The most valuable part of the heart?
Upon hearing Kakuzu's words, Hidan impatiently slung his massive, blood-stained Triple-Bladed Scythe over his shoulder, his face showing extreme displeasure.
I have no interest in that stuff! Kakuzu, I'm warning you, you haven't helped me find a sacrifice for the Lord Jashin for a month! My patience has its limits! If I can't find a suitable one for the ritual, I'll take out your five disgusting hearts!
A living god, capable of leveling three mountains with a single sword strike and reigning supreme over the Land of Earth — Kakuzu ignored Hidan's threat, simply reciting the information from the bounty poster in his hoarse voice. His heart should fetch a good price, right?
"What nonsense!" Hidan frowned. "Who are you talking about?"
Kakuzu slowly pushed the wanted poster, which was enough to drive the entire Shinobi World mad, in front of Hidan.
See for yourself.
Hidan reluctantly looked down, and when he saw the name Uchiha Gen'yō, he just curled his lip in disdain.
But when his gaze fell upon the outrageously long list of bounties, even he, who was usually oblivious to money, couldn't help but pause in surprise.
Ten billion? And what about the Land of Fire's finances? Forbidden techniques? Hidan's face showed a puzzled expression. Are these things really that valuable? Can they compare to the pleasure that sacrificing an entire village brings to the Lord Jashin?
"Foolish fellow! You have no idea how wonderful money is!" Kakuzu let out a harsh sneer, staring at the bounty poster, his greed almost tangible.
One hundred billion taels is enough to buy ten small countries! Any one of those S-rank forbidden techniques could fetch an astronomical price on the black market! As for the control of the Land of Fire's finances, that's an endless source of wealth!
Kakuzu stretched out his terrifying, stitched-up hand, as if he held the entire wealth of the Shinobi World in his grasp.
Hidan, haven't you always complained that the offerings weren't devout enough and the rituals weren't grand enough? Kakuzu's voice was full of allure.
If we can get this bounty, I can buy you as many offerings as you want! Then you can use the entire Land of Fire as your altar! You can offer up all those daimyo and nobles to your Jashin one by one! Your Lord Jashin will surely be very satisfied with a ceremony of this scale, won't he?
Using the entire Land of Fire as an altar?
Hidan's breathing became rapid instantly, and a fanatical light erupted from his purplish-red eyes.
He began to imagine that scene.
On the Hokage Rock in Konoha, he used the blood of his enemies to draw the mark of the Jashin, and in front of the whole world, he slowly killed the Daimyo of the Land of Fire with a curse!
The thought of that scene, those agonizing cries, those desperate looks, made him tremble with excitement!
"So? Shall we go for this deal?" Kakuzu noticed Hidan's wavering and continued to coax him.
"Let's do it! Of course we'll do it!" Hidan agreed without hesitation. He licked his lips and asked impatiently, "Where is that guy named Uchiha Gen'yō? Let's go kill him now and offer him to the Lord Jashin!"
Don't rush.
Kakuzu's eyes instantly regained their calm and cunning, completely different from his previous greed.
He had lived for over a hundred years and had even fought against the First Hokage, so he knew the importance of intelligence and planning.
"Since the target is worth this price, he's definitely not someone we can easily deal with. According to intelligence, he's currently in Konoha, fighting the legendary Madara Uchiha, "Kakuzu analyzed. "If we rush over now, we'll just be throwing our lives away."
"What should we do then? Wait until they're done fighting?" Hidan said impatiently.
"No," Kakuzu shook his head. "Frontline combat is something only fools do. What we need to do is assassination."
He stood up, walked to the map in the cave, and his gaze fell on the huge map that had been renamed the Divine Kingdom.
This Uchiha Gen'yō, though terrifyingly powerful, has his greatest weakness in his so-called Divine Kingdom and his Uchiha clan members whom he cherishes like treasures. A calculating glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes. We'll infiltrate his stronghold, Iwagakure. That's the core of his rule and the source of his wealth. We'll create chaos there, assassinate his key subordinates, and destroy his factories.
If we make a big enough scene, he will inevitably be distracted, and might even rush back to deal with it personally. At that point, he will move from the open to the shadows, which will be the best time for us to strike!
