Chapter 143: So I'm Worth That Much Money, Huh
Kakuzu quickly snapped out of his shock after hearing Uchiha Dali's words.
He let out a cold sneer.
"Go ask the King of Hell."
Since it was now confirmed that the other party wasn't a member of the Akatsuki, and yet he had learned about their secrets, there was no way he could be allowed to live.
Without hesitation, Kakuzu struck.
Controlling the Earth Grudge Fear, one of the black, writhing masks around him suddenly opened its mouth wide.
"Fire Style: Head Hunter Blaze!"
Kakuzu unleashed an extremely powerful Fire Style jutsu toward Uchiha Dali.
In an instant, a massive wave of fire—spanning thousands of square meters—surged toward Uchiha Dali with terrifying speed and searing heat.
Yet Uchiha Dali simply curled his lips into a playful smirk.
"You're using Fire Style in front of me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a colossal Great Fireball surged toward Kakuzu like a wave of flames crashing down.
Though in terms of diameter, the fireball wasn't as wide as the horizontal fire surge, its overall volume far surpassed that of a standard Great Fireball.
Seeing this, Kakuzu instantly realized he'd met a formidable opponent.
This kid was even more powerful than he had initially estimated.
After all, executing such a high-level Fire Style technique required not only vast chakra reserves…
"So that's it. You're from the Uchiha clan."
"But there aren't many shinobi this strong among the Uchiha. Uchiha Dali, huh…"
Kakuzu calmly watched the massive fireball approaching while murmuring to himself.
At that moment, the two jutsu clashed.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
A deafening explosion erupted as the Great Fireball collided with the sea of flames, sending shockwaves and scorching heat in all directions.
The surrounding stones, sand, and vegetation were completely blown away.
In the blink of an eye, the area where the two clashed was scorched barren—flattened into a wasteland.
From above, it was clear that the land had been blasted into a massive circular crater over a hundred meters in diameter.
Uchiha Dali and Kakuzu now stood at the center of the pit, locked in a standoff.
"I remember now… no wonder your face looked familiar…"
Kakuzu suddenly recalled something and pulled out a small notebook to check.
Upon seeing the entry, he immediately grinned with excitement and greed.
"So it really is you."
"You're the one with a black-market bounty of 280 million ryo—Uchiha Dali!"
Now that he had confirmed Dali's identity, Kakuzu became even more excited.
For someone obsessed with money—who loved collecting bounty heads—this man wasn't just some Fourth Hokage or a famed shinobi of the ninja world. He was a walking 280 million ryo.
280 million ryo!
If he could take down Uchiha Dali right now, he'd be able to complete his fundraising mission that much faster!
"I've been hunting the world for you, and here you are waltzing right up to me! Hahaha!"
"Today you die here, Uchiha Dali!"
With that, Kakuzu launched a frenzied assault on Uchiha Dali.
This time, he held nothing back and went all out.
His Earth Grudge Fear technique had been pushed to its limits.
Fire Style, Wind Style, Lightning Style—one devastating jutsu after another burst forth.
No doubt about it—this guy had a ridiculous amount of chakra.
Even after firing off several large-scale high-powered attacks, he could still remain calm and keep fighting Dali.
However, from Uchiha Dali's perspective, these attacks were no more threatening than a tickle—completely ineffective.
"So I'm worth that much money?"
"How interesting… Seems I've found a path to riches. Hey, could you tell me where the cash-in point is?"
Dali casually dodged the attacks while asking in a tone full of curiosity.
Hearing that, Kakuzu felt deeply insulted.
This guy was handling his full-powered attacks like child's play—and even had the nerve to ask questions?
"You arrogant little punk!"
"If I don't kill you and trade you in for that bounty, it would be a waste of this encounter!"
Kakuzu said through gritted teeth, escalating his offensive.
Wind Style, Lightning Style, Fire Style—a deadly combination of techniques surged forth again.
But after the barrage of violent attacks, Uchiha Dali remained unscathed.
At this point, Kakuzu finally noticed something was wrong.
He observed that despite being at the heart of the firestorm, Dali appeared completely unharmed by the direct hits.
What was going on?
"It's like… he's not actually there…"
"Is that how he's avoiding my attacks? What the hell is happening?!"
Kakuzu was filled with doubt and unease.
Suddenly, a teasing voice came from behind him.
"Looks like the fight's over."
The next instant, an overwhelming wave of chakra pressure erupted.
A formless, invisible force solidified into a crushing blow that slammed into Kakuzu's body.
In that split second, Kakuzu felt dizzy and disoriented, his mind blank from the impact.
His Earth Grudge Fear state collapsed as he coughed up blood on the spot.
All he could see was darkness. His head buzzed violently, and his insides were in turmoil.
His organs felt as if they were flipping upside down and about to shatter.
This terrifying sensation left Kakuzu utterly stunned.
He turned to look at Uchiha Dali, who stood five meters behind him.
"You… what did you just do to me?!"
Kakuzu asked, shaken and confused.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Dali casually withdrew his Conqueror's Haki, then slowly approached.
"So… are you ready to answer my question from earlier?"
He asked again.
"In your dreams!"
Kakuzu hurled two kunai in an attempt to block Dali's advance while leaping back—clearly trying to escape.
But the next second, something unbelievable happened again.
Dali somehow appeared behind him.
"You're not getting away. But feel free to try, if you really want."
Hearing that voice behind him, Kakuzu's pupils shrank sharply. He reflexively turned his head—and sure enough, there was Dali, smirking faintly at him.
What the hell?!
There was one in front of him just now!
"Is it a Shadow Clone? Or…"
Kakuzu rapidly assessed the situation and immediately realized it wasn't a clone—just a leftover afterimage Dali had left behind.
All of his attacks earlier had only struck these deceptively realistic afterimages!
"So that's why he's completely unharmed?"
That speed… It was practically supernatural. Truly terrifying!
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