To be awoken by a shadow clone's memories flooding your mind was not a pleasant experience. The most peaceful of dreams could be disrupted with a surge of information. For any normal person it would cause a headache. A large one. Two conflicting realities that were not meant to coexist. Fortunately for one Naruto Uzumaki, he had a built-in healing system that allowed him to manage the headache with relative ease. Of course, a headache caused by sudden information flooding was much less serious than the headache that caused it in the first place. Naruto shot to his feet in the darkness, a frown on his face. Who in the entire shinobi world was capable of defeating one of his clones without it noticing? The list was extremely small. And the realization that it was so small made his frown even more pronounced.
Someone who was a threat to him was coming.
The blonde barely heard the bolt of lightning before it reached him, only being able to dodge thanks to a hasty substitution that sent charred chunks of wood flying in every direction. Naruto's face leapt towards the source of the bolt, but he quickly was forced on edge again. A storm of kunai and shuriken came from his side, forcing him to leap away. The weaponry should have embedded themselves into the large tree behind him, but instead it turned midair to chase after him. The blonde frowned, instantly unsealing his staff, and swatting the weaponry aside. He drew a kunai in one fluid motion, cutting the ninja wire that was attached to all of the weaponry, allowing them to clatter to the ground.
The attack was not finished. A great ball of fire and a gust of wind came at him from opposite directions. Naruto grunted, sprinting away from the twin jutsus before they collided in a massive gout of flame. Tongues of fire leapt forth into the forest, instantly sparking a massive forest fire. Smoke covered his vision, and the previous darkness was replaced by a burning light. The Uzumaki frowned, eyes careful to look around the area. Where was his assailant? His answer came in the form of a cloaked figure shooting from the flames, a kunai in hand. The figure lashed out towards his neck, but he stopped the attack cold with his staff.
"Who are you?"
The figure did not respond, breaking from the stalemate before they lashed out with a kick at Naruto's side. The blonde's eyes widened as he turned to dodge the attack. Surprised by the speed of the attack he was too slow to avoid it completely but allowed only a glancing blow, his body forcibly turned from the force. He was left slightly exposed. The figure wasted no time to capitalize. The kunai sung towards his spine, but the Uzumaki was prepared this time. Quicker. He kicked up his staff, the weapon smacking against the figure's wrist and forcing them to lose their grip on the bladed weapon. Naruto spun, swinging his weapon at their throat only for them to catch their kunai midair and catch the staff in their other hand.
'I was using chakra to enhance that blow. Who the hell is this person?'
The figure lunged with the kunai, but Naruto flipped over them, his back rolling against theirs before he drew two kunai. He threw them forwards, forcing the figure to deflect and giving him time to pick up his staff. The two eyed each other, the figure's face covered by shadow.
"You want to tell me who you are now?"
Naruto's answer came in the form of two other hooded figures that appeared at his side, each holding kunai. Naruto grunted, spinning his staff to knock the two away. Before he could counter the original was upon him, kunai thrusting forwards. Naruto grunted, dropping his staff to catch the the figure's wrist. He lurched his leg forwards, smashing it into their chest and forcing them away. He was given no time to breathe as the other two swung at him, one kunai aiming towards his throat the other at his achilles. He grunted, leaping flat into the air to dodge the attacks. He drew two kunai from his kunai pouch, reaching up and stabbing both figures in the kidney. They stumbled, but Naruto was quick to capitalize, thrusting his hands forward with an application of chakra. His palms smashed into the hilts of the weapons, sending them flying through the figure's bodies. Mud coated the ground as the figures fell to the ground.
'Clones.'
The original was on him once more, lashing out with the kunai at his side. Naruto stopped the attack at the offender's wrist, catching it, only for the figure to toss the kunai up with a flick and catch it with his other hand. He brought the weapon downwards, only for Naruto to block him at the wrist with his forearm, glaring forwards. The figure did not bother to stay in the engagement, dropping the weapon and forcing Naruto to take a step back lest his face be cut. The space was immediately taken away again courtesy of a punch that smashed into his side. Naruto wheezed, stumbling away from the kick that threatened to cave in his chest. He was unable to avoid the palm strike that came from the side, smashing into his head and forcing him to the ground. He coughed, blood splattering onto the ground before a foot placed itself on his back. The figure drove down their knee in an attempt to cave in his throat only for it to instead cave in wood. They turned, barely deflecting the kunai that Naruto used with the aim of cutting their throat with their own.
