The sea, which had just been ravaged by a terrifying tsunami, now lay as flat as a mirror, eerily calm.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke stood with their backs to the shore, cautiously eyeing Hidan. Their positions blocked every possible route he could take to reach land.
Hikari's intelligence had never been wrong, and they weren't about to give Hidan any chance to get to the shore.
"Surrender, you've already lost!" Naruto shouted, raising Hidan's massive scythe with one hand and pointing it at him. The scratches on his arm had already healed completely.
With the Nine-Tails' chakra and his Sage Body, Naruto was closer to immortality than even Kakuzu or Hidan, unless his brain or heart was destroyed.
"Surrender?" Hidan sneered, his tone venomous despite his missing arms. "Your friend's about to be killed by Kakuzu, and I'll sacrifice all of you to the great Jashin!"
Even at a clear disadvantage, his immortality gave him an infuriating arrogance.
"Hikari will never lose!" Naruto shot back, his eyes burning with determination.
"Oh, Hikari, huh? What a pretty name. I bet her screams when she dies will sound just as sweet! Aaaah~" Hidan mocked, mimicking a pained cry while licking his lips, as if savoring the thought of her blood.
Kakashi and Sasuke's cautious gazes turned to shock at his words.
Is this guy for real?
They thought of the terrifying silver-haired girl on the shore, and instead of anger, their looks toward Hidan carried a trace of pity.
Hidan faltered for a moment under their strange stares, his trash-talking briefly stumbling.
"I've changed my mind!" Naruto growled, his face darkening as he raised the blood-red, three-bladed scythe into the air. "Guys like you don't deserve to exist in this world!"
"Hahaha! Lord Jashin's got my back—you can't kill me!" Hidan's lips twitched slightly, but he burst into wild laughter at Naruto's move.
Whoosh!
Naruto swung the scythe horizontally, aiming for Hidan's neck with a strike so powerful no one doubted it could decapitate him.
Armless, Hidan didn't dodge. Instead, he lunged forward, biting at the scythe's blade in a desperate last stand. Naruto's arm muscles bulged, and he put even more force into the swing.
"Gah!"
Bloodied teeth flew through the air.
The scythe's blade wasn't caught. Its curved edge sliced through Hidan's cheek, tearing it open.
Several teeth shattered under the force, and tattered flesh hung from the side of his face. Blood dripped from his chin, making him look like a bloodthirsty corpse.
"You fell for it, you little punk!" Hidan cackled through his ruined face. Strange black-and-white patterns began to spread across his body. Kakashi and Sasuke's Sharingan caught the wild surge of chakra coursing through him.
"Fall back!" they shouted in unison.
Naruto didn't need the warning. The moment he saw Hidan's transformation, he retreated frantically. Kakashi and Sasuke moved closer to the shore, bracing for a possible ambush.
But… nothing happened.
Hidan, now fully black-and-white, kept laughing maniacally.
No signs of ninjutsu, no strange phenomena. The terrifying chakra surge the Sharingan had detected seemed like an illusion.
What was going on?
Before the trio could process it, Hidan—who had just intimidated them with his Death Possession Blood technique—glared at Naruto with bloodshot eyes, then turned and sprinted toward the deep sea.
"?!"
Question marks practically floated above Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke's heads. They watched Hidan, now a tiny dot in the distance, running at full speed.
Wasn't he just acting all tough?
Isn't he supposed to be fearless of death?
Twice now, their lack of battle experience had put them in danger. They were on high alert, cautious to a fault, only to see the enemy fake them out and flee?
Why are these rogue ninjas so shady?
Kakashi was baffled. The changes in Hidan's body were definitely the result of a ninjutsu—consuming more chakra than three of Kakashi's Lightning Blades combined. It had to be an S-rank technique.
But was its only effect changing his body's color?
That made no sense. As Kakashi pondered, his eyes widened, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.
"No! He's heading for the Bridge of Heroes! Hikari said he can't be allowed on land—chase him!"
Lightning sparked through his leg muscles, and Kakashi became a blur, speeding after Hidan. Naruto and Sasuke, hearing this, recalled Hikari's warning. Their hearts sank, and they bolted after him.
