"So, Hidan, your codename will be 'Santai.' Deidara, you can inherit the codename 'Kuchin' from Orochimaru, who has already defected. How does that sound?"
Neither of them had any objections.
The other members reacted in different ways to the news of Orochimaru's defection.
Kakuzu and Sasori looked surprised.
Uchiha Ye and Uchiha Itachi remained calm.
Deva Path Pain and Konan, on the other hand, were furious.
And Zetsu, who had barely made his presence felt, remained perfectly calm.
"So, we have a very important mission before us!"
Deva Path Pain's expression was ice-cold. "Hunt down Orochimaru!"
"We can't allow him to keep living when he knows the organization's secrets. And the organization cannot tolerate traitors!"
At that, Uchiha Ye spoke up in an exaggerated tone. "I can't believe Orochimaru actually defected. What a surprise. It seems he never intended to stay long when he joined the organization!"
Kakuzu spoke. "But Orochimaru's no pushover. Unless you, Leader, go after him yourself, I don't think any of the others can take him out!"
Sasori of the Red Sands snorted, disagreeing with Kakuzu. "He's just a slippery snake. His only real strength is staying alive, but he can still be killed!"
Uchiha Itachi spoke calmly. "Would you like me to go, Leader?"
Deidara was also quite excited. "Take me with you! Take me with you! The legendary Sannin—I really want to meet them!"
Hearing this, Deva Path Pain was quite satisfied. Then he looked toward Sasori of the Red Sands and Uchiha Ye. "I'll leave this mission to the two of you."
"Your overall abilities are the most well-rounded in the organization right now, apart from mine and 'Byakko' Konan's. No matter how strong Orochimaru is, he shouldn't be a match for the two of you."
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
No one objected.
Deidara and Hidan were new and didn't know the situation. They regretted not getting to join a mission of this caliber, but neither voiced any dissatisfaction.
Uchiha Itachi was glad he didn't have to fight. After all, every use of his ocular power left him with less.
And since Uchiha Itachi hadn't spoken, Biwa Juzo naturally stayed quiet too.
As for Kakuzu...
He hadn't wanted to face Orochimaru in the first place.
"Since that's settled, I'll assign the teams!"
Nagato, who was manipulating Deva Path Pain from behind the scenes, looked at the organization, now nearly at full strength, and couldn't help but feel excited.
He knew it was time to set some plans in motion.
For example, capturing the Tailed Beasts!
"Santai—Hidan—you'll team up with Hokuto—Kakuzu."
"Kuchin—Deidara—you'll team up with Genbu—Zetsu."
As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Hidan and Deidara. "Do either of you have any objections?"
Deidara grinned. "I don't mind. I can team up with anyone, as long as they don't get in the way of my art!"
At his words, Sasori of the Red Sands, hidden beneath Hiruko, couldn't help but brighten. In a voice only he could hear, he said, "Art? Interesting. I didn't expect to find someone else in the organization who believes in art."
"Maybe I can talk art with him sometime. Hmm, he must think that eternal art is the only true art, too!"
Hidan had no problem with the pairing either. Instead, he turned to Kakuzu with a ferocious grin. "Partner, don't slow me down. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to offer you up to Lord Jashin."
Kakuzu snorted and gave him a cold look. "You've certainly got a lot of nerve, junior!"
His gaze sharpened. "Let's see what makes you so confident and arrogant!"
"Come on, old man. Dare to fight me?"
He hadn't had the chance to put Uchiha Ye in his place back then.
Surely Hidan wouldn't make him look bad too.
Besides!
Judging by Sasori of the Red Sands' account of what had happened, Hidan had lost to Uchiha Ye in just a few moves. He was clearly no great fighter.
At that, Hidan excitedly licked his lips. "Heh heh heh, I'd love to! Just don't drop dead on me, old-timer!"
Everyone present looked surprised.
Even Uchiha Itachi.
Kakuzu was no weakling. Even he wouldn't claim he could kill Kakuzu.
He wanted to know what gave Hidan the confidence to make such a bold claim.
Since they had nothing else to do right now, they might as well watch and enjoy the show.
"You couldn't even beat Uchiha Ye, and Uchiha Ye and Kakuzu are about evenly matched. I wonder where you get the confidence to say you can take down Mr. Kakuzu?"
Biwa Juzo thought this to himself, regarding Hidan's arrogance with some disdain.
There was never any shortage of people who couldn't see their own limitations.
In his eyes, Hidan was one of them.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ye leaned close to Hiruko and said, "Big Brother Sasori, you're about to see the ability you were curious about."
Sasori replied, "I'm looking forward to it!"
Amegakure!
In an underground chamber.
"Come on, junior!"
After taking his position opposite Hidan, Kakuzu walked toward him with an indifferent gaze. "Show me what you can do. Let's see if you can back up that big talk."
Hidan merely tightened his grip on his scythe, fixing Kakuzu with a hawk-like stare.
When they were only two or three meters apart, Hidan suddenly swung his scythe forward in a crescent arc, striking so quickly that even an elite jonin would have struggled to react in time.
But Kakuzu leaped back with composure, evading the blow.
Hidan didn't let up. He kept pressing forward, his massive scythe flashing like a silver moon as it slashed toward Kakuzu's vital points.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
As Hidan continued his pursuit, Kakuzu evaded each attack with unruffled ease.
No matter how tricky the angle of Hidan's strikes, they couldn't even graze Kakuzu's sleeve.
His decades of combat experience were on full display.
He used the simplest movements to make the most appropriate responses, his footwork as graceful as a dance.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Ye both activated their Sharingan and watched in silence, imprinting Kakuzu's movements in their minds so they could absorb them and turn them into their own insights.
"Hahaha! What's wrong? Can you do nothing but dodge?"
Seeing Kakuzu keep evading, Hidan jeered arrogantly. "Don't think you can run forever!"
He leaped into the air, gripping the scythe with both hands and bringing it down in a slash.
At his words, Kakuzu stopped in his tracks. His gaze turned sharp as he flung his right arm forward. It shot out like a rocket, connected to his body by black tendons, and mercilessly pierced through Hidan's chest.
"Guh!"
Hidan's eyes widened as he fell limply to the ground.
"That's... it?"
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
That was all?
He'd just claimed he could take down Kakuzu.
And now he'd been beaten like a rookie?
Kakuzu had taken him out in one move?
But Sasori, who had already seen Hidan's immortality once, felt a stir of anticipation. "Looks like he's about to show off the ability Ye mentioned—Jashin's Curse!"
"I wonder what kind of technique it is. It must be something extraordinary to make even Ye, who can ignore bladed attacks and react so quickly, wary of him!"
Before you continue