The figure grabbed Naruto's wrist, pulling him forwards into a kunai they shoved into his chest. The weapon punctured straight through Naruto's chest, coming out the other end as lightning coursed across the weapon. Naruto grinned before his body bloated and detonated, creating a massive explosion that only added to the forest fire that raged around the two combatants. When the smoke cleared a lone figure could be seen, the cloak that covered their form completely gone. Naruto's eyes narrowed in annoyance. The Huntsman.
Kakuzu.
"You know I was hoping the bounty increase wouldn't have made you come after me."
"You're an idiot."
"You didn't come after me before."
"I was simply devising a way around that insufferable defense of yours."
"Oh? And you've found a few? Pray tell."
"I'd rather sew that mouth of yours shut."
"And hear I thought bounty hunters loved banter."
"I'd rather not talk with people about to die."
"The feelings mutual."
The two shinobi stared at each other, no longer trading barbs. They couldn't afford to. Before them was an opponent that would require their full attention. A real threat to both of their lives. Acknowledgement flashed in their eyes. It was rare when two S rank caliber shinobi met each other on the battlefield. There were not many in existence at one time. But when it did occur...
The two flashed forwards.
Steel met steel as the two clashed kunai, their eyes locked onto one another. Kakuzu thrust his palm forwards, smashing it into Naruto's side. The blonde coughed up blood, but weathered the attack, drawing a kunai he used to slash at the man's forearm. The attack was clean, slashing into the man's body. Naruto frowned as he saw the blood not leave the man's skin. Kakuzu roared, launching a kick that Naruto blocked with his forearm, although the power behind the attack sent him skidding backwards. The bounty hunter shot into Naruto's guard, kunai glistening with lightning chakra as he attempted to spear him through his lung. Naruto grunted, his elbow dropping as his knee rose, clamping Kakuzu's arm between the two body parts. He swung his other arm forwards, only for Kakuzu to catch it with his own hand. Naruto grunted, flicking his knee so his leg rose and smashed into Kakuzu's chin. The man stumbled backwards and Naruto was on him, two kunai covered in wind chakra in hand. Naruto slashed at the man's neck, but Kakuzu grunted, raising his kunai to defend, this time with it covered in fire chakra. The elemental advantage surged, creating a small gout of flame between the two that forced them to separate.
They were not apart for long, with another clone of Kakuzu's bursting from the fire to attack Naruto. However, before it could reach the blonde a clone of his appeared silently at his side and tackled them both back into the fire where they dispelled. Kakuzu frowned, hands blurring through handseals. Naruto's eyes widened and he dashed forwards, desperate to stop the attack. He lashed out with a punch but Kakuzu effortlessly ducked, his hands never being disrupted despite the action. Naruto grunted, raising his knee only for Kakuzu to effortlessly leap from the position, flipping behind Naruto. Naruto spun on his heel, his leg speeding towards Kakuzu's head only for the man to shift his body. The bounty hunter slammed his hands together in the tiger sign as his elbow stopped Naruto's kick cold.
"Shit."
The fire surrounding them roared as it surged towards the duo thanks to Kakuzu's jutsu. Naruto grunted, immediately weaving through handseals as the attack came closer. It was impossible to use wind in this scenario, he'd kill them both. But he didn't need to nullify the entire forest fire, he just needed to stop this attack. The fire was inches away from his skin before he finished, unleashing a torrent of water that unleashed a cloud of steam in the area as it stopped the oncoming blaze. The steam did not mean the battle had stopped. The two shot towards the others last known position, barely deflecting the blades that aimed to gouge out their throats. Naruto grunted, stepping into Kakuzu's guard and aiming to smash it into the man's chest only for his body to twist. The blow barely made contact as Kakuzu's chest shifted backwards to roll with the attack. Naruto frowned, launching a knee only for the man to bat his knee out of the way and smash a fist into his stomach. Naruto keeled over, spit flying from his mouth from the force. Kakuzu spun, aiming to thrust his kunai into the blonde's throat only for Naruto to spin, catching the man's arm and flipping him over onto his back.
Kakuzu grunted as Naruto mounted him, a kunai of wind in hand. The blonde grunted as the wind surged downwards, piercing Kakuzu's left shoulder. Naruto roared in effort and ripped upwards, causing a nasty wound although no blood dripped onto the ground. The red liquid merely swirled right at the injury. Kakuzu snarled, slamming his kunai into Naruto's side. The blonde grunted, but Kakuzu wasn't done, ripping the weapon back out and slashing at Naruto's throat. The Uzumaki leaned backwards to avoid the attack, but he lost his advantage as he did so. Kakuzu's body separated thanks to gray tendrils that extended from his torso to his waist. His head smashed into Naruto's sending him rolling backwards. The man pulled himself to his feet, his body reattaching as the gray tendrils began to knit his shoulder injury and soon, he looked like he had not been touched at all. Naruto grit his teeth as he watched it happen. He gently touched his wound but rose to his feet regardless to stare down the man before him.
