That's right, the First and Second Forms of the Water Breathing style, created by Kazuki, are the only techniques not meant for direct offense. Instead, they possess the unique ability to neutralize or redirect incoming attacks.
This is Kazuki's current mastery of Water Breathing—
The highest level of comprehension attainable.
"The highest good is like water;
Water benefits all things without striving."
Like a gentle stream eroding stone over time, it moves unseen yet reshapes everything in its path.
At this moment, Kakuzu suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The sea of flames created by his combined-element ninjutsu—powerful enough to burn for three days and three nights—was visibly shrinking. In just a few minutes, the once-raging inferno was dwindling at a speed apparent to the naked eye.
"What is happening?"
A sudden feeling of unease gripped his heart.
Just then, the first light of dawn pierced through the thick clouds, casting its glow over the desolate battlefield. The darkness had silently retreated, and atop the eastern mountains, a brilliant, multicolored sky stretched across the horizon.
The battlefield fell into a dead silence.
Not even the sound of birds chirping could be heard.
And then, a young yet firm voice broke the stillness—
"I'm not dead yet. Sorry to disappoint you."
In an instant, the apocalyptic scene from moments before had vanished. The raging sea of flames, the crackling thunder in the sky—gone, as if they had never existed. It was as if everything that had just transpired had been nothing more than an illusion.
Standing amidst the wreckage, a boy clad in Anbu attire remained unscathed. The mask on his face bore no signs of damage, and his posture was upright, unwavering.
"Impossible!"
Kakuzu staggered backward, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The boy's expression was calm, almost serene, as he spoke with the elegance of an aristocrat.
"Nothing is impossible."
"Every powerful ninjutsu has a counter."
"Your strength is formidable, but there will always be someone stronger."
Kakuzu's gaze locked onto the boy's weapon—the gleaming blade in his hand. His breath hitched.
"Kenjutsu?"
"That's right." Kazuki nodded.
"Who ever said swordsmanship is only for offense? Defense is just as important."
Having long recognized the significance of defensive techniques, Kazuki had spent countless hours training with Might Guy, refining his skills and developing his own form of absolute defense.
In the world of shinobi, powerful defensive techniques were legendary—
Gaara's Sand Shield, the Hyūga Clan's Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation, the Uchiha's all-encompassing Susanoo, the First Hokage's Five-Layer Rashōmon…
Among them were techniques considered "absolute defense."
And now, Kazuki had created his own—"Unstoppable."
"That was your strongest attack, wasn't it?" Kazuki asked calmly.
Kakuzu, standing opposite him, felt a cold sweat drip down his back. His pupils darkened with dread.
Desperate, he gathered the last remnants of his chakra, preparing to unleash another Lightning Release jutsu.
But time itself seemed to halt.
Kazuki had no intention of giving him another chance.
"The Gate of Life—open!"
"The Gate of View—open!"
In an instant, a black shadow flashed forward at an impossible speed, vanishing from sight.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in terror.
Kazuki's fists struck the air so rapidly that the sheer force of chakra friction ignited flames upon impact—
There was no time to breathe—black chakra burst from the fist, scattering through the sky like dark feathers before raining down upon Kakuzu like a hail of kunai.
"Night Phoenix!"
Kazuki's voice thundered as he executed the technique.
This move was inspired by Might Guy, his teacher's rival. After opening the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, he unleashed a taijutsu onslaught beyond human limits. However, unlike Guy's blazing red aura, Kazuki's chakra took on an ominous black hue, giving his presence an eerie, deathly air.
At this moment, Kazuki embodied impending doom—an unstoppable force instilling absolute fear.
Kakuzu's instincts screamed at him. The very air vibrated with the force of the incoming attack, and every fiber of his being bristled with alarm. The countless grievances and souls within his body heightened his senses, allowing him to perceive danger beyond normal comprehension. And right now—
This was deadly!
He tried to move, to escape, but it was too late.
Kazuki's speed was unfathomable, his black-clad fists closing in from every direction. Despite his multi-directional defenses using his three masks, there was no opening—nowhere to retreat.
Then pain exploded through his body.
A barrage of fists, each carrying monstrous force, crashed into his chest, stomach, shoulders, arms, and legs. The relentless strikes hammered him, his body bending under the pressure like wet clay beneath a smith's hammer.
For the final blow—
Kazuki, still in Sixth Gate form, flickered beside him in a flash. Chakra surged into his foot, and with a brutal stomp—
Boom!
Kakuzu's head, connected only by his writhing black tendrils, was blasted off his body. The impact sent him hurtling like a broken arrow, crashing through over a dozen massive trees before carving a deep trench into the earth.
"Damn it…"
Kakuzu gritted his teeth, forcing himself up. His Earth Release-enhanced heart—one of his vital sources of chakra—had been obliterated. Without its protection, his body had suffered catastrophic damage under the relentless taijutsu assault.
But there was no time to recover.
Before he could fully stand, the world around him blurred.
No—
It wasn't that his movements had slowed. It was that Kazuki had accelerated again.
Like a black streak of lightning, Kazuki cut through the air, his speed so great that space itself seemed to tremble. In an instant, he pierced through Kakuzu's Lightning Mask, rending another heart apart before the Akatsuki member could even register what had happened.
Shkk!
Before Kakuzu could comprehend the reality of his failing body, Kazuki's fist tore into him once more. Another hole burst open in his chest.
"Crack!"
Another heart—shattered.
"AAAGHHH!!"
Kakuzu's dark tendrils writhed in agony as Kazuki shredded through them with merciless precision. Even with his hardened resolve, Kakuzu couldn't suppress the guttural scream that ripped from his throat.
His glowing green eyes, usually filled with arrogance and cold calculation, burned with desperation. The will to survive, primal and frenzied, roared within him like a caged beast.
But now—
With only one heart remaining—
Kakuzu's last rational thought was not of victory, but escape.
He had to flee!
Because the being before him wasn't a mere man—
It was a demon.
No—
A monster greater than even himself!
"Trying to run?"
A smirk curved Kazuki's lips.
Like a predator toying with its prey, he savored the inevitable conclusion.
"This ends now."
"You, who boasted about once fighting the God of Shinobi—"
"Now fleeing like a beaten dog."
"What was the point of living this long? You're nothing more than a relic discarded by time."
Kazuki's piercing gaze locked onto Kakuzu, who was desperately attempting to escape.
In his grip, a Kusanagi blade materialized.
And then, as if tossing a mere shuriken—
He threw the sword.
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