Chapter 65 — Hit Him! He's Just an Old Man
"Senbonzakura Inn? Hyakubonzakura? I've never even been here before. Who knows what inns this town actually has."
Yami strolled leisurely through the streets of the Land of Iron's small town, recalling the nonsense he'd casually fed Kakuzu. A playful smile tugged at his lips.
He had simply acted on a whim.
Teasing a wild Kage-level powerhouse?
Tempting.
In this era, Kakuzu had no organization backing him, no so-called "unkillable five-heart mode" reputation shielding him.
A perfect sparring partner.
As for why Yami ultimately pulled back—
It wasn't fear.
Starting a full-scale fight inside town limits would inevitably drag civilians into it. Yami wasn't yet cold enough to treat bystanders' lives as collateral.
He found the most conspicuous inn in the center of town, checked in without fuss, and enjoyed a long, steaming bath. Days of travel fatigue melted away.
"That old monster wouldn't actually search for a 'Senbonzakura,' would he?"
Amused by the thought, Yami drifted into sleep.
---
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town—
Kakuzu stalked through the cold night air with a dark expression.
"Senbonzakura Inn?"
He grabbed a passing merchant by the collar. His green pupils burned with hostility.
"Tell me where it is."
The merchant trembled, face pale.
"S-Sir… I've lived in this town for over ten years. I've never heard of such a place…"
"Trash."
Kakuzu shoved him aside and continued searching.
For an entire night, he scoured the town nearly corner to corner. He questioned anyone who might possibly know of such an inn.
Nothing.
As dawn crept over the horizon, the fury in his eyes was nearly tangible.
"Namikaze… Minato…!"
He ground the name out between clenched teeth.
In all his long years of life, this was the first time he had been toyed with so blatantly.
---
The next morning—
Yami stepped out of his inn refreshed and radiant. After a full night's rest, he felt better than ever.
"Time to continue the journey."
He adjusted the long blade at his waist, his samurai robes loosely worn, and walked casually toward the town's exit.
He had barely cleared the outskirts—
When he sensed it.
That familiar chakra.
Cold. Heavy. Saturated with murderous intent.
"Good morning, Mr. Kakuzu."
Yami raised an eyebrow at the figure blocking the road.
"You wouldn't happen to have stayed up all night, would you?"
Kakuzu looked… rough.
His green eyes were bloodshot. Dark circles weighed beneath them. His entire presence radiated predatory malice.
He had searched the entire night.
There was no such inn.
And judging by Yami's relaxed, well-rested demeanor—
The man had clearly slept comfortably in town.
While he, an ancient veteran of the battlefield, had not closed his eyes once.
"Senbonzakura Inn…"
Kakuzu's voice was low and hoarse with suppressed rage.
"Where is it?"
Yami blinked innocently.
"Oh? Maybe I misremembered the name."
He scratched his head casually.
"You know how it is for wandering swordsmen. No fixed abode. Might've been the name of the inn in the previous town…"
"Enough!"
Kakuzu roared.
Chakra erupted violently around him, blasting outward like a storm.
"You will pay for this. I'll hang your corpse at the entrance of the bounty house!"
"Earth Grudge Fear—Tendril Fist!"
Black threads exploded from Kakuzu's body, twisting and condensing into a massive, monstrous arm that shot toward Yami with crushing force.
Yami's eyes sharpened.
The long blade at his waist flashed from its sheath. Steel streaked like lightning, cleaving precisely toward the incoming punch.
Clang—
Blade met reinforced flesh, sparks bursting from the collision.
"Mr. Kakuzu, no need to be so hot-tempered."
Though Yami's tone was relaxed, his hands were anything but careless. His focus tightened, watching for Kakuzu's next move.
When this ancient relic got serious, his strength rose more than a tier.
Kakuzu, too, was startled.
That Tendril Heavy Punch wasn't simple brute force. It had been reinforced with Earth Release: Earth Spear, hardening the fist to iron-like durability. Combined with the amplified strength from Earth Grudge Fear's threads, it was essentially a composite technique.
And yet—
It had been blocked so casually.
Who exactly was this so-called "Namikaze Minato"? Why had he never heard of such a figure?
But a night's worth of humiliation wouldn't dissipate so easily.
Seeing that Yami's style resembled that of a samurai, Kakuzu adjusted his approach.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A blinding bolt tore through the air, targeting Yami's vitals.
If Yami were truly just a swordsman, he would have to dodge—and surrender battlefield initiative.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."
A massive stone wall surged upward from the ground.
False Darkness crashed into it, nearly blasting a hole clean through the thick barrier.
Kakuzu's suspicion deepened.
A "samurai" capable of such heavy Earth Release?
Not a single word out of this man's mouth had been true.
And those ridiculous carved dog heads on the wall—
From every angle, they felt like mockery.
Before the dust settled—
Yami's figure flashed from the other side like a phantom. His blade sliced through the air, killing intent razor-sharp.
"Parlor tricks!"
Kakuzu snorted.
His arms exploded into countless black tendrils, weaving into a spiderweb aimed to swallow Yami whole.
Steel flickered within the writhing mesh. Every slash severed the most dangerous threads with surgical precision.
Yami moved like a fish through rapids, weaving through the dense assault while steadily closing the distance.
"Water Release: Water Curtain!"
Kakuzu seized a brief opening, unleashing a torrential wave. The wide-area technique sealed nearly every escape route.
What happened next made Kakuzu doubt his own eyes.
Yami didn't dodge.
He charged straight into the surging torrent—
And was swallowed whole.
Yet seconds later—
"Namikaze Minato" burst from the water nearly unscathed, closing in at terrifying speed.
For a fleeting instant, Kakuzu wondered if his jutsu had malfunctioned.
There was no time to analyze.
Yami's blade descended.
Kakuzu couldn't weave hand signs in time and raised his left arm to block.
The sword met no resistance.
It sliced cleanly through his arm and forearm as if through paper.
Blood sprayed.
Kakuzu staggered, feigning panic as he attempted to retreat.
Yami pressed the advantage mercilessly.
His speed surged again. The blade tip aimed straight for Kakuzu's heart.
Black tendrils erupted wildly from Kakuzu's body, thrashing like maddened serpents in a desperate attempt to intercept the killing strike.
But in that instant—
Yami's blade extended unnaturally.
Behind the steel edge, a segment of white bone protruded, reinforcing its reach.
The sword pierced through the writhing tendrils as if tearing thin parchment.
Thrust.
The blade drove cleanly through Kakuzu's heart, emerging from his back.
Kakuzu froze.
Disbelief flickered in his green eyes before dimming rapidly.
His body swayed—
But he did not fall.
Yami looked at the "dead" Kakuzu and almost laughed.
Withdrawing his blade, he prepared to follow up with another strike toward the back—
Because if there was one thing he knew—
It was that Kakuzu did not die that easily.