Failing the surprise attack, just stalling like this isn't going to work.
The place he's hiding isn't exactly well-hidden. Sooner or later, Minato and the others will find him. It's better to just step out confidently.
"Do you know? Every time I fight against Konoha ninjas, I always think back to the time I fought your First Hokage."
Kakuzu wanted to use this statement to make Minato and the others wary.
In ninja battles, psychological tactics are also crucial.
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was the god of ninjas.
Anyone who could survive fighting against the god of ninjas surely wouldn't be weak.
If the Konoha ninjas on the other side could think this way, perhaps Kakuzu could gain an advantage in the upcoming fight.
But when he finished speaking, he realized the four of them were looking at him with strange expressions.
There was mockery, disdain, sarcasm, and contempt.
But none of them showed any wariness or seriousness.
"Mr. Kakuzu, you don't need to talk about fighting the First Hokage. We all know about your trick of throwing shuriken from 800 meters away."
"Minato, you're wrong. 800 meters? Wasn't it 800 miles?"
"Kushina, 800 meters makes more sense, 800 miles is a bit exaggerated."
"Really?"
Kushina tilted her head, mockingly looking at Kakuzu, and said, "How about you tell us, Kakuzu, was it 800 meters or 800 miles?"
"Bastard."
At that moment, Kakuzu remembered when he fought Tsunade (got beaten up). Tsunade had said something mocking to him.
Instantly, Kakuzu's anger flared up.
Surviving a fight with Senju Hashirama was the proudest thing in his life.
Even though it was just Hashirama's Wood Style clone he fought, it was still an honor, wasn't it?
Hearing such slander from the people of Konoha now.
Could Kakuzu still tolerate this?
"You Konoha ninjas really have no manners."
"Go die!"
Kakuzu immediately used his full power.
Black lines continuously surged from behind him, and on his shoulders, two masked monsters appeared.
This appearance was the Earth Grudge Fear mode.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet"
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work"
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage"
In Earth Grudge Fear mode, Kakuzu could use multiple ninjutsu at once.
The difference was simply the number of masked monsters fused with his body.
"Quick, dodge!"
Faced with three powerful ninjutsu attacks, Kakashi and Asuma didn't even consider trying to block them.
No one in Konoha knew better than them the destructive power of combination ninjutsu.
Especially Asuma, who knew well that the Third Hokage, a master of all five chakra natures, was his father.
So Asuma understood that using a single-type defense jutsu would never stop Kakuzu's attacks with his three chakra natures.
"Tch~ They're fast."
Combination ninjutsu had great power, but if it couldn't hit anyone, its power was meaningless.
The moment Kakuzu launched his attack, Minato had already pulled Kushina away using the Flying Thunder God technique.
And Kakashi and Asuma also skillfully dodged.
"Whoosh~"
Seeing that the first wave of attacks had no effect, Kakuzu decisively began splitting the masked monsters attached to his body.
For safety's sake, he only split off three mask monsters—Water, Wind, and Lightning.
He kept Fire and Earth for himself.
Two hearts remained within him; this was Kakuzu's bottom line.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness"
"Water Release: Water Wall"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave"
The three mask monsters, once split off, did not pause for even a moment. They immediately launched attacks at their respective opponents.
With such dispersed attacks, Kakashi and Asuma had no need to dodge. They each used defensive ninjutsu to block.
As for Minato, it was even simpler.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he placed Kushina on a safe tree, then teleported again to appear behind Kakuzu's true body.
His right hand slightly opened, and the Rasengan immediately took shape.
Minato did not hesitate and attacked Kakuzu's heart.
"Snap~"
At the critical moment, the black lines behind Kakuzu played a huge role.
With these black lines providing backup, Kakuzu slightly tilted to the right as the Rasengan was about to strike his heart.
Although the Rasengan still hit, fortunately, his heart wasn't destroyed.
"Damn, this is troublesome."
The Earth Grudge Fear granted Kakuzu powerful regenerative abilities.
Even after Tsunade smashed half of his body, he was able to heal. The minor injury from the Rasengan was nothing to him.
He only focused intently on Minato, using the black lines of Earth Grudge Fear to attack, harass, and defend, all while pondering how to turn the situation around.
"Should I say, as expected of the Yellow Flash?"
"I've already been putting most of my energy into keeping an eye on him, but he still managed to ambush me. I almost had a heart attack."
"If things go wrong, I might die here today."
The more he thought, the more pessimistic Kakuzu became about the current situation.
Direct confrontation?
With Kakashi and Asuma distracting him, he couldn't focus all his attention on Minato. If he made a mistake, Minato would grab the opportunity and strike.
Just like earlier.
Escape?
Looking at the Flying Thunder God kunai scattered around within dozens of meters, it would be a miracle if he could escape.
He couldn't fight, and he couldn't run away.
This situation was truly terrible for Kakuzu.
"I hope Itachi pulls through and ends the fight quickly, then comes to rescue me."
With that thought, Kakuzu looked toward the distant area where Itachi, Fugaku, and Sasuke were fighting.
He should've known better. The moment he looked, Kakuzu almost exploded with rage.
"Damn Itachi, I knew you couldn't be trusted."
It wasn't surprising that Kakuzu cursed Itachi.
While he was having a fierce battle with Minato and the others, Itachi's side was eerily calm.
If we were to say the three were having a genjutsu battle, that would be one thing.
But from the way their lips moved, it was clear they were just having a casual chat, not engaging in a genjutsu battle.
"Damn, people really have to rely on themselves."
Over here with Itachi, Kakuzu was no help.
If he wanted to stay alive, the only option was to force a breakthrough somehow.
Kushina was too far away, couldn't reach her.
Minato's Flying Thunder God was incredibly agile, couldn't catch him.
Kakashi opened his Sharingan, his movements sharp, couldn't hit him.
Kakuzu had no choice but to focus on Asuma, who seemed ordinary.
Asuma: "Damn it, do you think I'm easy to mess with?"
Kakuzu: "Yes, you're the easiest target among the four."
Asuma: "Tch—"
"Composite Ninja Technique: Storm Dance!"
For the sake of survival, Kakuzu began controlling the mask-wearing monster to attack Asuma.
He paid no attention to Kakashi and Minato.
As long as he could break through Asuma, even if it cost one, two, or three hearts, it would be worth it.
*********
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