Chapter 26: Hajime vs. Kakuzu!
Earth Release: Earth Spear!
In an instant, Kakuzu's skin turned pitch-black.
Right after, Hajime came crashing down from above, slashing at Kakuzu's shoulder with his blade.
Crack!
The ground beneath Kakuzu's feet shattered as he sank slightly from the impact.
However, the ninja blade only tore through his clothes — it failed to cut through Kakuzu's hardened skin.
Although Hajime's Wind Release nature transformation had become very advanced, Kakuzu's Earth Release defense was no less formidable.
This clash ended in a stalemate.
Still, Hajime wasn't surprised.
His aerial attack had never been meant to deal a fatal blow—it was just a distraction, to allow the Wood Release vines to successfully bind Kakuzu.
"Wood Release Secret Technique!"
"You're from Konoha!"
Kakuzu stared at Hajime. "I didn't expect that after the First Hokage, someone else would master this kind of technique."
"In that case, your heart—I'll be taking it."
As Kakuzu spoke, his body suddenly crumbled into mud and collapsed onto the ground.
Earth Clone!
Hajime had used clones, and as a seasoned veteran, Kakuzu did the same when dealing with an unknown enemy.
Just as Kakuzu's clone disintegrated, his true body appeared, flanked by three masked monsters.
Kakuzu's hands quickly formed seals, and two of the masked creatures opened their mouths.
In the next instant, ninjutsu exploded forth.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
Wind Release: Pressure Damage!
Boom!
With a deafening roar, a terrifying storm swept out, overwhelming everything in its path.
Grass and trees were instantly shredded wherever the storm passed.
It was Hajime's first time seeing such a horrifying and large-scale ninjutsu.
In terms of sheer destructive force, it surpassed even the incomplete version of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken he had previously used.
Against an attack of this scale, ordinary substitution techniques were useless.
Unless one had powerful defensive capabilities or could retreat fast enough, there was no escape.
Both Hajimes—his real body and his clone—swiftly formed hand seals as the inferno approached.
Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!
Dudududu!
Layer after layer of thick vines erupted from the earth, forming a dome-shaped shield over them.
The vines intertwined and reinforced one another, creating a stronger defense.
This technique had once been used by Hashirama Senju himself, who had even blocked a Tailed Beast Bomb with it.
But the attack they now faced was something different.
The moment the defense was completed, the fiery storm slammed into it.
Rumble!
The wood exploded apart—layer after layer crumbling under the relentless assault of flame and wind.
Hajime and his clone were forced to retreat continuously, erecting new Wood Locking Walls with every step, only to have them ripped apart by the inferno.
When the storm finally passed, of the six layers they had erected, only one remained.
And now, the once-dense forest had been reduced to a vast clearing, littered with scorched tree stumps.
Hajime gasped for breath; even the air was searing hot, burning his throat.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The last Wood Locking Wall burst apart, and a streak of lightning shot through, piercing one of the Hajimes.
That Hajime instantly transformed into wood—a Wood Clone.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
Hajime was startled.
He swung his blade, shattering the remnants of the Wood Locking Wall and leaping into the air.
At that moment, the two masked monsters had already flown into the sky.
Their mouths opened, unleashing another barrage of ninjutsu—fireballs and wind spheres hurled toward the airborne Hajime.
Hajime swung his blade repeatedly, sending out wind blades to intercept the oncoming attacks.
Explosions filled the air, creating a violent storm of fire and wind.
Just as Hajime landed, another bolt of lightning plowed through the ground like a predator hunting its prey.
He barely managed to dodge, leaping and weaving to avoid the attacks.
Facing three masked monsters at once, Hajime found himself in a dire situation—he didn't even have a moment to form seals for ninjutsu.
Unknowingly, Hajime had already been forced back to the edge of the clearing that had just been created with ninjutsu.
The Wind Release and Fire Release monsters immediately moved to intercept, forcing Hajime away from the forest.
