MTLNOVEL Chapter 94: 94.Kakuzu
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Midorima was well aware of Kakuzu's abilities—such as possessing five hearts, which meant he had to be killed five times.
But that wasn't all. Since each of these five hearts contained chakra of a different nature, Kakuzu could freely wield ninjutsu of all five basic elemental types.
In terms of chakra attributes, this made him quite similar to Midorima, except that Kakuzu lacked the Yin and Yang Release chakra types.
Considering that Midorima hadn't had the opportunity to learn Yin Release either, the difference between them wasn't all that significant.
Mentioning the five hearts inevitably brought up the forbidden technique "Earth Grudge Fear"—one of the few secret arts Midorima had no desire to possess. He had no interest in turning his body into a grotesque mess.
But as an opponent, Earth Grudge Fear was utterly repulsive.
Not only could Kakuzu use it to steal others' hearts and extend his lifespan by replacing his own, but he could also fuse with these hearts to form monstrous black entities.
Once Kakuzu summoned all of these creatures, Midorima would effectively be fighting five opponents at once. The difficulty of such a battle was self-evident.
Among the numerous two-man teams in the Akatsuki, Kakuzu might not have been the strongest, but later on, when paired with Hidan, they formed the infamous "Immortal Duo"—undoubtedly the most disgusting combination imaginable.
Against Kakuzu, Midorima didn't dare let his guard down for even a second. He also knew that because of the Earth Grudge Fear inside Kakuzu's body, simply destroying his physical form wouldn't be enough—unless all his hearts were pierced, the Earth Grudge Fear would just stitch him back together.
Midorima couldn't kill Kakuzu in a single strike, which meant it was nearly impossible to prevent him from using Earth Grudge Fear.
Still, just because Kakuzu was troublesome didn't mean Midorima could afford to slack off. And even if he wanted to, Kakuzu wouldn't give him the chance.
Kakuzu lunged at Midorima with a kunai, attempting to pressure him with sheer speed. But Midorima was even faster, effortlessly evading the attack before countering with an explosive-tagged kunai.
A deafening blast erupted in front of them, the shockwave churning the air and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
From within the swirling debris, several kunai shot toward Midorima. Instead of retreating, he charged straight toward their source, his body crackling with Lightning Release chakra as he closed the distance in an instant.
The most frustrating aspect of Earth Grudge Fear was that its attacks could strike from any range, while Midorima had to get dangerously close to pierce Kakuzu's hearts. If the distance between them widened, Kakuzu would become as difficult to approach as a spiked hedgehog.
At that point, even counterattacking would be a struggle—just dealing with Earth Grudge Fear alone would drain Midorima completely.
But closing in carried its own risks. The black monsters lurking within Kakuzu's body could strike at any moment.
Still, before Tsunade could finish off her opponent, Midorima needed to destroy at least one of Kakuzu's hearts—forcing him to reveal his trump card.
Midorima burst through the smoke, now barely half a meter from Kakuzu, and hurled another volley of kunai.
Kakuzu didn't dodge. Instead, his entire body turned pitch-black as he tanked the kunai head-on.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
A ninjutsu that maximized defense to the extreme—nearly unbreakable except by Lightning Release.
After effortlessly blocking the kunai, a faint smirk crossed Kakuzu's eyes.
Let's see how this med-nin plans to break through my Earth Spear.
Whether it was projectiles, Water Release, or medical ninjutsu, none of them stood a chance against this level of defense.
Just then, a thunderclap boomed overhead. Kakuzu barely had time to look up before a bolt of lightning struck him down.
Earth Spear could indeed maximize defense, but it had one critical weakness—once hardened, the user couldn't move.
The moment the lightning struck, Kakuzu's hardened skin shattered.
Midorima wasn't about to give him time to recover. Instantly, he flung over a dozen explosive tags, followed by "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique." At the same time, he leaped back, hands already forming seals for "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."
The explosion from the tags was still expanding when the Water Dragon Bullet collided with the shockwave, instantly creating a massive steam cloud. Midorima vanished into the mist.
Silent Killing Technique!
Though the difference between smoke and mist was obvious—this stuff stung the eyes.
But survival came first. Midorima burst from the cloud, ready to tear out one of Kakuzu's hearts—only for countless black tendrils to shoot from the haze and slam into him.
Earth Grudge Fear!
Midorima was sent flying four or five meters, blood spraying from his mouth.
At the same time, Tsunade—who had been momentarily suppressed by her own opponent—was also forced back.
Wiping the blood from his lips, Midorima called out, "You holding up?"
"Where the hell did these freaks come from?" Tsunade gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath.
Midorima knew absolutely nothing about Kakuzu's partner—no help there. But the long coat he'd been wearing was now discarded, revealing a black undershirt. It seemed he was finally getting serious.
"The more he gets hit, the stronger he becomes. At first, he was weak, but now his chakra rivals mine," Tsunade said grimly.
Midorima stared at the other ninja in disbelief. That kind of ability exists?
The man had initially been half a head shorter than Kakuzu, but now he towered over him, his muscles grotesquely swollen as if fermented. His face, however, was still bruised from Tsunade's earlier beating.
"What about your side?" Tsunade asked.
Midorima glanced at Kakuzu. "Yeah, not exactly normal either."
Kakuzu emerged from the smoke, his body now entwined with writhing black tendrils.
Tsunade's expression darkened. "Just what kind of shinobi are these two?"
"Not the best time for explanations," Midorima said with a wry smile.
Even if he knew about Kakuzu's five hearts, he couldn't just blurt it out.
Tsunade shook her head, rolling her shoulders. "Want to switch opponents?"
"And what good would that do?" Midorima shot back.
Tsunade thought for a moment. She couldn't guarantee victory over Kakuzu, and Midorima probably stood no chance against the masochistic ninja. Swapping wouldn't solve anything.
"Just don't let them team up," Midorima warned.
Even if their combined strength could match Kakuzu and his partner, their coordination as a duo was laughable compared to the Akatsuki's infamous teamwork.
"Got it." Tsunade clenched her fist and charged back into the fray.
Kakuzu's clothes had been torn apart by the black tendrils, his back now sprouting monstrous appendages like the legs of a cephalopod.
"You're full of surprises," Kakuzu mused, sounding almost pleased. "A single shinobi capable of Water, Fire, and Lightning Release—and a medical ninja on top of that… I'll be taking that heart of yours."
"Over my dead body!" Midorima sneered, though inwardly, the pressure was mounting.
Kakuzu's ability to wield multiple elemental ninjutsu stemmed from his five hearts, each containing a different chakra nature.
Learning that Midorima could use at least four elements had clearly thrilled Kakuzu.
"We'll see about that. I was planning to hold back, but your heart is mine!" Kakuzu roared as his back bulged grotesquely—then split open, releasing a masked black monster.
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