Chapter 42: First Battle of the Squad! The Oppressive Power of a Kage-level Fighter!

Chapter 42: First Battle of the Squad! The Oppressive Power of a Kage-level Fighter!

Hidan was utterly shocked, raising his head in surprise to look at Uchiha Ci.

He thought to himself, Brother, did you feed our bond to the dogs?

Below them was a 400-meter cliff!

And you just expect me to jump down like that?

Before Hidan could change his expression,

Uchiha Ci's eyes hardened, and he ruthlessly kicked Hidan in the rear, sending him flying off the cliff!

"You bastard, Uchiha Ci, I ****! ****!! Beep! Beep!"

Hidan clutched his butt and cursed loudly as he fell down the cliff, a string of censored words trailing behind him.

Soon, his voice faded away completely.

Only then did Uchiha Ci turn around, meeting Terumi Mei's shocked but baffled gaze.

He then faced Kakuzu with a bright smile.

"Mr. Kakuzu, as you can see, the person is gone now."

"Your mission is complete."

"Actually, I brought this brat here just to kill him anyway."

"Since our goals align, I didn't mind giving you a little help."

Uchiha Ci paused, spreading his hands.

"Look, we have no past grievances or recent animosities. Now that the matter's settled, how about we pretend we never saw each other and go our separate ways?"

Kakuzu was momentarily stunned by Uchiha Ci's unexpected actions.

When Hidan fell off the cliff, Kakuzu's eerie green eyes couldn't help but widen. He stared blankly at Uchiha Ci for a moment, wondering, What's this guy's deal? What kind of grudge does he have with that brat?

That kick was far too decisive.

But soon after, Kakuzu's expression darkened as he listened to Uchiha Ci, his face clouded with anger.

"Who told you to meddle in my business?" Kakuzu's teeth nearly cracked from clenching, his gaze icy as he glared at Uchiha Ci.

"My mission was to bring that brat back alive!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

But outwardly, he shivered all over, his face turning pale.

He trembled, waving his hands frantically as he explained, "I-I really didn't know that! Sir, you see... he's already dead…"

However,

Kakuzu, who had just lost a significant amount of money for no reason, was in no mood to listen to Uchiha Ci's excuses.

Raising his right hand, a bone-chilling coldness flickered in his eyes as he extended his palm.

"Then you can die in his place!"

With those words,

The stitches on Kakuzu's palm slowly unraveled, and thin, dense black threads of Earth Grudge Fear emerged from his hand.

He twisted his body and suddenly flung his arm forward!

Whoosh!

His right hand stretched out, slicing through the air and covering over ten meters in an instant, shooting toward Uchiha Ci.

This was the secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear!

It allowed a user to hide their life essence beneath the battlefield, manifesting as writhing, black tentacles.

The tentacles, made up of countless fine threads, were so precise they could even stitch together blood vessels and meridians.

The hand sliced through the air, leaving Uchiha Ci envious. If he had such a skill, he'd never need to buy expensive ninja wire again.

However, as the hand and its tough connecting tentacle came crashing toward him, Uchiha Ci narrowed his eyes.

When it comes to manipulating threads, the Uchiha clan are the true masters!

He calmly drew a kunai, and in an instant, his black pupils transformed into a deep scarlet.

"What are you waiting for?!"

Nearby, Terumi Mei saw Uchiha Ci standing still, her brows furrowing as she pivoted her foot, launching the water blade already formed in her hand.

Whoosh!

The Water Release: Water Fang Bullet arced through the air and struck the tentacles behind Kakuzu's hand.

The spiraling, high-pressure water blade slashed at the tentacles, sending droplets scattering,

But it only managed to sever a few threads before more surged up to replace them.

Watching the water blade dissolve back into a kunai and fall to the ground, Terumi Mei's gaze sharpened.

"They're so tough. These tentacles aren't even cut by the Water Fang Bullet…"

"I'll have to use that technique!"

She stepped into place, standing in front of Uchiha Ci, her feet set shoulder-width apart.

Then, forming hand seals with both hands—Dog, Boar, Tiger, Ox, Rat, Bird!

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"

Terumi Mei's fingers touched, completing the Bird seal, and she took a deep breath.

Immediately, she opened her lips,

Spewing forth a lava-like substance, radiating immense heat, capable of melting even Susanoo, from her mouth!

"Hm? What is that?!"

Kakuzu's pupils shrank as he saw Terumi Mei's attack, instinctively feeling a wave of dread.

He quickly diverted some of his Earth Grudge Fear tentacles to block, preventing his extended hand from being destroyed by the Lava Release.

The lava splashed onto the tentacles, instantly melting through them!

Sizzle, sizzle—

It sounded like hot oil hitting cheese as smoke and steam rose into the air.

Retracting his hand, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, showing a trace of seriousness. He glanced at Uchiha Ci and Terumi Mei as if reevaluating their worth, nodding slightly.

"Sharingan, and Lava Release. Not bad. I can recoup some of my losses with you two."

"I'll try to keep your bodies intact."

"So, just die peacefully."

As soon as he finished speaking, text appeared in front of Uchiha Ci.

[Kakuzu thinks you're worth a bit of money.]

Terumi Mei's face turned icy after hearing Kakuzu's disdainful words.

She immediately retorted coldly:

"Your tentacles are useless against me!"

"If you continue, I'll kill you!"

Kakuzu shook his head slightly, his eerily calm green eyes staring indifferently at the two of them.

Cracking his neck, his black robe stirred.

Then, he asked in a soft voice,

"And how will you deal with this next move?"

With that, Kakuzu pulled open his robe, revealing a blue-patterned bird mask on his chest.

The mask opened its dark mouth wide,

Sucking in everything around it—grass, insects, stones—condensing it into a swirling ball of wind that emitted a sharp, piercing sound!

Bang!

The wind shot out!

Wind Release: Pressure Damage!

This technique, hailed as the strongest wind-release jutsu in normal form, made its debut before the squad!

The slicing power of the Pressure Damage wind blast

Instantly pierced through the lava river created by Terumi Mei,

Shooting straight through!

The wind blast continued, narrowly grazing past Terumi Mei's ear, blasting five hundred meters into the distance!

It smashed into the mountain on the other side!

Boom!

The storm raged on!

Massive boulders rained down, and the screams of refugees from the Land of Hot Water echoed below.

The once-quiet night suddenly erupted into chaos!

Terumi Mei's eyes widened, her face stiffening, her mind blank. Blood trickled slowly from her ear, ruptured by the sonic blast.

"Ah, that almost killed them. Too weak. Maybe I should try a different approach."

Kakuzu exhaled, frowning slightly in thought.

He clasped his hands together,

And the mask on his chest crawled up to his shoulder, replaced by a yellow-patterned dog mask.

He slowly walked toward the two of them,

Each step crushing dust, stones, molten debris, and even the proud heart of the girl, raising a veil of choking gray smoke.

The next moment—

Countless Earth Grudge Fear tentacles surged from Kakuzu's back, forming eight massive black lines!

Like eight pitch-black serpent spears!

Kakuzu's cold, emotionless voice echoed as he uttered the name of this technique:

"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear Mode!"

A bead of sweat rolled down Terumi Mei's forehead, her eyes filled with fear as she looked up.