The seas of the Land of Waves.
Beneath the deep blue waves, undercurrents surged, fierce winds whipped up mist, and every breath carried the sharp, salty tang of the ocean.
Three shadowy figures, cloaked in black with eerie white masks, hovered in the air, blocking Zabuza's path.
Whoosh!
A chilling gust cut through the air.
Zabuza stomped hard on the water's surface, roaring as he spun his massive Decapitating Carving Knife like a windmill.
The crescent-shaped blade sliced through the thick fog, carrying a powerful gust of wind, and slashed fiercely toward Kakuzu's face.
Kakuzu merely stared back with his yellow-green eyes, his stitched-up face showing no trace of emotion.
No defense. No attempt to dodge.
To him, an attack from one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist seemed like nothing.
And, as it turned out, it was.
Just as Zabuza launched his counterattack, countless hair-like threads erupted from the churning water, wrapping tightly around his ankles.
Whoosh!
The Decapitating Carving Knife faltered, its momentum pulling it downward.
The blade grazed dangerously close to Kakuzu's nose, an attack strong enough to cleave a tiger in two, yet it couldn't even scratch his skin.
The wind from the strike ruffled Kakuzu's collar, but Zabuza's assault came to an abrupt end.
In most taijutsu battles, strength and speed weren't the ultimate factors—distance was. That tiny gap in reach was an uncrossable chasm.
Boom!
The sea twisted into a dark vortex, and another black-clad, masked figure emerged from the water.
This creature was made of countless writhing threads, its mask white with deep blue accents and octopus-like patterns. Black tendrils spewed from beneath the mask, creeping up Zabuza's legs like an infection.
The fine, tentacle-like threads tightened around his limbs and neck, hoisting him into the air like a fly caught in a spider's web.
"Gah!"
His limbs trembled violently, the crushing pressure on his throat causing unbearable pain. Zabuza thrashed, but it was futile. All he could do was watch helplessly as Kakuzu slowly approached.
"Why… why…?"
His neck felt like it was about to snap, his eyes bloodshot, his face purple and twisted like a vengeful ghost.
"Your attempt to assassinate the Mizukage made your head worth a fortune on the black market," Kakuzu said in a low, pleased tone. "The Decapitating Carving Knife might be weak on its own, but as one of the Seven Swordsmen's weapons, it's got serious collector's value. It'll sell easily."
Since gaining the Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu's body had become something far from human. Most human desires meant nothing to him anymore.
In his long, lonely life, only three things brought him any joy.
The least satisfying was capturing a long-sought target.
Watching a trapped prey struggle desperately, revealing their ugliest traits in the face of death, was endlessly entertaining.
The second was harvesting a fresh, high-quality heart.
The rush of a new chakra seed entering his body, the surge of power, and the pulsing vitality of a living heart—it made his ancient soul feel a spark of life.
But the greatest joy, the one that thrilled him most, was exchanging a bounty for cash. The sight of crisp, green bills filled him with a unique sense of satisfaction.
"The black market? You… you're Kakuzu—"
Pain throbbed in Zabuza's head, his ears ringing, but he finally pieced together the identity of the black-tendriled zombie before him.
After defecting from the Hidden Mist, Zabuza had become a regular in the black market. Naturally, he'd heard of the legendary ninja who operated there.
Kakuzu.
A figure active in the black market for over sixty years, with a near-perfect mission success rate. A true heavyweight in the underground world.
Rumor had it that the black market merchants who worked with him aged and died, replaced by new faces, yet Kakuzu remained a constant, always on the front lines, never slacking. The number of missions he'd taken on was impossible to count.
Because he showed no signs of aging, the old-timers in the black market called him "The Man Who Lives as Long as Heaven and Earth."
"You've heard of me—"
"Boring! Are you done yet?" a brash, mocking voice cut through the fog, interrupting Kakuzu.
Kakuzu's face darkened, and he shot a glance at the tall figure emerging from the mist. "Hidan, if you interrupt my hunt again, I'll stitch your head into your pants."
