Chapter 54: A Narrow Escape

Shinsuke glanced at the seven sigils fully lit on the Executioner's Blade, feeling confident. At this moment, he was both prepared to attack and defend. If things got desperate, he could just try to take out Kakuzu and Konan here, then retreat with Hidan back to the Cult of Jashin.

Pain's Six Paths are formidable, but Nagato himself is immobile. If he found the right opportunity, he might just be able to decapitate him in one strike!

With that thought, Shinsuke dashed forward with his blade, intending to test the waters and gauge the cost of killing his enemies.

Seeing the reckless young man charge at him, Kakuzu didn't hesitate. His back surged, and two eerie mask-like creatures appeared on his shoulders.

"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"

A fierce sea of flames rushed towards Shinsuke.

At the same time, the other masked creature opened its mouth wide...

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

Combined Jutsu: Flaming Wind Chaos!

The fire fueled by the wind, the two jutsus combined to create an even more powerful technique. The already sizable sea of flames expanded under the pressure, doubling its destructive power!

Faced with such a large-scale area-of-effect attack, Shinsuke had to treat it seriously.

[Blood Manipulation: Blood Crystal Prison]!

Slashing his wrist, the blood that gushed out instantly enveloped Shinsuke, solidifying into a hard crystalline form. The structure, resembling a crystal, was aptly named the Blood Crystal Prison by Shinsuke. It could be used to protect himself or imprison his enemies.

Boom!

The roaring flames engulfed Shinsuke, crashing against the solid barrier like waves against a sturdy rock. But a rock is still a rock, not easily shattered by the waves.

Standing in the center of the firestorm, Shinsuke remained unshaken. While flames could evaporate blood, once he used his Red Blood Manipulation to crystallize it, its melting point soared to a new height—one that ordinary flames couldn't melt or destroy.

So, when the flames subsided, Kakuzu watched in frustration as the blood crystal shattered into sparkling fragments, revealing Shinsuke unharmed inside.

[Crimson Scales Technique: Burst]

Mysterious blood markings appeared on Shinsuke's face as his blood surged like boiling water. In the blink of an eye, he closed the remaining distance between him and Kakuzu, swinging the Executioner's Blade at Kakuzu's neck.

The cold blade, gleaming with deadly intent, hadn't even reached Kakuzu yet, but the skin on his neck already felt the sting of its approach.

Alarmed, Kakuzu quickly hardened his left arm using Earth Style: Earth Spear, just in time to block the blade. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out as Shinsuke's sword met Kakuzu's hardened arm.

Kakuzu was sent flying, crashing into a dilapidated building, raising a cloud of dust.

Shinsuke didn't believe in the "no harm from smoke" rule; without hesitation, he pursued Kakuzu, Executioner's Blade in hand.

But at that moment, a mass of black threads erupted, not only clearing the rubble but also forcing Shinsuke back.

Kakuzu had entered his Earth Grudge Fear mode, with those terrifying black threads dancing in the air, hiding his body.

Through the gaps, Shinsuke noticed a tear in Kakuzu's left arm, with black threads rapidly stitching it up.

He had wounded him after all, even if he hadn't fully broken through his defenses. This realization made Shinsuke more confident.

"You rude brat, your heart is mine!" Kakuzu snarled, his anger flaring as he unleashed the full power of his black threads. The threads coiled and intertwined, forming eight additional "limbs" that supported his movement and attacks, like Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man.

Boom!

The ground cratered as a massive fist struck it. And that was just the beginning.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shinsuke dodged and weaved through the relentless attacks, narrowly avoiding each crushing blow. Kakuzu, noticing the issue, gritted his teeth and released two massive bundles of black threads, which dispersed into a net of smaller threads, trying to trap Shinsuke.

Slashing a few times, Shinsuke realized these threads were endless. Glancing at the widening gap between him and Konan, he activated a special sword technique!

[Invisible Strike]!

The Executioner's Blade glowed with the fully activated seven kill sigils, enveloping it in a special energy. In an instant, Shinsuke vanished, reappearing right behind Kakuzu like a ghost.

Neither Kakuzu nor Konan had time to react. But the moment Shinsuke swung his blade, Kakuzu felt a strong tearing sensation from behind, and Konan shouted, "Behind you!"

"Too late!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he quickly made a hand sign, releasing a water-based mask creature to block the attack.

Slash!

The mask was sliced in half by Shinsuke's strike, which continued its path towards Kakuzu's now pitch-black, hardened back.

In that critical moment, Kakuzu's Earth Style had hardened his defenses just enough to prevent being bisected. The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air as the blade struggled to cut through.

Just a little more time, and Shinsuke could have split him in two. But Kakuzu's powerful threads slammed Shinsuke away with a resounding crash.

"Ugh... cough, cough..." Kakuzu spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression darkening. Though he had narrowly avoided death, his situation was dire. One heart had been destroyed, and a deep, long gash marred his back. A slower reaction, and he would have been cut in half. The severed black threads were countless.

"What the hell just happened? How did that kid break through my Earth Grudge Fear and appear behind me in an instant?" Kakuzu was both puzzled and uneasy.

He couldn't understand how such a troublesome yet obscure kid had suddenly appeared here.