"So the rumors are true."
"What rumors?"
"You don't bleed. That technique of yours...it doesn't allow for it."
"Don't pretend like you know the details of my jutsu."
"I don't, I'll admit that. All I know is that it's Taki secret ninjutsu. They refuse to release more information on it. But it doesn't matter. I don't need to bleed you to kill you."
"Oh really," Kakuzu stated, a grin appearing on his face, although Naruto couldn't see it thanks to the cloth covering his lower face. The man grinned, sprinting forwards. Naruto grunted, deflecting the punch with his forearm only for him to wince.
'His punches...they're heavier?'
Kakuzu grinned, swinging a leg towards Naruto's side. The blonde tried to block but the attack blew straight through his guard and sent him flying into the raging fire. Kakuzu grinned, weaving through handseals.
Naruto grunted, as he landed, skidding across the ground. Quickly he began to sprint forwards to get out of the fire. This fire was a problem. He couldn't use a sizeable portion of his techniques due to its presence. That wasn't the primary issue though. He had to review what he knew. Kakuzu could use all of the nature transformations, to a high level at that, but what the hell was that pressure in his attacks? He had been able to compete physically and then suddenly the weight to his attacks multiplied. He couldn't defend himself. The bruising on his arm that was already starting was proof of that. Whatever jutsu it was, it was incredibly powerful. He had to counter it.
The blonde burst through the flames only for his eyes to widen as he was greeted with spears of earth that attempted to gore him. He flipped over the attack, only for a clone of Kakuzu to smash into his side, a grin on its face. Naruto's eyes widened as it bloated before it exploded, sending the blonde skipping across the flaming forest floor. The flames continued to grow, and smoke clouded the area. Naruto could barely see in front of him. He could barely breathe.
'Gotta get out of this fucking flaming tomb he's made.'
Unfortunately, he wasn't given the opportunity as Kakuzu smashed into his side, sending the duo rolling. Naruto grunted as Kakuzu rose to the dominant position, grabbing his throat instantly and beginning to squeeze. The blonde grunted, grabbing the man's hands and desperately trying to pull them off. The efforts were fruitless, however. Whatever jutsu the man was using Naruto could not overpower through raw strength alone. The blonde clawed at the man's hands, darkness beginning to cloud his vision. Kakuzu grinned.
"You lose."
Naruto growled, moving his hands from Kakuzu's and instead slamming them together. His mouth opened and a jet of water shot out. Kakuzu grunted, the pressurized water smashing into his shoulder. It wasn't able to pierce his body this time, but the force of the attack jerked his body to the side, giving Naruto leverage. The blonde twisted his body, freeing his throat. He greedily gulped in a mouthfull of air before he smashed his fist into Kakuzu's face. The man bounced onto the ground, giving Naruto the opportunity to rise to his feet. The blonde drew a kunai, wrapping an explosive tag on it before he threw it forwards. It stabbed into the ground right beside the bounty hunter before it detonated, sending them both flying in opposite directions. Naruto flipped as he flew, his feet smashing onto the trunk of a flaming tree. He glared forwards, flooding his feet with chakra to overload the tree walking technique. He was catapulted from the tree from the overload, the sheer force blowing the tree into pieces as he shot towards Kakuzu. As he flew, he picked up his staff, flying over it in the chaos. He roared, flipping in midair to bring the weapon down on Kakuzu's head only for the man to block it with his forearms. The shockwave of the force caused dust to fly in the air, pushing the fire further into the forest.
Kakuzu snarled, grabbing the staff with one of his hands and sending an uppercut that would have cratered into the blonde's chin had he not leaned back. Naruto let his staff go, flipping backwards and speeding through handseals. Kakuzu tossed the weapon to the side, speeding through his own handseals.
"Suiton: Kaisui Hōdan (Water Release: Water Mass Crumbling Bullet)!"
"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)!"
