Is the Akatsuki Organization really more fun than my Jashin Cult? I have a little group favorite here too!

In the gloomy and oppressive woods, a mangled corpse hanging from a tree branch caught the attention of Kakuzu.

He furrowed his brows, his sharp gaze sweeping over the gruesome scene. "This corpse on the tree must be the handiwork of Hidan." His tone held a note of certainty, yet was laced with a hint of hesitation. "That young girl from the Uchiha Clan, I don't think she would be capable of such cruelty."

Konan, standing beside him, shook her head slightly upon hearing Kakuzu's words. Her hair, white as paper, drifted gently in the wind as she appeared exceptionally calm.

"One who can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan can no longer be simply called a young girl," she replied indifferently. "Do you remember the Six Paths level powerhouse who came to Amegakure earlier? We have witnessed the power of the Uchiha Clan's ultimate ocular technique—Susanoo—with our own eyes."

Itachi Uchiha nodded slightly at this. "That is indeed true; the condition to awaken Susanoo is to possess the Mangekyo Sharingan," he replied in a deep voice. "That mysterious powerhouse's strength was beyond the reach of ordinary people. The Susanoo he displayed even reached the level of a Complete Body. With my current ocular power, I fear I cannot yet control such strength with ease."

The Masked Man interjected from the side, his words revealing a cynical smile: "Aha, I didn't expect that Six Paths level powerhouse to become a stumbling block for our Akatsuki operations. It seems that advancing our plans smoothly will not be an easy task."

He paused, shifting his gaze to the corpse on the tree. "That said, although this Hidan is a new intern, his strength seems not to be underestimated. Should we consider letting him deal with that powerhouse head-on, or perhaps we could choose to bypass him and continue with our mission?"

Kakuzu bypassed the question; for anyone with basic sanity, it was by no means an easy task.

Facing the dilemma before him, Kakuzu—a veteran member of Akatsuki who had weathered long ages and accumulated five hearts to trade for near-eternal life—spoke.

His words carried an unquestionable weight: "Intern, I am not joking. The strength of this Six Paths level powerhouse we are discussing is so profound that even our leader finds it extremely troublesome. You must know that the title 'Six Paths' itself represents an existence that touches the pinnacle of the Ninja World; it symbolizes the supreme realm of controlling the cycle of life and death and wielding the power of Yin and Yang. This guy not only possesses such might but is also rumored to have an immortal body. Such an opponent is not one to be easily contended with."

Just as Kakuzu was preparing to further clarify the severity of the situation, Hidan suddenly interjected, breaking the tense atmosphere.

With his characteristic flamboyant personality and disregard for life, Hidan showed the four newcomers the lethal weapon in his hand—the blood-red scythe stained with the faith of the Jashin Cult—using it as a tempting bargaining chip for joining the Jashin Cult. "Hey, hey, you four little ones, are you interested in joining our Jashin Cult? Look at this blade of mine; once you join, this is the grand gift for you rookies!"

He brandished the deadly weapon in his hand, his words filled with undisguised excitement and fanaticism.

Hidan's gaze swept over the four's uniform attire, and he asked teasingly: "You guys are dressed so uniformly, are you a rock band? Is the one who looks the most confident the lead singer? That beautiful lady with the long hair must be the guitarist? The tall guy is definitely the bassist? And the one wearing the mask, wouldn't he be the comedian in charge of telling jokes?"

He pointed at them one by one while chattering incessantly.

Konan, though accustomed to Hidan's bizarre behavior, decided to probe the true nature of the Jashin Cult. She asked calmly: "What kind of organization is the Jashin Cult exactly? What conditions must be met to join?"

Clearly, she did not mind Hidan's ramblings and cut straight to the point.

Upon hearing this question, Hidan shared his "faith" even more smugly: "Oh, sister, it's great that you're interested in the Jashin Cult! Here, as long as you act on your impulses—like those villagers I just killed and hung on the trees—you can feel that unparalleled stimulation and pleasure. Lord Jashin allows us to indulge ourselves in the darkness, and even death can become a path to a certain ultimate joy. You know, this life of mine was bestowed by Lord Jashin, and every killing is a practice of Lord Jashin's will..."

Facing the topic of the Jashin Cult, Kakuzu remained cold in expression, though he pondered inwardly.

He was indeed deeply interested in the truth of the immortal body, so he suggested to Konan: "Konan, in order to verify the rumors of this immortality, I am willing to try it myself."

Konan nodded, showing her trust and support for Kakuzu.

