Fei Duan licked the blood from his scythe and began to draw the ritual array for his Shikagami no Jutsu. Kakuzu also smiled, thinking that eliminating the strongest, Kakashi, first was the same.
"Fire Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Barrage!"
With the synergy of Wind Style and Fire Style, the fire jutsu's power became even greater. However, this attack was not aimed at Kakashi and the others, but at Fei Duan. Through Shikagami no Jutsu, it was guaranteed to hit the enemy.
"This is the end! Copy Ninja Kakashi." Kakuzu chuckled, clearly envisioning victory.
Kakashi, aware of Fei Duan's abilities, charged towards him, intending to force him out of the ritual array.
"Too late! Feel the wrath of Jashin! Hahahahahaha!"
The Wind and Fire Style attacks landed on Fei Duan, and simultaneously, Fei Duan plunged his jet-black spear into his own heart.
"Kakashi-sensei!" x3
The three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho squad cried out in unison, their faces tense as they rushed towards Kakashi.
Kakashi collapsed under the combined assault of Fei Duan and Kakuzu. As Kakuzu prepared to finish off the remaining three, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Simultaneously, he bore marks of being burned by fire and cut by wind ninjutsu.
"What in the world is happening? Why am I injured? Could it be..." Kakuzu was utterly confused as to how the attack had hit him.
"Huh? Kakuzu! What's going on? That Kakashi is clearly dead!" Fei Duan turned to Kakuzu, his voice filled with confusion.
"Idiot! Watch out!"
Kakuzu shouted a warning. The moment his words fell, the Kakashi on the ground dissolved into a puff of smoke. The one lying on the ground was Kakashi's shadow clone.
Kakashi's true body suddenly appeared behind Fei Duan. Shikamaru, understanding the situation, tossed Asuma's chakra blade. Kakashi caught it with one hand and severed Fei Duan's head with a single strike.
"Chō-baika no Jutsu!"
"Ninpō: Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
After Fei Duan's head was cut off, Ino immediately used Shintenshin no Jutsu to control Fei Duan's body. Even without a head, Ino could still manipulate Fei Duan's body to continue walking. In the blink of an eye, she moved Fei Duan's body into the deep pit that had been dug earlier.
Choji was even more direct. He enlarged his hands to a colossal size and, in mid-air, swatted at Fei Duan's falling head like swatting a mosquito, crushing it into a bloody pulp.
Fei Duan, still under the effects of Shikagami no Jutsu, had his head severed. Kakuzu, standing nearby, also had his head cut off. However, Kakuzu reacted swiftly, using his black threads to reattach his head.
In an instant, Fei Duan's consciousness faded. His head had become a pool of blood; there was no possibility of him surviving. Kakuzu, on the other hand, had been backstabbed by Fei Duan, losing a heart, and then had his head severed once more.
"Tch, as expected, Fei Duan is unreliable trash! Kakashi, you, however, surprised me. I didn't expect you to defeat Fei Duan with such a tactic. Your heart is becoming more and more interesting to me."
As Kakuzu spoke, he retracted the mask monster using Lightning Style into his body, and fused two other mask monsters onto his shoulders.
Ge Gōgō mode, this was Kakuzu's final form, though with a missing heart, he couldn't display his full strength.
In reality, the first time Kakashi had inserted his Chidori into Kakuzu's heart, Kakashi had used a test tube given by Shikamaru to collect some of Kakuzu's blood. The attack that landed on Fei Duan earlier was a mere illusion; the blood on the scythe was entirely Kakuzu's.
After throwing Fei Duan's body into the deep pit, Ino's consciousness returned to her body. Shikamaru had followed Ino there and ensured Fei Duan was dealt with thoroughly.
Kakuzu, having fused with his remaining hearts, looked at the group. "Fei Duan is dead. With no one holding me back, you have no chance against me."
"My combat experience far exceeds yours. Seeing your forehead protectors reminds me of the first Konoha ninja I fought, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!"