In an instant, the tables turned.
Four figures raced across the sea—one fleeing, three pursuing. Hidan went from hunter to hunted, while Team 7 became the pursuers.
The sound of splashing grew frantic, ripples spreading across the water.
Without arms, Hidan struggled to balance, twisting his shoulders as he ran. As the massive pillars of the bridge loomed closer, a grin spread across his black-and-white face.
He'd grazed Naruto with his scythe earlier, drawing blood.
The Death Possession Blood technique didn't require swallowing blood. As long as foreign blood entered his body, he could activate the curse.
So he'd taunted Naruto with trash talk, successfully getting his blood.
Now, all he needed was to reach that place.
Once there, he could draw the ritual circle and unleash the full Death Possession Blood: Curse of Counter-Damage. That blond kid was as good as dead!
Behind him, the trio chased relentlessly.
Kakashi and Sasuke, using Lightning Release to boost their speed, led the charge. Naruto, face flushed and panting heavily, trailed behind.
The closer Hidan got to the bridge, with those eerie black-and-white patterns on his back, the stronger Naruto's sense of dread grew. It felt like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff—one wrong step, and he'd plummet into the abyss.
He had to move faster. He couldn't let Hidan reach the bridge!
Naruto made up his mind.
Skrrt!
He skidded to a halt, his blue ninja sandals leaving a long trail across the water.
With a flick of the scythe, he cut the bandages binding his arms and legs, revealing black leg and arm guards underneath.
These were special weighted gear, a birthday gift from Might Guy, crafted from rare heavy stone crystals. With a bit of chakra, they became incredibly heavy.
Naruto's hands flew through seals.
Seal!
The bandages unraveled, their sealing inscriptions glowing briefly with chakra. The leg guards and scythe vanished in a puff of white smoke.
The bandages, another birthday gift from Sasuke, were inscribed with seals by Hikari herself, so even someone with poor chakra control could use them easily.
I'm not some lonely orphan anymore!
Naruto carefully rewrapped the bandages around his arms and legs. In his mind, a green-tinted gate burst open, and chakra surged like a blazing sun, boiling within him.
I can't die!
Boom!
Sasuke, still chasing, heard a massive explosion behind him and instinctively paused.
What was that?
Whoosh!
A sharp gust whipped past, and an orange blur shot by, charging toward Hidan like the wind.
It was Naruto!
Sasuke's lips curved into a smile. Naruto had finally shed his weights and gone all out. After sparring with him countless times over the past five years, Sasuke knew his true strength.
With incredible willpower, terrifying physical prowess, and Might Guy's rigorous training, Naruto's taijutsu had improved by leaps and bounds.
When he removed his weights and opened the Gate of Opening and Gate of Healing in the Eight Gates technique, his speed reached a terrifying level. It was precisely because Sasuke couldn't track Naruto's high-speed taijutsu in combat that his Sharingan had evolved to two tomoe.
Watching the orange figure catch up to Kakashi, both closing in on the black-and-white Hidan, Sasuke focused, using Lightning Release to push his muscles to their limit.
He'd never admit it out loud, but he respected Naruto's strength and saw him as a vital friend and lifelong rival.
Hikari, that monster, was one thing—but he couldn't lose to Naruto!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures streaked across the sea.
As elite jōnin-level ninjas, their speed was extraordinary. In moments, they neared the Bridge of Heroes.
"Lightning Blade!"
As a master of Lightning Release, Kakashi was just a bit faster.
His three-tomoe Sharingan locked onto the fleeing figure. Using the burst of speed from his Lightning Blade, he closed the gap to Hidan.
Zzt!
The purple-blue Lightning Blade pierced Hidan's back, electricity coursing through him, visibly slowing him down.
Lightning Release had both piercing and paralyzing effects!
"Ugh! Lord Jashin will always protect me! Get ready to be sacrificed, you scum!" Hidan spat blood, the bridge now in sight. He forced his body to break free from the Lightning Blade and leaped toward the bridge's massive pillar.
The paralysis effect seemed to have no impact on his unnatural body.
Kakashi realized too late that Hidan's body was highly resistant to ninjutsu. Even a sea of flames that could reduce life to ashes had only charred him black.
