Awesome chapter. Shikamaru is outsmarting everyone, and he saved Kakashi! I seriously doubt Kakuzu is dead, probably just got another one of his hearts. But then again, all the ghosts are out of him right now, so he might actually have bit it.

Side note: since Kakuzu is so old, I wonder if the symbol on his protector is actually the waterfall village or something else? The waterfall village isn't exactly canon, being as how it only appeared in one of the OVAs and as background in the chuunin exam.