Encounter

Several days earlier.

At the base level of the Rain Hidden Village tower, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's ten chakra chains hung low, swaying faintly in the dim light. The last wisp of the Two-Tails' chakra was extracted. The statue's stone face flashed briefly before dimming again, like a sated beast slowly closing its eyes.

Nagato sat in his mechanical chair, the faint sound of liquid flowing through the tubes behind him audible as his eyes remained half-closed. "The Two-Tails' sealing is complete."

Konan stood on a platform along the side of the tower, an account book spread open in her hands. She swiftly wrote down several notes and nodded.

She ended the video call.

Hidan stood on the ground floor of the sealing tower, carrying the Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe over his shoulder. Faint blue demonic flames from the Two-Tails still lingered on its blades—not real flames, but tiny traces of tailed beast chakra left on the metal surface. They glowed dimly as they gradually faded.

"A jinchuriki's blood is really hard to get." Hidan stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his expression carrying a sense of lingering enjoyment. "That blue-flame woman burned me so good. I nearly got to meet Lord Jashin early."

Kakuzu stood two paces behind Hidan, removing a silver bracelet from a corpse's wrist—one of the Two-Tails jinchuriki's guards. He weighed the bracelet in his hand and stuffed it into the pouch at his waist. "It's over. We're heading to the Land of Fire now."

Hidan turned his head. "The Land of Fire?"

"Konoha ninja fetch high bounties." Kakuzu tied his pouch shut. "And we can look for the Nine-Tails jinchuriki along the way. Everyone else is making faster progress than us. Don't let us be the ones holding everyone back in the end."

Hidan shook his head. "Boring. Is money all you live for?"

Kakuzu did not answer. He turned and walked toward the corridor exit. "Keep up."

At the Land of Fire's border, outside the Temple of Fire.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy, spreading mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground. Asuma Sarutobi walked at the front of the patrol, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips and bobbing gently between them.

Shikamaru walked behind and to his right, his hands in his pockets and his eyes half-open, looking as though he had not fully woken up. Choji walked beside Shikamaru, holding a bag of chips and crunching away. Ino brought up the rear, her gaze sweeping through the woods on both sides.

"Are we still not done patrolling the Temple of Fire?" Ino asked.

"Almost." Asuma removed the cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers. "Once we circle the outer perimeter of the Temple of Fire, we can be back before even—"

His voice stopped.

In the middle of the road ahead, two figures sat on a large rock by the roadside. One carried an enormous scythe, while the other sat cross-legged, counting money. A corpse lay beside them, and next to it was an all-too-familiar head.

It belonged to Chiriku of the Temple of Fire.

And those two wore black robes patterned with red clouds...

Akatsuki.

Asuma did not shout. He raised a hand, palm facing backward, signaling them to stop. Even Shikamaru's eyes opened fully now.

"Both of them are Akatsuki." Shikamaru kept his voice low. "One has a scythe, and the other is counting money. We don't know their abilities yet."

"I see them." Asuma put the cigarette back in his mouth and bit down on the filter. "Choji, fire the signal flare."

Choji pulled out a thumb-sized cylinder from his pocket, pushed open the cap at the bottom with his thumb, and a thin stream of red smoke drifted from its opening.

This was the flare Yunju had handed out before leaving. A red signal flying through the sky would be highly visible.

Hidan and Kakuzu noticed the flare as well, then spotted the Konoha ninja approaching them.

"It's been sent." Choji put the cylinder away. "They should receive it."

Asuma nodded, drew his pair of chakra blades, and walked toward the immortal duo.

"Konoha ninja? Perfect timing. I was just wondering whether I should find a living sacrifice today."

Hidan moved first. He took the scythe from his shoulder and spun it once in his hand, the blade pointed at Asuma. Kakuzu was still counting money and did not even raise his head. "Don't smash them to pieces. Intact corpses fetch a higher price."

Hidan snorted and charged forward like a gust of wind. The scythe swept sideways—fast, but Asuma was faster. He twisted aside to evade the blade, and his chakra blades slashed out at the same time, two arcs of light crossing toward Hidan's neck.

Hidan neither dodged nor blocked. His expression almost seemed to be one of enjoyment.

The chakra blades cut through Hidan's neck, the gash so deep that the white cross-section of his cervical spine was nearly visible. Blood sprayed out, splattering Asuma all over. Hidan's head tilted to one side, yet that grin remained on his face.

"Hey, hey, that was a pretty good cut." Hidan's mouth still moved, like the head of a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Asuma froze. Shikamaru's pupils widened as well.

"What kind of monster is this...?"

Kakuzu finally stopped counting his money and glanced over. Then his fingers twitched—several black threads extended from Hidan's sleeves, wrapping around his severed neck like living veins. Muscle and skin reconnected over those few seconds, stitching together like torn cloth being sewn shut.

