Changing the Worldline!

"Huh?! Where did this arrogant brat come from?!"

Hidan, who carried the bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe on his shoulder, was the first to fly into a rage.

He pointed at Ye Chuan and roared, his face twisted:

"You dare interrupt my ritual offering to Lord Jashin! This is blasphemy! I'll chop you to pieces! Your pain and screams will please Lord Jashin!"

"Hidan, shut up."

Kakuzu was much calmer by comparison.

His mask concealed his expression, but those eyes, which had seen the Warring States era, studied Ye Chuan closely.

"Don't get careless. This brat... feels far from ordinary."

"That sword doesn't seem ordinary, either."

He sensed an air of danger coming from Ye Chuan.

"Who cares if he's ordinary or not! Before Lord Jashin, all heretics will turn to dust!"

Hidan clearly took no heed of Kakuzu's warning. Laughing wildly, he swung his enormous triple-bladed scythe and charged at Ye Chuan like a madman!

Facing Hidan's seemingly wild but actually cunning strike, Ye Chuan did not even blink.

"Too slow."

His Observation Haki had already tracked every trajectory of the scythe.

He merely shifted his body slightly to the side and activated Soru, vanishing from his spot in an instant and appearing beside Hidan as though he had teleported!

"What?!" Hidan was startled when his strike missed.

Before he could react, Ye Chuan drove an elbow imbued with Chakra Enhanced Strength hard into his side!

Thud!

Hidan felt an immense force slam into him. As though struck by a battering ram, he flew sideways uncontrollably and crashed heavily into the distant rock wall with a dull thud.

"Tsk. You really can take a beating."

Ye Chuan shook out his elbow.

That blow would have been enough to incapacitate an ordinary Jonin, yet Hidan seemed to have merely grunted in pain before staggering back to his feet.

Apart from a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, he did not seem seriously injured. Was this part of his so-called immortality?

Just as Ye Chuan was about to move in again and see whether he could cut Hidan's neck clean through...

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

A Wind Release Ninjutsu blast like a high-pressure air pump came howling from behind, heading straight for Ye Chuan's back!

At the same time, several bizarre black tendrils darted like venomous snakes from beneath the cloak on Kakuzu's back,

Ye Chuan remained unhurried in the face of this sudden attack from both sides.

Armament Haki!

Pitch-black Haki instantly covered his back, taking the powerful Wind Release blast head-on.

Although it still left his blood churning, he was uninjured.

At the same time, his feet kicked repeatedly!

Geppo!

As though defying the laws of physics, he rose from the ground and nimbly avoided the black tendrils reaching to coil around him.

"He actually... blocked my Wind Release? And he can move through the air?!"

Shock finally appeared in Kakuzu's previously unruffled eyes.

This brat's Taijutsu and defensive strength far exceeded his expectations!

"I'm not done yet!"

Having just climbed to his feet, Hidan charged again with an angry roar, swinging his scythe like a whirlwind.

For a time, Ye Chuan was caught between Hidan's frenzied close-range assault and Kakuzu's long-range Ninjutsu.

Yet he still handled them with ease.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, both Hidan and Kakuzu found him difficult to deal with.

The youth before them was too strong!

And his fighting style was incredibly bizarre! Perception that could practically foresee the future, impenetrable defenses, elusive speed, and slashes with no detectable chakra fluctuations...

It completely defied their understanding of Konoha Ninja!

"Damn it! This guy's too slippery! My scythe can't even touch him!" Hidan bellowed in frustration.

He needed his opponent's blood to perform his curse ritual, but Ye Chuan's evasions were too nimble, and his defenses were so strong that Hidan could not find an opening!

"His strength and speed are astonishing, and conventional Ninjutsu doesn't seem to affect him..."

Kakuzu analyzed the situation calmly as well, already beginning to consider retreat.

Even working together, he and Hidan could not subdue this youth for the moment?

Just as the battle reached a stalemate and Kakuzu considered whether to use his other hearts.

A white figure silently emerged from the ground beside Kakuzu.

It was White Zetsu.

"Oh my~ Kakuzu, it looks like you've run into some serious trouble~"

"Pain's orders are to bring back the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki. We can't delay any longer! I'll help you!"

As he spoke, White Zetsu used the Mayfly Technique, preparing to take Yugito away by force.

"Not a chance!"

Ye Chuan had already locked onto White Zetsu with Observation Haki. In a flash, he appeared before him as though teleporting and slashed down!

Startled, White Zetsu hurriedly burrowed underground to evade him.

But that brief delay gave Kakuzu and Hidan a chance to catch their breath.

"Damn brat! Die!" Hidan charged again, swinging his scythe.

"Water Release: Water Curtain!" Kakuzu immediately used Water Release to provide cover as well.

"Tsk. What a pain."

Ye Chuan frowned.

It seemed he could only secure the Jinchūriki's safety first.

He stopped prolonging the fight, driving Hidan back with a feint before stepping on the air with Geppo and instantly rushing to Yugito's side, where she was pinned to the wall.

With a few swift swings of Wado Ichimonji, he cut through the black rods restraining Yugito.

Then he grabbed the unconscious Yugito and slung her over his shoulder.

"You're lucky this time."

His figure blurred again. Alternating between Soru and Geppo, Ye Chuan carried Yugito out of the cave in an instant like a phantom and raced toward Konoha.

"Bastard! Don't run!" Hidan tried to give chase in a fury.

But Kakuzu stopped him, staring darkly in the direction where Ye Chuan had disappeared.

"That brat's strength is unfathomable, and he's too fast. We can't catch him."

"More importantly... he rescued the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki! We must report to Pain immediately!"

White Zetsu nodded as well. "Mm~ What a frightening brat~ It looks like we'll have to account for him as a variable in our future Jinchūriki capture operations."

"Damn it! Damn it! I was so close! So close to sacrificing that woman to Lord Jashin! It's all that Konoha brat's fault!" Hidan continued cursing wildly.

"Shut up, Hidan." Kakuzu's voice was icy.

"Complaining won't solve anything. That brat named Ye Chuan really is powerful."

"His swordsmanship is strange. It doesn't seem to rely entirely on chakra, yet he could easily cut through my Ninjutsu and tendrils. He can even harden his weapon and body... I've never heard of such an ability."

White Zetsu added, "Mm~ And his speed and perception are incredible, too! It's practically like he has eyes in the back of his head! We must report the information about him as soon as possible!"

Meanwhile, Ye Chuan was heading back toward Konoha at full speed, carrying the still-unconscious Yugito.

He knew that by taking the initiative this time, he had thoroughly made an enemy of the Akatsuki.

But so what?

If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world and grow stronger, he could not stay behind the scenes forever.

It was time to let this world truly get to know him.