Naruto unleashed a massive storm of water from his mouth, the attack smashing against the earthen wall and eroding it at the edges. However, the attack wasn't strong enough to destroy the defensive structure. The blonde frowned, weaving through handseals. Water was always weak to earth. He didn't know any lightning jutsu that were strong enough to pierce through the attack either. But he didn't need to. However, before he could finish the handseals Kakuzu was upon him, swiping down with his legs and forcing Naruto's hands apart. The blonde grit his teeth, ducking out of the way of another slash of Kakuzu's kunai. Effortlessly two clones appeared behind him, each leaping away from the battle. Kakuzu eyed them leaving, but Naruto didn't give him time to react, catching the man by the wrist and smashing a fist into his gut. Kakuzu coughed, stumbling backwards, only for a knee to leap upwards and smack into his jaw sending him tumbling back. Naruto launched a palm thrust at the man, but Kakuzu batted the attack away, returning with a slash of his kunai. Naruto grunted as the attack bit into his skin, a thin trail of blood leaking. Kakuzu grinned, his attacks growing more aggressive in the process. Naruto desperately began to fend them off, barely stopping the kunai from biting into his skin again. Kakuzu grinned. Naruto's eyes widened and he dove out of the way as the gout of wind chakra leaped off the kunai blade, just barely missing his throat. Naruto glared at his opponent, frustration in his eyes.
'He's better than me in taijutsu...and I never know what element he's going to use next. I'll have to use my armor.'
"You know I thought taking you in would be harder than this."
"You haven't beaten me yet."
A small drop hit Naruto's head. Another hit Kakuzu's, before they came in quick succession. Rain. Kakuzu frowned.
"What? That doesn't make sense, it shouldn't rain here for weeks. It's dry season."
Naruto grinned, raising his arm to catch the staff that was tossed to him courtesy of one of his clones. Suddenly he began to weave one-handed handsigns.
"You never did stop those clones you know."
Kakuzu's eyes widened, bloody murder filling them.
"You bastard!"
Naruto grinned as the rain began to grow in intensity, calming the raging forest fire below. Kakuzu sprinted forwards only for the two Naruto clones to attack him from either side, kunai in their hands. Kakuzu snarled, deflecting their strikes as Naruto continued to form handseals. Kakuzu managed to dispel both of the clones when the fire was completely put to rest by the rain, although not without gaining new cuts in his clothes. The clones had been unable to puncture the skin, but they had landed blows. The bounty hunter turned towards Naruto, only for him to smirk.
"Suiton: Amefuribari (Water Release: Falling Rain Needles)!"
Kakuzu grit his teeth as suddenly he felt a scraping pain on his skin. He looked at his arms, his clothing ripped.
'What?'
It wasn't long before his entire body was covered by the feeling, small cuts forming as rain droplets shredded through his clothes and dove at his skin. They tried to pierce him, but were unable to, resulting in the scraping feeling. The man grunted, a frown on his face. A continous assault, courtesy of the rain. He dashed towards Naruto, only for the blonde to deflect him with his staff, twirling around the man with a smirk on his face. Kakuzu grunted, eyes glaring at his prey.
"You know that this can't pierce my skin, right?"
"I'm aware. I don't know what jutsu you're using to stop my attacks, but it doesn't matter."
"Oh? You got a lightning technique that's not listed in your bingo book entry?"
Naruto shook his head, his wind armor howling as it activated. The distortions in the air were visible, his scythe carving into the ground as he casually spun his staff. The second stage.
"Trust me. I won't need it."
Kakuzu grinned. The two locked eyes as the rain ended before they dashed towards one another. Naruto swung his scythe downwards, only for Kakuzu to sidestep the attack, his eyes carefully watching the wind-enhanced weapon. He launched his fist forwards, smashing it into Naruto's chest. Naruto stumbled backwards, grunting from the force. Kakuzu leapt forwards, swinging his leg towards Naruto's head. The blonde ducked, spinning his scythe upwards to take Kakuzu's leg clean off. The bounty hunter yanked his leg back, avoiding the weapon before he landed in a spin, smashing his foot into Naruto's staff. The blonde stumbled backwards from the force, only for Kakuzu to be upon him once more. Punch after punch were thrown, the blonde only managing to deflect them barely with his staff. He was completely on the defensive. Kakuzu grinned, increasing the pressure of his barrage. This was his pace.
Naruto seemed to realize it as well as he leapt away, using wind chakra to send himself flying back even further than normally possible. The blonde weaved through handseals, unleashing a Suiton: Bakusui Shōha (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave) at his assilaint. The surge of water smashed into Kakuzu, smashing him into the few remaining trees that were left in the burnt clearing. The man quickly rose, drenched in water and an irritated look on his partially covered face. He quickly reached up, ripping the cloth off of his face to more easily breathe. Naruto smirked.
