Perhaps Kakuzu had inadvertently touched upon their interests, leading to such a flimsy excuse to try and execute him.
The two walked to the end of the lamps, which was a very narrow opening, only wide enough for one person to pass through. Kakuzu showed no signs of stopping, but without the light from the lamps, he was more cautious. He groped his way into the opening. Seeing this, Torifū also followed, though he chose to expand the opening with Dust Release. A beam of light struck it, nearly taking Kakuzu with it, but he didn't seem to notice, so Torifū didn't tell him. Looking at the now more than doubled opening, Torifū nodded in satisfaction and then strode inside.
Kakuzu, still feeling his way forward, suddenly felt the opening seem to widen, but based on his past experiences, there should still be some distance to cover. "Keep going, don't be foolish. I expanded the opening." Kakuzu wanted to curse, but deterred by Torifū's strength, he chose to silently endure.
Fortunately, after not much further, Kakuzu saw a faint blue light. He was very familiar with it and said to Torifū, "See that faint light over there? We're almost there." After this journey, Torifū felt he should pay an entrance fee; wasn't this clearly an escape room? At the same time, he once again admired the five old geezers' perseverance; they really could dig.
"Are we there yet? If we walk any further, we'll be out of Takigakure, won't we?" Even Torifū, who was merely sightseeing, was starting to feel bored. It was pitch black, with nothing but walls and the sound of flowing water. Kakuzu's only reply was "almost there," "almost there."
The two continued for another five minutes, and then an underground river appeared before them. The river surface was quite wide, and the current was strong. Along both banks grew blue stones that emitted a faint, shimmering light. It looked quite dreamy.
Kakuzu walked to a pile of stones by the river, moved the topmost one, revealing a pattern identical to the one on the floor of the outer Treasure Vault. This time, Kakuzu didn't fiddle with it by hand; instead, he immediately began forming hand signs, using chakra to activate the pattern. Instantly, all the blue stones along both banks of the river flickered, then returned to normal.
Kakuzu moved the pattern aside, and only then did Torifū realize that it was a structure similar to a small well, but the cover had been sealed with a sealing jutsu. Kakuzu reached in and rummaged around twice, taking out the scroll stored inside. Its exterior looked no different from the pile of scrolls in Torifū's ring. Kakuzu immediately began reading it after taking it out. Torifū didn't disturb him, leisurely strolling by the river. He had to admit, the scenery here was quite beautiful. The last time he saw an underground river was two years ago when he was capturing a Tailed Beast. The limestone caves in the Land of Hot Water were even more beautiful than this.
Kakuzu was currently intently reading the scroll's records on mastering Earth Grudge Fear, but it seemed things weren't going as smoothly as they had anticipated. The ground beneath Kakuzu's feet suddenly vibrated, and then a hand wrapped in black threads burst out from underground! It snatched the scroll from Kakuzu's hand and disappeared back into the earth.
"Who! Come out now!" Kakuzu shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the cave, lingering for a long time.
Torifū clearly saw the black threads on the hand and immediately understood. It must be Earth Grudge Fear. It seemed Kakuzu's information wasn't entirely accurate. He just didn't know which Elder had mastered Earth Grudge Fear. To be able to secretly master it without the other four Elders knowing was quite an accomplishment.
"Cough, cough, cough, Kakuzu, you're stealing the village's secret technique with an outsider. Are you defecting?"
Hearing the voice, both Kakuzu and Torifū knew who had arrived. "Great Elder, you've been hiding your power well, to be able to deceive the other four Elders."
The Great Elder emerged from the opening, his body completely entwined with black threads, which also covered the ground. Every time he spoke, black threads would emerge from his mouth. "Those four are mere ants; how dare they be on equal footing with me?"
The Great Elder seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, saying, "Once I extract your heart, I'll absorb all four of them! I will lead Takigakure to glory!" The Great Elder laughed maniacally. Although he spoke of working for Takigakure, Kakuzu didn't believe a single word. Furthermore, from the Great Elder's words, it seemed he had only recently mastered Earth Grudge Fear and hadn't yet converted human hearts.
"Then go ahead and try."
The Great Elder burst into laughter. "Just because the villagers call you the future of Takigakure, you can't see your own strength clearly? Do you think you can defeat me?"
With that, the Great Elder suddenly erupted! He showed none of the sickly appearance from earlier. He slammed his fists into the ground, and then black threads shot out from beneath Kakuzu's feet! Kakuzu leaped to dodge, but the black threads infinitely extended the Great Elder's arms, forcing Kakuzu to use ninjutsu to evade the attack.
The Great Elder then realized there was another person here. "I almost forgot about you! You outsider!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!" A fierce lightning spear illuminated the entire underground cave, melting the stones along its path. The Great Elder's "False Darkness" was more powerful than Kakuzu's, but it was nothing to Torifū. A massive earth wall rose from the ground, firmly protecting Torifū. The lightning spear struck the earth wall, barely making a ripple before dissipating completely.
Witnessing this, the Great Elder understood that the person before him was not to be trifled with. However, he had already completely offended them, so he might as well go all out! He maniacally pounded the ground with both hands, and then black threads rapidly spread out from his body! Each black thread became as sharp as a spike, covering half of the riverbed in just a few breaths. But with a sweep of Torifū's Dust Release, nothing remained.
The Great Elder stared at Torifū, dumbfounded. He had heard of this release, but it should be the Second Tsuchikage's Dust Release from Iwagakure! Could it be?! The Great Elder was imagining things in his mind, while Kakuzu, with Torifū sharing the burden, felt much less pressure. By the time the Great Elder came back to his senses, Kakuzu had already launched an attack, delivering a flying kick to his stomach!
"You damn Kakuzu! Bullying an old man! Attacking an old comrade of sixty-nine years while I wasn't paying attention!"
"I advise you to behave yourself!"
Kakuzu scoffed. "We've reached this point. Do you think there's still room for reconciliation between us?"
"Today, one of us must emerge victorious. It's either your death or mine!"