Love Around the Corner, Kakuzu: Hello.

"I'll kill you!"

Hidan was overcome with impotent rage, as he truly couldn't walk on water or trees.

Seeing this, Shinnosuke, who had been silently observing as a bystander, narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly:

"I don't need to fight. I can carry him down."

Uchiha Ci glanced sideways, thinking that for the elder, carrying him down or even running a marathon with him would be no problem at all.

However, letting Shinnosuke carry Hidan down would be like a dog eating a meat bun – gone forever.

He had already been eyeing Hidan, wanting to gain something from him. Although he now appeared to be an honest observer, if he were allowed to act freely, who knew what might happen.

"Let's scout the situation first," Uchiha Ci shook his head, pointing to the city wall clinging to the cliff face below.

Then, he turned his head to look at Hidan:

"And Hidan, be prepared to stay here."

Hidan didn't speak. Terumi Mei, standing beside him, nodded and instructed:

"Then I'll trouble you, Uchiha Ci."

"Go down from here. Midway, there's a tree. Hide there. With your Sharingan, you should be able to clearly see the defensive situation on the city wall. Record it every 15 minutes. After three times, we'll depart."

"There isn't much time; dawn is approaching."

With that, Terumi Mei took off her Ninja Tool bag from her waist and tossed it over.

"I'm not a ninja specializing in Shurikenjutsu, so I don't have many Ninja Tools. Only three Kunai, ten Shuriken, and two Explosive Tags."

"Sufficient."

Uchiha Ci caught it with one hand, weighed it, and instantly knew how many Ninja Tools were inside. He casually hung it on his hip.

He stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down, estimating the nearly four-hundred-meter drop below.

The wind blowing from below the cliff rustled the roots of Uchiha Ci's hair. The mist in the shadow of the mountain wall diffused, like the gaping maw of an abyss harboring monsters.

He smiled and leaped off the cliff under the gaze of the three.

Whoosh!

Rapid descent!

Uchiha Ci opened his Sharingan in mid-air and quickly spotted the tree Terumi Mei had mentioned.

He pulled off a bandage from his clothing, folded it, and tied it to the end of a Kunai before throwing it down.

The Kunai, with the bandage, wrapped around the tree trunk. Uchiha Ci pulled on the bandage, changing his falling momentum with a spin, and landed lightly on the tree.

Then, he carefully observed the city wall below, which was now clearly visible.

Just as Hidan had said, the castle's defenses were tight.

The night quietly slipped by, and two quarters of an hour quickly passed. Uchiha Ci used both his hands and feet to climb the cliff.

Compared to running up the cliff face, this method conserved more chakra.

As soon as Uchiha Ci pulled himself up and his head emerged over the edge, Terumi Mei looked at him with a tense expression and asked:

"How is the situation?"

"Reporting, Officer," Uchiha Ci grinned and briefly explained the intelligence he had gathered.

"A bunch of weaklings. No major problem. There are six with chakra reactions, all Genin, patrolling in two shifts."

"Most of them are guarding the entrance to the underground cave, with two on the city wall."

Climbing up the cliff face, Uchiha Ci analyzed simply:

"As long as we eliminate one, we'll have at least 10 minutes to rush underground, and then..."

But, Before he could finish, Uchiha Ci suddenly froze. He looked past Terumi Mei, towards the area behind her head.

In his Sharingan's vision, Within the darkness, a massive, glowing mass with a terrifyingly strong chakra reaction was slowly approaching.

"And then what?" Terumi Mei frowned.

Uchiha Ci suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He pursed his lips, his gaze gradually intensifying.

"How should I put it? I saw a big crocodile."

"Crocodile?" Terumi Mei blinked in surprise, thinking that this young man was actually afraid of such seafood.

She immediately said, exasperated: "Don't be afraid! Ci, crocodiles are actually afraid of you too, even more so than you are."

"Tsk," Uchiha Ci clicked his tongue, his hand already subtly moving towards the Ninja Tool bag at his waist.

"That's hard to say."

Seeing Uchiha Ci's movement, the three pairs of eyes sharpened. They immediately followed his gaze, turning their heads to look into the dense darkness behind them.

Just then, From the dense woods beyond the cliff, the sound of steady footsteps gradually arose.

Under the moonlight, A man walked slowly forward. He wore the forehead protector of a rogue ninja from Takigakure, a black mask, a full-body black robe, and possessed a tall build and a pair of glowing, eerie green eyes.

Upon seeing the man's attire, Uchiha Ci's heart sank.

This man was none other than Kakuzu, the possessor of the secret technique 'Earth Grudge Fear', the future financial manager of Akatsuki, and currently a high-ranking enforcer for the Underground Bounty Exchange—

A Kage-level powerhouse!

Stomp, stomp—

His feet crushed the sand, kicking up clouds of dust.

Kakuzu's gaze was cold and indifferent as he slowly advanced.

"It took me a while to find you. I didn't expect you to circle back yourselves."

He swept his gaze across their faces, pausing briefly on Shinnosuke and frowning, before fixing all his attention on Hidan, who stood behind the other three.

He muttered in a low voice:

"Tch, what a hassle."

"This amount isn't enough. I'll have them add more when we get back."

With that, Kakuzu took a sudden step forward, his eyes icy, and boomed:

"Hand over the child behind you."

"Or die!"

As his words fell, a massive, terrifying killing intent erupted from Kakuzu!

Under this terrifying pressure, both Uchiha Ci and Terumi Mei couldn't help but stomp their feet and take a step back.

As for the young Hidan, facing his future 'best partner', His pupils contracted to the extreme, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. He unconsciously took several steps back until his foot hit the edge of the cliff, and only then did he snap back to reality.

"Wh-who is this person?!"

Hidan's face was filled with terror.

He had never encountered a master of this caliber. With mere killing intent alone, he could terrify someone into losing consciousness and trembling all over.

Meanwhile, Shinnosuke on the other side hadn't moved at all. Kakuzu's killing intent felt like a gentle breeze against him.

However, he still retreated, even taking seven or eight steps back, far away from the three in the team.

Adopting a stance of "you guys fight it out, I'll just watch."

"Kakuzu, the S-rank rogue ninja of Takigakure, the world's top bounty hunter," Terumi Mei's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly recognizing him.

She drew a Kunai from the strap on her pant leg, her hand already forming the巳 seal, ready for battle.

Uchiha Ci looked gravely at Kakuzu, who had come for Hidan.

He felt a sense of absurdity.

The butterfly effect he had caused was already stirring up a storm!

The 'Immortal Duo', originally partners, were now enemies.

And Uchiha Ci, he had to fight Kakuzu to protect Hidan's brain?!

Was he playing Plants vs. Zombies here?

After a moment of stunned disbelief, Uchiha Ci immediately turned his head, his gaze hardening. He pointed at the cliff and shouted at Hidan:

"Hidan, jump down!"

"What did you say!?"

Seeking reads, recommendations, and collections. Thank you, esteemed patrons, for your recommendation tickets and monthly votes, and thank you, Pretty Uchiha, for the 500-point coin reward!

Bang bang bang!