Naruto: Drop System

"What a fantastic expression! Hunting really is the best!"

Hidan gripped the chain connected to his blood-soaked triple scythe, spinning it like a deadly weapon. His face, which had once shown the warm enthusiasm of a server, now twisted into a bloodthirsty grin. He looked excitedly at Yagyu and his group, shouting loudly, "Kakuzu, are both of those with the white eyes your targets?"

"Only the girl is. You can deal with the others as you please."

Kakuzu crossed his arms, leaning against a tree with no intention of making a move.

He had only noticed Hinata's eyes earlier, but now, upon closer inspection, he realized that all six of these kids were genin without the signature green flak jackets of a Jonin-led team.

Although he wasn't sure why there wasn't a Jonin accompanying these six genin, Kakuzu wasn't one to pass up such an easy payday.

"Yahoo! Then I'll take them without hesitation!"

Hidan cheered, then yelled toward Yagyu's group, "Konoha brats, your blood must be delicious! Let Lord Hidan perform a ritual and send you to meet the Jashin-sama!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hidan threw his blood-soaked triple scythe toward Yagyu's group once again.

However, Yagyu and his team didn't dodge.

Boom!

Before the bloody scythe could reach them, two black shadows flew from Yagyu's group. One collided with the incoming scythe, both falling to the ground.

The other black shadow slammed into the unprepared Hidan.

"Ugh…"

Hidan spat blood as he was sent flying.

The black shadow that collided with the scythe landed on the ground, causing a tremendous tremor, with a loud explosion that sent a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

Kakuzu, who had been leisurely watching from the sidelines, suddenly had his eyes widen in shock.

He had seen everything clearly from his vantage point.

Those two black shadows were none other than the heavy ankle weights that the thick-browed kid in the green jumpsuit had removed from his feet.

It was these two pieces of weight that had not only made Hidan cough up blood but also kicked up an incredible amount of dust.

Just how heavy were those weights to produce such power?

At that moment, Kakuzu finally understood why these six genin didn't have a Jonin instructor with them.

With two members of the Hyuga clan, one of them from the main branch, yet still unafraid of having their Byakugan stolen, it was clear that these kids were some of the most talented of Konoha's new generation.

Realizing this, Kakuzu immediately dismissed the idea of sitting back to watch.

He lowered his arms and prepared to launch a sneak attack on Yagyu's group from behind.

Before either Hinata or Neji, with their activated Byakugan, could warn the others, Yagyu turned his head toward Kakuzu.

He spat out a stream of water from his mouth that quickly formed into a straight water column, slicing through the air and shooting toward Kakuzu.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he locked gazes with Yagyu, his movements momentarily pausing.

Fortunately, the masked creature inside Kakuzu's body wriggled, disrupting his chakra flow and instantly freeing him from the hold of Yagyu's Shadow Chakra.

Looking at the incoming water column, Kakuzu didn't have time to form hand signs to counter it with a jutsu. He had no choice but to disappear in a flash.

Rumble…

The water column crashed through the trees, cutting them down one by one as it tore through the forest, accompanied by a deafening noise and another cloud of dust.

After forcing Kakuzu back, Yagyu turned to Neji and the others, speaking quietly, "Be careful of the guy with the scythe. His chakra is completely different from when we were at the tea house—it's full of evil and malice."

"Yes!"

Neji and the others responded promptly.

Neji and Hinata exchanged a glance and both nodded.

"Eight Trigrams Palm: Vacuum Palm!"

Hinata stood beside Neji as they both activated their Byakugan. They unleashed two distorted air currents, which merged into one larger and even more powerful air cannon, shooting into the dust cloud and hitting Hidan just as he was getting up.

"Ahhhh! It hurts, it hurts!"

Hidan, once again coughing up blood, didn't appear to be seriously injured. Instead, he lay on the ground, screaming in pain, his voice still full of vigor.

Neji and the others didn't seem to notice this detail.

Hearing Hidan's cries, Tenten immediately identified his location. She leaped into the air, pulling out her large scroll and releasing a barrage of ninja tools into the dust cloud like a torrential downpour.

Thud, thud, thud…

The sound of sharp weapons piercing flesh echoed, mixed with Hidan's screams.

A sudden gust of wind blew away the thick dust cloud.

Neji and the others, seeing the scene before them, were left drenched in cold sweat.

They couldn't help it—the sight was too visually shocking.

Hidan, who had first been hit by Lee's weights, then by the combined Vacuum Palm of Neji and Hinata, and finally by Tenten's rain of weapons, looked utterly pitiful.

His Akatsuki cloak was torn to shreds.

His body was riddled with kunai and shuriken from head to toe: his head, neck, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs were all impaled.

Any normal person would have been either dead or critically injured by being hit in so many vital spots.

But Hidan, standing as if nothing had happened, cursed angrily, "Now I'm really pissed off! I'll curse you all and make you feel my pain!"

With that, Hidan moved to retrieve his fallen scythe.

Boom!

But before he could grab it, his body was sent flying again.

Lee had appeared in front of him with blinding speed, delivering a fierce kick to Hidan's chin.

The immense force lifted Hidan off the ground, making his head spin.

In the next instant, Lee appeared behind him, wrapping him in white bandages before spinning rapidly in the air, drilling Hidan into the ground like a corkscrew.

Boom—

The earth shook again, and a massive cloud of dust erupted.

As Lee launched his lethal Front Lotus technique…

Yagyu, who had already moved away from the group, came face-to-face with Kakuzu, the man who had once fought the God of Shinobi.

"The Shadow Paralysis Jutsu even got me… such mastery of Shadow Chakra and illusion techniques.

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a Jonin in disguise, purposely hiding your identity by not wearing the flak jacket."

