An Unexpected Reunion

Only a few years had passed since the Third Shinobi World War, and the major ninja villages were still licking their wounds. Mist Shinobi was no exception, and under the rule of the "Genji," many of them were even worse off than before the war.

But the Five Great Shinobi Villages are, after all, the five most powerful villages in the world, and Jonin from the Terumi Family and Hōzuki Clan come in large numbers.

With their mission to kill, they have no idea what they are about to face... Few ninja villages in the Shinobi World have the honor of facing five Kage Level ninjas at once.

"Is it finally starting...? I'm... already so impatient..."

Hidan licked his lips lightly, a fiery glint in his eyes. One after another, the Hidden Kirigakure Ninja rushed past him toward the Water Shadow Building. He was already somewhat unable to restrain himself from wielding the giant scythe in his hand.

Kato Osamu, Obito Uchiha, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori, the five of them, lurked in the darkness around the Water Shadow Building, quietly waiting for their prey to gather.

"Boom..."

Water Shadow Building and dust billowed up from the Water Shadow Building, startling the ninjas rushing towards it, who quickened their pace.

"Is someone here even faster than us?"

The Terumi Family's ninjas were scattered around, keeping watch while their eyes involuntarily drifted towards the direction of the Water Shadow Building. Tonight, Mist Shinobi was in too much chaos, so they couldn't afford to be careless.

"Stay alert, full speed ahead!"

The streets and alleys flashed by in an instant. The remaining Terumi Family ninjas did not linger for a moment. In a dark corner, a pair of excited eyes grew increasingly fervent. Watching the disappearing figures of the Kirigakure Ninja, they slowly emerged from the corner.

"Let's begin! Let's offer the best gift to the Jashin!"

Hidan channeled a Chakra into the scroll in his hand, and the originally small scroll disappeared into the white mist, revealing a huge scroll as tall as a person in front of him. He suddenly leaped onto the scroll, his hands quickly Hand Seals, and a beam of light shot out from the scroll beneath his feet, shooting straight into the sky.

"Is it about to begin...? It's still a little short... but it's alright..."

Kakuzu, on the other Kakuzu, saw the towering pillar of light, sneered, and instantly unleashed a hand seal almost identical to Hidan's. A pillar of light also erupted from the huge scroll beside him, and almost simultaneously, the other three pillars of light also shot straight into the sky.

As the pillars of light took shape, a deep blue barrier instantly connected the five pillars together, and the vast pentagram space was fully formed.

"This is... a barrier!"

The ninjas who had managed to escape the Water Shadow Building stood outside the barrier, a hint of horror flashing in their eyes. The dark blue barrier had completely sealed off the space inside the Water Shadow Building, hiding the enemy lurking in the shadows—and they hadn't even noticed it before!

"What on earth happened?!"

Almost all the Hōzuki Clan ninjas entered the barrier, while a few members of the Terumi Family, who were on guard duty, slipped through the net and stood outside the barrier with solemn expressions.

"What kind of barrier is this? It definitely wasn't cast by Kirigakure Ninja!"

"Captain, there's a scroll inside the pillar of light! The barrier was created by the scroll!"

"Quickly! We must break the barrier! Almost all the Jonin in the clan are inside! We can't afford to have anything happen to them!"

Countless Kunai shot towards the pillar of light where the scroll was located, but became illusory the moment they approached the scroll, as if they were just phantoms, passing through the scroll and falling to the ground.

"How is that possible?"

Before they could even be surprised, a painful howl instantly jolted them awake. Not far away, seeing that the dark blue light barrier didn't seem to block anything tangible, a daring ninja tentatively put his arm inside. But in just a moment, although his arms appeared unharmed, a soul-wrenching pain, as if being torn apart, made him roll on the ground in agony.

"This kind of barrier... could it... harm the soul?"

Seeing the unfortunate ninja whose arm was almost completely useless, hanging limply at his side like soft flesh, the remaining ninja felt a chill and involuntarily took half a step back, moving a little further away from the dark blue barrier.

The Hidden Kirigakure Ninja entered the barrier all sensed its strangeness, but in the almost silent barrier space, no one could answer their questions. The ninjas rushing towards the Water Shadow Building gradually withdrew their formation. Under these circumstances, the ninjas from the two clans wisely chose to fight as a group to deal with the enemy in the shadows.

Fire Release: Searing Migraine!

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

"Combined Ninja Art: Flame Wind Chaos!"

Kakuzu's Chakra seemed inexhaustible, and a strange creature wearing a special mask emerged from his body. In conjunction with Kakuzu's true form, the Five Elements Release were used with ease, catching the Mist Shinobi ninja group completely off guard in an instant.

Kakuzu

"Oh no! Enemy attack!"

Dozens of ninjas scattered, dodging the sudden ninjutsu.

"Secret Technique: Hundred-Person Drill!"

Behind them, however, the dim sky seemed to conceal countless deadly threats. A massive army of puppets, like raindrops or locusts, swept across the land at incredible speed under Scorpion's control.

Countless special mechanisms within his body seemed to be showcasing the profound techniques of a puppet master named Sasori. Working together, they sliced through the bodies of the hastily scattered Kirigakure Ninja, causing countless blood blossoms to explode in the sky. The blood rain, with an eerie beauty, slowly merged into the rain and mist.

"This time we're going to go all out! Jashin! I offer you my most devout faith!"