The Masked Man also gave Kakuzu his full approval, giving a thumbs-up to encourage him: "Senior Kakuzu, please be sure to let us witness your true strength. The Akatsuki strength assessment is no child's play."

The Masked Man leaped onto a tree branch, watching the contest quietly alongside the other two partners, including Itachi Uchiha.

Hidan seemed completely immersed in his own world, paying no heed to their discussion, and became even more agitated because someone might join the Jashin Cult: "What are you guys still chirping about over there? Are you joining or not? Hang out with me, Hidan, and I guarantee you'll taste the joy of free killing. Lord Jashin will even personally train you, hehehe..."

Seeing this, Kakuzu just snorted coldly and glanced at the Masked Man, saying: "Kid, watch closely. If you want to establish yourself in Akatsuki, powerful strength is the only truth." At the same time, he expressed a hint of mockery toward the person rumored to have an immortal body: "Although this immortal body has peculiar strength, his style and personality are truly annoying, as if he's just begging to be taught a lesson."

"You know, I can tolerate your contempt for me, but Lord Jashin behind me is not to be blasphemed!" Hidan announced proudly, his gaze instantly turning sharp.

"Then, in that case, I fear only your sacrifice can prove the great power of Lord Jashin." Hidan gave a sinister smile, his words signaling that a brutal confrontation was about to unfold.

Hidan moved with agility, like an Owlman spreading his wings, carving a bizarre and highly aggressive trajectory through the air. The scythe in his hand, flashing with an evil luster, struck like lightning, heading straight for Kakuzu, intending to kill this veteran Akatsuki comrade in one fell swoop with thunderous force.

His laughter was filled with madness and arrogance, as if declaring that even a colleague could not escape the judgment of his Jashin follower.

"Ignorant and reckless clown." Kakuzu's tone was laden with disdain and mockery, his keen intuition honed through countless battles instantly triggered.

His right arm suddenly extended like a venomous snake, transforming into a pitch-black chain. In the blink of an eye, it broke through the air, piercing Hidan's body with precision and ruthlessness.

Hidan's figure froze in mid-air, as if time itself had stalled at that very moment.

A flash of disbelief and shock crossed Hidan's eyes, and then he plummeted from the heights amidst a spray of blood, crashing heavily to the ground. The surroundings fell into dead silence; he didn't make a sound, as if all his vitality had been completely drained by that single strike.

However, just as Kakuzu showed a hint of boredom, questioning the authenticity of the so-called "immortal body," a jaw-dropping scene occurred.

Only a second later, Hidan, who had seemed to have lost all life on the ground, slowly propped up his body. The twisted expression on his face signaled extreme pain, but what he spat out were words of anger mixed with determination: "You know what? You know what? You think you can finish me like this? This really hurts, you bastard! I'm going to offer you as a sacrifice to my Lord Jashin!"

To this, Kakuzu did not respond; his patience had reached its limit.

Without hesitation, he once again unleashed his unique Kekkei Genkai ability. His arm extended again like a ghost, once more ruthlessly piercing Hidan's body, this time targeting the location of his heart. However, Hidan reacted with unusual joy, as if the pain had become a pleasure or a necessary ritual before the sacrifice. He let the blood drip from the massive wound in his abdomen, endured the excruciating pain, and tightly gripped the arm that had pierced his body, a twisted smile curling his lips.

"Hahahaha, that's right, that's it! The ritual has begun!" Hidan seemed to have forgotten the pain. A complex, mysterious symbol suddenly appeared beneath his feet—the unique mark of the Jashin Cult. As it manifested on the ground with his movements, a heavy, evil, and ominous aura permeated the air.

Witnessing all this, a strange light flashed in the depths of Kakuzu's eyes. He had to admit that Hidan, who claimed to possess an immortal body, was not speaking in vain.

Even after suffering such heavy injuries, he could still stand tall and launch a counterattack, which was undoubtedly strong evidence for his claim of an "immortal body."

"It seems the immortal body is real." Kakuzu retracted his arm and said with a hint of interest.

"Well, the sacrifice game is officially unveiled!" Hidan licked his finger playfully, as if tasting the cruel feast to come.

In an instant, his body began to undergo significant changes, and his original skin color faded away in a flash.

His entire body gradually turned as black as night, and a deep, evil power surged within him, causing the surrounding atmosphere to suddenly grow heavy.

Facing this scene, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of doubt and vigilance. "Is this a transformation into another form?"

He wondered inwardly, full of curiosity about the emergence of the unknown power in Hidan.

