"If you say one more word, I'll kill you."
Hidan waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned by the threat.
"What's the point of telling me that?" he scoffed.
Then he shrugged and grinned.
"Whatever. As long as I can spread chaos and offer sacrifices to Lord Jashin, nothing else matters."
His eyes gleamed with twisted devotion as he touched the Jashin pendant hanging around his neck.
"Whether they're Jinchūriki or not, I don't care. To me, they're all just sacrifices waiting to be offered to Lord Jashin."
Standing beside him, Kakuzu let out an irritated snort.
"What do you know?"
His green eyes narrowed.
"The Seven-Tails Jinchūriki isn't just Akatsuki's target. There are plenty of shinobi from Takigakure with valuable bounties on their heads."
A greedy glimmer flashed in his gaze.
"We can kill them and exchange their corpses for money at the bounty station. That's the important part."
Hidan rolled his eyes.
"Money? What good is money?"
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Only faith in Lord Jashin is eternal."
Kakuzu looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Everyone in this world can lie."
His voice was cold and certain.
"But money never lies."
Without waiting for a response, Kakuzu began walking forward.
"Let's go."
He sniffed the air.
"I can already smell our prey."
"Hey! Wait for me, Kakuzu!"
Laughing loudly, Hidan hurried after him.
---
Among all the Jinchūriki in the world, Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki of Takigakure, was a unique case.
Unlike the great hidden villages, Takigakure treated its Jinchūriki surprisingly well.
Perhaps it was because the village was small and lacked the resources to isolate one of its strongest assets. Or perhaps it was because Fū herself possessed such a cheerful personality that people found it difficult to fear her.
Whatever the reason, she had grown up far happier than most Jinchūriki.
At the moment, however, she wasn't happy at all.
She walked along the forest path surrounded by layers of guards.
The protection detail was so excessive that she felt more like a prisoner than an honored shinobi.
"Gentlemen!"
Fū puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm only going to take the Chūnin Exams. Do you really need to watch me this closely?"
She gestured toward the shinobi surrounding her.
"This feels like a prison escort!"
"Quiet, Fū."
The captain of the escort team immediately shut her down.
"You are Takigakure's Seven-Tails Jinchūriki."
His expression was extremely serious.
"Lord Jiraiya has already warned the Five Great Nations that Akatsuki has begun moving again."
The captain's voice grew heavier.
"As the only minor village possessing a Tailed Beast, Takigakure is extremely vulnerable."
"We are likely to become one of Akatsuki's first targets."
"So no, we cannot lower our guard."
Fū's shoulders instantly drooped.
"Ah..."
All her excitement disappeared.
She had finally gotten a chance to leave the village and hoped to enjoy herself a little.
Instead, she was being monitored every second.
Just as she sighed in frustration, a strange feeling suddenly stirred inside her heart.
"Hm?"
Her eyes narrowed.
Far ahead on the road stood two figures.
Black cloaks.
Red clouds.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
The members of Takigakure's escort team froze.
Their eyes widened with alarm.
"That pattern..."
"Those robes..."
Someone swallowed nervously.
"Akatsuki!"
The entire team immediately entered battle formation.
---
Standing in the middle of the road, Hidan and Kakuzu calmly blocked their path.
Although there were more than thirty shinobi on the opposing side, neither Akatsuki member appeared remotely concerned.
To them, the Takigakure escort force was insignificant.
A group of insects.
Nothing more.
Hidan scratched his ear lazily.
"Hey, Kakuzu."
He looked across the crowd.
"Which one is the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Kakuzu casually pointed.
"The girl in the center."
Hidan blinked.
"Huh?"
His eyes landed on Fū.
"That's just a kid."
For a brief moment, several Takigakure shinobi thought they detected sympathy in his voice.
The next second, those hopes were shattered.
Hidan frowned.
"Lord Jashin probably won't be pleased if I offer such a small child as a sacrifice."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Then again, killing children is usually pretty easy."
The atmosphere instantly became icy.
Every member of Takigakure stared at him in disbelief.
What kind of monster said something like that so casually?
