"Water Style: Water Array Wall!"
Among the hundred-strong team, a few Hidden Sand Ninja immediately performed Water Style Ninjutsu, spitting out streams of water from their mouths. A massive water wall rose in front of the team, intercepting this powerful Fire Style Ninjutsu.
White steam covered the area. The black giant with a red mask twisted its neck with a cricking sound, and instead of a sea of flames, fireballs were spat out.
The fireballs had less impact than the sea of fire, but their speed was superior, launching towards the Hidden Sand Ninja with a piercing attack.
The forest, now drenched in rain, was instantly filled with the chaotic sounds of explosions. One explosion after another flashed, causing the pursuing Hidden Sand Ninja to be caught off guard temporarily.
But they quickly regained their composure. Eerie clanking sounds echoed, and a dozen puppet puppets flew through the air under the control of chakra threads, swinging their spears or blades relentlessly at the red-masked monster.
The red-masked monster moved nimbly, but the dozen puppets blocked all directions, leaving it no escape. Lacking escape techniques, the red-masked monster had no choice but to suffer attacks from the puppet puppets.
Bang!
The red-masked monster smashed into a tree, breaking it.
It continued to spit out fireballs one after another, attempting to stop the Hidden Sand Ninja's advance with indiscriminate attacks.
However, led by Scorch Style Ninja Pakura, several puppet masters and ninjas skilled in Water Style Ninjutsu were enough to hold back this ferocious red-masked monster.
According to intelligence reports, the opponent's ability to use five kinds of techniques was indeed outstanding, but a single-attribute one was not so terrifying.
Especially having lost three attribute-masked monsters before, a mask monster only skilled in Fire Style could be suppressed with opposite chakra nature ninja techniques, making it hardly a threat.
Someone was sent to restrain the red-masked monster while Pakura led the remaining Hidden Sand Ninja to continue pursuing Kakuzu.
Anyway, Hanzou's corpse, which should have been their Hidden Sand trophy, must be reclaimed.
This was also the dignity of the Hidden Sand, not to be trampled by a ninja from the underground black market. This bounty ninja, unaware of the vast sky and earth, must understand the power of the Five Great Nations' ninja.
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The kunai flying through the air had explosive tags wrapped around them.
Kakuzu, using Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu, felt waves of pain throughout his body.
To him, the kunai posed no threat, but the explosive tags with formidable explosive power were another story altogether.
Black tentacles were blown off, and even though his entire body underwent hardening processing, he couldn't withstand the continuous bombardment of explosive tags.
Rolling on the ground, he didn't cry out in pain, got up, and fled expressionlessly.
He was terrified inside and somewhat flustered.
He never imagined that after decades of maneuvering through the underground black market, he'd find himself in such a desperate situation.
The perception ninja behind him constantly locked onto him, even if he tried using the Substitution Jutsu and Clone Jutsu to confuse their sights, he would be found out immediately.
There was a way to escape: hand over Hanzou's body, divert the Hidden Sand Ninja's attention, and his chances of escape would greatly increase.
Which is more important, life or money?
Anyone with mature intelligence understands this question and knows how to make the final decision.
Kakuzu was not a ninja with cognitive impairments, so he naturally understood the question and knew how to choose the correct answer generally.
However, to the answer that was generally correct, it was not Kakuzu's personal pursuit.
Is correctness definite?
To Kakuzu, this world was filled with two sensations —
One was the sweet happiness when making money, the other was the bitter taste when betrayed.
The bitterness from betrayal was a memory from long ago.
Numbed to the point of forgetting the original motivation.
But as long as he knew the taste was bitter, he decided never to touch it again.
Not trusting anyone could prevent the birth of such bitterness.
Thus, money gave him a second meaning of life.
That being the sweet taste of happiness.
This sweet taste of happiness was the only channel connecting him to the cold world.
That kept his awareness that he was still alive in this world.
Therefore, abandoning Hanzou's body was equivalent not just to relinquishing money but to giving up himself.
Giving up his value of survival in this world.
Money is life; money is the meaning of living.
Knowing the bitterness of betrayal, he naturally didn't want to be betrayed by anyone again.
Money had not betrayed him, so he had no reason to betray money.
He would neither be betrayed by money nor betray money.
What would remain if he let go of money?
Emptiness, sin, confusion, true death.
A person dies the moment their beliefs collapse.
As long as money stood firm, he wouldn't die.
Even if he died, dying with money could still be a sweet happiness.
What he held in his hands was not money but the belief and courage to live strongly in this hell-like real world.
The sound of blades slicing through the air constantly filled his ears, followed by explosive flashes from explosive tags in a split second.