Jiraiya felt his entire worldview collapse.
In all his years of training, traveling, perving, and surviving the madness of the shinobi world, he had never seen something like this.
Hidan's first attempt at summoning a toad had brought out an elite Myōboku creature—
and that elite toad had promptly gotten beat back into Mount Myōboku like some unfortunate delivery package.
A normal summoner would treat their powerful summons as treasures…
Orochimaru, for example, practically worshipped Manda, offering sacrifices every time he summoned him just to keep the massive snake from turning on him.
But Hidan?
Hidan treated the toad like an enemy NPC in a game.
It was obvious he didn't put summoning beasts as his equal at all.
To him, they were nothing but resources—useful if cooperative, disposable if not.
And honestly?
He wasn't wrong.
He had been searching for the three Great Sage Lands since day one for his own goals.
As for summoning beasts…?
Uchiha Madara. Uchiha Obito. Senju Hashirama.
None of them relied on summons.
They fought the world with their own power.
That—Hidan believed—was what truly defined a "strong" shinobi.
In the end, these so-called powerful summons were only useful as tools for the Animal Path.
If anything, they could be turned into high-quality puppets to strengthen it further.
"I said… shouldn't you give me the camera now?"
After several minutes of stunned silence, Jiraiya finally returned to himself and asked cautiously.
He was genuinely terrified Hidan might suddenly change his mind—because to him, Hidan was the definition of unpredictable.
Hidan didn't disappoint him.
Dropping his Susanoo, he walked toward Jiraiya with a completely straight face.
"Why would I give you the camera? I never said I'd give it to you."
Jiraiya: "?!!"
Damnit—!!
He suddenly remembered…
Hidan had never agreed to his request.
Hidan had only listed his own demands the entire time!
Jiraiya's face darkened like a thundercloud.
But Hidan merely smirked internally before speaking with a magnanimous tone:
"Well… seeing how sincere you are, giving you the camera isn't impossible, but—"
"But what!?"
Jiraiya grabbed his hair in panic.
Even if Hidan demanded more conditions, he had no choice but to agree.
His weak point was in Hidan's hands—literally.
"In the village, there's a kid named Naruto Uzumaki. I owe him a favor.
Teach him the Toad Summoning Technique."
Hidan stated calmly.
Because with his interference in the timeline, Naruto never met Jiraiya naturally.
And that summoning technique was crucial for Naruto's growth in the early and mid stages.
So Hidan could only push Jiraiya to go find him.
"No problem! I'll do it!"
Jiraiya agreed instantly.
One more student?
Who cared.
He already had a small army of disciples anyway.
The small camera flew out from the swirling space vortex of Hidan's right eye and landed in his hand.
He passed it to Jiraiya without hesitation—no regret, no second thoughts.
Jiraiya examined it suspiciously, turning it over in his hands.
It really was the same camera Hidan had used to secretly photograph him.
Immediately, chakra surged through Jiraiya's palm.
A spinning blue sphere formed—pure wind-nature chakra condensed into a violent rotation.
"Rasengan?"
Hidan raised a brow. He was interested, but skills like this weren't Hidan's type.
Compared to Rasengan, Chidori suited him more.
A second later—
The camera flew into the air.
Boom!
Jiraiya smashed it with the Rasengan, shredding it into fine fragments.
"Whew…"
After destroying the stain of his lifetime, Jiraiya finally felt the weight leave his heart.
He was more relaxed than he'd been in days.
Hidan looked at him with a secret grin.
So focused on the camera…
But he forgot the real issue—
What about the film inside?
The camera Hidan handed over had been empty.
He had long since removed the film and stored it safely inside his Blood Sea Dimension—
Waiting for the perfect day to ruin Jiraiya's mood again.
As an Evil God devotee, making others miserable brought him joy.
After getting the exact location of Mount Myōboku, Hidan returned home.
But walking into the quiet courtyard without Konan felt strangely empty.
He had gotten used to her presence.
And when someone vanishes from your daily life, the silence hits differently.
Still, by his calculations, Konan should return soon—after the Chūnin Exams at the latest.
"Today is the final round of the Chūnin Exams. I wonder if things will play out differently now?"
Hidan murmured to himself as he walked toward the arena.
He was curious.
Would Sasuke force Gaara's "fake sleep" transformation out early?
Or would Gaara push Sasuke into using the Curse Mark?
Either way, it sounded fun.
In the match order, Hidan ended up ranked first—
His opponent?
Naruto Uzumaki.
Originally, it should've been Hinata Neji versus Naruto.
But Hidan's existence broke the schedule, making Naruto face him instead.
Since Naruto had never seen Hidan's masked appearance, he didn't recognize him at all.
And honestly, among the new generation, Naruto was the most uninformed.
Everyone else had clan training and support.
Naruto only had the Nine-Tails.
"Hah… first fight of the finals. Boring."
Hidan yawned.
"Well, whatever. I'll help Naruto a bit."
His eyes sharpened with calculation.
"Let the Nine-Tails' seal loosen a little…
Use Genjutsu to pressure the fox…
Push Naruto into becoming a true Jinchūriki faster."
That would benefit both Naruto's growth—
And Hidan's ultimate goals.