"Hah!"
Hidan landed on the pillar, letting out an excited roar. His chakra-infused feet clung to the surface, making him look like a human flag.
Blood poured from the hole in his chest, dripping toward the sea, but he caught it precisely with his foot.
Then, with a single step, he drew a scarlet ritual circle on the pillar in less than a second, as if by muscle memory, and stood within it.
Curse Technique: Death Possession Blood—complete!
Zzt!
Kakashi, gripping crackling lightning, charged up the pillar toward Hidan.
The Lightning Blade, refined through shape transformation, no longer screeched like Chidori but emitted a single, condensed thunderclap.
Come on! Hidan thought, grinning maniacally.
Facing the devastatingly piercing Lightning Release technique, Hidan stood tall, exposing all his vital points, his face lit with a crazed smile.
Just one hit, and his opponent would die!
Imagining the shock, regret, and pain that would soon flood their faces, Hidan's pierced heart seemed to throb with excitement.
Lord Jashin, I hope you enjoy this unique offering!
The world seemed to fall silent.
Beneath the massive bridge.
One figure charged, wielding lightning, eyes blood-red.
Another stood tall, grinning with the resolve of a martyr.
Zap!
Kakashi's killing intent surged as he thrust his right arm forward, the terrifying lightning piercing Hidan's chest.
But Naruto suddenly clutched his chest, coughing up blood and collapsing into the sea.
This was the last thing Sasuke saw as he arrived.
His two-tomoe Sharingan spun, glowing with a blood-like crimson.
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves, at the lavish plaza built with great expense…
Buzz!
A vibrant red, diamond-shaped barrier flickered, shooting streams of energy into the sky. Laser-like high-pressure water blades sliced through the low clouds, leaving faint golden cracks.
The wind pushed the clouds aside.
Kakuzu, flying at high speed, was caught off-guard and sliced in half by a laser. A white, bull-shaped mask opened its mouth, unleashing a violent lightning spear from afar.
The red barrier clashed with the lightning, purple chakra flowing across its surface, casting a dazzling glow between sky and earth.
To the people of the Land of Waves, it might have looked like two gods battling.
And it wasn't far from the truth.
Kakuzu had abandoned his humanity, becoming a massive Earth Grudge Fear. Living as long as heaven and earth might be an exaggeration, but surviving centuries was well within his reach.
Hikari, having reversed the Eight Gates, possessed boundless vitality. Her Wood Release kekkei genkai pushed her body toward the evolution of Hashirama's cells, breaking the limits of human cell division. Her lifespan was limitless.
Immortal, capable of summoning lightning or tsunamis with a flick of their hands.
In ancient times, they'd be considered gods, their battle recorded as a "divine war" in religious texts.
Inside the barrier, Hikari watched Kakuzu's flashy aerial maneuvers with boredom.
His movements were impressive, but as long as he couldn't break her barrier, it was all just showy nonsense. Getting his heart pierced was only a matter of time.
But… why wasn't he running?
Hikari was genuinely puzzled.
Wind Release sniper bullets couldn't hit his heart's core, and large-scale sweeps were countered by Fire Release.
Her high-pressure water streams couldn't kill him instantly, so logically, he should've used his flight to escape. Why was he so determined to fight to the death?
What Hikari didn't know was that Kakuzu couldn't bring himself to leave.
Buzz!
Sliced into fragments for the umpteenth time, Kakuzu's heart surged with chakra, sprouting tendrils to dodge another laser.
His eyes drifted to the twin swords behind the girl below.
The Lightning Blade: Fang, the living bodies of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans, Kakashi's head and his three-tomoe Sharingan, Zabuza's head and the Decapitating Carving Knife—and he'd even spotted the corpse of Raiga Kurosuki in the plaza!
How much was all this worth?
Focused entirely on dodging the cutting beams, Kakuzu couldn't calculate the exact amount, but he knew this would be the most lucrative mission of his life.
More importantly, if he didn't kill the girl below, he'd get nothing. Worse, he'd have wasted time in the Land of Waves, lowered his mission success rate, and lost two elite jōnin-level hearts.
The sunk cost was too high. The enemy had to die!
---