Chapter 143 Simu Shot

"Caught you."

Four masked figures appeared around Kakuzu from four directions in an instant.

They formed hand seals simultaneously.

A dense network of sealing spells connected all four of them.

"Four-Corner Sealing Formation!"

Light-blue chakra flowed between them, forming a solid, glowing quadrangular pyramid that enclosed Kakuzu.

"So it's a trap set by Root, huh?"

The black tendrils on Kakuzu's body continued devouring Sanzang's heart.

Then, he glanced calmly at the four masked shinobi surrounding him.

There was no doubt—they were from Root.

The fire-element mask on Kakuzu's back spewed orange-red flames, but although the barrier itself had no offensive power, it was incredibly durable.

For the time being, Kakuzu was trapped inside and couldn't break out.

But that was exactly Root's goal.

They didn't intend to kill Kakuzu.

They only needed to restrict his movements long enough to tilt the battlefield in favor of the Guardian Ninja Troops.

Because…

This time, the Twelve Guardian Ninja Warriors had more than one representative on the field.

"Wind Style: Wind Sickle Formation!"

In the center of the battlefield, violent gusts of air formed countless wind blades, sweeping through and cutting down over a dozen Revolutionary Army fighters in an instant.

"…That guy…"

Not far away, Kakashi's eyes narrowed, a trace of solemnity appearing in them.

A woman with long, light-blue hair stepped into the battlefield's center.

She held a scythe in her hand, and a sharp nail glinted on her crimson lips.

Beside her stood a man with a mohawk, looking lazy, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

From Konoha's intelligence and Hiruzen's briefings, Kakashi immediately recognized them.

Members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja Warriors—Tada Ningko and Mikamiya.

Experts in Wind Style and Fire Style techniques, respectively.

"That guy Sanzang… I didn't expect him to go down so quickly," the mohawked man muttered casually.

Yet, there was no hint of sorrow in his tone.

Even though they were both part of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, their relationship was strictly professional.

A pity? Maybe.

But sadness? Not even close.

"Now that Kakuzu's restrained by Root, it's our turn to act."

Mikami casually flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his leather boot.

He then formed hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

A massive wave of flame erupted from his mouth, lighting up the night sky in an instant.

Faced with such a powerful enemy, someone had to hold the line from the front.

Kakashi didn't hesitate.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Water surged up from the ground, forming a massive dragon that clashed with the approaching flames.

The battlefield was once again engulfed in boiling steam.

Many of the Guardian Ninja Troops cried out in pain.

In this kind of environment, the human body was as fragile as a child's.

Without missing a beat, Tada Ningko used Wind Style to blow the steam into the ranks of the Revolutionary Army.

From within the mist, a black figure emerged.

It was Tada Ningko, scythe in hand.

The gleaming blade reflected the moonlight as it drew a deadly arc and came slashing down.

Kakashi, with lightning surging in his hand, raised a kunai to meet the strike.

Sparks flew.

Meanwhile, Mikamiya spotted the strongest among the Revolutionary Army.

With the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared in front of them.

"Fire Style: Flame Prison!"

Thick black smoke spewed from Mikami's mouth, enveloping Kakashi's position.

Kakashi's expression shifted.

This technique was listed in Konoha's archives—the black smoke wasn't ordinary smoke, but microscopic gunpowder particles. Once ignited, they caused massive explosions.

"Mikami, are you trying to kill me too!?" Tada Ningko shouted.

She leapt into the air, riding a sudden gust of wind created beneath her feet.

Mikami just chuckled.

"Didn't you say you could fly?"

Then he spat out a flame.

The black smoke ignited instantly, and the resulting explosion ripped through the night!

"Now that should take care of the kid," Mikami muttered, clapping his hands.

Tada Ningko turned her attention to the others—

But just then, a figure cut through the smoke, bathed in crackling lightning.

"You're not the only one who can fly."

Kakashi rarely quipped.

Raikiri—his hand surrounded by lightning—stabbed toward Tada Ningko mid-air.

Caught off guard in mid-flight, she couldn't dodge in time.

She swung her scythe to counter.

The two clashed.

Arcs of lightning traveled from Kakashi's blade along the scythe and into her body like slithering serpents.

Ningko's body went numb instantly.

Kakashi stepped on the air itself—as if walking on solid ground.

Adjusting his posture, he followed up with a flying kick.

"Tempest Kick!"

A vacuum blade of pale-blue energy shot toward the falling Tada Ningko.

She was completely paralyzed.

It's a pity—a flash of fire appeared just in time, blocking the fatal blow.

It was Mikami.

"Hmph, this kid's got some skills," Mikami muttered.

Suddenly, Rei burst out from the woods.

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Strike!"