"Hmph, what a load of bullshit plan, all these twists and turns, so troublesome." Hidan complained, but he didn't object.
For him, it didn't matter where he killed someone.
"Then it's settled. "Kakuzu picked up the banknotes from the ground, his tone turning cold.
He responded to the bounty through secret channels in the black market.
I only replied with two words.
picked up.
Two days later.
The Divine Kingdom, on the eastern border.
This place was once a barren land at the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass, but now, a huge energy canopy spanning tens of thousands of miles and reaching a height of tens of thousands of meters, composed of countless crystal energy towers, known Wall of the Divine Kingdom, has completely changed the landscape here.
Beneath the sky, two figures were furtively hiding behind a huge rock, spying on the miraculous defensive barrier.
It was Kakuzu and Hidan.
"Hey, Kakuzu, are you sure we can get in? This thing looks way tougher than your Takigakure's protective barrier." Hidan looked at the energy canopy flowing with golden runes and curled his lip.
"Shut up, I'm looking for the entrance." Data streams flickered in Kakuzu's eyes as he analyzed the energy flow of this massive barrier.
He soon discovered that although the barrier was touted as perfect, it was not completely sealed.
Directly opposite the former trade route, there is an enormous gate maintained by dozens of energy towers.
At that moment, a large caravan slowly drove through the gate after going through dozens of incredibly complex identity verification and cargo scanning processes.
See that, Hidan? Even the most perfect cage needs to exchange matter with the outside world. Kakuzu's lips curled into a cold smile. This is our chance.
"You mean, we should blend in with those smelly merchants?" Hidan with a look of disgust.
"No, that's too inefficient." Kakuzu shook his head and pointed to the massive city gate. "We just need to create a little chaos when the next caravan enters, and while the guards' attention is diverted, we can sneak in."
Creating chaos? I love that! Hidan instantly perked up, picked up his scythe, and was about to charge out.
Wait! Idiot! Kakuzu grabbed him, "Don't fight here! Our objective is infiltration, not a direct assault!"
Kakuzu pulled out several pre-prepared, powerful Explosive Tag from his pocket and, using his eerie black threads, silently placed them on a mountain wall several hundred meters away from the city gate.
Listen for my signal, and we'll act together.
Kakuzu squinted, waiting for the perfect moment.
Soon, the next caravan appeared on the horizon.
Just as the caravan was about to reach the city gate, the guards began their routine inspection.
Now! Explode!
Kakuzu suddenly Hand Seals!
Boom!
The distant mountainside exploded with a deafening roar, sending a massive plume of smoke and debris soaring into the sky!
What happened?!
Enemy attack!!
Dozens of Uchiha guards clad in Tengu armor at the city gate were instantly drawn to the explosion and rushed toward the blast site!
Walk!
Kakuzu let out a low shout, and together with Hidan, they transformed into two black shadows. Like ghosts, they took advantage of the moment when the city gate guards were unguarded and rushed towards the huge gate of light at top speed!
They were about to successfully infiltrate!
However, just as their feet were Setsuna to step into the realm of the Divine Kingdom...
A cold, emotionless electronic female voice suddenly rang out from directly above the city gate.
Alert. An unauthorized high-energy organism has been detected attempting to illegally enter the country.
Identification code: The Immortal Duo. Danger level: High.
Start the fly swatter removal program.
"What is that?!" Kakuzu and Hidan looked up abruptly.
Above the city gate, a giant Chakra energy cannon, with a muzzle diameter of over three meters, hidden within the wall, slowly emerged, its cold muzzle pointed directly at them.
At the center of the cannon's muzzle, destructive energy is gathering at an alarming rate!
Oh no! It's a trap! Kakuzu's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints!
Without a second thought, he immediately manipulated the Earth Grudge Fear within his body, preparing to use Earth Release: Earth Spear to withstand the attack head-on.
However, it was too late.
Have a pleasant journey.
The moment the cold, electronic female voice fell silent.
A thick white beam of light, powerful enough to instantly vaporize a small mountain, carrying terrifyingly high temperatures capable of purifying everything, crashed down upon the two of them!
Kakuzu! You bastard! Was your plan to bring us here to be blasted to smithereens?!
These were Hidan's last words before he was engulfed by the white light.