Aki was only in a shallow coma from mental exhaustion. The thunderous boom of Torifu Akimichi's massive body being slammed into the earth acted like a physical jolt, snapping him back to consciousness. His eyes flickered open just in time to see Kakuzu looming over the fallen Danzo Shimura, black, writhing tendrils erupting from his palms like hungry snakes.
Desperation flared in Aki's chest. He had no chakra left to move, let alone fight. Then, his hand brushed against the vial of Hero's Water on Danzo's belt. Ignoring the warnings of his elders and the agonizing price of the drug, Aki uncorked it and swallowed the liquid in a single gulp.
The effect was a violent explosion of energy. His chakra didn't just return; it surged, multiplying tenfold until it formed a visible, shimmering shroud of blue steam around his small frame. He felt a level of power usually reserved for elite Jonin coursing through his veins.
With a roar, he unleashed a wave of fire that incinerated Kakuzu's threads mid-air.
"I haven't fallen yet," Aki hissed, his voice echoing with raw power. "What's the rush?"
Kakuzu recoiled, his green eyes narrowing. "That drug... you're burning your soul just to buy a few minutes."
Aki stood tall, the blue aura flickering like a torch. "I hope you don't choke when I shove your greed down your throat!"
Aki launched a fresh wave of Shadow Clones to swarm the battlefield. Because Kakuzu still had two active Earth Grudge Fear masks, Aki assigned his clones to act as a living shield, intercepting elemental strikes while his original body molded a massive amount of chakra.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Dance!"
With the near-infinite reserves of the Hero's Water, the technique finally manifested in its perfect form. A gargantuan dragon of white-hot flame spiraled into existence, its roar shaking the very trees as it lunged at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu didn't dare block it. He used a high-speed Body Flicker to retreat, but Aki's Sharingan tracked his every micro-movement, guiding the dragon to follow him like a heat-seeking predator. Forced into a corner, Kakuzu's main body wove signs.
"Water Style: Water Basin Curtain!"
A wall of pressurized water erupted to meet the dragon. Seeing the stalemate, Aki didn't waste energy pushing through; he detonated the dragon's head. The resulting steam explosion leveled the surrounding forest and sent Kakuzu flying. Aki flickered behind him, driving a kunai toward his heart, only to see the man dissolve into a Water Clone. The real Kakuzu rose from a nearby pond, his expression murderous.
"Impressive Fire Style," Kakuzu rasped. "The Uchiha truly are a breed of monsters. Madara hasn't been dead long, and already a brat like you is rising. You destroyed one of my hearts; I'll take yours as a replacement!"
"My grandfather isn't someone a bottom-feeder like you can even mention," Aki countered, blood trickling from his nose as the drug began to tax his organs. "He was a god, just like my Master, the First Hokage!"
The battle descended into a blur of high-speed Taijutsu. Kakuzu's experience was overwhelming; he detached his arm, launching a stone-hardened fist that caught Aki in the gut and slammed him into the dirt.
"Your Taijutsu is a joke," Kakuzu mocked, walking slowly toward the crater. "Chakra is nothing without the experience to use it. Did you know the first Konoha ninja I ever fought was your First Hokage? You're a far cry from him."
Aki coughed up blood but forced himself up. "Then I definitely can't lose to you. I am the First Hokage's only disciple. I'll bet my life on this next round!"
Aki reached for a second vial of Hero's Water. As the liquid hit his throat, his chakra exploded into a blinding pillar of light.
"Multi-Size Shadow Clone Technique!"
Over a thousand clones filled the forest, an ocean of blue-shrouded children. Aki knew he couldn't win with skill, so he used sheer numbers and endless Great Fireballs to overwhelm Kakuzu's defenses. In the chaos, Aki managed to trap Kakuzu's remaining masks with steel wires and incinerate them, leaving only the main body.
However, Kakuzu was a veteran of a hundred wars. He anticipated Aki's final lunge, erupting from the ground and seizing Aki by the throat. He pinned the boy against a tree, his stone-hardened hand crushing Aki's windpipe.
"I've caught you, brat." With the clones gone, Kakuzu's右手 (right hand) transformed into a cluster of black threads. "Your Sharingan and this drug will be a fine consolation prize for the twenty million I lost. In this world, only money is real. Village, faith, honor—they are all illusions that die with you."
Aki's vision began to fade. Is this it? My second life... ending like this? I just wanted to eat my mother's salted rice balls one more time...
Just as the black threads were about to pierce Aki's heart, a thunderous voice boomed from the heavens.
"ADAMANTINE STAFF: FALL!"
A massive black iron pole crashed down from the sky, shattering the earth and severing Kakuzu's arm in a single strike. A silhouette blurred through the air, delivering a kick so powerful it sent Kakuzu crashing through several trees.
The newcomer landed gracefully, checking Aki's pulse. Finding him alive, the young man stood up and faced Kakuzu. He wore the standard mesh armor of a high-level shinobi, and he held the black staff with a relaxed but lethal grip.
"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Sarutobi Clan," the youth declared, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "Why don't you try fighting me before you worry about killing children?"
The future Third Hokage had arrived.