Chapter 117 (Patreon)

The figure standing behind Kakuzu was nothing more than a disposable Lightning Release puppet under Danzō’s control. With Aburame Tatsuma’s assistance, it had successfully taken one of Kakuzu’s lives.

Kakuzu collapsed to the ground and played dead. However, neither Danzō nor any of his trusted subordinates, including Tatsuma, made any attempt to approach him.

Danzō possessed detailed information about Earth Grudge Fear that had come from Takigakure. He knew the forbidden technique allowed its user to house multiple hearts, with each heart granting them another life.

What he did not know was exactly how many hearts Kakuzu currently possessed. Until he had become Hokage, Danzō had no intention of dying because he had let his guard down.

Once Kakuzu realized that none of them were going to approach his body, he could no longer continue the act.

The fist he had secretly sent underground suddenly burst from the earth and tore the heart from the puppet that had ambushed him from behind.

As he forced the heart into his body, Kakuzu stared at Danzō in confusion.

When he defected from Takigakure, Kakuzu had made certain to kill every high-ranking official who knew the secret of Earth Grudge Fear. In all the years since then, he had never allowed anyone who witnessed the technique’s secret to survive.

There were rumors in the underground bounty market that he was an immortal shinobi, but most people would still lower their guard after seeing his heart pierced.

Unable to understand how Danzō knew the truth, Kakuzu could only assume that the man had simply been too cautious to fall for the deception. Perhaps it was only natural. Danzō had caused trouble throughout the shinobi world for years, yet he had survived every consequence that came his way.

That luck would end today. Danzō’s head would soon become another bounty for Kakuzu to collect.

Just as Kakuzu prepared to unleash his ninjutsu, however, he noticed something strange.

The heart he had just placed inside his body had already stopped beating.

It was the first time anything like this had happened since he acquired Earth Grudge Fear.

“You noticed?” Danzō asked coldly. “The one who took your life was nothing more than a puppet. Once activated, it had less than ten minutes left to live. Stealing its heart was pointless.”

His visible eye narrowed.

“I don’t know how many hearts you brought with you, so I accounted for the maximum of five. That leaves you with four.”

Kakuzu’s pupils contracted sharply. Danzō had exposed the secret of his technique with frightening precision.

In that case, no one here could be allowed to leave alive.

Kakuzu let out a furious roar. Aside from the heart that remained within his main body, the other three emerged from his back and transformed into black, masked creatures.

At that very moment, a pair of hands erupted from beneath Kakuzu and seized both of his ankles. Before he could react, his entire body was dragged into the earth.

“Earth Release... When did you—?”

“So much for the immortal Kakuzu,” Danzō sneered. “Why do you think I wasted so much time talking to you?”

For all the conflict he provoked, Danzō valued his own life far too much to confront a dangerous enemy head-on. He would exhaust every possible method of creating an opening before risking himself in battle.

By revealing the secret of Earth Grudge Fear, he had shocked Kakuzu and drawn his attention. Meanwhile, a second Earth Release puppet had already slipped beneath him and destroyed another of his hearts.

In the past, Danzō had looked down on the disposable puppets Orochimaru created because of their short lifespans. Against someone like Kakuzu, however, they were extraordinarily useful. Even if Kakuzu stole their hearts in an attempt to extend his life, those hearts would quickly fail.

It was fortunate that Danzō had brought the puppets with him. Otherwise, Kakuzu would have been exceedingly difficult to deal with. Even with full knowledge of Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu’s combat ability remained far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi.

Danzō could not say with certainty that the few trusted subordinates accompanying him would have been enough to bring Kakuzu down.

Now, all he had to do was destroy two of the three remaining mask creatures and capture the last with sealing jutsu. Not only would Earth Grudge Fear fall into his hands, but Kakuzu also carried a considerable bounty. He could claim both the forbidden technique and the reward.

Although he still did not know how his location had been exposed, Danzō could not help feeling that fortune was on his side today.

Sensing that the heart in the main body had been destroyed, the three mask creatures instinctively attempted to replace it.

The Fire Release and Lightning Release masks unleashed a relentless barrage of ninjutsu, trying to create an opening for the Wind Release mask to return to the main body. Yet without Kakuzu consciously directing them, they were no match for an old schemer like Danzō.

The moment the Wind Release mask approached Kakuzu’s body, a vast swarm of kikaichū burst from beneath the ground.

At the same time, the Fire Release and Lightning Release masks were being held back by three or four disposable puppets and could offer no support.

Victory seemed all but certain. Kakuzu was on the verge of losing his final chance at survival, and Earth Grudge Fear was nearly within Danzō’s grasp.

Then Kakuzu’s body, with only its head still protruding above the ground, abruptly vanished. Something had pulled it even deeper underground.

His prize had been snatched from beneath his nose.

Danzō’s composure finally cracked. He turned and glared fiercely at Aburame Tatsuma.

Tatsuma was just as confused. The kikaichū he had spread throughout the surrounding area had not detected anyone else’s presence.

But what had happened was obvious. An Earth Release shinobi had dragged Kakuzu’s body away, and whoever it was could not be weak. An ordinary jōnin could never descend so deeply with the Hiding Like a Mole Technique while escaping Tatsuma’s detection.

Tatsuma immediately directed his kikaichū into the tunnel to give chase.

Danzō let out a cold snort before turning toward the two mask creatures still under siege. Without Kakuzu’s body, capturing one of them alive would not be enough to obtain Earth Grudge Fear.

“Useless trash. My puppets were wasted for nothing.”

Since the technique was now beyond his reach, he would destroy what remained of it. He had no expectation that Tatsuma would catch the expert who had taken Kakuzu’s body, so he decided to shatter the last two masks, kill Kakuzu for good, and leave the area as quickly as possible.

His whereabouts had already been exposed. If a bounty hunter could locate him, Konoha’s shinobi could not be far behind. Remaining here would only invite further trouble.

His plan had yet to begin, and the Fifth Hokage was still alive. It was far too early for him to make his grand return and seize control of Konoha.

Without Kakuzu’s consciousness directing them, the mask creatures retained their destructive power but lost much of their ability to react and adapt. At best, they were evenly matched with Danzō’s disposable puppets.

With four puppets against two masks, the outcome was completely one-sided.

Even so, Danzō could find no satisfaction in the victory. He had committed six puppets to the battle and gained absolutely nothing in return. Had he still been commanding Root from beneath Konoha, he would have been furious enough to slam his fist through his desk and order someone executed.

It did not take long for word of Danzō’s appearance in the Land of Waterfalls to reach Konoha.

When there had been no trace of him, there was little Kushina could do. Now that they finally had a lead, she immediately ordered Uchiha Shisui to take an ANBU squad to the Land of Waterfalls and eliminate him.

Danzō possessed far too many of Konoha’s secrets. If another village captured him first, the damage to Konoha could be severe.

That evening, Roy noticed the worry on Kushina’s face as soon as she returned home.

“What happened?” he asked.

Kushina told him about the report concerning Danzō.

“Doesn’t that old bastard realize how many people are hunting him?” she muttered irritably. “It wouldn’t matter if he simply died, but if an enemy searched his memories and obtained Konoha’s classified information, we’d have a serious problem.”

“All right, don’t worry.” Roy pulled her into his arms, his hands beginning to wander over her chest as he tried to ease her frustration. “He has the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu engraved on his body. If he truly dies, that may actually be the best possible outcome.”

Kushina rolled her eyes at him, though she made no attempt to stop his wandering hands.