Kakuzu glanced briefly at Hidan being beaten up, uninterested in his partner's one-sided beating, then turned his gaze back to Yagyu.

While forming hand signs to use Earth Style: Earth Spear to harden his body, he attempted to divert Yagyu's attention by speaking, "That Water Style jutsu of yours was impressive. Your hair, eyes, and headband remind me of a pair of brothers."

Yagyu knew who Kakuzu was referring to, but he still asked, feigning ignorance, "Which brothers?"

"Your First Hokage and Second Hokage."

Kakuzu couldn't help but boast, "Decades ago, I fought your First Hokage!"

Whenever Kakuzu mentioned this feat, he usually saw people's shocked expressions, which always satisfied him.

However, this time, he didn't see any familiar reaction on Yagyu's face.

Just as Kakuzu was about to sigh in disappointment, lamenting how even Konoha shinobi had forgotten the power of the God of Shinobi, Yagyu suddenly spoke slowly, "You say you fought the First Hokage. Did you witness the legendary Wood Style?"

"Of course,"

Kakuzu said proudly, "It's a power beyond your comprehension!"

Although he had only fought against a Wood Clone of Hashirama, Kakuzu was indeed one of the few shinobi of that era, besides Madara Uchiha, to have experienced the power of Wood Style firsthand.

"I see."

Yagyu's lips curled into a faint, meaningful smile that left Kakuzu confused and with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Clap!

In the next moment, Yagyu clapped his hands together and said, "Since you've fought the First Hokage, I'd like you to evaluate how far I am from his power!"

Before Kakuzu could process Yagyu's words, his body froze as he heard Yagyu utter a terrifying jutsu preface: "Wood Style…"

Impossible!

Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock, but before he could scream, Yagyu's voice rang out: "Deep Forest Emergence!"

Rumble…

A violent earthquake erupted, shaking the ground beneath Kakuzu, Neji, and the others.

Kakuzu steadied himself and saw cracks forming on the ground, from which massive branches began to rise. Without a second thought, he turned and fled.

To hesitate even for a second would be to disrespect his own life.

However, in his panicked state, Kakuzu forgot one crucial rule:

Never turn your back on a Wood Style user.

Kakuzu leaped a dozen meters with each stride, fleeing as a blur of motion through the air. But as he fled, he noticed the cracks in the ground racing ahead of him, and before he could react, massive branches surged upward like serpents, attempting to bind and whip him.

Other branches rapidly sprouted leaves and grew into towering trees, turning the already forested terrain into a dense woodland in the blink of an eye.

Unlike when Yagyu had used Deep Forest Emergence against Orochimaru and Manda, he didn't use his full power this time. There wasn't even a blue chakra aura around him.

Even so, the scale of the forest he created was terrifying.

The trees formed a cage, trapping Kakuzu, who couldn't fly, inside.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

Kakuzu weaved hand signs as he dodged the branches, spitting a fireball from his mouth.

The fireball seemed to ignite the air itself, turning into a massive wave of fire that collided with the surging branches.

In an instant, one section of the forest was engulfed in flames.

Had it been a normal forest, the fire would have spread, turning the entire area into a sea of flames.

But just as the fire bloomed, it quickly dissipated.

The massive branches, large enough for several people to embrace, were scorched, but the flames were quickly extinguished, leaving only smoke and charred bark. The injured branches then began to heal at a visible rate, resuming their attack on Kakuzu.

Seeing this, Kakuzu's heart sank.

This life force... it truly is Wood Style!

Back when he fought Hashirama, his powerful Fire Style attacks had been snuffed out like candle flames. The branches had merely waved, and his fire was gone.

Logically, fire should be strong against wood!

Had it been Yamato's Wood Style, Kakuzu's earlier fire wave would have turned the forest into an inferno.

Yamato's Wood Style lacked vitality. It couldn't resist powerful Fire Style techniques and might even fuel them.

However, Yagyu, with his Asura Chakra and Sage Body, possessed Wood Style akin to Hashirama's.

His Wood Style teemed with boundless life energy. Not only did the fire fail to ignite the branches, but the Wood Style absorbed the chakra within the flames, allowing the branches to heal and grow stronger.

This was true Wood Style!

It was this kind of Wood Style that had subdued the fire-wielding Madara Uchiha.

"You said you fought the First Hokage, right?"

At that moment, the branches, now fully healed, stopped their assault.

Yagyu's voice echoed from all directions, reaching Kakuzu's ears.

Around him, the branches of towering trees morphed into numerous Yagyus, each with a playful smile. In unison, they said, "If you fought the First Hokage, why are you running from Wood Style?"

Realizing he was surrounded by Yagyu's Wood Clones and trapped within a Wood Style scene technique, Kakuzu snorted coldly, "Kid, don't get cocky. I was slaughtering my way through the ninja world before you were even born."

With that, Kakuzu discarded his Akatsuki cloak, revealing his body covered in stitches and the masks embedded in his back.

He formed hand signs to summon the creatures within his masks using Earth Grudge Fear.

But in the next second, his face twisted in shock.

The four Yagyu clones positioned at the north, south, east, and west suddenly clasped their hands together, crouched, and shouted in unison: "Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"

Four purple translucent barriers shot into the sky, forming a rectangular box that encased both Kakuzu and the other Yagyu clones.

The remaining clones all formed hand signs, unleashing massive torrents of water from the ground:

"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Countless waves surged from all directions, flooding over Kakuzu before he could even voice his rage.

Had Orochimaru been there, he would have sighed in admiration.

The Deep Forest Emergence scene technique was already overpowered. But then Yagyu followed up with a barrier and a group Water Style attack. No wonder he was a descendant of his idol—his tactics were truly devious!

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