Chapter 169: Assassination

The desert winds blew strongly as the sand flew in many directions, making it seem as if nature itself was angry.

And in this wild weather, the Third Kazekage and his two ANBU guards traveled at immense speeds, with them both hoping to arrive in the Capital soon.

However, The Third Kazekage couldn't help but feel a slight feeling of something being off.

But this feeling became heightened as his instinct finally kicked in, making him jump from a powerful Fire Style Justu that incinerated his two guards in an instant.

"I should have known that I would be unable to kill you that easily, otherwise you'd be unworthy of your title of a Kage. Even more so that you are known as the Strongest Kazekage in history. I can already feel that this will be troublesome." A man said as he stepped through the sand to reveal himself.

The man was one that was feared by many as a bounty hunter by many and was rumored to have even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage.

He possessed the ability to do something that only the Third Hokage could also claim to do, with that being controlling and manipulating all 5 Elemental Chakra Natures.

And, this old monster had made an exception to his rule of not intervening in the matters of major nations, all due to the insane amount of money that was offered to him by an anonymous individual.

"Kakazu. A rouge shinobi from the Hidden Waterfall that has been known to hunt many shinobi for their bounties. Whatever they have hired you for, I'll double it." The Third Kazekage said, though he was already moving his sand underground.

"I'm afraid your Village lacks the funds to even feed itself, and especially not enough to double the price for your head." Kakazu said as he jumped into the air, dodging the emergence of iron sand from beneath him.

"Earth Style: Earth Spear!!"

Kakazu's limb turned noticeably darker as he charged toward the Kazekage.

In response, the Kazekage manipulated the surrounding sand to turn into both an armor and a sharp blade, with him dodging Kakazu's first punch before attempting to slice off the man's head.

Kakazu's neck turned into that darker color as well, stopping the blade from piercing his skin.

The Iron Sand behind the Kazekage morphed into a dragon as it blasted into Kakazu, sending him flying backward.

However, he was unable to let his guard down as he suddenly saw a monstrous stream of fire coming his way, making him morph the sand surrounding him into an iron wall.

But, the attack proved too potent, as it melted through his wall and hit him head-on, blasting the Kazekage.

He morphed his now-heated armor off of himself, as he looked upon to see Kakzau walking towards him with his chest exposed, showcasing the stitches on his body, while two monstrous beings seemed to be walking behind him.

"It seems that holding back against an opponent like you would be futile." The Third Kazekage said as he threw off the charred remains of his Kazekage robe, ready to finish this battle quickly and efficiently.

"Magnet Style: World Order!!"

A massive amount of iron sand that the Kazekage wielded morphed into two magnetic orbs, with him pushing the two together.

Kakazu, as if feeling the danger that the technique could potentially have, attempted to go on the offensive as the two monsters behind him joined.

However, the remaining bits of iron sand left in the air suddenly shot toward Kakazu at high speeds, with Kakazu barely being able to avoid the bullet-like projectiles, keeping him at bay for a small amount of time.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!!" 

Another monster seemed to come out of the back of Kakazu as it blasted lightning at the Kazekage, with him being forced to block the attack with all of his remaining sand.

But, thankfully for the Kazekage, his technique finally completed as the two balls morphed into one, after which it generated an abhorrent amount of spikes that quickly overtook the battlefield.

Once the dust from the attack cleared, it showed a Kakazu that was stabbed through the heart and died based on how his body was, while the monsters around him could no longer be seen.

The Third Kazekage seemed relieved that the battle was over, especially due to how draining his last technique had been, with him showcasing major signs of fatigue. 

However, one of the monsters he thought had died suddenly burst from the ground and jumped into Kakazu's body, with him standing back up and breaking the spike from him as if it had never occurred.

"I didn't think I'd lose two damn hearts without even killing you. I underestimated you far too much." Kakazu said with irritation laced in his voice.

But, the Kazekage merely responded by conjuring more of his iron sand, as he stared at the monster before him while preparing to finish the seemingly undead creature.

Their battle once again began, with neither knowing the major implications that the aftermath would have.

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[AN: Ready to throw canon fully out the window now!]