Relax, I Only Want One Thing from You

"Before we start, I need to bow to Lord Jashin a couple of times."

"Could you quit dragging your feet? You do this every time."

"I think it's a pain too, but I can't break Lord Jashin's rules. What am I supposed to do?"

The pair's bizarre exchange made Yugito grit her teeth in fury.

"Tch, how boring. But if you're from the Akatsuki, that works out perfectly."

"Stop mouthing off. I deliberately lured you here. You're not getting away today, even if you sprout wings!"

With a fierce shout, she detonated the explosive tags in her palm, sealing off the way in completely.

"Oh no, the exit's blocked. What do we do, Kakuzu?"

Hidan made a noisy fuss, but there wasn't a trace of panic on his face.

"Perfect. Now our prey can't escape."

"Me, escape? Dream on!" Yugito sneered. "On my name as Yugito, Kumogakure's second-strongest fighter, neither of you is leaving here today!"

"Uh, you're Kumogakure's second-strongest fighter? Aren't the Fourth Raikage and Killer B the strongest in your village?"

Who was that? Yugito's heart tightened. She looked around and spotted a boy standing nearby.

Kakuzu and Hidan froze too. Neither of them had sensed him beforehand. There was something unnerving about this kid.

"Oh, relax. I'm just here to borrow something."

Uchiha Yi watched Yugito, his tone casual.

Ugh, what rotten luck. The exit's blocked. Getting out later is going to be a pain.

I can't use Divine Flash or Kamui right now, and I didn't leave a Flying Thunder God mark outside. Finding my way out will take forever.

"You..." Yugito was about to explode when Matatabi, the Two-Tails inside her, stopped her. "Don't be rash, Yugito. This man is no ordinary opponent!"

"What's wrong, Matatabi? Do you know him?"

"No, but there's something terribly wrong about him. We can't beat him. Don't provoke him!"

Matatabi sounded unusually grave. This was the first time Yugito had seen her so afraid. In the past, she had blustered endlessly even against the Eight-Tails.

"Hey, kid! Where the hell did you come from?"

Hidan immediately bristled. They were in the middle of a hunt, and some kid had suddenly appeared, apparently after the Two-Tails too. Wasn't that stealing their job?

"Shut up. Say one more word, and I'll kill you!"

Knowing how much Hidan liked to run his mouth, Yi hadn't wanted to bother with him. But those words hit Hidan right where it hurt.

"Huh? You dare say you'll kill me?"

Hidan stamped his feet in fury.

"Hey, do you have any idea how pissed I get when someone talks to me like that?"

"Hmph, when I get pissed, the blood rushes straight to my head. And once that happens, I don't give a damn about missions or prey. I just want to smash everything!"

As he spoke, Hidan turned to glance at Kakuzu.

"Hey, Kakuzu, this guy's neither our target nor our prey. Can I do whatever I want with him?"

"Suit yourself." Kakuzu's voice was cold as stone. He didn't take it seriously at all.

Just then, Yugito's heart lurched. This time, Matatabi didn't need to warn her. The Two-Tails' chakra inside her was screaming that the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy before them seemed angry.

That momentary surge of Yi's chakra made her skin crawl. Now she understood why Matatabi had been so frightened. This guy wasn't human. He was downright terrifying.

"You're pretty cocky, aren't you?" Yi stared at Hidan, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "I'm not in the best shape right now, but a small fry like you still isn't worth getting serious over."

"Small fry?" Veins bulged on Hidan's forehead.

"Who the hell do you think you are, kid? How dare you talk to me like that? And those eyes you keep shut are pissing me off. You're just as annoying as that old bastard in our organization!"

Hidan gripped his bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe and swung it.

"This mission went against my Jashin Cult's rules in the first place. Our creed is to kill. Leaving anyone alive breaks the commandments."

"But now that you're here, killing you will make up for it!"

"You're really fucking asking to die!" Yi shook his head and casually formed a hand seal.

He did it with one hand. Though his eyes were closed and his strength was diminished, it was more than enough for a small fry like this.

"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"

With a wet crunch, a ten-meter lance of lightning pierced straight through Hidan. But instead of falling, Hidan grew even more frenzied.

"Hahaha! That hurts like hell! Offering someone like you to Lord Jashin would be just perfect!"

Hidan turned sideways, letting the lightning slice through his body, completely unconcerned about the pain.

Not far away, Yugito watched in stunned disbelief, her heart pounding.

That didn't kill him? And he's acting like nothing happened. What kind of monster is he?

"Immortality? I've been wanting to test just how strange that immortal body of yours really is."

Uchiha Yi stared at Hidan, his voice icy.

He raised his hand and unleashed Lightning Release: Thunder Tiger. A huge blue tiger wreathed in lightning lunged at Hidan in the blink of an eye.

This is bad!

Kakuzu sensed something was wrong and immediately acted, unleashing Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome.

An earthen wall rose from the ground, enclosing him and Hidan.

But a moment later, the Thunder Tiger blasted the wall to pieces.

Kakuzu followed with Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet and Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, only just managing to stop it.

Yet inwardly, he knew he was in trouble. This Lightning Release: Thunder Tiger was several times stronger than any he had seen.

He had taken his Lightning Release Heart from someone who used that technique, but in this kid's hands, its power was absurd.

