Chapter 68: The Majesty of Amaterasu

Soon, three fire dragons spewed from Uchiha Li's mouth. They darted forward in succession, leaving Kakuzu with no easy way to evade.

However, this time Kakuzu did not retreat. Suddenly, the joints of his body detached, and eight gigantic black tendrils burst forth.

With a swish, the eight massive tendrils lashed out like tentacles, striking at Uchiha Li's three fire dragons. The flames could not ignite the tendrils; instead, the black appendages directly tore the fire apart.

But Kakuzu was not finished. After shattering the fire dragons, his body pitched forward as he retracted the enormous tendrils, and the grotesque mask on his head split wide its maw.

"Fire Style: Head Hunter!"

A surge of fire erupted from the mask's mouth, torrential and vast as the sea. Upon hitting the ground, the flames instantly spread, sweeping toward Uchiha Li.

"So you like to play with fire? Then let's see who plays better."

Uchiha Li was already vexed that his grand fire dragons had been destroyed, and Kakuzu’s provocative gaze only stoked his ire further. This Kakuzu clearly looked down on him, believing him to be just another Uchiha, thinking he could be bested at the clan’s signature fire techniques.

Admittedly, against an ordinary opponent, Kakuzu might have succeeded. But Uchiha Li was far from ordinary—he possessed far more than standard fire jutsu. There was one technique he had not had the chance to use since awakening his Mangekyo.

Now, the time was perfect.

With a thought, the tomoe of his Sharingan spun and connected, his right eye's power surging.

"Amaterasu!"

As blood trickled from the corner of his eye, black flames surged forth to meet the inferno Kakuzu had unleashed.

In an instant, the two blazes collided. In terms of sheer scale and intensity, the fire sea dwarfed Amaterasu’s flames. Yet the result was one-sided: the fire sea was devoured and incinerated by the black blaze.

At last, the black flames swallowed the entire inferno and then lunged straight for Kakuzu.

"Impossible! What are these flames?"

Staring at the abruptly upended battlefield, a flicker of astonishment crossed Kakuzu’s face. He had never expected his fire style to be so utterly helpless before the Uchiha.

But when Kakuzu caught sight of those scarlet eyes unmasked, his heart sank heavily.

"The power of Mangekyo… So that’s it…"

Kakuzu took a deep breath. He had never cared for the three-tomoe Sharingan, but the Mangekyo was another matter altogether. As one who had survived since the Warring States era, he had heard not only the legends of Hashirama Senju, but also of Madara Uchiha.

There was no time for hesitation. Kakuzu summoned a second masked monster from his body, this one patterned in light blue—the Water Mask. It unleashed a powerful water cannon, aiming to douse the black flames of Amaterasu.

Still wary of the Mangekyo, Kakuzu split off more gigantic black tendrils to guard against any further threat.

Observing Kakuzu’s response, a faint smile played beneath Uchiha Li’s mask. Kakuzu’s counter was sound enough: water style suppresses fire, and with his strength, he ought to withstand it.

But the problem was, Amaterasu’s black flames were unique—they would not vanish until their target was completely consumed.

So this time, Kakuzu would pay a dreadful price.

As expected, the Water Mask’s “Water Style: Water Curtain” had no effect whatsoever. Far from quenching the black flames, the water became their conduit, and the inferno leapt straight onto the Water Mask itself.

Worse, Uchiha Li’s original Amaterasu had targeted Kakuzu directly. So after reducing the Water Mask to ashes, the black flames surged toward Kakuzu himself.

It all happened so quickly that Kakuzu could only use his massive black tendrils as a barrier. But this time, the flames were not scattered—they only burned fiercer, threatening to engulf Kakuzu entirely.

“Damn it!”

At last, Kakuzu understood the horror of these flames—there was no resisting them head-on. There was no turning back now; one heart had already been incinerated, and the black fire was about to reach his body.

With no choice, a ruthless light flashed in Kakuzu’s eyes as he sliced off the tendrils touched by Amaterasu.

When it was done, he was left panting, his face pale. The tendrils were part of his body—severing them was akin to chopping off his own arm.

And he had done it himself.

“Such decisiveness,” Uchiha Li observed with a hint of admiration. If Kakuzu had hesitated even a moment, he would have lost more than an arm—he would have lost his life.

He wasted no time; the principle of striking while the enemy is weakened was clear to him. Amaterasu flared again, and a relentless wave of black flames surged toward Kakuzu.

Seeing the inextinguishable blaze approach, Kakuzu dared not remain still—he began to race furiously. He had realized that Uchiha Li must lock onto his target with his Mangekyo when casting Amaterasu. Thus, if he moved fast enough, the flames might not catch him.

But theory is not reality. No matter how fast Kakuzu ran, he could not outpace the sweep of Uchiha Li’s eyes.

Second by second, the black flames drew closer, nearly reaching Kakuzu.

“This can’t go on. I must find cover, buy some time.”

With death at his heels, Kakuzu’s thoughts raced. He knew that, even with four hearts remaining, these black flames—against which he had no defense—would render his abundance of hearts meaningless.

Just then, his attention was drawn to his comrade, who was locked in battle with Shisui nearby.

A light flashed in Kakuzu’s eyes, and he rushed toward his teammate. This member of Akatsuki was being utterly overwhelmed by Shisui in his Dragon Transformation mode, battered and exhausted.

As Kakuzu approached, the Akatsuki member was bewildered, but before he could react, Kakuzu seized him with his remaining arm and shoved him in front as a shield.

Assaulted so suddenly, the Akatsuki member cried out in fury, “Kakuzu, what are you doing?!”

But there was no answer. Amaterasu's flames had arrived, engulfing him. He screamed in agony as his body was consumed, fading to ash bit by bit…

Watching the Akatsuki member turn to nothing, Uchiha Li drew a deep breath. “Well now, he’s ruthless even with his own allies.”

Seizing the chance bought by sacrificing his teammate, Kakuzu fled at full speed into the forest. Before his figure vanished, his voice echoed back: “Terra—and you, Uchiha—I’ll remember this!”

This time, having suffered such a loss at Uchiha Li’s hands, Kakuzu was not about to let it go. But he had just noticed: another member of Terra also possessed the Mangekyo.

He had no idea where this mysterious group had come from, suddenly boasting two pairs of Mangekyo eyes. But he was certain of one thing—he stood no chance against two Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha.

So Kakuzu chose to flee, never once looking back.