She lightly tapped the ground and used Shave (Soru) to instantly appear in front of Mikami.

Startled, he spun around and slashed at her with the kunai in his hand.

"Little girl…"

But Rei showed no fear in the face of the sharp blade.

Her palm was completely wrapped in Armament Haki, and she struck straight at the kunai.

A surge of immense force poured into the weapon and transferred into Mikami's arm.

Crack!

A network of cracks spread through the kunai until it shattered into countless fragments.

Rei didn't let up. Taking another step forward, she punched again.

Mikami's eyes widened in shock.

He quickly raised his arms to block.

The palm connected with his forearm, and the impact force from Rei's strike exploded, launching him backwards.

Mikami tumbled five or six times before finally steadying himself.

A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

His left arm, where Rei's punch had landed, now hung limp.

Mikami stared at Rei, his eyes full of suspicion.

That technique… it looked like Konoha's Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist.

But the Hyūga Clan usually targeted chakra points on the body.

The palm strike that had just shattered his kunai didn't look like a traditional Gentle Fist at all.

Regardless...

Having lost the use of his left arm, he was now completely at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, in a valley far from the battlefield—

Shikaku Nara (Lu Jiu) was calmly observing the entire situation unfold.

"It looks like someone set this up perfectly…"

He had initially thought only one of the Guardian Twelve Ninja had shown up.

Unexpectedly, there were three.

And worst of all, their strongest combatant, Kakuzu, was being suppressed by Root operatives.

Wait, not three...

Shikaku's lips curled into a faint smile as he muttered:

"No… it's four."

Suddenly, a stream of water appeared at his feet.

It rose, transforming into a humanoid shape that thrust a kunai toward Shikaku.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the leader of the Revolutionary Army," the attacker said coldly.

The sharp kunai went straight for Shikaku's throat.

But it stopped—just inches away.

At some point, Shikaku's shadow had silently crept up the enemy's body.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu?"

"You're from the Nara Clan!" the attacker exclaimed, alarmed.

Now he knew who Shikaku was.

Which meant... Konoha was involved with the so-called Revolutionary Army.

The implications were explosive.

Shikaku gritted his teeth, holding the seal tight.

Despite his control, the enemy wasn't ordinary—they were also one of the Twelve Guardians, and extremely powerful.

Even Shikaku had to use all his strength to keep the jutsu active.

"Sorry, I'm not the leader of the Revolutionary Army," Shikaku said through clenched teeth. "At best, I'm just a worker."

His hands trembled under the strain of the technique.

"This is getting tough… Katsuyu, I need help."

"No problem."

A soft, polite voice replied.

The Katsuyu clone resting on Shikaku's shoulder used Reverse Summoning.

A lazy voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Tch. You called me to work overtime again?"

The one who arrived wore a coat emblazoned with the word "Justice."

Even the enemy Twelve Guardian Ninja were stunned on the spot.

Shikaku muttered, slightly annoyed:

"Why do you look like the boss of this organization?"

"Hehe…"

Hanyu Simu scratched his head sheepishly.

"Golden Flash… Hanyu Simu?!" the Water Style Guardian exclaimed, recognizing him instantly.

After all, Simu was famous across the ninja world for being the only person who wore that ridiculous coat and actually meant it.

"It was you who dragged me into this overtime mess, right?"

Simu casually lifted the massive spiked mace in his hand.

A suffocating, sea-like pressure radiated from him.

Sensing this, Shikaku immediately released his Shadow Possession.

The Twelve Guardian stood frozen.

The sheer pressure… it rivaled that of a Tailed Beast.

Simu raised his mace high.

A torrent of dark red Conqueror's Haki coiled around the weapon like a storm.

The mace glowed blood red from the overwhelming power.

He had recently mastered the Conqueror's Coil technique, but hadn't yet tested it in real battle.

Now was the perfect time.

"Thunder Eight Trigrams!!"

The Conqueror's-infused mace smashed down with earth-shattering force.

Even though the enemy had activated Hydration Jutsu to become immune to physical attacks—

—Conqueror's Haki bypasses all immunity!

BOOM!!!

Red and black lightning tore through the valley.

The Water Style Twelve Guardian was blown deep into a mountain like a human cannonball.

The resulting shockwave carved a deep trench through the forest.

Everyone on the battlefield felt the oppressive force of that blow.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like something's happened on Shikaku's side... so the old man decided to take matters into his own hands."

Even the Root shinobi trembled.

That pressure… it exceeded even a Tailed Beast's chakra!

A second later, Simu appeared above the Four Realms Formation barrier.

BOOM!!

With a single punch, crackling with dark red lightning, he shattered the entire formation.

Simu landed calmly.

"Kakuzu, if you keep lagging behind, I'm docking your pay."

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