The battlefield was a ruin of broken tiles, shattered walls, and the distant echo of death. The village of Konoha, burning in pockets, was still alive—because of them.
Kakuzu's tendrils shot through the debris like vipers, snapping toward Choji first. The ground trembled as Choji stomped forward, his colossal Earth-imbued form taking the brunt of the initial strike.
His voice roared like thunder."Earth Style: Giant Human Bullet Rock Formation!"
His skin solidified into a granite-like shell as he tucked and rolled, becoming a living wrecking ball. The massive mass tore through the field, crushing one of Kakuzu's elemental masks under his weight. It shattered into fragments, its chakra dispersing in a violent pulse.
But Kakuzu wasn't finished. He growled. "You'll pay for that."
Another mask detached from his body—the Wind Mask—hovered above and unleashed a sickening gust."Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
A tornado of compressed slicing air screamed toward Choji. Too wide to dodge.
But Shikamaru's voice rang out—sharp and commanding."Now, Ino!"
Ino leapt from the rear, her hands weaving seals in a blur.
"Mind Body Disturbance Technique!"
Her chakra surged, golden and fluid, targeting the Wind Mask. For a second—only a second—it hesitated mid-jutsu, redirected its stream slightly off-target.
It was enough.
Shikamaru slammed his palm down."Shadow Possession: Arc Conduit!"
His lightning-infused shadow shot across the floor like a whip, connecting with the mask and paralyzing it as sparks arced from the ground upward, exploding it mid-air.
BOOM!
Flames burst across the sky.
Kakuzu staggered, half his body blown back, threads snapping wildly. His remaining two hearts thumped—visible now through the split in his cloak.
"You brats…" he snarled, chest heaving. "You're more trouble than you're worth."
Choji regrouped, bruised and bloodied, reverting to normal size with effort. He looked over to Ino and Shikamaru.
"I'll draw his fire again," he said. "You know what to do."
"Don't overdo it," Shikamaru muttered. His voice betrayed the burden he bore as the team's brain—Asuma's successor in every way that mattered.
"Just don't let me die before we win," Choji grinned back.
But Kakuzu wasn't done playing defense.
He raised both hands—black tendrils erupting from his skin like a grotesque blooming flower. His final two masks reemerged: Lightning and Fire.
"Fire Style: False Darkness!""Lightning Style: Twin Striking Fang!"
The two jutsu surged—one a wave of scorched flame, the other a crackling arc of destruction. They fused midair, forming a storm of superheated plasma hurtling toward Team 10.
Shikamaru's eyes widened.Too fast—
Ino grabbed their arms—channeling her chakra outward. "NOW—SHARED BARRIER!"
Their chakra interlocked, forming a three-way defensive formation, taught to them by Kurenai after Asuma's death. The shield shimmered, the combined spiritual resolve of the team holding it firm.
The impact cracked the earth beneath their feet, exploding in a hellish burst of fire and lightning.
Ino screamed, blood trickling from her ears as she maintained the barrier.
Shikamaru's knees buckled.
Choji howled and pushed back against the blast with raw strength, dust and wind curling around his frame.
Then silence.
Kakuzu lowered his arms, panting. "That… should've killed you."
But when the smoke cleared, they were still standing. Burnt. Bleeding. But alive.
"No," Shikamaru muttered, rising slowly. "You don't get to kill us. Not before we finish what he couldn't."
He stepped forward. A kunai crackling with lightning chakra glowed in his hand. Behind him, Ino's eyes shimmered with resolve—her poisons bubbling in vials across her belt. Choji cracked his neck, his fists aflame with stored chakra.
They would not back down.
This was no longer just a fight.
It was a funeral pyre for their pain.
It was a promise made in blood.
It was vengeance—and legacy—wrapped in one.
And they would finish it.
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