Kakuzu folded his arms.
"Don't underestimate her."
"She may look young, but she's still the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki."
He paused.
"And Akatsuki's orders are clear."
"Jinchūriki must not be killed."
Hidan sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
"But cutting off their arms and legs is allowed, right?"
Kakuzu shrugged.
"That's your business."
Hidan's eyes lit up.
"And everyone else?"
A bloodthirsty smile stretched across his face.
"I can kill them, can't I?"
"Of course."
Hidan immediately looked like a child who had received a new toy.
"Wonderful!"
He spread his arms toward the sky.
"Lord Jashin!"
"Please witness this offering!"
"I will dedicate death and blood to you!"
With a crazed howl, he pulled the massive triple-bladed scythe from his back.
The crimson weapon flashed beneath the sunlight.
Then he charged forward.
---
"Protect the Jinchūriki!"
"Stop him!"
"Attack!"
The Takigakure shinobi moved as one.
Ninjutsu.
Taijutsu.
Shuriken and kunai.
Dozens of attacks surged toward Hidan like a tidal wave.
Yet Hidan's combat skills were extraordinary.
He dodged some attacks.
Blocked others.
Deflected several with his scythe.
His movements were surprisingly agile despite the weapon's size.
Within moments, he had passed through the storm completely unharmed.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu remained where he stood.
Watching.
Observing.
Not making any effort to help.
The Takigakure captain immediately noticed.
"Don't focus solely on Hidan!"
His voice rang through the battlefield.
"The other Akatsuki member is still there!"
"Even if he says he won't interfere, don't trust him!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The captain himself stepped forward.
As a veteran shinobi specializing in Water Release, he knew he had to take command of the battle.
His hands flashed through seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A tremendous surge of water erupted from nowhere.
The torrent roared forward like a collapsing dam.
The sheer volume resembled a giant waterfall crashing from the heavens.
It rushed directly toward Hidan.
But Hidan merely smirked.
"How boring."
He leaped high into the air.
The massive flood passed harmlessly beneath him.
Then he swung his scythe.
The blade hooked onto a nearby tree branch.
Using the momentum, he swung effortlessly above the raging water.
"So fast!"
The captain frowned.
At that moment, two hidden ANBU-level jōnin sprang into action.
This had been Takigakure's plan all along.
The Great Waterfall Technique was merely a distraction.
A trap.
The instant Hidan dodged upward, the hidden attackers would strike.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
One of the jōnin unleashed countless razor-sharp wind blades.
The attack instantly forced Hidan into a defensive position.
For the first time, his expression changed.
He quickly twisted around the tree trunk, narrowly avoiding the barrage.
But that was exactly what the second attacker had been waiting for.
The other ANBU jōnin appeared above him.
A massive sword descended.
SLASH!
The blade carved deep into Hidan's shoulder.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The sword cut through flesh and muscle before striking bone.
"We got him!"
"Success!"
Cheers erupted from the Takigakure shinobi.
Even Kakuzu glanced over.
"I told you not to get careless."
Hidan winced.
Pain shot through his body.
Yet instead of fear, a twisted smile appeared on his face.
The more pain he felt...
The more excited he became.
His grin widened.
"You bastard."
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"You actually dared to hit me with something that big."
The two attacking jōnin froze.
"W-What?"
"He's still alive?!"
Hidan laughed.
Then he violently ripped the sword from his own shoulder.
Blood poured down his body.
Yet he acted as though nothing had happened.
The wound began closing at a visible speed.
Not true regeneration.
But enough to keep him fighting.
Everyone watching felt their blood run cold.
"Impossible..."
"That wound should have disabled him!"
"What kind of monster is he?"
Hidan's laughter echoed through the forest.
Then he swung his scythe.
A crimson arc flashed.
Before anyone could react, the ANBU jōnin who had wounded him was sliced cleanly in half.
Blood exploded across the battlefield.
The corpse slammed against a nearby tree.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Fear spread through the Takigakure ranks.
For the first time, they truly understood why Akatsuki was feared across the shinobi world.
And the battle had only just begun...
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)