After a brief moment of hesitation, Fū let out a furious roar and charged at Hidan.
As the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and the greatest pride of Takigakure, Fū had always been treated differently from the other Jinchūriki. She had been raised as the village's treasure, receiving the best care and support available.
Although she had yet to fully master the power of Chōmei, her strength far surpassed that of ordinary shinobi.
A surge of chakra erupted from her body. The distinctive wings of the Seven-Tails appeared behind her, spreading wide as they caught the wind. With a powerful flap, she launched herself into the air and shot toward Hidan at incredible speed.
"Wing Strike!"
The Dust Concealment Jutsu had obscured Hidan's vision, preventing him from opening his eyes properly. Caught off guard, he failed to react in time.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fū's wings struck him repeatedly with explosive force.
Blood sprayed everywhere as Hidan's body was violently torn apart.
"Damn it!"
"That hurts like hell, you bastard!"
"Lord Jashin will never forgive you!"
Fū glared at him in disgust.
"You've slaughtered countless innocent people, yet you still pray for divine protection? I'll avenge everyone you've killed!"
Nearby, Kakuzu smirked.
"Hey, Hidan. Don't tell me you're going to get beaten by a little girl."
"Shut up, Kakuzu!" Hidan snapped. "I already told you—I'm going to kill every last one of them!"
Despite the horrific wounds covering his body, his combat ability remained completely unaffected.
Fū stared in disbelief.
"My Wing Strike didn't stop him at all?"
"Is he even human?"
"Fū, be careful!" one of the Takigakure shinobi shouted. "That bastard seems immortal! You probably need to cut off his head to kill him!"
"His head?"
Fū took a deep breath.
"Understood. Leave him to me."
Hidan wiped the blood from his face and revealed a savage grin.
"You little brat... I'll show you the glory of Lord Jashin!"
Ignoring the unbearable pain coursing through his body, he swung his triple-bladed scythe wildly.
Fū immediately rose higher into the sky, using her wings to maintain distance. She continuously launched attacks from above while combining her Wing Cutting Jutsu with Dust Concealment Jutsu.
For a time, Hidan found himself completely unable to retaliate.
Unfortunately, Hidan wasn't the type to play fair.
Since he couldn't reach Fū, he turned his attention toward the other Takigakure shinobi instead.
His blood-stained scythe swept through the battlefield.
Wherever it passed, blood splattered and screams echoed.
Ordinary ninja simply couldn't withstand his attacks.
"Damn it! Stop!"
Unable to watch her comrades die any longer, Fū dove down from the sky to intercept him.
A vicious grin spread across Hidan's face.
He had been waiting for exactly this opportunity.
Slash!
The scythe sliced across Fū's arm.
Blood immediately flowed from the wound.
Kakuzu's lips curled upward.
"The battle is over."
However, the Takigakure shinobi still didn't realize the true danger.
"Fū! Are you okay?"
Fū clenched her teeth and nodded.
"I'm fine."
"It's only a scratch on my arm."
Hidan burst into hysterical laughter.
"Only a scratch?"
"You stupid little girl!"
"You have no idea what you've just done!"
"You've already been cursed by Lord Jashin!"
"Hahahahaha!"
As he laughed, he slowly licked the blood from his scythe's blade.
Fū's blood.
The moment he swallowed it, his body began to change.
Dark markings spread across his skin until his entire body transformed into a terrifying black-and-white pattern.
His appearance became monstrous, resembling a demon that had crawled out of the depths of hell.
"What... what is that?"
The Takigakure shinobi stared in horror.
None of them understood what was happening, yet every instinct in their bodies screamed that something was terribly wrong.
Fū felt it too.
A chill ran down her spine.
An overwhelming sense of impending death emerged from the depths of her soul.
"What's going on?"
"Why do I feel like I'm about to die?"
"It was only a small cut..."
"What is he planning to do?"
Still grinning, Hidan pulled out a second weapon—a long, jet-black spear.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, he drove the spear directly through his own palm.
Pfft!
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Yet instead of pain, an expression of twisted pleasure appeared on his face.
"Ah..."
"That feels wonderful..."
Hidan rolled his eyes in ecstasy, savoring the sensation.
Kakuzu merely snorted.
The remaining Takigakure shinobi could only stare in stunned silence.
Using the blood beneath his feet, Hidan quickly drew a strange symbol on the ground.
A circle.
Inside it, a triangle.
The exact same symbol engraved on the pendant hanging around his neck.
The emblem of the Jashin faith.
Raising both arms toward the sky, he stepped into the center of the symbol with fanatical devotion.
"Lord Jashin!"
"The preparations for the sacrifice are complete!"
"Now comes the true offering!"
Fū frowned.
"What is he doing?"
Two Takigakure shinobi immediately reacted.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good!"
"Stop him now!"
Without hesitation, they hurled a barrage of kunai and shuriken toward Hidan.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ninja tools cut through the air.
Yet Hidan made no attempt to dodge.
He simply stood there and allowed them to strike him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two shinobi froze.
"Doesn't he feel pain?"
"Why isn't he even trying to avoid them?"
Then it happened.
Fū's face suddenly turned pale.
A sharp pain exploded throughout her body.
She clutched her chest as blood burst from fresh wounds.
Unable to remain standing, she collapsed to the ground.
"Fū!"
"What's wrong with you?!"
The surrounding shinobi rushed toward her.
Their expressions quickly changed.
The wounds appearing on Fū's body were identical to those inflicted on Hidan.
"No..."
"Those aren't old injuries..."
"They're..."
Hidan's maniacal laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Can you feel Lord Jashin's curse now?"
"You blasphemers who dare disrespect Lord Jashin!"
The Takigakure shinobi weren't fools.
By now, they had roughly figured out the nature of his ability.
"Could it be..."
"His technique links his body to his target?"
"But that's impossible!"
Hidan gave them no time to think.
"Enjoy the pain bestowed upon you by Lord Jashin!"
Without warning, he thrust the black spear through his own right leg.
Crunch!
The spear pierced flesh and bone alike.
At that exact moment, Fū let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Aaaahhh!"
A massive bloody hole appeared in her right leg.
The damage was perfectly mirrored.
Several shinobi rushed forward to protect her, but none of them knew how to counter such a bizarre ability.
"This monster..."
"He curses himself and transfers the damage to his enemy!"
"How are we supposed to fight something like that?"
"He may be immortal, but Fū isn't!"
"He's trying to torture her to death!"
"You bastard!"
"Someone stop him!"
"How?"
"If we injure him, Fū will suffer the same damage!"
The battlefield descended into panic.
Despair began spreading through the ranks of Takigakure.
Then Kakuzu finally spoke.
"Hidan."
His cold voice cut through the chaos.
"Have your fun if you want, but don't forget the mission."
"A Jinchūriki cannot be killed."
"Those are the leader's direct orders."
Hidan clicked his tongue impatiently.
"You're so annoying, Kakuzu."
"Can't you let me enjoy myself for once?"
Kakuzu remained expressionless.
"Play with the others all you want."
"But the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki must be captured alive."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
Though he sounded annoyed, Hidan lowered his spear.
For now, at least, Fū's life had been spared.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)