"So that's your face," he muttered. The blonde then spun his scythe, letting loose a blade of air that cut through the air. Kakuzu watched the distortion with a keen eye, turning to the side as the attack split the tree behind him in half. Naruto frowned.
"How much experience do you have fighting wind users to see my wind?"
"Your attacks aren't exactly subtle."
Naruto grunted. He had nothing to say to that. He launched another slash of wind at Kakuzu only for the man to spin around it and sprint forwards. Naruto lowered his stance, watching the man approach. He contorted his body, hiding one hand behind his back as he began to make one-handed hand seals. Just as Kakuzu appeared in front of him, punch ready to be thrown Naruto unleashed his jutsu.
"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere)!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened as the sphere of wind smashed into his body, ragdolling him through the air until he smashed onto the ground. Naruto approached the man, his eyes hard as he raised his scythe at the defeated bounty hunter.
"Your taijutsu was great. If this were a battle of only taijutsu perhaps you would have won. But you can't beat my ninjutsu."
Naruto brought his scythe down, aiming to cut off the man's head, only for Kakuzu to reach up and catch the scythe. Naruto's eyes widened in shock at the impossible feat. The shock froze his body as Kakuzu shot upwards, a grin on his face that would have sent chills down anyone's spine. It was the stuff of horrors, the thing that mothers told their children to stay away from. The man smashed his fist into Naruto's stomach, briefly deactivating his wind armor and bending the man over. Naruto keeled, blood shooting from his mouth into the small pools of water that had formed on the battlefield. Kakuzu wasn't satisified with only that, smashing his knee upwards into Naruto's chin. As his head flew backwards Naruto desperately tried to form some form of defense, but Kakuzu swatted open his guard and drew a kunai. Lightning chakra covered it instantly before he thrust it forwards into the blonde's lung. Naruto hacked, blood shooting from his mouth. The bounty hunter grinned and pressed his advantage, yanking the kunai out before trying to thrust it into his other lung. Naruto desperately scrambled back, using his hand to stop the attack as blood squirted over his face. Kakuzu grunted, attempting to pull the weapon free only for Naruto to clamp his hand down. Kakuzu's eyes widened as Naruto placed his foot on the man's chest, rage in his eyes. With a bestial yell Naruto shoved, combining the overloading of the tree walking technique with wind chakra to send the bounty hunter flying backwards. Kakuzu was thrown violently backwards, smashing through successions of trees. He skipped across the ground, blood shooting from his mouth onto the ground until he rolled to a stop.
Naruto watched him rise, yanking the kunai out of his hand in the process. The blonde was tempted to drop to a knee, but he couldn't give Kakuzu the luxury of knowing how wounded he was. The blonde merely held his chest on the side of his injured lung, staring at the bounty hunter as blood trailed from his lip. Kakuzu rose to stare at the blonde as well, his top completely blown off. Blood trailed from the man's lip but otherwise he looked completely uninjured. Naruto grimaced.
"How?"
Kakuzu grinned. "That little armor of yours isn't invincible."
Naruto grit his teeth.
"No fucking way," the blonde muttered. "You caught my scythe. That shouldn't be possible, even at the second stage. Block it with a weapon? Sure. But catching it with your bare hands? And then there's the fact that nothing I do seems to actually hurt you. That trickle of blood is the best I've gotten. What the fuck type of jutsu are you using?"
Kakuzu smirked. "Bounty hunters go into fights with all their targets information, and if they do their jobs well enough, little known about them. It would defeat the purpose to give you the same advantage I have. I want that price on your head."
"Information alone doesn't give you the ability to catch my scythe. Information alone doesn't let you have this ungodly durability."
Kakuzu smirked.
"Maybe your wind just isn't all its cracked up to be."
Naruto's eyes were filled with rage, his eyes flashing a brief crimson. Kakuzu shuddered at the sudden burst of killing intent. Suddenly the blonde rose up to his full height, no longer cradling his chest as his eyes returned to their original violet. The wind began to howl around him.
"You think because you got some information on me you can beat me. That you can catch my scythe?"
Naruto snarled, wind exploding around his form.
"I don't know what jutsu you're using. I don't know how you caught my scythe. But let's get one thing straight..."