Hidan rolled his neck, producing a series of cracks. "That was close, that was close. I nearly fell off."

At that moment, Shikamaru's mind moved faster than anyone else's. An immortal body, no atrophy at the severed surface, incredibly rapid stitching, and the scythe wielder had not used any ninjutsu throughout the entire exchange... He linked every observation into a single conclusion in an instant.

"He's immortal. You can't kill him normally!" Shikamaru lowered his voice. "And no known ninjutsu could do this—it's definitely not some medical ninjutsu we don't know about. This is insane."

Hidan raised his scythe again, this time turning toward Shikamaru. Shikamaru had already prepared his Shadow Imitation Technique before Hidan could make his second move—the shadow silently stretched across the ground and latched onto Hidan's ankle.

Hidan's body froze halfway through his swing.

"Can't move?" Hidan lowered his head to look at the shadow connection around his ankle. "What the hell is this?"

Shikamaru held his hand seal. "Asuma-sensei, now!"

Asuma did not hesitate. His chakra blade drew a sharp arc, precisely cutting through Hidan's ankle—severing the joint, followed by another slash that cut off his left wrist. Hidan lost his balance and fell to the ground, blood gushing from his severed wrist.

"For an immortal body, the joints are a weakness." Shikamaru maintained the Shadow Imitation Technique's restraint, sweat already sliding down from his temple. "Destroy all his limb joints, and he won't be able to move."

Kakuzu finally stood up. He unhurriedly walked to the edge of the fight, glanced at Hidan lying on the ground, then at the chakra blades in Asuma's hands. His eyes held the weary annoyance of someone forced to clean up another mess. "Troublesome."

His hands formed seals at incredible speed. "Fire Release: Head Moulder."

A massive wave of flames surged from Kakuzu's palms, covering nearly half the battlefield. Shikamaru had no choice but to release the Shadow Imitation Technique and roll backward to evade it, while Asuma retreated at the same time. Taking advantage of the opening, Hidan braced himself against the ground with the elbow of his severed arm and tried to stand again. His wrist was rapidly healing—the black threads moved like living needles and thread, sewing his severed limb back together layer by layer.

"Kakuzu, you stole my kill." Hidan got to his feet and flexed his newly healed wrist, displeasure in his voice.

"Cut the crap. If we don't finish this quickly, Konoha reinforcements will arrive."

Choji and Ino moved at the same time. Choji's body suddenly expanded, his Expansion Jutsu turning his hands into giant palms that slammed down toward Kakuzu. Ino flanked him from the side, her kunai aimed straight for Kakuzu's back. Kakuzu sidestepped Choji's giant palm, and at the same time, the clothes on his back tore open—several black threads shot out and wrapped around Ino's wrist, yanking her toward the ground.

"Girls shouldn't get involved in this." Kakuzu did not even turn around. The black threads had already locked Ino's hands and pinned her to the ground.

Choji's giant palm crashed down a second time. Kakuzu raised his hand—Earth Release: Earth Spear. In that instant, his arm hardened into something like black stone, taking Choji's strike head-on before he drove a backhanded punch into Choji's abdomen. Choji doubled over like a shrimp, his Expansion Jutsu forcibly undone as his body shrank back to normal. Blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Choji!" Ino struggled to rise, but the black threads tightened, and her wrists began to turn purple.

Asuma turned to support them, but Hidan's scythe was already sweeping in from behind. He twisted aside, but the blade sliced through his shirt across the chest, leaving a shallow bloody mark on his skin—very shallow, but it had broken the skin and drawn blood.

Hidan's grin widened. He wiped up that drop of blood and placed it in his mouth.

"Got you."

He pulled a black metal spike from his waist, crouched, and began drawing a circular formation on the ground. The formation consisted of several concentric circles and triangles at the corners. The lines were not deep, but every turn was neat and clean, as though he had practiced them thousands of times. Hidan dripped his own blood into the center of the formation. The moment the blood touched the ground, it began spreading along the markings from the center to the edges, crawling across every line like a living thing.

"Death Possession Blood."

Hidan stepped into the formation and stabbed himself in the chest, instantly coughing up blood.

Before the Konoha group could understand what Hidan was doing, Asuma suddenly dropped to his knees. His shirt over his chest was soaked in blood, and his body began collapsing inward from the surface—not a superficial wound, but internal damage. A piercing wound that was rupturing from within. The injured area seemed identical to Hidan's.

From the moment Hidan began drawing the formation, Shikamaru's eyes had been moving rapidly, every detail committed to memory: circular formation, blood, positional correspondence.

Hidan had to stand within the formation! Otherwise, there was no reason to draw it here!

He assembled every piece of information at top speed, then suddenly stepped forward.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!"

His shadow extended across the ground and precisely latched onto Hidan's ankle. Then Shikamaru yanked hard—Hidan was dragged out of the formation, stumbling several steps backward as both feet left the circle's boundary.

