章 21: Battle With Kakuzu (1)
A/N: Double Release (1/2). Had to feed my flying pig, so it was super tough to get this double release out, but we did it. Our target is to reach 400 powerstones by Sunday for a double release next week Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 400 Powerstones!
Asuma and Kakuzu met in an open field surrounded by trees, standing 20 meters apart.
"Save yourself the trouble and just give up," Kakuzu advised, staring at his opponent hungrily.
Imbuing his brass knuckles with wind chakra, Asuma assumed a fighting stance, unwilling to chit-chat with the man confronting him.
Before he could attack, Asuma realized that Goro still hadn't arrived, even though he should have. "Where's the boy that was with me?" Asuma asked, concerned.
Walking closer to his opponent, Kakuzu replied, "That was a clone, but that doesn't matter right now. You need to worry about yourself."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Asuma's muscles loosened up, allowing him to fully commit to the stance. "This opponent isn't going to be easy, but I cannot falter. If I die here, he may go after Goro," Asuma pondered.
The battle commenced with Kakuzu taking advantage of his Earth Grudge Fear Jutsu. He threw his arms at Asuma, the black tendrils sewn into his body extending, allowing the attack to become long-range. Kakuzu attempted to grab hold of him, but his attempt fell short. Asuma managed to cut down Kakuzu's arms, preventing them from coming any closer.
"You're a little skilled," Kakuzu commented as he rushed forward to engage Asuma in a Taijutsu battle.
However, Asuma wasn't eager to do things Kakuzu's way. Weaving hand signs, Asuma spewed out a plume of smoke that engulfed Kakuzu.
Recognizing the jutsu Asuma used, Kakuzu retreated out of the smoke as best he could but couldn't completely avoid the explosion that followed. A loud bang reverberated through the forest.
"That's pathetic," Kakuzu sneered. The cloud of gunpowder cleared, revealing that Kakuzu had emerged from the attack unscathed.
Raising his hands again and imbuing his brass knuckles with chakra, Asuma prepared to go on the offensive. "I could've sworn the attack hit... I hope it didn't, because if it did, that'd mean he has an unthinkable level of regeneration..."
Asuma knew he couldn't stay on the defensive, as doing so would increase the chances of receiving a fatal wound. He believed that in this situation, attacking would be the best form of defense.
Rushing towards Kakuzu, Asuma kicked up dust, trying to blind the Akatsuki member, and went in for a slash. But Kakuzu countered by getting low and kicking upwards towards Asuma's stomach.
Absorbing the impact, Asuma transitioned into a backflip and immediately lunged at Kakuzu, unleashing a devastating flurry of attacks.
Sensing danger in Asuma's movements, Kakuzu used Earth Spear, hardening his body to avoid taking damage from the oncoming strikes.
As the flurry continued, Asuma quickly noticed that his attacks were not penetrating Kakuzu's skin, and in fear of being countered, he jumped back.
"It's embarrassing to have a bounty so high and be that weak. I'll be ending things here," Kakuzu retorted.
Throwing off his Akatsuki cloak, the black threads holding Kakuzu's patchwork body together began to stir. From his back, four distinct bulges emerged. With a sickening tear, a mask, distinguished by its yellow nose, came out of Kakuzu's back, dragging with it a mass of black tendrils that solidified into a towering figure.
The mask looked down upon Asuma, who was still rushing towards Kakuzu, and began to charge a lightning attack. Barely a second passed before a lightning beam formed at its mouth.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness," Kakuzu uttered.
Given little time to react, Asuma gritted his teeth and stared at the beam. "I have no choice but to take it head-on," Asuma thought.
The mask fired off the beam, and as it closed in with great speed and power, Asuma realized he had underestimated the attack.
"Shit, it's coming directly towards my heart. I was really outmatched," Asuma muttered, lifting up his brass knuckles to defend.
The collision kicked up a large amount of dust, obscuring the battlefield.
As the dust settled, Asuma patted himself all over, confusion consuming him as he realized he was unharmed. The answer to his unspoken question quickly arrived.
"Sensei, now isn't the time to take a nap," Goro laughed, holding out his hand for Asuma to grab onto.
"Goro, how did you stop that attack?" Asuma asked, still in shock.
Glancing at his broken blade, Goro responded, "I had to sacrifice this blade, but it's not that big of a deal."
'I would've preferred using my Dome of Magnificent Nothingness Jutsu, but I don't want to reveal my Ice Affinity just yet. I also can't reveal that I know the Executioner Blade's secret ability.'
Pulling himself up with Goro's assistance, Asuma replied, "I hope you think the sacrifice is worth it."
Kakuzu cracked his knuckles, then proceeded to crack his neck. "Don't get in the way if you don't want to lose your life too, brat," Kakuzu warned.
Goro paid no mind to Kakuzu's words, instead beginning to formulate a plan to defeat him.
'The goal is to take him out fast. This way, we can avoid him using his multiple masks to battle us. I need to take him out in just one attack without him realizing it. He doesn't know my skill set, so if I pretend to be slower than I truly am, I should be able to catch him off guard. To finish him in one fell swoop, I need to use an Odama Rasengan. Kakuzu is someone I've always wanted to copy skills from, so I can't fail. If I defeat him, I'm guaranteed immortality.'
Goro pulled his half-broken blade out of the ground and faced Kakuzu. Creating two clones, the three rushed toward Kakuzu, barely evading the attacks of the lightning mask.
"Goro, pull back! This enemy isn't a small fry!" Asuma shouted to his student, but his words fell on deaf ears as Goro charged forward, his two clones in tow.
Gathering chakra in the hand that held the sword and imbuing it with fire chakra, Goro threw the blade straight towards Kakuzu.
The lightning mask tried to intervene, but the blade cut right through its tendrils.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in astonishment. "How was he able to do that?!" Kakuzu pondered.
'My flames aren't the average type. This feat is nothing for me—my chakra control far exceeds a simple task like this.'
The sword continued its direct path toward Kakuzu. Not wanting to get in its path, Kakuzu lunged out of reach but was met with a punch from Goro's clone, sending him back slightly.
The lightning mask unleashed another terrifying beam, taking out both of the clones and forcing Goro to stop in his tracks.
"You had me for a moment. Too bad you're far too slow and too weak to hurt me," Kakuzu scoffed.
'I have him where I want him. Now I've got to fully convince him I'm not a threat, making his movements more sloppy.'
"If there are no more of you getting ready to jump in, I'll simply finish you off now," Kakuzu mocked, sending the lightning mask in to attack while he rushed forward beside it.
'Here it comes.'
Reminder: Our target is to reach 400 powerstones by Sunday for a double release next week Monday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 400 Powerstones!
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