"Lord Raikage, just who were those enemies? And that one who suddenly appeared earlier…"
"Lord Raikage, we're still unclear about the other two, but there's no doubt—the third man was the culprit who attacked Bee."
Darui analyzed calmly.
"His swordsmanship was able to decapitate that immortal monster outright, and his taijutsu was terrifying. I couldn't even see where he came from."
"I couldn't detect him at all,"
Mabui added with a frown.
"His concealment was flawless."
"Mm."
Darui nodded in agreement.
The Raikage stared in the direction Yagyū Souma had disappeared, remaining silent for a long while before finally speaking.
"Forget that man for now. He's connected to the Nine-Tails—we'll get information out of Konoha one way or another."
"Your meaning is…?"
"Investigate the other two," the Raikage snorted coldly.
"One can't die, and the other is absurdly strong. People at that level don't just come out of nowhere."
He was thoroughly unsettled by what he'd seen—especially Hidan.
Rituals, chanting about some 'evil god,' getting decapitated and still not dying…
Unheard of.
But there was another consideration.
If they could obtain even part of that 'immortality' secret, Cloud Village's Lightning Armor and taijutsu would jump to an entirely new level.
"Lord Raikage, about Konoha—"
"We still go," the Raikage cursed.
"He helped us, sure—but I suspect he lured those two here in the first place. In the end, we cleaned up his mess!"
"Is that helping? That's us doing him a favor!"
"Yes!"
Land of Rice Fields — Sound Village
Jūgo crouched in a corner, struggling to suppress the violent killing intent raging inside him.
Beside him was a massive kikaichū—and a headless corpse.
The body was torn into four or five pieces, blood still flowing, yet somehow… it was still alive.
"Kill him… tear him apart…"
Jūgo muttered deliriously. If not for the kikaichū frantically absorbing the senjutsu chakra leaking from his body, he would have completely lost control already.
But now the insect faced a different problem.
It was almost full.
Buzz—buzz!
The kikaichū vibrated its wings anxiously, then—
More insects began gathering.
Moments later, fueled by the surplus chakra, new kikaichū were born.
They were incredibly fragile.
Of the hundred-plus insects that tried absorbing Jūgo's senjutsu chakra, fewer than five survived.
The rest underwent grotesque mutations.
"Hh…!"
Jūgo gradually regained a bit of clarity.
He knew—
That grotesque body had definitely been sent by Yagyū Souma.
Destroying it could lead to serious consequences.
So he shrank back into the corner, not daring to move.
Just then—
"What happened here?"
"It looks like a corpse suddenly appeared in Lord Jūgo's room. He couldn't suppress it at all."
Red Lotus and Karin entered in quick succession.
Karin's face instantly turned pale. She turned away, gagging.
She'd worked as a half-trained medic in Grass Village before—but she had never seen something this horrifying.
Bodies torn apart… yet still alive?
What kind of thing was this?!
No wonder Jūgo went berserk. If she found this in her room, she'd lose her mind too.
Red Lotus, however, remained much calmer.
"No need to panic. It's obviously one of Lord Yagyū Souma's enemies."
"Karin, use a sealing technique to restrain Jūgo for now. I'll move the remains."
"Yes!"
Karin quickly set up a sealing barrier, suppressing Jūgo's movement and chakra.
Red Lotus then used Crystal Release to encase the corpse and carry it away.
Only then did Jūgo finally calm down.
"It's fine now… thank you."
"It's nothing," Karin said hesitantly.
"Did something happen just now?"
Jūgo thought for a moment.
"He was probably transported here with space–time ninjutsu, but the passage wasn't stable… so he ended up like this."
"No, I mean you," Karin asked.
"Are you okay? Do you want me to treat you?"
"No need. My body recovers quickly," Jūgo replied gently.
"I just… sometimes lose control. Earlier, I sensed the aura coming from him and snapped."
Once calm, Jūgo was mild-mannered and honest—
Which was why people called him Jūgo the Balance.
Normally gentle.
In frenzy, a completely different person.
"I see…"
Karin looked around, unsure what else she could do.
Then—
She heard sharp hissing sounds.
Turning her head, she saw five kikaichū fighting viciously in the corner, their bodies glowing with purple and crimson light.
Karin froze.
Aren't those… Lord Yagyū Souma's insects?
Why—
"They absorbed my chakra and became like that," Jūgo said worriedly.
"I don't know if that's good or bad."
The insects weren't just fighting.
They were devouring the corpses of the dead kikaichū, as if undergoing some kind of ritual—or evolution.
Or maybe they were simply killing each other.
Jūgo could communicate with animals, but only when they were willing. These kikaichū were in a completely frenzied state—communication was impossible.
"Should we separate them?" Karin asked.
"No," Jūgo shook his head.
"Separating them might stop it… or it might make things worse."
He had never seen a lifeform like this before.
Just then—
"Wait."
Karin crouched down, observing closely. Her perception swept over the insects continuously.
After a moment, she said firmly:
"Stop them."
"…Alright."
Jūgo didn't hesitate.
He forcefully intervened, separating the insects—now reduced to three.
They tried viciously to bite his fingers, but couldn't reach.
Afterward, Jūgo looked at Karin in confusion.
"Why?"
"I—I'm not sure," Karin admitted.
