Outdoors.
Tenya stopped in his tracks and turned to face Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, sometimes the roles of hunter and prey can change. Aren't you afraid you'll become my prey?"
Tenya looked at Kakuzu with a relaxed demeanor, speaking calmly.
"Hmph! That depends on whether you have the skill for it!"
Kakuzu sneered, his dark green pupils filled with killing intent.
With a low shout, Kakuzu's entire demeanor changed.
Countless black tendrils burst from his body.
Following that, four masked creatures, like four loyal bodyguards, emerged from his back, closely guarding him.
It seemed Kakuzu was serious this time!
From the start, he used his secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear.
"Kid, die!"
Kakuzu coldly stared at Tenya, his hands moving quickly.
Numerous black tendrils surged out, transforming into black spears, darting towards Tenya.
In the blink of an eye, they pierced through Tenya's body.
But once again, there was no sensation of hitting something solid. The image of Tenya dissolved like a bubble.
Hmph!
Kakuzu seemed to have anticipated this, increasing the speed of his attacks.
The numerous black tendrils turned into streaks of black light, piercing through Tenya's afterimages and soon catching up to him.
"Got you this time. Let's see how you escape!"
"Seal!"
The black tendrils moved again, aiming to trap Tenya completely.
At that moment, Tenya took action.
Clang!
With the sound of a sword being drawn, countless fine sword lights erupted.
Swish, swish, swish...
As the sword lights danced, the black tendrils were cut into pieces, dividing repeatedly until they turned into dust falling to the ground.
In just a few breaths, the sharp sword lights swept the dense black tendrils away.
Within a five-meter radius around Tenya, the ground was covered in countless black remnants.
"How is this possible..."
Kakuzu stared at the scene before him, eyes filled with disbelief.
He had already overestimated this young Konoha ninja.
He thought the boy would either burrow underground or flee upon attack.
But the boy neither went underground nor fled. Instead, he confronted Kakuzu head-on and clearly gained the upper hand.
The black tendril remnants on the ground were the best proof!
Such formidable swordsmanship!
It was the first time Kakuzu had encountered a ninja with such exceptional sword skills!
Tsunade and Shizune, who had just arrived, witnessed this scene not far away.
Their eyes were also filled with shock.
Especially Tsunade, who felt it the most.
Since White Fang's death, Konoha had not seen another ninja with outstanding swordsmanship.
Seeing Tenya's swordsmanship firsthand, Tsunade believed this boy named Tenya might be the next White Fang.
Or even surpass White Fang!
Though she wasn't very knowledgeable about swordsmanship, she saw a similar quality in Tenya that White Fang had.
Such a genius couldn't be allowed to fall here!
Tsunade had made up her mind.
After a brief moment of shock, Kakuzu slowly regained his composure.
However, his gaze towards Tenya now held a hint of seriousness.
With such profound swordsmanship, close combat was a losing battle.
He even doubted whether his secret technique creatures could withstand Tenya's sword attacks.
Since close combat was uncertain, he decided to end this with long-range attacks.
Thinking this, Kakuzu made a new move.
The four secret technique creatures scattered.
The first to strike was Kakuzu himself.
"Earth Style..."
Before Kakuzu could finish, an apple shot towards him like a cannonball.
Danger!
Though it was just an ordinary apple, Kakuzu sensed immense danger from it.
It was too late to dodge.
He had no choice but to defend!
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A stone wall barely rose before a deafening explosion resounded across the battlefield.
The hastily erected stone wall was completely shattered, but it blocked the sudden attack.
Explosive apples?
It was Kakuzu's first time seeing such a thing.
Since when did Konoha have such secret weapons?
Kakuzu was baffled.
Before he could ponder further, several more apples were flying his way.
"Damn!"
Tenya had thrown several more explosive apples in the brief moment of distraction.
Kakuzu wanted to escape using ninjutsu, but there wasn't enough time.
With no other choice, Kakuzu used his water-style masked creature as a shield, narrowly avoiding disaster.
But the water-style masked creature was blown to bits.
Now he was left with only three masked creatures.
Before Kakuzu could catch his breath, Tenya attacked again.
The long sword slashed, cutting off all possible escape routes for Kakuzu.
Struggling to defend, Kakuzu quickly fell into a disadvantage.
From the start of the battle until now, he hadn't gained any advantage, being suppressed by Tenya throughout.
This had ignited a deep fury within Kakuzu.
He had never been so humiliated and had to counterattack!
Though he didn't want to engage in close combat, the situation left him no choice.
The three remaining masked creatures moved into action.
Countless black tendrils surged towards Tenya once more.
"Secret Sword: Light Snow!"
With a flick of his right hand, countless fine sword lights transformed into a flowing silver river, shredding all the black tendrils in its path.
Swoosh!
The long sword moved again, piercing the wind-style masked creature's body with a strike of extreme sharpness.
Soon, the creature dissolved into a pool of black water.
Losing another secret technique creature infuriated Kakuzu.
His originally dark green eyes turned a deep shade of blood red.
"Kid, I'll kill you!"
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground beneath Tenya's feet began to churn, turning into a soft mire.
His legs sank, making it difficult to move.
Nearby, the remaining two masked creatures moved.
First, the lightning-style masked creature.
Vast amounts of chakra gathered in its mouth.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
A large spear of condensed lightning shot from the creature's mouth, piercing Tenya's body instantly.
But it wasn't over.
On the other side, the fire-style masked creature opened its mouth.
"Fire Style: Head Mincing Pain!"
Fierce flames erupted from the creature's mouth, turning the area ahead into a sea of fire, engulfing Tenya entirely.
When the flames subsided, the soft mire was mostly dried up, but nothing was left where Tenya had stood.
"Huh?"
Kakuzu suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Swish!
Two sword lights flashed abruptly.
The remaining lightning-style and fire-style masked creatures were pierced in succession, quickly turning into pools of black water and being destroyed.
Not far away, Tenya reappeared.
"You're not dead?"
"How is this possible?"
Kakuzu stared at Tenya in horror, eyes filled with disbelief.
He had clearly seen his attacks hit Tenya, so how was he standing there now?
"What you saw was only what I wanted you to see. Now do you understand?"
Tenya walked towards Kakuzu step by step.
What Kakuzu had seen earlier was only part of the Secret Sword: Mist Blade ability.
Perfect for dealing with an enraged opponent like him.
"Genjutsu?"
Realizing the situation, Kakuzu knew he had lost.
With four secret technique creatures gone, his combat power had plummeted.
Even at his peak, he couldn't defeat Tenya.
Now, relying on his true form alone, how could he be a match for Tenya?
He was down to his last heart. Another attack could kill him.
With that thought, Kakuzu planned to retreat.
"Trying to leave now? Isn't it too late?"
Before Kakuzu could act, Tenya's voice rang in his ears again.
Clang!
With a single sword strike, Tenya pierced Kakuzu's last heart.
"Such...fast...sword..."
Struck in a vital spot, Kakuzu struggled momentarily before falling silent.
Tenya took out a sealing scroll and sealed Kakuzu's body.
Back in Konoha, he might be able to exchange this corpse for useful items from Orochimaru.
After securing the scroll, Tenya looked up towards the right.
There, two graceful figures were approaching.