"Hehe, everything is proceeding according to plan." Hidan gave a sinister smile, then performed an unthinkable action—he aimed his weapon directly at his own heart and thrust it in with force, the blade instantly sinking into his chest.

At the same moment, due to some strange chain reaction, Kakuzu's body suffered the same injury, and an invisible force pierced his heart as well.

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha, who was observing from the side, opened his calm and sharp Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his gaze fixed on this scene. "He actually stabbed his own heart directly?"

He whispered to himself, clearly astonished by Hidan's peculiar ability.

Standing beside Itachi Uchiha, Konan could not help but let out a sound of surprise, "He pierced Kakuzu's heart as well?"

Her face was full of confusion, unable to comprehend why the situation before her was so beyond reason.

Itachi nodded calmly and replied, "Indeed."

Itachi knew that Kakuzu was no ordinary man; he possessed five hearts as a means of sustaining his life, and losing even one meant a significant loss.

At this moment, Kakuzu's heart burned with rage; the life core he had painstakingly collected had been wasted by this arrogant brat for nothing.

"You damn bastard!"

However, what shocked Kakuzu even more was that although Hidan's heart had been pierced, he still stood there, struggling in pain but not immediately dying, which left Hidan himself wide-eyed and stunned, "Hey, hey, hey, why aren't you dead yet? What the hell!"

Just as Kakuzu prepared to unleash a ninjutsu to incinerate Hidan with flames, a flock of crows suddenly descended from the sky, instantly converging to transform into the likeness of Itachi Uchiha.

As it turned out, Itachi had long been prepared to intervene in this struggle at any moment.

"Itachi, what are you doing?" Kakuzu looked at Itachi, who had revealed his true form, and asked with confusion.

A cold light flickered in Itachi's eyes, "I have confirmed the authenticity of the intelligence, and I have now decided to invite him to join the Akatsuki."

His words were resonant, revealing absolute confidence and decisiveness.

Upon hearing the term "Akatsuki," Hidan began to grow happy; they were in the same organization after all.

Hidan's high-pitched voice echoed through the woods, and he affirmed with great pride, "That's right, Uchiha Hanabi told me long ago that a few guys would consider joining my Akatsuki, so she must have been talking about you lot, right?"

His confident expression suggested he held some important secret.

"Uchiha Hanabi?" This name caught the attention of Itachi Uchiha; his three-tomoe Sharingan, which contained great insight, rotated slightly, while the Masked Man and Konan also drew closer, paying attention to the development of the conversation.

Itachi then pressed, "Are you talking about the Uchiha Hanabi who possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Hidan seemed somewhat surprised, yet he touched the tip of his nose with pride and laughed, "Ho, I didn't expect you to know Uchiha Hanabi too? She has a resounding reputation in the Ninja World, and she was the first to respond to the call of my Jashin. I intend to make her the darling of the Jashin cult. How about it, kid, are you interested in joining too?"

Kakuzu frowned in response, his expression a mix of worry and dissatisfaction, "It seems things are getting more complicated. That little girl from the Uchiha Clan actually joined this madman's Jashin cult; it's truly unexpected."

Hidan shrugged, appearing a bit impatient, "I'm telling you, you Akatsuki members, why don't you understand? Uchiha Hanabi told me herself, isn't the Akatsuki just a group that can kill whoever they want? Since we both pursue that ultimate thrill of slaughter, what is the difference?"

The Masked Man, namely Obito, calculated silently in his heart, sensing that the addition of Uchiha Hanabi might bring new variables.

In Obito's view, variables often meant opportunities or risks, and the best strategy for dealing with variables was to use bonds to guide or control them, thereby making them a member of the Akatsuki.

Konan took over the conversation at the right moment, stating calmly, "Just as the Uchiha Hanabi you mentioned said, the Akatsuki is indeed an organization that allows its members to carry out missions as they please, including missions of slaughter. So, Hidan, are you willing to join our Akatsuki?"

Upon hearing this, Hidan raised an eyebrow and asked back with a hint of mockery, "Ha? You actually want me to join the Akatsuki? Why isn't it you joining my Jashin cult? Look, even a high-value genius like Uchiha Hanabi has already joined; I'm not lacking people on my side at all."

Kakuzu scratched his head helplessly, clearly puzzled by Hidan's obsession with Uchiha Hanabi, "This guy, going on and on about Uchiha Hanabi—could he have had his mind affected by her Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Then, Kakuzu turned to look at Itachi and asked in a tone of consultation, "Itachi, do you think this guy has had his thoughts controlled by the Mangekyo Sharingan?"