Wind swirled around Naruto, roaring with intensity. The trees bent under the pressure as wind coalesced around him. Kakuzu watched with narrowed eyes as the wind tightened around the blonde. It roared to life as it was finished. The final stage of his legendary armor. The reason he was so afraid of this fight in the first place.
The blonde's body was completely invisible, surrounded by a virtual tornado of wind. A shadowy form with glowing violet eyes could be seen underneath the maelstrom, a scythe of wind extending from the tornado. The ground underneath it was torn asunder, swirling around the being. Wind buffered the clearing, blowing debris and hair into Kakuzu's face. It was almost everything the man could do to see. The scythe lowered slightly and a deep crevice in the ground was formed.
"Now."
The voice was distorted.
"See if you can catch this."
Naruto disappeared. Kakuzu's eyes widened, and he desperately turned to dodge the attack but he was too slow, his arm flying off of his body as Naruto's scythe descended. The man grunted, leaping away as Naruto turned, his scythe of wind elongating to carve everything in its way apart. Kakuzu just barely managed to avoid the attack, watching in horror as the massive storm of wind chakra cut through the ground, forming a giant fissure. The man landed, skidding away from Naruto with a cautious look on his face. The blonde flashed forwards again, using wind chakra to propel him to insane speeds. The bounty hunter barely dodged the punch the blonde sent his way, but he was completely unprepared to block the kick that cratered into his side. Kakuzu spat blood, bouncing off the ground. The man rolled to a stop, looking up blearily to see Naruto in front of him, his scythe raised. It was only due to a hasty substitution that his head wasn't cut off. Naruto turned, staring down Kakuzu once more. The bounty hunter grimaced, the grey tendrils shooting out from the stump on his shoulder into his arm and reattaching the appendage. A distorted sound could be heard from the tornado before him. Disappointment.
"If you keep putting yourself back together I'll just cut you into even smaller pieces."
The blonde began to spin his scythe in front of him, a deafening screech filling the air. Kakuzu grimaced, weaving through handseals. Naruto then charged, his scythe cutting everything in front of him. Kakuzu launched his jet of flame, only for it to be snuffed out by the wind upon reaching Naruto. The man grimaced, using another substitution to avoid being torn to shreds. The bounty hunter appeared behind the blonde, lashing out with a kick only for him to pull back almost instantly. His foot was mangled, covered in cuts. The man grimaced, leaping away before Naruto had the chance to retaliate.
"I thought your jutsu let you bypass my wind? What happened to that pride you had?"
Kakuzu frowned. He was getting nowhere like this. He couldn't pierce that armor with straightforward attacks. He couldn't even engage in taijutsu, his one area of advantage over the blonde. He couldn't even utilize his unnaturally large chakra reserves because the blonde before him was a Jinchuriki. No matter how taxing the wind jutsu before him was, and he had no doubt it was incredibly so, the blonde had a nuclear battery of chakra to draw from inside of him. He was stuck. The man grunted, his back bulging before three large gray monstrosities stood side by side with him. Kakuzu glared at Naruto.
"What the hell is that?"
Kakuzu frowned.
"It's both of us using our secret techniques."
The two stared at one another, caution in their eyes. Kakuzu because he knew it would be difficult if not outright impossible to bypass Naruto's defenses. Naruto because he did not know what this jutsu before him was.
Without any warning one of the masks unleashed a deluge of water towards Naruto, causing him to frown. Blades of wind, courtesy of his scythe cut through the water towards his assailants only for them to scatter like leaves. Naruto rushed after Kakuzu, ignoring the strange threats, only for the man to land on the ground and sink into it instantly. Naruto raised his scythe, prepared to cut through the ground only for a gale of wind to make him stumble. Naruto grunted, glancing to the side to see a strange four-legged monstrosity with thin wings flying above him, shooting blast after blast of wind jutsu at him. Naruto grunted, spinning his scythe to cut through the gales before he himself flew up to reach the creature. It turned and flew in a burst of speed, but Naruto was just as fast. The blonde unleashed his own slashes of wind, but none managed to hit the creature. He grunted, increasing in speed only to stop suddenly as a bolt of fire shot directly in front of him. The blonde turned, glaring at the demonic tiger that leered at him from the ground.
Naruto snorted.
"Fire doesn't work on me."
The tiger seemingly bore that no mind, unleashing another bolt of flame at him. Naruto snarled, speeding towards the beast only for earthen spikes to shoot up from the ground at him. They failed to make contact, being cut down by the wind that surrounded him, but the attack drew his attention. He turned to his side, glaring at Kakuzu who was next to the mask that sent water flying his direction.
