As Kakuzu's words fell, three masked figures detached from his back, their forms entwined with writhing black tendrils. In mere moments, three massive creatures loomed beside him, each bearing a distinct mask.
One unleashed a surge of lightning, another conjured razor-sharp wind blades, and the last spewed forth torrents of water. Thunder, gales, and water bullets struck simultaneously, all converging upon Jiraiya.
"Multiple Earth-Style Walls!"
Jiraiya knew better than to take such attacks lightly. Each of the masked creatures wielded jutsu of formidable power. Slamming his palms onto the ground, he summoned numerous earthen barriers before him.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Explosions resounded as shockwaves tore through the battlefield, sending debris flying in all directions. Smoke and dust filled the air as Jiraiya's hastily erected walls were reduced to rubble in an instant. The ground in front of him caved in, deep fissures forming from the impact. Trees in the vicinity were shredded by wind blades and lightning arcs, leaving the area a vast, desolate plain.
As the masked creatures continued their relentless assault, Kakuzu remained eerily composed. Retrieving a scroll, he pressed his palm against it, and a freshly preserved, blood-red heart materialized in his grasp.
Black tendrils surged from his chest, coiling around the heart and pulling it into his body. His torso shifted and contorted before a new mask emerged—a crimson-mouthed visage, signifying the assimilation of another heart.
Kakuzu's forbidden technique allowed him to steal and integrate the hearts of others, granting him their chakra nature and prolonging his own life. He had several sealed within his scroll, prepared to replace any lost in battle. However, newly acquired hearts required time to fully adapt before he could utilize the original owner's jutsu completely. Initially, he could only access basic techniques, creating independent, mask-bearing creatures demanded a prolonged period of nurturing within his body.
Jiraiya's gaze hardened as he witnessed Kakuzu absorb yet another heart. A deep frown creased his brow. This technique was even more terrifying than he had anticipated.
In the original timeline, Kakuzu was only slain after Naruto landed a Rasenshuriken, destroying his hearts and cellular structure beyond repair. Without that decisive blow, Kakashi's team would have struggled significantly to eliminate him.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The wind-element mask roared as it expelled a ferocious gale, forming countless razor-sharp wind blades that surged toward Jiraiya, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
The sheer scope of the attack left Jiraiya with no room to evade.
"Water Release: Water Surge!"
Jiraiya's hands blurred through seals before he spewed a high-pressure stream of water from his mouth. The rapid torrent cut through the incoming wind blades, neutralizing them in midair. This A-rank Water Release jutsu, learned from the Senju clan, possessed exceptional cutting and piercing capabilities.
Yet, even as he countered one assault, another wave of attacks followed—water bullets and streaks of lightning rained down upon him, while Kakuzu himself charged forward, his chest-mouth exhaling a torrent of searing flames. Simultaneously, Kakuzu's hands wove signs, summoning a field of jagged earth spikes to converge on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya maneuvered with all his might, weaving between attacks, but the sheer onslaught was overwhelming. Two earthen spikes pierced his right shoulder, leaving deep, bloody wounds as crimson sprayed into the air.
For the first time in this battle, Jiraiya had been injured.
Yet, almost instantly, the torn flesh around his wounds wriggled and pulsed. In the blink of an eye, fresh tissue regenerated, sealing the wounds completely.
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock.
"What an unbelievable healing ability... Are you from the Senju clan?"
He had lived for decades and never encountered such an absurd regeneration speed. The only person rumored to possess such monstrous healing was Hashirama Senju—able to recover from nearly any wound unless killed outright.
Jiraiya ignored the question. Instead, taking advantage of Kakuzu's momentary distraction, he rapidly formed a series of seals before bellowing, "Four Pillar Bind!"
Above the wind-element mask, space distorted as deep-blue stone pillars materialized from another dimension, plunging into the ground around it. More pillars followed, stacking atop the first set, forming an enclosed structure with only a small opening left.
Instantly, the pillars surged with electricity, enveloping the masked creature in crackling bolts of lightning. The jutsu not only immobilized but also sealed its target.
"Earth Release: Mud Fall!"
From the same interdimensional space, torrents of thick, dark brown mud cascaded down, coating the pillars and further strengthening the seal's integrity.
Jiraiya knew the pressure of battling Kakuzu alongside his masked creatures was immense. His strategy was simple—seal away the elemental monsters one by one, then focus entirely on Kakuzu's main body.
The wind-element mask roared furiously, ramming against the lightning-infused pillars in a desperate attempt to escape. Yet, the barriers held firm, further reinforced by the adhesive mud. It was trapped.
Realizing what had happened, Kakuzu immediately commanded the lightning-element mask to retaliate, unleashing a massive lightning blast at Jiraiya.
Simultaneously, the water-element mask fired another barrage of high-speed water bullets.
Jiraiya, however, refused to let Kakuzu rescue his imprisoned creature so easily.
Instead of dodging, he swiftly formed a sequence of hand seals. "Swamp of the Underworld!"
Beneath the lightning-element mask, the solid ground transformed into a deep, viscous swamp, swallowing the creature's legs and pulling it downward. Its lightning attack veered off-course, harmlessly striking the empty battlefield.
By the time Jiraiya had completed this maneuver, the water-element mask's barrage had nearly reached him. The high-speed water bullets cut through the air with enough force to tear through flesh and bone.
The gusts of wind stirred by their velocity made his clothes billow, and the sheer force of the impending impact pressed upon him.
Jiraiya's expression remained resolute as he prepared his next move, determined to turn the tide of battle in his favor.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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