Who the hell is this kid?

"Who the hell are you?"

Kakuzu's face darkened as he stared fixedly at Uchiha Yi.

"You're Kakuzu? Perfect. I was looking for you."

"Oh, you know me? Seems you know a thing or two. What do you want with me?"

"Heh, let me jog your memory. That business in the Land of Snow..."

"What?"

Kakuzu's pupils contracted. He immediately darted over to Hidan, grabbed him, and fled.

"Hey, Kakuzu, what the hell are you doing?"

"Shut up! This guy's trouble. Forget the mission!"

Kakuzu shouted without looking back, his mind already in turmoil.

He remembered the Snow Queen he had encountered in the Land of Snow. Her Lightning Release had been exactly like this kid's-absurdly powerful.

He was certain the person he had fought that day hadn't been the Snow Queen at all. Now, it seemed most likely to have been this kid, or someone working with him.

How the hell am I supposed to fight this? He knows all my secrets, and his strength is monstrous. Staying here would mean certain death!

"Trying to run? Dream on!"

Uchiha Yi snorted. Lightning surged around his hands again as he unleashed Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon.

A dragon formed from lightning shot forward, catching up to Kakuzu and Hidan immediately.

With a deafening boom, Kakuzu and Hidan were blasted far away.

Two sharp cracks rang out as two masks on Kakuzu's back shattered, costing him two hearts.

Hidan fared even worse. His entire right shoulder was gone, and his body was horribly mangled.

"Ah, that hurts like hell!" Hidan screamed. "Kakuzu, hurry up and patch me up!"

"Fuck!" Kakuzu gritted his teeth in fury and immediately unleashed Earth Grudge Fear.

A mass of black, wormlike threads poured out and stitched Hidan's ruined body back together.

Kakuzu glared at Uchiha Yi and roared, "You little bastard! How dare you do this to me! Even Konoha's God of Shinobi never pushed me this far!"

A snort escaped!

Uchiha Yi couldn't help laughing.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kakuzu. If Hashirama Senju had taken your assassination attempt even remotely seriously, do you think you'd have survived?"

"That's the funniest joke I've ever heard!"

"You're pissing me off! How dare you laugh at me? You're dead!"

Kakuzu stamped his feet in fury. He had escaped from Konoha's First, though his assassination attempt had failed, and deep down he knew the truth.

But now that Uchiha Yi had exposed it, he completely lost his temper and unleashed Fire Release: Searing Migraine.

The Fire Release mask emerged above Kakuzu's head and unleashed a devastating blast of fire.

But a water dragon shot out and instantly extinguished Kakuzu's flames.

A bloody streak flashed through the air as Hidan, his body freshly repaired, seized the opening and swung his bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe at Yi.

Uchiha Yi unleashed Water Release: Water Shockwave, blasting Hidan away.

Kakuzu seized the opportunity to unleash Secret Technique: Heart Extraction. "Your heart is mine!"

"Ugh, this is so boring! I'm done playing."

Uchiha Yi shook his head. Lightning enveloped his right hand as he punched into Kakuzu's body, blasting apart the Earth Release heart in his main body.

Then the lightning erupted, instantly tearing Kakuzu's entire body to pieces and shattering his two remaining hearts.

"You..."

Kakuzu opened his mouth to speak, but only managed that single word before collapsing, dead.

Hidan, who had just climbed to his feet, saw this and burst into crazed laughter.

"Hahaha, Kakuzu, you actually died? Looks like Lord Jashin likes you better after all!"

"Ah, but this is a problem. Now there's nobody to patch me up."

Hidan shook his head, looking troubled.

Uchiha Yi genuinely thought the guy was brainless. Even now, that was what he cared about.

"Heh, don't worry. Nobody's going to patch you up again, because you're dying here today!"

"Die?"

Hidan's face instantly twisted into a hideous snarl.

"I already told you! Lord Jashin protects me, so I can't die! You can't kill me!"

"Oh?"

Uchiha Yi smiled. "Then let's put that to the test."

"Wind Release: Great Wind Cutter Technique!"

Several wind blades shot out, chopping Hidan into pieces in the blink of an eye.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A gigantic fireball erupted, instantly reducing Hidan's scattered pieces to ash.

"If you're still alive after that, I'll admit defeat."

With that, Uchiha Yi turned and left to pursue Yugito. While he had been fighting Hidan and Kakuzu, she had taken the opportunity to slip away.

Clearly, after witnessing Uchiha Yi's power, Yugito had lost all her earlier arrogance.

In the forest, Yugito kept leaping forward at full speed. Every time she thought of that man's strength, her heart pounded.

He's too strong! Hidan and Kakuzu were powerful too, but against him, all they could do was take a beating. And he was just toying with them. That strength is terrifying.

"Watch out!"

The Two-Tails suddenly shouted. Yugito's heart sank, and she turned to see the very person she least wanted to encounter.

Fuck, he caught up already?

"Who exactly are you? What do you want with me?"

Yugito held her temper in check. "I'm from Kumogakure!"

"I know. You're Yugito Nii, Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki."

Uchiha Yi smiled knowingly. "Relax, I only want one thing from you."

"I don't have what you want."

Yugito rejected him immediately.