Sometimes, helping the protagonist was simply part of the plan.
--
The venue for the final round of the Chūnin Exams was a massive colosseum-like arena: a circular battlefield encircled by tall stone walls, surrounded by layered spectator stands that rose like a grand amphitheater.
At the highest ring of seats sat the daimyō of various nations, clan heads, and elite shinobi from different villages.
Above even them, at the very top, were the two exclusive platforms reserved for the Hokage and Kazekage.
On the Hokage's side, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat with only one ANBU guard.
Meanwhile, four guards stood behind the "Fourth Kazekage"—
but every one of those guards was actually a disguised subordinate of Orochimaru, positioned there for one purpose:
to clamp down on the Third Hokage the moment the invasion began.
When all participants had arrived, Shiranui Genma finally stepped forward to announce the beginning of the finals.
"The first match—Hinata Neji versus Naruto Uzumaki!"
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Genma was nothing like the chronically ill Hayate; normally, he would have reacted with confusion over the altered matchups…
but his mind today was elsewhere.
The death of Gekkō Hayate.
The Third Hokage had held a special emergency meeting over the matter, and Genma had been present.
Konoha was now on high alert, and ANBU operatives were hidden throughout the arena, ready for any disturbance.
The entire village was operating under near wartime protocols.
Every institution, every shinobi unit—except for Danzo's Root—was mobilized and running at full speed.
Hayate's death had shaken the village out of its long-held peace and reminded everyone that danger was always one breath away.
Hidan walked calmly through the dim passage and stepped onto the battlefield.
Naruto had already sprinted into the arena, full of restless energy.
To him, Hidan—the masked prodigy who had appeared out of nowhere—was the perfect opponent.
A stepping stone.
If he wanted to become Hokage, then defeating this mysterious, fearsome "dark horse" in front of the entire village was the first step.
"Match… begin!!"
The instant Genma gave the signal, Naruto charged like a wild beast unleashed.
But Naruto's speed was nowhere near Hidan's.
Hidan tilted slightly to the side, dodging Naruto's punch without even trying, and in the blink of an eye appeared behind him.
His kick landed clean.
BOOM!
Naruto flew across the field like a launched projectile and crashed into the ground.
"Ow—dammit! That really hurts! How is he this fast!?" Naruto winced, clutching his side.
The blow stung, but thanks to his insane healing factor—and the fact Hidan held back—it wasn't serious.
Hidan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So physical contact isn't enough. I can't sense the Nine-Tails unless I go through the seal at his navel."
Unless he killed Naruto outright and let the Nine-Tails spill out—which obviously wasn't an option—he had to use the seal as a bridge to access the fox's chakra.
"Hmph! Fine then! Let's see you dodge this! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto had only one solution in his head:
If one Naruto couldn't catch him, then an army of Narutos would.
He planned to flood the arena with clones, trapping Hidan from all angles.
But with his current chakra reserves… filling the entire stage was impossible.
So he kicked the metaphorical fox cage.
"Hey! Stupid fox! Give me some chakra!"
Naruto closed his eyes and yelled inwardly, hoping for a reaction.
To his surprise, the Nine-Tails responded immediately.
A massive surge of chakra flooded into Naruto, overflowing through his coil network.
A faint whisper echoed from deep within:
"Kill him… Kill the one with those eyes."
But Naruto heard nothing.
The Four Symbols Seal had not weakened at all.
Combined with Orochimaru's Five Elements Seal, it left the Nine-Tails shackled and unable to speak properly.
The only reason the Nine-Tails reacted at all was because of Hidan.
Or rather—because of Hidan's Mangekyō Sharingan.
The moment Hidan observed him, the Nine-Tails felt it.
That accursed chakra… that familiar, hateful power.
Madara's eyes.
Obito's eyes.
The Sharingan that had once enslaved him.
Even half-asleep, fury rose in the fox's bones, and it poured chakra into Naruto without hesitation.
Naruto, naturally, had no idea.
And even if he had heard the whispered command, he would never kill someone in a tournament.
Hidan exhaled lightly as Naruto's aura changed.
Wrapped in a cloak of boiling red chakra, tails flickering behind him, Naruto looked like a miniature Nine-Tails pacing in human form.
"So you came out yourself."
Hidan smiled faintly.
Originally, he thought he'd have to loosen the seal himself to contact the fox…
but if the Nine-Tails offered chakra voluntarily, then things became even simpler.
With this chakra as a connector, he could locate the fox's presence instantly—and using Naruto's body as the link, he could cast Genjutsu and seize control while the beast slept.
The perfect opportunity.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"
Empowered by the Nine-Tails, Naruto unleashed a massive wave of clones.
One after another, the entire arena filled with Narutos—hundreds, nearly a thousand.
All of them pointed at Hidan.
"It's time!!"
Hidan sighed.
Naruto really was hopeless sometimes.
If he knew Hidan was fast, then he should also know Hidan's taijutsu was just as monstrous.
A crowd of fragile shadow clones wasn't going to do anything.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto was still a step behind.
But…
Hidan's eyes softened with a faint, dangerous grin.
"Well then, Naruto… let me help you awaken your protagonist halo a little earlier."
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