Chapter 166: Pure Contest of Strength
Ninja were resilient beings. Thanks to the mysterious power of chakra, their physical abilities were vastly enhanced. But even among them, there were few as ridiculously durable as Hidan and Kakuzu, whose bodies practically had no fatal weak points.
After a brutal crash landing, Hidan struggled to stand, bones in multiple places visibly out of joint. Grumbling through gritted teeth, he grabbed and snapped the fractures back into place himself. Once he confirmed he could still fight, he picked up his blood-soaked triple scythe and groaned theatrically:
"Tch… Damn, that hurt! Can't you say something before trying to kill me? You bastard, I'm gonna curse you to pieces later—"
But before he could finish complaining, Mizuki had silently closed in, riding the tail end of Shukaku's Drilling Air Bullet. By the time Hidan realized it, it was too late to do much of anything.
With a fist wrapped in surging natural energy, Mizuki struck mercilessly toward Hidan's left shoulder. It wasn't that Mizuki didn't want to hit a vital spot—Hidan's immortality made such targets meaningless. Rather than aiming for elusive areas like the heart, it was far more efficient to disable Hidan's limbs. Once he lost the ability to move, the rest could be handled with ease.
But Hidan, despite his flaws, was no amateur. Realizing he couldn't avoid the blow, his battle-hardened instincts kicked in. In an instant, he twisted his body and swung his scythe forward, using the pole's shaft as a makeshift shield. His right hand braced the upper grip while the angled weapon intercepted the blow.
With a thunderous impact, Mizuki's powerful fist struck the reinforced shaft, sending a shockwave down the weapon. Hidan's clever maneuver deflected the blow just enough to avoid a direct hit.
"Not a bad response… but he should thank that weapon. The craftsmanship's solid."
Mizuki admired, if begrudgingly, Hidan's reflexes and close-quarter technique. It was a sharp contrast to his own weaknesses. Despite inheriting the memories of the original Mizuki, he'd never truly refined the battle instincts or martial grit of a true taijutsu expert. Book smarts and a strong body could only get you so far—true skill came from years of training and experience, which Mizuki sorely lacked.
Still, even though Hidan had barely avoided the punch, the sheer force carried through the weapon and flung him backward again. He tried to slash at Mizuki mid-fall, but the latter had long since anticipated such a move. With a chakra shield prepped, Mizuki easily blocked the wild attack. Even with Hidan's considerable power, breaking through a sage-enhanced chakra shield wasn't something easily done.
Hidan, momentarily off balance, became the perfect target. Mizuki, not one to waste momentum, stepped in for another strike—until a howling gust of wind alerted him.
Kakuzu was already upon him.
A punch roared through the air as Kakuzu dove at Mizuki from behind, clearly not planning to sit back any longer.
"Being flanked? I may have gotten a bit too cocky…"
Though Kakuzu and Hidan didn't get along, they weren't stupid. They might bicker and fight, but when facing a difficult opponent, they knew when to cooperate. Teaming up was the rational choice.
Still, Mizuki wasn't particularly intimidated. In Sage Mode, he was nearly a miniature Tailed Beast. What did he have to fear from a punch?
Rather than dodge, Mizuki met Kakuzu head-on.
His right fist arced around and collided directly with Kakuzu's.
A deep, dull shockwave exploded outward.
Kakuzu was sent flying backward, crashing and tumbling across the battlefield before skidding to a halt.
"With Sage Mode, I'm basically a miniature Tailed Beast. You really thought brute strength was going to work?"
Mizuki looked down at his hand.
On his knuckles—several unexpected scratches and cuts.
"Earth Release—Earth Spear, huh? Not bad."
Kakuzu had mastered Earth-nature transformation to the point where he could harden his flesh like diamond. It massively boosted his defense, but also had an offensive edge. The moment of contact could reverse the hardening into a destructive force, turning defense into sudden attack. The only effective way to deal with it was lightning-style ninjutsu—which Mizuki didn't specialize in.
"I just took down Sasori by coordinating numbers and pressure. But I'm no Pain, Madara, or Obito—I can't solo the world. Gotta be careful."
Unlike Sasori, who was vulnerable once cornered, Hidan and Kakuzu were far more troublesome—especially Hidan with his damnable immortality.
"And anyway, this isn't the final battle. No need to go all out. Better to let them realize they're outmatched and retreat."
So far, Mizuki had won round one—his raw power clearly dominated. But it was merely a probe, a test of their strength.
As Kakuzu and Hidan recovered, Mizuki took a deep breath.
Then, once again, the duo rushed him, surrounding from both sides.
That's when it happened.
A colossal chakra surge erupted nearby.
Another Drilling Air Bullet was on the way.
Mizuki immediately leapt aside, dodging in a curve—leading the attack in the direction of his two opponents.
A moment later, the massive chakra sphere slammed down like death itself, engulfing the area where all three had stood.
Kakuzu and Hidan, seeing the monstrous projectile incoming, had no choice but to abandon their offensive. They scrambled away, dodging as best they could.
No time for a counterattack.
Just pure, desperate survival.
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