Kakuzu's words truly shocked everyone. How could someone have lived for so long? Did they truly possess immortality?
...
Meanwhile, Li Xing and his two companions, who were en route to Konoha, sensed the commotion and were flying towards the area. As they arrived overhead, they heard Kakuzu boasting about fighting the First Hokage, which they found utterly laughable.
"Hey! Kakuzu! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're struggling to fight these few, and you want to claim you fought the First Hokage!"
Hearing the voice, everyone looked up to see a man and two women standing in the air.
"Li Xing!"
"Xing Xing..."
Kakashi, seeing three more dangerous individuals arrive, realized their mission was a failure. In their current state, they stood no chance of winning.
"You damn brat! What are you doing here! I'll kill you too!" Kakuzu shouted angrily at Li Xing.
"Oh? Quite bold, aren't we? Kakuzu, have you forgotten the lesson from last time? If that's the case, I'll have a spar with you!" Li Xing's expression turned cold. He conjured a Rasenshuriken in one hand. If not for Li Xing's protection, his Ino would have already been injured. He wouldn't let Kakuzu off the hook so easily.
"Fire Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Barrage!"
Kakuzu no longer bothered with Kakashi and the others, intending to make Li Xing pay first.
"You attacked first!" Li Xing wouldn't hold back either and continued to enlarge the Rasenshuriken.
"Sage Art: Lightning Style: Super Giant Ball Rasenshuriken!"
Yes, Li Xing had infused the Rasenshuriken with lightning chakra. Anyone hit by it would likely be vaporized into ashes by the electrical current.
Li Xing directly hurled the Rasenshuriken downwards. Kakuzu's attack was absorbed entirely upon contact with the Rasenshuriken, leaving only the descending projectile.
"Not good! Take this chance while they're fighting and run!" Kakashi's Sharingan discerned that Li Xing's attack was far from simple. It contained an incredibly terrifying amount of chakra. If it landed, everything in the vicinity would likely be destroyed.
"Sage Art: Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Li Xing, of course, wouldn't allow his attack to harm Ino. He raised his hand and split the battlefield, creating a solid earth wall to protect Ino. As for Kakashi and Choji, they were merely incidental.
The moment the Rasenshuriken landed, an explosion erupted, accompanied by rampant lightning. A colossal crater appeared on the ground. Kakuzu fared even worse, leaving not even a trace behind. In the vast crater at the center, the air itself seemed to vanish for a moment, the impact so powerful it created a vacuum.
As the attack dissipated, the Earth Wall shattered. Kakashi and the others were stunned. Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a crater nearly a hundred meters deep.
"Is... is this Li Xing's true power? If someone like that were an enemy, it would be terrifying." Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat. If that wall hadn't suddenly appeared, everyone present would likely have perished.
"Kakashi-sensei, thank you. We survived thanks to your ninjutsu," Choji said, walking up to Kakashi.
"No, that wasn't me. My strength is nowhere near enough to protect you all."
"Kakashi is right. I was the one who protected you just now. But don't get me wrong, I only did it because I didn't want Ino to get hurt. Mari would be sad. You were just collateral."
Li Xing descended with Karin and Yugito, explaining his actions with a touch of arrogance. He then extended his hand towards Kakashi.
"Hand it over! Kakuzu's blood, there's still a little, right? Give it to me. This is your reward for protecting you."
Although Kakashi was puzzled by the relationship between Li Xing and Ino, he felt no sense of victory against Li Xing. He immediately handed the test tube containing Kakuzu's blood to Li Xing.
"Xing-kun, this blood seems a bit scarce. It's just a little stuck to the sides of the bottle. It's probably only enough for one use. Your attack earlier was too much; there wasn't even a speck left."
"It's enough. Kakuzu was just a tool anyway. Let's go!" Li Xing pocketed the test tube, and he and the two women prepared to leave.
"Xing! Thank you! At least let me express my gratitude!" Seeing Li Xing about to leave, Ino immediately ran forward and shouted.
Li Xing slowly turned back, smiled at Ino, and winked.