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!"
Sweat trickled down the Great Elder's temples. He had thought the one accompanying Kakuzu was merely a recruited subordinate. He never expected it to be the Tsuchikage! But why would the Tsuchikage be involved in such a scheme with Kakuzu? And there was no reason for Kakuzu to even know the Tsuchikage.
The Great Elder clutched his stomach, confused yet trying to figure out how to break the stalemate. "Is that you, Tsuchikage-sama? Our Takigakure and Iwagakure have never had any conflict. Why are you helping a traitor from our village today?"
Torifū smiled at his words. Good, this old man thinks I'm the Tsuchikage. It wasn't surprising, though. In this situation, there was no need for a scapegoat to conceal his identity; after all, the Elder would be dead soon. Torifū spoke calmly, "Don't bother looking for an opportunity to escape. From the moment you attacked us, your fate was sealed."
The Dust Release puppet slammed its palm on the ground, and then the entire cave began to tremble! Next, countless earth spears shot out from all directions, charging towards the Great Elder. Faced with such a fierce onslaught, the Great Elder had to respond with all his might; a moment of carelessness would mean instant death. Though elderly, he was still quite agile, able to precisely dodge the earth spear attacks in such a dim place. One could say that while "quasi-Kage" might be an exaggerated title, his strength was decent.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets!" While dodging, the Great Elder swiftly formed hand signs, using the earth spears to momentarily block their view! Wind bullets, as swift as actual bullets, assailed the two from all directions! Even raising an earth wall would only hold for a moment; the sharp wind bullets would pierce through it in just a few hits. These wind bullets consumed very little chakra, yet their effect was surprisingly good, successfully pinning down Torifū's two puppets and Kakuzu.
But the pinning was relative. As soon as the Great Elder relaxed even slightly, the two would counterattack instantly. So, he was now meticulously regulating every bit of chakra, trying to hold them off longer to find a gap to escape and call for reinforcements. Torifū naturally saw through the old geezer's intentions and didn't plan to waste any more time on him.
His black eyes instantly transformed into a pair of golden Mangekyō Sharingan! This sudden change almost made the Great Elder choke to death. How could he have both Dust Release and Sharingan? Who did Takigakure offend?!
"This Lord from Konoha Village, the assassination of the Hokage was entirely Kakuzu's doing! It has nothing to do with me or Takigakure!" Even now, this old man was trying to find an excuse for himself, trying to secure a chance to escape. At this moment, he was like a stray dog, no longer possessing the dignified demeanor he displayed at the residence earlier. Indeed, such scoundrels reveal their true colors when facing a life-or-death crisis.
"You don't need to say anything. I naturally know more than you do. You just need to peacefully go on your way. I have no interest in taking over Takigakure either." The Great Elder saw Torifū's determined, lethal expression and felt immense panic.
"No! No, no! I can give you the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique! Just spare my life!" Torifū, hearing the Great Elder's voice now, felt as if a mosquito was buzzing annoyingly in his ear.
His aura solidified! His body was instantly enveloped by a white skeleton, with white flames burning on its frame. Then, a giant skeletal claw emerged from his back and lunged towards the Great Elder! Seeing this, the Great Elder immediately turned and ran! Susanoo was simply beyond his ability to contend with! His only thought was to escape. As long as he entered the village, Torifū wouldn't dare to do anything to him!
But alas, the old geezers' own design had harmed him. The dim space had only faint blue luminescence. In his frantic escape to avoid the earth spears, he now had no idea where the exit was! He just instinctively ran backward. He now deeply regretted his past self, why he had to build such a convoluted secret room! But Torifū wanted to say that even if it was built more convoluted, catching this little mouse was as easy as an old lady blowing her nose—effortless.
Before the Great Elder could run much further, Torifū's skeletal claw was already behind him! Sensing danger, the Great Elder leaped high, landing perfectly, squarely, into Torifū's grasp. Torifū was a little bewildered after seeing this maneuver. Is this how he tries to escape?
Regardless, catching him was enough. The skeletal claw squeezed, and the Great Elder immediately fell unconscious. Predictably, he would never wake up again.
Kakuzu, standing to the side, had been practically invisible, watching the entire spectacle unfold. "How do you want to deal with him?"
"You can put him on the ground. I need to practice with him."
Hearing Kakuzu's words, Torifū found it somewhat interesting. From Kakuzu's overly familiar demeanor throughout this journey, he seemed to be a regular here. To consistently come here to secretly learn, without anyone noticing, was quite impressive.
"Are you sure about this? You can tell from this old geezer's appearance that this jutsu will make you neither human nor ghost."
Torifū was right; black threads emanated from the Great Elder's body, and black threads also emerged from his nose and mouth, making him look very unsettling.
"With this jutsu, I will be useful."
This answer surprised Torifū. This young man was getting into character quickly; he was already thinking about his future development. Given that, Torifū had no reason to dissuade him and let him proceed.
Kakuzu formed hand signs, manipulating chakra to generate Earth Grudge Fear's black threads within his body. Then, black threads began to gush out from his entire arm. These threads, as if alive, twisted and interwoven in the air. Without a moment of hesitation, Kakuzu plunged his hand directly into the Great Elder's chest cavity! But even with such intense pain, the Great Elder didn't regain consciousness. Kakuzu paid no attention to the Great Elder's state. After a few gropes, he found the Great Elder's heart. He forcefully tore it out!
A bloody, still-beating heart was pulled out by Kakuzu. The Great Elder also lost his life force at the same moment, completely dying. Regardless, he was still a village leader, and his end was to die so inexplicably in this underground cave, which was somewhat lamentable.
All the black threads on Kakuzu's arm surged towards the heart, completely enveloping it in just a few seconds. The heart completely vanished, and a mask appeared on Kakuzu's back. Just looking at the mask's expression was frightening.
"This is... Earth Grudge Fear?"