"It just feels like their chakra has reached its limit. If they keep consuming, something bad will happen."
She paused, then added thoughtfully:
"You could say… my perception and intuition told me so."
"Intuition…"
Jūgo fell silent.
That didn't sound especially reliable.
He looked at the insects in his hands.
"What do we do now?"
"I don't know… maybe try pulling the chakra back?"
"I'll try."
Jūgo attempted it, but quickly shook his head.
It didn't work.
His chakra inside the insects had already transformed into something else—stored somewhere unknown. There was no way to retrieve it.
"Let's lock them up for now," Karin said.
"We'll wait for Lord Yagyū Souma to return."
Night fell.
Yagyū Souma returned to Sound Village.
Hidan was still ranting—but weakly now, barely able to speak, half-dead at best.
Only his mouth remained stubborn.
The Nine-Tails crouched on Yagyū Souma's shoulder, gazing at Hidan with pity.
It had been proven once again—
The most terrifying thing wasn't death.
It was wanting to die… and being unable to.
In Hidan's condition, what awaited him was endless experimentation.
And because he couldn't die, he'd probably be dragged into all kinds of horrific tests by Yagyū Souma, that devil.
Pitiful.
But the Nine-Tails had no intention of saving him.
If anything, it wanted to laugh out loud.
You wanted to capture me?
This is all you've got?
"If Akatsuki's only this capable, they're pretty disappointing,"
the Nine-Tails sneered.
"If I made a move, it'd be over instantly."
"Yeah, yeah, sure,"
Yagyū Souma replied lazily.
Arguing with the Nine-Tails was pointless.
This clone consciousness thrived on bickering.
Besides—
When dealing with tailed beasts, as long as you secured your own interests, it was best to stroke them the right way.
Especially the Nine-Tails.
That was experience talking.
"What—Lord Yagyū Souma, you're back!"
Tosu was leading a patrol. Upon seeing him, he immediately bowed and lowered his voice.
His teammates exchanged confused glances.
They didn't recognize Yagyū Souma, but it was obvious he was someone important.
Yagyū Souma, however, fell into thought.
This was the second time.
The first time, he'd walked straight down the main road without hiding—being discovered was expected.
But this time—
He hadn't used the main road at all. He'd concealed his presence with a chakra barrier the entire way.
And yet, Tosu still noticed him.
This kid had something special.
"You developed a technique based on the idea I gave you?"
Yagyū Souma asked.
"Yes, my lord," Tosu replied respectfully.
"You mentioned in the notes that sound waves at frequencies ordinary people can't perceive could be used for detection. I researched it for a while and achieved some initial results."
In the materials he'd given Kabuto, Yagyū Souma had mentioned the concept of ultrasonic detection. He'd also written that if true ultrasound was difficult, one could attempt a sound-feedback–based alternative.
The latter was a low-end version.
He hadn't expected Tosu to actually make progress.
Interesting.
"I didn't hear anything earlier," Yagyū Souma said thoughtfully.
"So you used the first method? Makes sense—you're already skilled at sound manipulation."
"Yes. But the second method—the one meant for broader use—I'm still struggling."
"Because others aren't familiar with sound waves and can't distinguish the differences?"
"Yes!"
Tosu's respect deepened.
Yagyū Souma hadn't even seen the technique—yet he guessed the problem instantly.
That alone showed how deep his understanding was.
Which made sense.
Someone who could casually sketch out that many ninjutsu concepts… how could he possibly be ordinary?
Tosu lowered his head.
"That's where ninja tools come in,"
Yagyū Souma said with a smile.
"Very good. Write a report and submit it. I'll handle the tool side."
"This technique has uses beyond Sound Village. If you have any requests, feel free to ask."
He lifted his straw hat slightly.
"Even studying in Konoha."
"W–What?!"
Tosu stared at him in shock.
"Is that really possible? Konoha wouldn't agree to that, would they?"
"As an exchange student," Yagyū Souma replied calmly.
"You'd conduct joint research in my department. If you're willing, I can arrange it."
"I—I'm willing! Of course I am!"
Tosu was overjoyed.
The concept itself came from Yagyū Souma. From the way he spoke, he clearly knew how to fully realize it—he just couldn't be bothered to spend the time.
Tosu was the one benefiting.
And now there were extra perks.
He had no reason to refuse.
"I'll have someone handle the arrangements,"
Yagyū Souma said.
"Karin will notify you when it's done. Just wait for news. Once the ninja tools are ready, they'll be sent to you as well."
"Yes! Thank you, Lord Yagyū Souma!"
Tosu bowed deeply.
"It's nothing. Go on—continue your patrol. I'll go check on my results."
Hidan's body situation was still… questionable.
Using Flying Thunder God to transport Hidan's body had been a small experiment.
Yagyū Souma could already teleport dead objects and small items, but he'd never tested it on a large living body.
He had no idea what would happen.
But—
Hidan didn't mind.
Even if his body shattered, as long as it could be pieced back together, it was still usable.
And if something went wrong?
Then he died.
An enemy's death was no tragedy.
For a cultist like him, being alive was the real threat.
Once he outlived his research value, Yagyū Souma planned to send him to the Forest of Death—
to finally rest.
He was sure the insects there would love the gift.
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