Konan's suspicion wasn't unfounded.
In fact, during their journey back from the Land of Wind to the Rain Village, she and Kuzo had encountered several unexpected enemies.
At that time, Kuzo had simply clapped his hands together and cast a spell called "Hadō #4: Byakurai"—a swift lightning strike that instantly subdued his opponents.
Now, facing Kakuzu's attack, he had done the same thing—clapped his hands and unleashed an immensely powerful Fire Style technique, one that dwarfed his previous abilities in both speed and strength.
But more importantly…
Could this eerie, pale blue flame even be considered a Fire Style technique?
Konan was puzzled.
Pain and Zetsu, who had been watching closely, also sensed something odd about the attack.
It looked like water, yet it burned like fire.
It was undeniably hot, yet it carried an unnatural stillness, unlike any flames they had ever seen.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu's face darkened as the searing heatwave rushed toward him.
Realizing the danger, he wasted no time, quickly performing the Body Replacement Technique to escape to the other side of the cave.
BOOM!
The blue flames struck a stone pillar, instantly shattering it into rubble.
Dust filled the air.
Kakuzu steadied himself, his eyes narrowing as he processed what had just happened.
That was far too powerful for someone with such an insignificant chakra presence…
His mind raced.
But before he could piece together his thoughts, Kuzo's voice rang out—light, playful, yet laced with mockery.
"Huh? That's strange…"
Kuzo tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
"Mr. Kakuzu, aren't you supposed to be the 'Undying Ninja'?"
"Why would you dodge such a weak attack?"
Silence.
Every pair of eyes in the cave turned to Kakuzu.
The atmosphere became awkward.
Kakuzu's eye twitched.
What the hell?!
I have multiple hearts, not immortality!
And what kind of idiot stands there and takes an attack just because they're called 'undying'?!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
His teeth clenched as he quickly weaved hand seals, his voice sharp with irritation.
"You little—"
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"
At his command, his back suddenly bulged and twisted, and from it, a grotesque black-masked creature emerged!
The Earth Grudge Fear technique—a forbidden jutsu that granted him multiple lives.
The masked entity opened its mouth, spewing forth a massive fireball.
The moment it touched the ground, the flames exploded, expanding rapidly into an inferno.
The entire cave's temperature skyrocketed, easily surpassing the heat of Kuzo's previous attack.
The firestorm surged forward, swallowing everything in its path.
Even Pain and Konan felt the heat pressing in on them.
Zetsu, who had been standing nearby, let out a panicked yelp.
"Whoa! Not good, not good! Everyone, move!!"
Without hesitation, he fused into the cave wall using his Mayfly Technique, disappearing from sight.
Konan, on the other hand, spread her paper wings, lifting herself and Pain into the air.
They knew firsthand—getting caught in this fire wasn't just dangerous, it was suicidal.
Pain's Rinnegan eyes narrowed.
"This fool… He's using such a large-scale Fire Style in such a cramped space…"
Clearly, Kakuzu wasn't thinking about collateral damage.
But he didn't care.
He had already poured everything into this technique.
This was his *strongest* Fire Style attack—the flames would *consume everything*.
And Kuzo?
He had no way to escape.
"So…"
Kakuzu smirked, watching the firestorm spread.
"Let's see how you deal with *this*, brat!"
Pain and Konan, still hovering above, turned their gazes toward Kuzo.
There were only two ways to deal with such an attack—*dodge* or *endure*.
But in this confined space, dodging was nearly impossible.
That left only one option: taking it head-on.
How would he resist?
They watched closely, waiting to see his response.
But then—
Something happened that made *everyone's* jaws drop.
Kuzo…
Casually leaped into the air.
And then…
He stayed there.
Suspended mid-air.
He was floating.
No jutsu.
No visible support.
He was simply standing in the air.
Everyone—Pain, Konan, Zetsu, and even Kakuzu—froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.
Kakuzu's mind went blank.
Pain's usually calm face showed a flicker of shock.
Even Konan, who had seen all kinds of powerful shinobi, found herself momentarily stunned.
Zetsu, half-merged into the wall, nearly fell out.
Kuzo was… flying?!
This wasn't a Summoning Jutsu.
This wasn't a Chakra Control Technique.
This was something entirely different.
The cave fell into stunned silence.
Hovering above them, Kuzo chuckled.
Looking down at Kakuzu, he smirked.
"Really now?"
"Did you actually think I wanted to fight Fire Style with Fire Style?"
○○○
Please Support me on patreon
patreon.com/IA_Extra13651
I really appreciate everything