"Whoa, scary!"
Hidan stepped out of the fog, his massive red scythe dragging through the water, sending ripples across the surface. His slicked-back gray hair and wild purple eyes gave him a reckless, untamed look. His handsome face wore a savage grin, showing no hint of fear.
Why would he be afraid? He couldn't die.
Kakuzu knew his partner's advantage and didn't bother wasting energy on the immortal freak.
Killing him was impossible, and he wasn't afraid of death. Torturing him would only make Hidan, the devotee of an evil god, enjoy it more.
It was pointless.
Kakuzu had no idea where Pain had found such a weirdo.
Ignoring Hidan, Kakuzu turned back to Zabuza, who had stopped struggling in midair. "Any last words?"
"Cough… cough…"
Zabuza's throat spasmed, his breathing nearly cut off, his eyes filled with deep despair.
The only one who could stand a chance against this zombie was back on the shores of the Land of Waves, fleeing in panic. Zabuza didn't even know how far he was from the shore—probably more than two nautical miles.
That was about four kilometers on land.
At that distance, even if she saw the mist he'd released, she wouldn't make it in time. And that blind girl wouldn't necessarily risk her life to save him. Not everyone was like Haku!
This time, he was as good as dead.
"I… I know one of Orochimaru's secrets."
"Oh?" Kakuzu's lips curled into a faint, cold smirk. He'd expected the Demon of the Hidden Mist to be tougher, but he was no different from the other rogue ninjas he'd killed.
"Orochimaru, the traitor?" Hidan perked up, suddenly interested, and shuffled closer. Orochimaru's bounty was still at the top of the Akatsuki's hit list.
Kakuzu ignored Hidan's interruption. Compared to black market bounties, Pain's orders were far more important.
He loosened the Earth Grudge Fear's water-based grip slightly and nodded at Zabuza. "Spill it. If your secret's worth something, I'll let you live."
"Cough… don't lie to me!" Zabuza gasped, greedily sucking in air. He didn't believe a word Kakuzu said.
Kakuzu didn't deny it, just stared at Zabuza, noting that this man seemed different from the other rogues he'd killed.
"Orochimaru has a treasure," Zabuza said, catching his breath. "Rumor has it, it's tied to the Sage of the Six Paths."
"The Sage of the Six Paths?!" Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged a glance, both visibly shocked.
If this had come up before, they'd have laughed it off.
The Sage of the Six Paths was a mythical figure—whether he even existed was debatable. A treasure tied to him surviving for a thousand years? Ridiculous.
But after witnessing the terrifying power of Pain's Rinnegan, their worldview had shifted. Anything related to the Sage of the Six Paths demanded caution.
"What treasure? How do you know about it?" Kakuzu asked, eyeing Zabuza suspiciously. At a life-or-death moment like this, lies were likely, but dragging Orochimaru and the Sage into it seemed too far-fetched to be fake.
"I don't know exactly what it is," Zabuza admitted. "Orochimaru stole it and was hunted by the Hidden Mist's ANBU captain. I was there. I heard it's a treasure of the Kaguya clan… Oh, and Orochimaru had a Kaguya clansman with him. Someone named Kimimaro."
Zabuza's eyes clouded with memory as he spoke slowly. For years, in the dead of night, he'd dream of that ship, of Haku, of the trembling, fragile figure standing in front of him to protect him.
If only he hadn't boarded that ship.
Kakuzu studied Zabuza's earnest expression and felt a flicker of belief. "Your story's hard to verify. Even if it's true, it's not enough to buy your life."
"I know," Zabuza said, fully aware of Kakuzu's methods. He looked up, his expression sincere. "If you're just in it for the money, Orochimaru's head—an S-rank rogue ninja—plus that Six Paths treasure should be worth your while, right?"
"You've got a grudge against Orochimaru and want me to take him out for you?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, realizing why Zabuza had shifted the conversation to Orochimaru.
