Chapter 75

With several low, guttural shouts, Tian Yu activated the Eight Inner Gates technique and forcefully opened the fourth gate—the Gate of Pain (Shōmon).

In an instant, a torrential surge of violent green chakra erupted from his body, creating shockwaves that distorted the surrounding air.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

The intense green aura howled as it surged outward, visibly tearing through the air around him. Fierce wind currents spiraled in every direction, lifting dust and rattling loose stones.

The pressure Tian Yu now exuded was overwhelmingly fierce—raw and intimidating.

His lethality had escalated to an astonishing level.

With a brief flash of white light, a dark brown leather glove materialized on his right hand through the system's summoning.

Four-Star Ninja Tool – Violent Fist (Wind Attribute)

→ Grants 300% critical hit rate and has a chance to trigger minor Wind Release techniques at random.

Upon equipping the Furious Glove, Tian Yu's striking force soared, amplified more than threefold.

His already overwhelming strength advanced into an even more terrifying realm!

"Come on!"

As the words left his mouth, Tian Yu vanished in a blur.

His figure transformed into a mirage as he launched himself at Kakuzu's approaching tentacle attacks, meeting them head-on with his fist!

Whoosh!

With a punch, a gale kicked up.

The ferocious wind, propelled by Tian Yu's augmented strength, transformed into a torrent of razor-sharp micro wind blades, swirling in a vortex.

Under Tian Yu's precise control, the small wind blades concentrated tightly around his glove—wrapping his fist in a shredding storm of chakra.

In the blink of an eye—

Tian Yu's Wind-wrapped fist smashed into the incoming tentacle.

BOOM!!

A deafening explosion erupted!

The impact generated a shockwave that blew outwards like a mini detonation. Dust, rubble, and debris exploded into the air, forming a mushroom cloud of destruction.

Tian Yu's punch not only obliterated Kakuzu's blood-vessel tentacle,

But the momentum carried his body forward—like a cannonball—

Crashing into the thick trail of black tendrils and driving his fist directly into Kakuzu's main body.

The devastating power behind the punch connected—

BOOM!

From the smoke—

Kakuzu's body shot backward like a ragdoll, trailing smoke and blood like a broken kite, violently expelled from the battlefield.

---

"Cough! Cough!"

Kakuzu tumbled across the ground, blood spurting from his mouth as fragments of internal organs followed.

That punch…

Had ruptured one of his hearts—again!

Kakuzu's pupils contracted, his face darkening with fury.

"…That taijutsu… is it the same as the Konoha Green Beast's technique?"

"Heh… All the intel I gathered spoke only of your peculiar ninja tools. I never expected your taijutsu would reach this level…"

"…Looks like I have no choice."

"You leave me no option but to reveal my true power."

The young man before him had not only mastered elite ninja tools but also awakened a terrifyingly resilient physique. Combined with the Eight Gates Technique, Tian Yu had become a threat on par with an elite jonin.

With a guttural roar, Kakuzu bent forward. His back arched grotesquely as a surge of vile chakra exploded from his core—

His cloak split open—

Revealing his grotesque form.

Black stitches and seams crisscrossed his body like a hastily stitched puppet—far from human.

From a distance, Sunflower gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

"H-He's… a monster!"

Despite having a heart destroyed—again—Kakuzu stood like nothing happened.

How could a normal human survive such a thing?

In mere moments, three masked beasts erupted from his back.

A blue mask.

A red mask.

A green mask.

Each monster wriggled and pulsed with black tendrils, resembling twisted masses of chakra threads.

Sunflower's exclamation had been right.

Kakuzu's body had long since departed from humanity. His arms, legs, and torso were all strung together by those cursed black threads, and from his gaping mouth spilled writhing tentacles—utterly horrifying to behold.

"Three elemental masks… Wind, Fire, and Lightning."

"You're activating all three hearts at once?"

"…So you've decided this will be a fight to the death."

Tian Yu narrowed his eyes. He recognized the danger now. Kakuzu was no ordinary missing-nin—he was a seasoned monster with decades of battle experience and a five-heart defense system.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

With a harsh shout, the blue-masked monster opened its mouth.

A vortex of violently compressed wind chakra formed rapidly, swelling into a super-condensed storm sphere—

And launched directly at Tian Yu with devastating force!

This wasn't just a B-rank jutsu anymore.

The Pressure Damage technique, enhanced through the monster's unique chakra construct, had become akin to an A-rank Wind Release—condensing air pressure into a vortex bomb capable of razing everything it touched.

Once contact was made, the chakra storm would burst, spreading out like a spiraling cyclone and grinding the environment—and its target—into dust.

"I'm not going to kill you easily," Kakuzu sneered, his voice tinged with madness. "Where's the fun in that?"

But—

Before his cruel remark could finish echoing—

BOOM!!

The ground shattered under the destructive Wind Release!

A massive crater replaced the area where Tian Yu once stood. Smoke and debris rose like a pillar into the sky.

"…Did I get him?"

Kakuzu smirked—

But his expression froze.

From the heart of the crater, Tian Yu emerged unscathed, holding his Sun Wheel Blade in one hand.

He was perfectly intact.

"This level of attack…"

"…Barely counts as a warm-up."

"I haven't even broken a sweat. This jutsu can't even scratch my barrier."

The winds settled—

Revealing a translucent, curved barrier of chakra shimmering before Tian Yu.

In front of him stood the Barrier Stone Artifact—its white crystal surface gleaming with light.

He had quietly activated it during the brief moment between attacks.

Though originally designed to block perception and sound transmission, Tian Yu had unlocked its hidden effect—a formidable chakra defense layer.

Capable of nullifying B-rank and below ninjutsu, it had absorbed the brunt of the Wind Release flawlessly.

Behind Tian Yu, the entire battlefield was in ruins…

But the earth beneath his feet remained untouched—proof of the barrier's power.

Not even his cloak bore a scratch.

"Tch… Annoying brat!"

Kakuzu growled, rage boiling as he watched his full-power Wind Release technique deflected like nothing.

And now…

The boy had ninja tools that could defend against high-level elemental ninjutsu.

Kakuzu's teeth gnashed together so hard he nearly severed his own tentacles.

This kid…

How many cursed ninja tools is he hiding?!

In every exchange, he revealed a new one!

Unforgivable.

"I'll rip your heart out—then sell your body and ninja tools for profit!!"

Kakuzu's eyes burned with green fire, red capillaries crawling through his sclera as bloodlust overtook him.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!!"

Again, the blue-masked beast gathered wind chakra—

Meanwhile—

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

The thunder-masked monster snarled.

A massive bolt of concentrated lightning chakra shot from its maw, streaking toward Tian Yu with lethal precision. The ground below split open under its power.

"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!!"

A third voice echoed—deep and thunderous.

The red-masked beast began its chant, flames gathering—

(To be continued…)