The moment Shinigami Scythe became stained with blood, Hidan transformed completely, his bizarre black and white body drawing Kato Osamu's attention.

"Brother Scorpion, it's just... just... I'm increasingly wanting you to join the Evil God Cult!"

Beneath Hidan's feet, a blood-red pattern suddenly took shape, seemingly a rudimentary ritual. Sasori's puppet danced, continuously dripping the collected ninja blood onto the pattern on Hidan's scythe and the altar.

Seemingly the first time he had offered such a large-scale tribute to the Jashin he revered, Hidan's body trembled slightly, as if he were extremely excited.

"Pain! The taste of pain... extreme pleasure... will arise from pain..."

"It's a gift from the Jashin! The Jashin has sensed my sincerity!"

The sharp, long thorns of the scythe pierced Hidan's heart inch by inch, bringing an intense pleasure that made his body shudder. His eyes even began to mist over, and the violent climaxes, like waves, repeatedly left his mind blank.

The Kirigakure Ninja were still in a daze, not understanding what had happened. They were probably still thinking about who the enemy was and why they were being attacked. Then, as if Kirigakure Ninja, they all moved in unison—clutching their hearts in pain, their eyes glazed over, and collapsed to the ground.

"What on earth happened?!"

"Damn it! Who are you?!"

The few remaining were among the best of this group of ninjas. Despite their shock, they quickly composed themselves and gathered in small groups, staring intently at the spot where Obito Uchiha and the others were.

"Hey, getting distracted at a time like this isn't a good thing..."

Obito Uchiha suddenly appeared in the crowd, his Kunai instantly piercing the neck of an unharmed Mist Shinobi.

"Go to hell!"

The Kirigakure Ninja naturally wouldn't let someone who dared to intrude into the enemy ranks alone get away. Their swords slashed at Obito Uchiha in an instant, but they all passed right through him the moment they made contact, as if Obito Uchiha's body didn't even exist in this space...

"How terrifying..."

Obito Uchiha's figure vanished again, reappearing beside Kato Osamu. A ghostly blue light flashed in Kato Osamu's eyes once more, Obito Uchiha's figure disappeared again...

"Who are these people?!"

His teammates fell one after another, almost completely powerless to fight back...

They had come to understand that every time the blue-eyed person in the distance flashed a blue light in their eyes, one person would be momentarily stunned, unable to avoid this ability even if they didn't look into their eyes.

And that being, seemingly not even existing in this space, would inevitably take away a dazed soul with each coordinated attack...

Meanwhile, the other three are also constantly searching for new prey... and they are extremely difficult to deal with...

"Escape!"

Without much hesitation, they realized this enemy was beyond their capabilities. Looking up at the barrier above them, their hearts turned cold, but the will to survive drove each of them to fight back with all their might...

"Have you had enough fun...?"

"Gentlemen..."

Obito Uchiha seemed to have lost interest in such a massacre, his gaze sweeping over the scattered Kirigakure Ninja with a hint of contempt in his eyes.

"It seems only Hidan is truly happy..."

Kakuzu's black creature had already retracted its body; he had little interest in these creatures that didn't offer bounties, they were just there to complete the job.

"Hahaha... Jashin is very satisfied! Jashin!"

"There is no one worthy of being Human Puppet..."

"Let's end this..."

"There are other things to do..."

Kato Osamu, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly straightened up a bit. He lightly clenched one hand, and the barrier changed shape. The scroll began to move, and the five pillars of light gradually began to shrink.

After releasing the five people from the barrier, they instantly surrounded each other, amidst continuous screams and wails, and with a final cry of despair, they huddled together tightly.

Seemingly having exhausted their energy, the scrolls that had been gathered together spontaneously combusted without fire, instantly turning into nothingness. There was no longer a single living creature on the earth, and the world seemed to become quiet in an instant.

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a powerful Barrier Ninjutsu..."

Kakuzu's gaze lingered on Kato Osamu, a hint of apprehension flashing across his face. He seemed to be deep in thought, yet his lingering gaze remained fixed on Kato Osamu's head.

"You probably wouldn't want to try..."

Kato Osamu gave Kakuzu a cold Kakuzu and didn't say anything more. He was already considering whether he needed to kill this man.

This man, standing at the pinnacle of bounty hunting, had a desire for exorbitant bounties that was almost tangible in his eyes; he could deeply feel his yearning for his own head.

There will be an opportunity...

Sasori gave a cold reply and followed behind Kakuzu. Hidan, seemingly still immersed in intense pleasure, looked somewhat reluctant to let go and savored the experience, shrugging at Kato Osamu.

The newcomer had already been met, and probably didn't leave a good impression. The work was done; the Akatsuki didn't encourage overtime. After giving Kato Osamu one last look, Kakuzu two disappeared into the night...

"The rest is up to you... Obito Uchiha..."

"Oh? Although it's somewhat different from the plan, perhaps it'll be just as you think?"

Obito Uchiha Kato Osamu, seemingly waiting for his explanation.

"I seem to have stumbled upon an old acquaintance... though I can always go back later..."

"Is that so...? As expected of a man who has traveled the Shinobi World, he certainly has a wide circle of friends..."

Kato Osamu glanced at Obito Uchiha, slightly annoyed but not objecting. He nodded slightly to Obito Uchiha, focused all his attention on sensing the faint, familiar fluctuation, and then disappeared into the night.

"Hey, I found it..."