You've Already Been Cursed by Me

Clang, clang, clang!

The weapons clashed relentlessly, ringing out like a furious storm!

One of the figures wielded the Kubikiribōchō, a blade over two meters long, every swing radiating an intimidating pressure!

His opponent was a bald man armed with two machetes.

Decapitated corpses littered the ground around them.

As the eerie mist spread, it swallowed the lives of every one of Mira Peng's guards.

Mira Peng himself had barely escaped with his life under Hidan's protection.

If Shinji hadn't specifically reminded him before heading off in pursuit, Hidan really wouldn't have wanted to bother.

After all, killing people was his specialty. He'd never learned how to protect them!

So Mira Peng could count himself lucky. When Zabuza struck, Hidan had instinctively kicked him to the ground, sparing the man from being sliced in half.

Then he had started hacking away with his two machetes!

The mist around them was thick, but whenever Zabuza attacked, he also revealed his position.

It lasted only an instant, but that was still enough for Hidan to strike on instinct.

Perhaps Hidan's relentless hacking had angered him, because Zabuza simply stopped maintaining the Hidden Mist Technique and threw himself into the fight!

Hidan, meanwhile, was thrilled to find such worthy prey. Lord Jashin would surely be delighted if I offered him such a fine sacrifice!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Hidan's expression grew increasingly crazed, his machetes swinging faster and faster. For a moment, he almost seemed to be overwhelming Zabuza.

Yet throughout it all, Zabuza's gaze never changed, and his movements never faltered.

It was as though being overwhelmed wasn't even a possibility.

Because in his eyes, there were only two kinds of people: the dead, and those he was about to cut down!

And this loudmouthed, arrogant brat undoubtedly belonged to the second category!

Clang, clang, clang...

"Hahaha! I've decided. I'm definitely sacrificing you to Lord Jashin!"

Laughing wildly, Hidan swung his two blades at Zabuza's neck and waist, carelessly stepping into a puddle at the same time.

"Now!"

Zabuza's gaze sharpened, and the trap he had prepared at some point immediately sprang into action.

The puddle transformed into his water clone, which suddenly grabbed Hidan from behind.

Hidan forcibly broke free in less than a breath, but that tiny delay not only allowed Zabuza to escape his reach first-it also gave him time to send the Kubikiribōchō hurtling toward him!

Squelch!

One of Hidan's arms went flying.

Faced with the terrifying Kubikiribōchō, an ordinary person's first reaction would have been to dodge or block, avoiding being cut in two.

But in that instant, Hidan advanced instead of retreating!

At the cost of an arm, he not only avoided being bisected at the waist but also secured an opportunity to counterattack.

Whoosh!

His remaining hand gripped his machete tightly as he recklessly hacked at Zabuza's head.

Even Zabuza, a veteran of countless battles who had killed innumerable people, wavered for a moment in the face of Hidan's madness.

He only needed to pull his blade back and slash across to cut his opponent in half, but was it worth it?

Unwilling to die alongside Hidan, Zabuza hesitated for only an instant before choosing to retreat and evade for now.

After all, his opponent had already lost an arm and was constantly bleeding.

If he regrouped and resumed the fight, victory was practically assured!

Under those circumstances, why would he trade his life for his opponent's?

Was he out of his mind?

There was nothing wrong with Zabuza's reasoning. Anyone in his position would have made the same choice.

But that was precisely where the unexpected happened!

Hidan's suicidal slash failed to kill Zabuza, leaving only a shallow cut on his face.

But at the sight of the drop of blood trembling on the tip of his blade, Hidan could no longer contain himself and burst into unrestrained laughter!

"Are you ready to receive divine judgment?"

"You've already been cursed by me! Now, let the ritual begin!!!"

Grinning savagely, Hidan stuck out his tongue and licked the blood from his blade's tip, then violently swung his severed stump, scattering a large amount of blood.

Then he stepped into the blood and traced a distinctive symbol on the ground: a triangle inside a circle.

In the brief instant it took him to finish, Hidan underwent a tremendous transformation.

White markings covered his black skin, and his terrifying, savage face resembled a demon that had crawled out of hell!

Death Controlling Possessed Blood!

At that moment, Hidan finally got serious!

Zabuza sensed intense danger, but he had no idea where it came from.

Still, judging by his opponent's altered appearance, he could guess that Hidan had used some sort of forbidden or secret technique.

I can't let him complete his technique!

That was what Zabuza's instincts told him.

If he allowed that man to finish, something utterly horrifying would happen!

He had to stop him!

And so, Zabuza used the Hidden Mist Technique once again.

This time, he would finish his opponent with a single slash!

The Silent Killing Technique began.

Hidan, who appeared to be at a complete disadvantage, paid no attention whatsoever to the dense mist that instantly spread around him.

He even had the leisure to consider torturing his opponent thoroughly before killing him.

As though he had thought of something especially amusing, Hidan stared eagerly into the mist, waiting for that spectacular killing blow!

Here it comes!

Without a sound, Zabuza appeared directly behind Hidan and raised the Kubikiribōchō high.

The instant it began to fall, Hidan's instincts detected it.

Unexpectedly, however, he made no attempt to dodge this time. He stood rigidly in place as though utterly unaware, waiting to be decapitated, the corners of his mouth already curled high into a grin.

"Come on! Hurry up! Cut it off!"

"Killing yourself with your own proudest technique... I really wonder what kind of face you'll make."

Whoosh...

A faint breeze swept past, and the figure holding the Kubikiribōchō aloft suddenly dissolved into mist.

At the very last moment, Zabuza had actually chosen to stop?!

Now that he had withdrawn from Hidan again, fine beads of sweat covered Zabuza's forehead. Just moments ago, he had suddenly felt that if he brought that blade down, he would surely die!

Thinking back to how his opponent had seemingly left himself completely defenseless, as though waiting for Zabuza to kill him, he simply couldn't dismiss it!

The predicament immediately reminded Zabuza of certain humiliating events from his past.

That incident had also forced him to flee Kirigakure like a beaten dog and begin a life of wandering.