive.

"Storm Release: Nine Luminaries Binding"

He clasped his hands together, and nine wedge-shaped light nails, each about a foot long and bright blue, quickly formed, with flickering lightning crackling around them.

He used his Byakugan to locate Kakuzu's chakra points, and the wedge-shaped light spikes shot out with incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye, Kakuzu was pinned to the spot before he could dodge.

The Nine Luminaries Binding technique pinned his pressure points, and with a burst of lightning, it not only stopped the flow of chakra but also paralyzed his body.

Kakuzu stood frozen in place, and the wind-style energy accumulated in the mouth of the Earth Grudge disappeared as the chakra stopped flowing.

As the smoke and dust from the Thunder Roar Cannon dissipated, Kaguya Kazama descended from the sky and landed next to Kakuzu.

His Byakugan was always active, revealing that this was Kakuzu's true form; there was no scenario of using clones to lure the enemy in and then deliver a fatal blow.

He still remembers to this day how he was deceived by the water clone of the Hidden Mist Jonin when he defected.

As the newcomer approached, Kakuzu twisted his neck to look over, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

He who hunts geese all day long will eventually be pecked by them.

Since joining the Akatsuki organization and starting to complete bounty missions, he had a premonition that he would eventually fail, but he never thought it would be so hasty.

With a single blow, he shattered one of his hearts; such power is rare even within the Akatsuki organization, which is rife with freaks.

He looked extremely disheveled, with his limbs, below his navel, chest, back, throat, and other vital areas where chakra flowed all pinned down by the Nine Luminaries Binding.

Strands of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Most shockingly, there was a large hole in his chest, inside which was a shattered mask.

Countless dark, blood vessel-like earth-wrenching demons surged at the breach, frantically repairing his shattered flesh and blood.

Ding ding ding...

Di Yuanyu squeezed out the broken mask, which fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Was he killed in the explosion?"

Kaguya Kazama knew about Kakuzu's abilities.

His Earthly Grudge can seize five hearts, each with the attributes of earth, water, wind, fire, and thunder. The mask contains stitched-up hearts.

The fact that his mask is now broken means that he has just been killed by the Thunder Roar Cannon.

"Who exactly are you? The Hyuga clan couldn't possibly possess such ninjutsu."

As Kaguya Kazama approached, Kakuzu saw his pure, clear Byakugan eyes.

The white expanse resembled a heavy snowfall covering everything in the depths of winter, but it was even more noble than the Hyuga clan he had ever seen.

"Kakuzu, a former Jonin of Takigakure, defected after stealing the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear. He is currently the financial officer of Akatsuki, codenamed 'North'."

Kaguya Kazama glanced at the ring on Kakuzu's finger and said calmly, "I was right, wasn't I?"

Kakuzu's black pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, utterly shocked.

The information that he became a rogue ninja was public knowledge, but the Akatsuki organization he joined was not.

The Akatsuki organization currently controls Amegakure in secret and operates only in the shadows. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be anyone in the ninja world who possesses such detailed information.

But he has encountered it now.

Under the disdainful gaze, he felt as if he had been stripped naked, all his secrets vanished.

He immediately fell silent and did not utter a word.

He desperately urged the Earthly Resentment to surge, and countless black lines surged within his body.

He was using the advantage of the Earth Grudge Fear to change his chakra points in an attempt to escape.

Kaguya Kazama did not stop her.

He used his Byakugan to observe the changes within Kakuzu's body with great interest.

He developed a strong interest in the concept of "earthly resentment and calamity."

"Earth Grudge Fear, a secret technique of Takigakure Village, of unknown origin. It grants immortality by stealing hearts, allowing one to have five lives. A very peculiar ability."

In the ninja world, there are very few things that can increase lifespan.

The Earth Grudge Technique is one of the few secret techniques that, theoretically, can achieve immortality.

This was the only thing Kaguya Kazama had ever seen involving immortality, aside from the 'Karma' of the Otsutsuki clan.

Although the Earth Grudge Fear seems somewhat anti-human, its usefulness goes without saying.

While he was still thinking about how to turn the Earth Grudge into his own collection, Kakuzu had already broken free of the Nine Luminaries Binding.

Countless black threads shot out from Kakuzu's body and quickly transformed into three strange-looking, masked creatures.

They wore masks of different shapes, and began to accumulate escape techniques in their mouths.

Lightning, flames, and gusts of wind began to flicker.

A fighting spirit also rose in Kaguya Kazama's eyes.

Now, he needs a strong enough opponent to test his strengths and weaknesses.

Kakuzu, on the other hand, is a perfect punching bag with five lives.