At that moment, a barrage of shuriken suddenly shot out from within the woods.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted. "So it was a clone after all."
The airborne masked monsters moved swiftly, attempting to dodge the incoming shuriken.
However, these shuriken were imbued with Wind Release chakra by Hajime, greatly expanding their attack range.
The Fire Release monster was grazed—its pitch-black body had a chunk sliced off, causing it to stagger midair.
Whoosh!
A wooden spike tore through the air, piercing straight through the Fire Release monster.
Within the forest, Hajime's hands rapidly formed seals.
Transplantation Technique!
The wooden spike that impaled the Fire Release monster instantly sprouted branches, forming a beehive-like structure that shredded the mask to pieces.
The Lightning Release monster immediately flew above the forest canopy, firing down a barrage of spear-like lightning bolts.
Hajime swiftly evaded, the falling lightning relentlessly pursuing him.
Suddenly—
Hajime drew his blade and swung, sending out several wind blades that slashed through the lightning bolts and arced toward the Lightning Release monster.
The Lightning Release monster tried to dodge, darting through the air.
But at that moment, Hajime spun around abruptly.
Kakuzu had already closed in from behind.
In just two exchanges, Kakuzu forced Hajime to drop his sword.
Although Hajime was experienced in battle and not lacking in close-quarters combat skills, compared to an old fox like Kakuzu—someone who had survived the Warring States Era—he was still far inferior.
In this high-speed melee, Hajime had no chance to weave seals for ninjutsu; he could only rely on bursts of powerful chakra to maintain his strength and barely hold his ground.
Even so, after just a dozen exchanges, Kakuzu landed a heavy kick that sent Hajime flying with a loud bang, crashing into a tree trunk.
Hajime slid down the trunk, and before he could even get up, countless black tendrils shot out from the ground, wrapping tightly around his body.
At the same time, Kakuzu's detached hand seized his throat.
"You're quite good," Kakuzu said coldly.
"But compared to me, your combat experience is utterly laughable."
Kakuzu appeared in front of Hajime, raising his right hand, his skin instantly hardening and turning black.
"This heart of yours... might just become the most valuable one I'll ever acquired."
As he spoke, Kakuzu's right hand thrust into Hajime's chest with a wet splurch, pulling out his heart.
Staring at the still-beating heart, Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with joy.
Wood Release Secret Technique…
He could still vividly remember the might of Hashirama Senju from long ago.
No—
It was something he could never, ever forget.
Bang!
With a casual toss, Kakuzu threw Hajime's body aside.
The black tendrils wrapped around Hajime's heart and began to pull it toward the open seam on Kakuzu's back.
Hajime had destroyed one of Kakuzu's hearts earlier; now, he was replenishing it with this one.
The terrifying nature of Earth Grudge Fear allowed Kakuzu to use the nature transformations possessed by the hearts he stole.
Kakuzu looked forward to the results.
He turned and began walking out of the forest, the Wind Release and Lightning Release monsters descending from the sky and merging back into his body.
At the same time, Hajime's remaining wood clone deactivated automatically, turning into a block of wood.
Suddenly—
Kakuzu's body flashed.
Even with his sharp reflexes, he couldn't completely avoid it—
A wooden spike pierced through his back.
He immediately reached behind, yanking out the spike.
Seeing the blood staining his clothes, he turned in shock to look at Hajime, who was standing there forming seals.
"You... how is this possible?"
"I clearly took your heart!"
Hajime said nothing.
He finished forming the seals, and Transplantation Technique was activated.
The wooden spikes remaining inside Kakuzu's body suddenly sprouted and branched out, ruthlessly piercing three of Kakuzu's remaining four hearts, including the one he had just stolen from Hajime.
Kakuzu coughed up blood, his body swaying unsteadily—
Then, with a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground.
Hajime didn't rush forward.
Instead, he formed seals again, summoning thick vines from the earth that tightly bound Kakuzu's fallen body and hoisted him into the air.
(End of Chapter)
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