Amegakure, the Akatsuki's base.
"That Mei Terumi woman was actually captured by Konoha? I thought she had a chance to change Kirigakure, what a pity."
Kisame Hoshigaki sighed in regret, but the smile on his lips remained unchanged, making it difficult to determine whether he was Kirigakure with Kisame Hoshigaki and Mei Terumi, or mocking Kirigakure.
Pain had no interest in Kirigakure; in fact, the current Mizukage dying in Konoha would be the best outcome for the Akatsuki.
The Six-Tails and its Jinchūriki are still protected within Kirigakure. The weaker Kirigakure is, the easier it will be for the Akatsuki to capture them.
"Besides the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki were also captured by Konoha. In other words, Konoha was the complete victor in this war, except for the significant losses they suffered."
This group of fearless missing-nin fell into a brief silence for the first time. They repelled Iwagakure, defeated Kirigakure, and captured the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive. And this was Konoha, which had lost the Uchiha Clan!
How strong would Konoha be at its peak?
"So your purpose in summoning us this time is to take advantage of the situation and attack the severely damaged Kumogakure and Kirigakure?"
Sasori of the Red Sands's voice came from Hiruko, and this audacious plan startled the other Akatsuki members.
To take action against the Five Great Shinobi Villages —what a bold... and what a tempting idea!
Sasori of the Red Sands is the member of Akatsuki who has carried out the most war missions, even surpassing 'Finance Minister' Kakuzu.
It's not just because Sasori of the Red Sands's abilities are suitable, making him one-man elite troops; it's also because Sasori of the Red Sands needs a large number of 'experimental materials.' His Human Puppet Technique, like Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation, requires living people as test subjects.
Therefore, he was the first missing-nin to think of and dare to challenge the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"Haha, I definitely have to be included in this mission! Offering the Kirigakure ninjas as sacrifices to the Jashin Jashin surely make him very happy!"
As Hidan spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Kisame Hoshigaki. Undoubtedly, this was yet another provocation from Hidan against Kisame Hoshigaki.
You care about Kirigakure? Then I'll offer the Kirigakure Ninja as sacrifices to the Jashin!
Kisame Hoshigaki gripped the Samehada sword on his back, feeding Chakra his Samehada as food. Samehada became excited upon receiving the 'food,' and its entire body, resembling fish scales or barbs, trembled, shredding the bandages binding Samehada.
"Chief, you won't mind if I kill him here, will you?"
Kisame Hoshigaki unleashed a mouthful of shark teeth, his Chakra no less powerful than that of Tailed Beast, crashing against everyone present like waves.
Terrifying strength... This is the latest label everyone has for Kisame Hoshigaki. Originally, everyone just thought that this shark-toothed guy had some strength, otherwise he wouldn't have been recruited into the Akatsuki, but they didn't expect his strength to be so terrifying.
That sheer amount of Chakra alone was enough to surpass the vast majority of people present.
Pain was also satisfied with Kisame Hoshigaki's strength, as the stronger Kisame Hoshigaki, the higher the success rate of this operation. However, he was also very wary, because Kisame Hoshigaki was someone the man who called himself Madara Uchiha had personally recruited into the Akatsuki...
Pain glanced at Hidan, who was still intently staring at Kisame Hoshigaki, and then, without stopping their killing intent, said something rather inexplicable:
" Kisame Hoshigaki, be swift and decisive, and try to preserve Hidan's body as intact as possible."
Although he didn't understand the significance of this, perhaps Hidan's corpse still had some use. Kisame Hoshigaki had encountered this kind of mission requirement far too many times in the Kirigakure Anbu; some missions even required the preservation of a target's organ...
"Learn."
After saying that, Kisame Hoshigaki, carrying Samehada, slashed directly at Hidan with his sword.
This strike was powerful and heavy. Kisame Hoshigaki not only Chakra comparable to Tailed Beast, but his physique was also among the best of all ninjas. There were not many ninjas who could gain an advantage over Kisame in terms of Taijutsu.
clang!
Samehada's body was as hard as steel, and it made a piercing sound when it collided with the Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe. But what surprised Kisame Hoshigaki the most was that Hidan actually took the hit.
"This strength... Your Taijutsu is impressive. No wonder you dare to repeatedly provoke completely unfamiliar ninjas. But unfortunately, you've chosen the wrong opponent this time!"
Kisame Hoshigaki exerted his strength again, pressing Hidan's body lower and lower. The Samehada and the Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe rubbed together, creating intense sparks. In this contest of strength, Hidan was ultimately at a disadvantage.
However, Hidan, who was at a disadvantage, suddenly abandoned his ninja tools and retreated. Kisame Hoshigaki's power lost its opponent and slammed into the ground, creating a large crater in the rocky ground.
"Hahaha! I knew I wasn't wrong, you are the Lord Jashin's favorite sacrifice, I must offer you to the great Lord Jashin!"
Hidan laughed maniacally, drawing a black spear with his left hand and gripping the chain with his right, pulling the Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe he had abandoned on the ground back into his grasp.
Seeing the two about to clash, Deidara, Uchiha Itachi, Sasori of the Red Sands wisely gathered in a corner to watch the battle. Only their leader, Pain, remained confidently standing in the center, showing no concern whatsoever about being accidentally injured.
Deidara looked at the two people beside him: one was the object of his future revenge, and the other was an anomaly who pursued eternity and whose art was completely opposite to his own. He couldn't help but feel very bored.
But driven by his youthful nature, Deidara couldn't stay still. Before the two even started fighting, he approached Hiruko and asked curiously:
"Brother Scorpion, who do you think will win between them? The cultist, or Shark Tooth?"
Even though they pursued different art forms, Deidara still felt a strange sense of familiarity and identification with Sasori of the Red Sands. In short, he was much easier to get along with than Uchiha Itachi!
Sasori of the Red Sands didn't care about Deidara's ever-changing titles; his age, his experience, and his art made him indifferent to these external illusions.
" Kisame Hoshigaki."
"Brother Sasori's answer is as concise as ever, but why did Shark Fang win?" Deidara didn't like Kisame Hoshigaki very much because his cold eyes and temperament always reminded him of the even more annoying Uchiha Itachi.
"Because Hidan doesn't have the pure killing intent that Kisame Hoshigaki, the kind of killing intent that completely disregards everything. People like Kisame Hoshigaki are terrifying; to complete a mission, to achieve their goals, they can spare no expense, even their own lives."
The voice emanating from Hiruko still carries a sense of vicissitude, imbued with a profound understanding of the world.
Deidara was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard Sasori give someone such high praise. It seemed that Shark Fang was indeed a terrifying person. He should stay away from him in the future.