The wound in Asuma's chest stopped spreading. It had not healed, but at least it was no longer tearing wider.

Shikamaru's breathing was already ragged. Sweat slid down his forehead and into his eyes. But he did not let go. His shadow still held Hidan's ankle, keeping him suspended midway and preventing him from stepping back into the formation.

"The formation... he has to stand inside it to maintain the curse." Shikamaru's voice trembled, but his chain of logic remained clear. "Once he leaves its range, the damage stops."

Hidan looked at the foot being dragged out, then at the circular formation. He turned toward Shikamaru and flashed him a sharp-toothed grin. "Kid, you're pretty capable."

On Kakuzu's side, Choji and Ino had already collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up. Choji curled around his abdomen, while several deep bruises had been carved into Ino's wrists. Both were still conscious, but neither could fight anymore.

Hidan looked down at his still-bleeding wrist, then at Asuma on the ground.

"What a pain." Hidan clicked his tongue. "Looks like today's sacrifice won't be complete. But it's fine—after all, I still have time."

In the distant woods, two figures were rapidly approaching. Yunju was in front, Jiraiya behind him.

Kakuzu attacked again. Earth Release: Earth Spear hardened both his arms, Fire Release: Head Moulder sealed off the left escape route, Wind Release: Pressure Damage swept in from the right, and Lightning Release: False Darkness exploded overhead—four elemental techniques erupted from the same person at once, weaving into a net of firepower without a single blind spot and covering the entire battlefield.

Shikamaru's shadow shot across the ground, trying to latch onto Hidan's ankle again, but the aftermath of the lightning release knocked it off course. Choji's expanded arm had barely taken shape before the wind release's shockwave forced it several steps back.

Ino rushed in from the side. Kakuzu did not even turn his head before black threads from his left hand wrapped around and locked her wrist again.

"Annoying brats." Kakuzu's voice was completely flat, as casual as if he were crushing a few ants.

The aftermath of the fire release scorched Choji's arm. Part of his clothing was burned black, while his skin flushed a blistering red. He gritted his teeth without crying out, but he was already struggling to maintain the Expansion Jutsu.

Ino was suspended in midair by the black threads, her feet off the ground and her face starting to turn purple. She could neither form hand seals nor break free. Shikamaru alone kept the Shadow Imitation Technique going, sweat sliding from his forehead into his eyes, the stinging sensation making it nearly impossible to keep them open.

"Hey, hey, I almost forgot about the main business." Hidan flexed his newly healed wrist as he walked. "Watching you fight has been fun, but I can't forget Lord Jashin's mission."

From the corner of his eye, Shikamaru caught Hidan's movement. His shadow withdrew from beneath Kakuzu's feet, trying to turn toward Hidan—but Kakuzu's hand was already reaching out, all five fingers extended. Compressed wind release airflow gathered in his palm and severed Shikamaru's shadow directly.

"Don't get distracted." Kakuzu's tone was calm. "I'm your opponent."

Asuma was still lying on the ground. The wound in his chest had stopped expanding after Shikamaru pulled Hidan out of the formation, but the internal tear continued draining his life force. Every breath brought up bloody foam.

He braced himself against the ground and tried to stand, but the moment his arm straightened, it gave out again—a punctured lung. He was already severely injured.

Hidan crouched down and looked at Asuma's face, twisted by pain.

"Get up." Hidan smiled. "Aren't you going to protect your students? Get up and keep fighting."

Asuma gritted his teeth and used a chakra blade to brace himself against the ground, slowly forcing his upper body upright inch by inch. Blood poured from the wound in his chest and dripped from the hem of his clothing, but he stood up.

"Shikamaru... Choji... Ino..." Asuma's voice caught on the bloody foam rising into his throat, but he forced the words out. "Run..."

He suddenly turned, using his last bit of strength to hold his chakra blades across his body and swing. But the scythe blocked the strike.

Asuma's arm sank, and Hidan's other hand had already seized his collar, slamming him to the ground so hard he could not rise.

Then Hidan stepped back into the circular formation that had yet to fade.

He pressed blood against his chest. His hand pierced through his own left ribs—skin, muscle, ribs, all of it.

A new wound burst open in Asuma's chest at the same time. It did not split from the surface, but pierced through him from within—his lung was completely torn apart, two ribs shattered, and blood surged from his mouth, choking into his windpipe, unable to be coughed up or swallowed.

Suddenly, Kakuzu seemed to sense something. He looked toward the distant woods and withdrew his black threads. "Someone's coming. More than one."

Hidan clicked his tongue and remained crouched in the center of the formation. "I'm not done killing yet. What a waste of this sacrifice..."

"There's no time." Kakuzu turned away. "Go."

Hidan glanced at the motionless figure on the ground, then at the approaching presences in the distance. Reluctantly, he rose to his feet, pulled his scythe from the formation, and slung it over his shoulder. "Then I won't finish him off."