270.5 Hearts

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Kakuzu had lost his hat, revealing his expressionless face and cold, oily green eyes staring intently at Saki and Nawaki.

With a grating sound, the severed part of his arm began to mend itself with countless tiny black threads pulling it back together. It was a ghastly sight.

Saki's pale eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Kakuzu, calmly stating, "It seems these black threads are what's distributed inside his body. Be careful, Nawaki, this guy... has five hearts inside him."

Despite Saki's calm tone, Nawaki was shocked. "Five... five hearts!?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Is this guy not human?"

Saki remained silent, not responding to Nawaki's question, but his alertness increased as he watched Kakuzu cautiously.

As the eerie noise gradually subsided, Kakuzu's arm was fully restored to his shoulder. Saki spoke in a level voice, "You are Kakuzu, right? Let me explain my purpose simply. A great person wishes to undertake a supremely noble plan, unprecedented in history."

"Your strength is considerable, and I would like you to assist this person. What do you say?"

Kakuzu did not respond to Saki's words. Instead, he cracked his neck, making a clicking sound, and with a pair of intensely cold eyes, rasped at Saki and Nawaki, "You are ninjas from Konoha, aren't you? The young one, what is your relationship with the First Hokage?"

"Your technique, if I'm not mistaken, must be Wood Style."

Nawaki's face tensed slightly as he retorted coldly, "Do you think I have any reason to disclose that information to you?"

Unperturbed by Nawaki's attitude, Kakuzu's eyes grew colder as he said, "It doesn't matter. As long as you can use Wood Style, that's great news for me."

His eyes, greedy like a wolf's, fixed on Nawaki. "Your heart... I'll take it," he rasped.

Then, turning his gaze to Saki, he continued, "And you, your eyes are the Byakugan of Konoha, aren't they? An impressive kekkei genkai."

"Don't worry, I'll extract them neatly. Even if I can't use them myself, they'll surely fetch a good price."

Saki remained calm, replying softly, "It seems our conversation must end here. Since you've chosen to refuse, I have no choice but to kill you here."

Nawaki, filled with rage, sneered, "Arrogant fool, do you really think you can leave here alive?"

"Regardless of how many secrets your body may hold, you will die here!"

As the two confronted him, Kakuzu's voice deepened, filled with anticipation, "Let's see then, how much vitality can your hearts release?"

"I hope you can satisfy me, for I haven't replaced my hearts with fresh ones in a long time."

He had barely finished speaking when Nawaki, unable to contain his fury, surged forward, rapidly forming hand seals as he sprinted.

"Wood Style: Thorn Execution!"

With a fierce shout, thorny vines burst from the ground, their green strands densely covered with black poisonous thorns, forming a horrifying sight.

The vines, as if sentient, whipped through the air toward Kakuzu.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Amid the terrifying sounds of slicing air, the thorny vines shot out. Kakuzu remained composed, swiftly forming hand seals.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

As Kakuzu completed his seal, shrieking bolts of lightning suddenly formed around him, transforming into spears of electricity that shot towards the thorny vines with incredible speed.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Amid the terrifying sounds of crackling electricity, the lightning spears instantly pierced through the vines, pinning them to the ground. Shortly after, the violently thrashing vines wilted under the electrical assault, like plants dying off.

Nawaki's face tensed slightly at this sight, feeling a grave sense of concern. Kakuzu glanced at this scene with a glint of disdain in his oily green eyes, his voice raspy, "Compared to the First Hokage, your Wood Style is utterly ineffective."

Hearing this, Nawaki scoffed in anger, "How would someone like you know the true power of Wood Style? You're just speculating."

Kakuzu, unangered by Nawaki's retort, continued, "Speculating? I've fought with the First Hokage himself. The Wood Style he used is worlds apart from what you, a mere child, can muster."

Nawaki was shocked by this revelation, incredulous, "Impossible, how could you have ever fought with the First Hokage! Surely..."

At that moment, Saki suddenly appeared beside Nawaki, cutting him off with a calm interjection, "He might not be lying."

Nawaki's pupils dilated in shock as he turned to Saki, questioning, "Saki-niisan... how is that possible!?"

Saki remained composed, softly speaking, "If his claims are true, then perhaps he really can replace his hearts at will. This might be related to something inside his body, and if this speculation holds... "

He paused, a spark flashing in his eyes, "This man's actual age might be much greater than he appears. It's not impossible that he could be a contemporary of the First Hokage."

Hearing this, Nawaki looked towards Kakuzu in disbelief. Meanwhile, Kakuzu, hearing their conversation, chuckled lowly, his voice resonant, "You're quite clever, but this only makes me look forward to your hearts even more!"

Just then, the space around Saki began to subtly ripple.

Everyone on the scene watched in surprise as the space continued to undulate. "Zzzap..."

Like the sound of a curtain being torn, a slender, pale hand emerged from the oscillating space, gently parting the ripples as if opening a curtain.

The space folded aside like a drapery, revealing a pitch-black void behind it.

"Thud!"

A foot stepped out from the darkness, hitting the ground solidly.

As the figure emerged from the dark space, the expressions of everyone present varied, but Saki, who always maintained his composure, showed an unusually excited expression at this moment.