"It's not about revenge," Zabuza said, shaking his head as he made his final request. "If you ever kill Orochimaru and find that Six Paths treasure, for the sake of this information, please spare a girl named Haku."
"Haku?" Kakuzu frowned. "She's one of Orochimaru's subordinates?"
Zabuza nodded, gazing at the pale gray sky. It was on this same boundless sea, under a similar gray sky, that he'd been gravely wounded and near death. That fearless girl had shielded him, swearing lifelong loyalty to Orochimaru to save his life.
"She's not anyone's subordinate. She's the most important person in my life."
Kakuzu's eyes flickered briefly, as if recalling a long-buried memory. Then he nodded decisively. "Haku. Got it. I'll remember."
Seeing Kakuzu agree, Zabuza took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back, ready to face death calmly.
Kakuzu looked at the man before him, who faced death with such resolve, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. His wrist split open, releasing countless black threads. If you want to save someone important, you'd better give it everything you've got.
He pressed his hand lightly against Zabuza's chest, and the black tendrils instantly pierced his skin, burrowing into his flesh.
"Your heart is mine!"
"Argh!"
Zabuza let out an uncontrollable scream, his calm acceptance shattered as the black threads tore through his body like a searing pain.
No—his heart was literally being ripped out!
He felt the pull in his chest, his heart pounding wildly, the chakra seed inside it frantically pumping chakra through his body. But the threads binding him tightened, leaving him completely immobile.
It was over.
"Wait!"
"Earth Grudge Fear!"
"Aaagh!"
Screams of terror and agony erupted around him.
Zabuza, who had closed his eyes to meet his end, suddenly felt the pain in his chest ease. The tugging on his heart and meridians seemed to retreat.
What was happening?
Confused, he opened his eyes. Before he could process anything, the tendrils binding his limbs went limp, and he plummeted from the air.
Years of battle-honed instincts kicked in.
Despite the lingering pain, he channeled chakra and stretched out his limbs, landing lightly on the water's surface like a gecko, his right hand still clutching the Decapitating Carving Knife.
Ripples spread across the faintly pink water, stained with blood. Zabuza looked up, and the sight made him hold his breath.
On the churning sea, two figures in black cloaks with red clouds stood calmly.
Kakuzu, the so-called "Man Who Lives as Long as Heaven and Earth," had half his face obliterated. His throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, and heart—every vital point was riddled with tiny holes.
Hidan was in even worse shape, his body a mass of countless holes, blood pouring from him and dyeing the deep blue sea red.
They were dead?
Kakuzu, who'd dominated the black market for decades, and Hidan, an unknown but clearly dangerous figure, were just… gone?
Zabuza couldn't believe his eyes. He staggered to his feet, staring at the two perforated figures. It was a stupid question, but he couldn't help thinking it: How could they not be dead, looking like Swiss cheese?
But who had saved him?
Whoever it was had struck with pinpoint accuracy, targeting every vital point with rapid, relentless attacks. Zabuza was unscathed, while Kakuzu and Hidan were riddled with holes.
It couldn't just be luck.
Zabuza was sure he didn't have that kind of luck—otherwise, he wouldn't be in this mess.
He scanned the area but saw no one.
The three thread-like creatures still floated in the air, their tattered bodies flapping like broken flags, riddled with holes. The one in the water was worse off—its mask shattered, its body collapsed into a puddle of black sludge.
"Hm?"
If a dead creature turned to sludge, then what about the ones in the air? Zabuza's eyes widened as he looked up. Sure enough, the holes in the floating creatures were shrinking, their writhing threads filling the gaps. The masked figures began to move again.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind came from behind. Zabuza ducked, bending so low his waist nearly snapped. An arm sailed over his head, its severed stump writhing with tendrils.
Kakuzu was still alive!
The realization sent a chill through Zabuza's body.
Clang!
Hidan's massive red scythe swept toward him, its blade slicing precisely across Zabuza's back.
Blood dripped steadily from the wound, pooling beneath him.
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