"Don't let him escape!"
"Hurry and follow!"
A figure dashed swiftly through the forest, followed closely by a large group of Hidden Sand Ninjas, relentless in their pursuit of the figure ahead.
Countless kunai and shuriken flew from behind, mixed with explosive tags, immediately detonating in the forest.
The resulting impact force overwhelmed the fleeing person, causing them to roll across the ground under its power.
"I never expected the pursuit would reach this level, like a persistent plaster."
Even someone like the Undead, who roamed the underground black market for years, felt incredibly exhausted facing the unceasing day-and-night chase by the Hidden Sand Ninjas.
Kakuzu understood well the reason for his current predicament.
It was trouble brought by his love for money.
On the battlefield between the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Rain, he seized the opportunity to snatch away the corpse of the former Hidden Rain Leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, from right under the nose of Chiyo, the high-ranking advisor of Hidden Sand.
This corpse, worth over a billion, was the fundamental reason he was continuously hunted by the Hidden Sand Ninjas.
The Hidden Sand had already suffered defeat on the Rain Country battlefield, and not long ago, reluctantly signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha. They didn't achieve the rich spoils they hoped for in starting the Third Ninja World War.
If even Hanzo's corpse were to be taken by a mere underground black market bounty hunter, they would truly gain nothing.
For this reason, Hidden Sand dared not to clash with Konoha again, but as a lone wolf, Kakuzu had taken their only significant war trophy, which was something they couldn't give up.
Immediately, they dispatched a large number of elite ninjas, chasing Kakuzu to a cornered position with no way up to the heavens and no way down to the ground.
Even if Hidden Sand lost to Konoha on the main battlefield, it didn't mean their dignity could be violated by a mere bounty hunter.
The days of being hunted down, Kakuzu couldn't remember how long they had lasted, but it must have been at least half a month... no, perhaps even a month.
He had exhausted all his tricks, killing dozens of Hidden Sand hunters, including many skilled Jonin, which also meant his information was almost entirely compromised.
To deal with him, Hidden Sand deployed ninjas with considerable skill in long-range, close combat, sensing, defense, a variety of taijutsu, and ninja techniques, making it overwhelming.
Moreover, where he once had five hearts, now he was left with only two.
Currently, his main body possessed an Earth Attribute heart and another Fire Attribute heart.
As an S-rank renegade ninja who defected from Hidden Waterfall Village decades ago, the only valuable thing he took upon leaving was the Forbidden Technique known as 'Earth Grudge Fear.'
By seizing others' hearts and preserving them within himself, he could extend his life and master new chakra attribute changes through the acquired hearts.
Therefore, in his prime, he mastered the five chakra nature transformations of Fire Style, Earth Style, Water Style, Lightning Style, and Wind Escape.
This meant having five hearts, and as long as they weren't all destroyed simultaneously, he wouldn't die.
He had long since entered an inhuman realm.
His body, where his arms separated from his shoulders, released a mass of black tendrils, with the tendrils occupying both his mouth and back.
Under relentless pursuit from the Hidden Sand Ninjas, he had no choice but to activate his most powerful form, which also meant if this form was defeated, he would be out of options.
There were many pursuing Hidden Sand Ninjas, numbering in the hundreds, led by a very young female ninja.
Kakuzu remembered her name, or more accurately, her bounty.
The Scorch Style Hidden Sand Ninja with a Kekkeigenkai — Pakura.
The underground black market had a bounty as high as 45 million ryo on her.
Although not comparable to Konoha's Sannin or the recently famed Yellow Flash, among the younger generation ninjas in the Ninja Realm, there were not many who could steadily outperform her.
Even if meeting her alone, Kakuzu couldn't guarantee he could kill her without injury, likely having to sacrifice one or two hearts to do so.
After all, the power of Scorch Style was terrifying; even passing by could instantly draw the moisture out of a body, turning someone into a dried corpse before even a medical ninja could react for treatment.
This deadly ninja technique, akin to a one-hit kill, was something even Kakuzu greatly feared.
Moreover, following her were close to a hundred Hidden Sand Ninjas, and judging by the aura and skills displayed by these Hidden Sand Ninjas, they were at least of Chunin level strength.
With only two hearts left, he was definitely not a match for these Hidden Sand Ninjas, especially when his information had already been leaked; it was even more impossible.
Kakuzu stood up from the ground, opting not to entangle with the Hidden Sand Ninjas but instead deployed a black monster fused with the Fire Attribute heart to intercept the swiftly pursuing Hidden Sand Ninjas.
The black monster's face was covered by a red mask, as it opened its mouth, the inside of the dark maw was immediately filled with a fiery glow, quickly heating the surrounding air.
"Fire Style: Headache!"
Like waves surging in a vast ocean, a sea of flames instantly spread out, incinerating trees and ground to nothingness in a high-temperature blaze.
The air became intensely hot and dry, making faces flush with heat.