"I think I'm realizing how you can use all these abilities Kakuzu."
"Good for you."
The mask that controlled water unleashed another deluge at him, one that Naruto managed to avoid. The blonde shot forwards like a bullet, his scythe twirling. The two scattered, avoiding Naruto's attack only for him to turn midair and push forwards with wind chakra towards the mask. The creature launched a thread-filled attack at him, but the blonde cut right through it, his eyes hard. With a roar he spun his scythe, bifurcating the creature in two. The mask fell to the ground, shattered. Naruto then spun, turning to look at Kakuzu. The bounty hunter's eyes were narrowed, clearly frustrated. Another monstrosity shot from his back, smashing to the ground next to him with a different mark on its face. Naruto's eyes narrowed. The creature opened its mouth, and the smell of ozone was all the warning Naruto got before a blast of lightning slammed into him. His elemental affinity won out, but the force of the attack did not. He bounced across the ground; his armor temporarily deactivated from the shock.
The blonde groaned, slowly rising only for a foot to crack into his chin. Blood flew from his mouth, splattering on the ground. Before the follow-up attack could come, he was covered in his tornado once more, slashing out at Kakuzu only for the attack to miss. Kakuzu skidded backwards, slamming his hands together. The man smashed his hands onto the ground and with a roar a massive dragon of earth roared its way towards the blonde. Naruto grunted, cutting through the dragon only for two of the masks to appear at his side. They both unleashed swarms of tendrils that smashed into him, but they failed to pierce his armors sheer cutting power. Naruto snorted, swinging his bladed weapon and cutting them in half, only for them to reform and leap away.
The blonde snorted, prepared to chase after them only for the smell of ozone to fill his nostrils again. In the blink of an eye he spun, twirling his scythe and cutting the bolt of lightning in half, the attack carving a trench on either side of him. The blonde narrowed his eyes at the monster of thread that unleashed the lighning, charging towards it. The creature screeched, unleashing more bolts of lightning that Naruto either dodged or cut through. It couldn't touch him. He raised his scythe as he neared, swinging it downwards as the creature desperately tried to get away from the weapon. It was only thanks to a wall of stone smashing into the creature and sending it flying that it was still alive. Naruto frowned, glancing at Kakuzu. The man was emotionless. Instead, he glanced at the flying monster and the tiger like creature. They roared, charging forwards. Naruto grunted, twirling his scythe as they approached. They reached out with masses of tendrils as they neared, Naruto cutting through the swarm with ease. His eyes never left the bounty hunter that aimed to kill him.
That was his biggest mistake.
The creatures on either side of him opened their mouths, unleashing a massive blast of wind and fire at him from either side. Naruto's eyes widened, immediately flying up to avoid the attack. However, suddenly the lightning monster was above him, unleashing a bolt of lightning downwards. Naruto grunted, cutting through the attack, but it was too late. The fire and wind collided, and a massive explosion erupted through the battlefield, drowning Naruto in the center. Kakuzu watched with a frown on his face.
"If your armor can negate even that type of firestorm...then I truly will have to rely on what the Raikage provided."
The towering blaze continued to produce searing heat, gouts of flame shooting from it every so often to lick at the ground. Kakuzu and his three monsters watched the tower in the cardinal directions, careful to make sure the blonde would not survive without one of them knowing. Slowly the blaze peetered out, revealing the black, charred ground below. In the center was Naruto, the man covered in burns and his right arm hanging limply at his side. His wind armor had been pierced. He stared at Kakuzu resolutely, panting heavily. Kakuzu grinned.
"Looks like you lose, Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto grimaced, flexing his injured arm. Pain seared through his body. He immediately forgoed the action, instead looking at the monsters around him. Kakuzu gave him no time to rest, the smell of ozone flooding the area again. The lightning creature fired the attack, only for the wind to coalesece around Naruto once more. His scythe spun in his uninjured arm, cutting through the blast. Kakuzu's eyes widened. They then narrowed.
"I suppose that's why your bounty is so high. Even in this state you're capable of fighting my masks. But how will you survive another firestorm I wonder?"
The fire and wind masks prepared their attacks, but Naruto knew what was coming this time. The blonde stared at the fire mask, chakra surging in his feet. Kakuzu realized the decision just a second too late, moving far to slow to stop Naruto. The blonde exploded forwards as the two creatures fired their attacks. Wind chakra and overloading the ground had sent him flying forwards, moving at a speed that was simply impossible to keep up with without using a similar technique. He charged through the flame, his wind armor snuffing out the fire. The distortion that was his scythe grew even larger, doubling in size before he roared, swinging it with his one arm. A giant crevice formed in the ground as it swung, dirt and debris flying into the sky before it cut the tiger beast in half, it's mask completely destroyed by the raging winds.
"No!"
Naruto turned as Kakuzu approached him, the man unable to stop his momentum. Naruto snarled; his eyes razor sharp. Demonstrating masterful dexterity in his hands he spun his scythe, cutting Kakuzu right through the chest, blood finally falling to the ground along with gore. Naruto watched as the man fell to the ground, his body limp. With a grunt Naruto dropped to his knees, his wind armor receding. He had won.
Or that was what he thought.
A mass of gray tendrils smashed into his body, forcing him onto the ground. He gasped, the pressure sending a flaming pain throughout his body.
'His jutsu works after he's dead? What type of jutsu is this!'
Meanwhile the wind elemental shot forwards, diving into the hole where Kakuzu's heart should be. As it settled a mass of gray tendrils shot from the man's body, reattaching his destroyed body parts. Naruto could only stare in horror as Kakuzu stood up, as though a zombie. Kakuzu turned to look at the blonde, a smug smirk on his face.
"Almost had me there."
The man slowly began to approach.
"That was smart of you, combining the technique that sent my flying to destroy the masks that actually posed a threat to you. The combination jutsu was too much for even your armor to negate. My theory was correct."
Kakuzu drew a kunai.
"By all rights you should have won this battle. If you were fighting literally anyone else, you would have. But you didn't have all the information, and I did."
Kakuzu stood before Naruto, raising the kunai.
"That's what money gets you. That's why money's reliable. I'll be sure to put the money I gain from your head to good use."
The kunai descended.
The wind howled. The gray tendrils exploded off of Naruto, shredded without remorse. The kunai itself was cut into pieces courtesy of Naruto's wind. Kakuzu leapt away, shock on his face. Naruto snarled, glaring at Kakuzu.
"Those masks of yours are like extra lives huh," the blonde muttered. He glared at the one that had restrained him. He flew towards it, his body beginning to spin. Kakuzu could only watch as the tornado around him grew, carving into the ground and sky. The creature tried to fire off a bolt of lightning, but the elemental weakness combined with the chakra output made it a useless attack. The wind easily carved through the lightning before Naruto turned the monster into nothing but a pile of gray mass and a broken white mask. Kakuzu snarled, watching as the natural disaster turned to face him, roaring its approach. In the center of the massive construct of wind manipulation was Naruto, his violet eyes bearing at him. Kakuzu snorted.
With a grunt he wove handseals, sinking into the ground just before Naruto made contact. The blonde didn't slow down though, slashing into the ground with his scythe only for nothing to be seen. He frowned, restricting his armor to only form around himself as he looked around the battlefield. Where was Kakuzu? He couldn't sense the man if he wasn't in the open air. Besides, his sensory techniques wouldn't be beneficial in a situation like this. His chakra levels were getting low for his standards. He had to finish this battle soon.
On the other end of the clearing Kakuzu appeared, staring down Naruto. The blonde turned to stare at him, the two's eyes locking. Lightning erupted around Kakuzu, hugging his body. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Kumo's armor...the Raiton Chakura Mōdo (Lightning Release Chakra Mode). How did you get your hands on that...especially after I killed the lightning heart you had. Did Kumo themselves hire you to kill me?"
The lightning swirled around Kakuzu, the man raising his hands. Naruto snorted, raising his scythe.
"Regardless, it's a horrible elemental matchup against my own armor. You don't possess more chakra than me, and you certainly aren't as skilled with the technique as the Raikage or his predecessor. Engage me with that at your own risk."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, and he charged. Naruto flew to meet him. As the two neared Naruto swung his scythe, utilizing his reach advantage. Kakuzu grunted, leaping over the attack and forming smashing his hands together in the earth sign. Naruto's eyes widened as the lightning armor around him disappeared, the man instead unleashed a massive dragon of earth from his mouth that smashed into the blonde. Naruto grunted, skipping across the ground courtesy of the attack. It wasn't long before he gained his footing and cut through the attack, staring at the origniator of the attack.
Or rather he would have, if Kakuzu was still there. Naruto turned; eyes narrowed. The man was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?
The blonde stood there for some time, waiting for an attack that never came. It became clear after ten minutes of being on guard.
Kakuzu the Huntsman had fled.