There should only be two members of the Blood Pool clan left now. The man in front of them was likely the clan killer, Chinoike En. The thought itself was unsettling.
"Interesting." Shadow did not expect his setup to draw out such an unexpected catch. His mood lifted slightly.
"How about it?" he turned to Nagato with a smile. "Interested?" Before Nagato could answer, Chinoike En raised his bow and aimed at them.
His fingers pulled on an invisible bowstring, and the muscles in his arm bulged like cords. The blood mist around him was drawn in and condensed into a crimson arrow made entirely of blood. It formed in an instant.
He released it. With a sharp whistle, the blood arrow shot out, turning into a red streak of light that was hard to see clearly.
"A fool who cannot tell the gap in strength," Nagato said calmly. His voice held no emotion.
As his words fell, Shadow threw out a blade formed from black shadow. It tore through the blood mist in the air. The motion was smooth and precise.
It was like drawing with black ink across blood-red paper, forming a full crimson circle. The image lasted only a moment. Then it shattered.
With a heavy impact, the blood arrow was smashed apart midair. It burst into pure blood that splashed across the sky. The force behind it was overwhelming.
The blade did not slow down. It cut straight through Chinoike En's body. Blood bloomed from his chest as he was sent flying backward.
No one spared even a moment of silence for him. The battlefield was taken over immediately by the Hannya group.
A masked figure appeared behind Shadow in his blind spot. Staying low, he drew the blade from his waist and slashed toward Shadow with full force. The sound of steel rang out clearly.
Wind wrapped around the blade, forming chaotic currents like white patterns along the edge. The strike was so fast that the blade itself could not be seen, only the arc of light. The shrill sound cut through the air like a wail.
He was a very strong swordsman and warrior. This was especially true after obtaining that Chakra blade. His timing and execution were nearly perfect.
But there was one problem. "Anywhere else would have been better," Shadow sighed softly, "but you chose to stand behind me."
As he spoke, the black shadow turned into a blade and swept out lightly. The movement looked casual. The result was not.
The leader of the Hannya group remained frozen in his full-power draw stance. His mask suddenly split cleanly from forehead to chin with a clear kacha sound. The two halves slid down silently.
Beneath the mask, a straight line of blood appeared on the man's face. It slowly spread and lengthened. The line grew wider with each heartbeat.
Blood erupted as if a limit had been broken. The body split into two and collapsed to either side. The end was absolute.
Nagato had not moved at all throughout this exchange. He already had a basic understanding of his partner's strength. There was no need for him to interfere.
He simply raised his hand toward the Chakra blade. Using Universal Pull, he pulled it into his grasp. His grip tightened naturally.
"This blade is not bad," Nagato said softly. His tone was thoughtful.
"Keep it," Shadow replied with a smile. For someone who never used swords to choose one now said enough about his change in mindset.
Because of his hatred and anger toward Madara Uchiha, even these Rinnegan eyes had become something he disliked. The choice of weapon reflected that shift. It was a quiet but telling detail.
In the distance, Yugito Nii's pupils shrank as she watched the two chat as if no one else existed. Her expression turned sharp. Her body tensed.
Just as she was about to signal the other Kumogakure Ninja and rush over, a voice interrupted. It was calm, almost tired.
"That's enough. I am really tired of killing." Shadow raised his hand and pointed in another direction, speaking helplessly.
"The exit is over there, not here. Stop coming to die." His words echoed through the blood-filled air.
The moment he spoke, everyone froze. Those who had been trembling in fear or itching to act all stopped at once. They stared at Shadow in complete shock, unable to move.
After a brief and eerie silence, no one moved at first. In the end, Zhe Long worked up the nerve and cautiously took a step forward.
One step, two steps, three steps. "Ha! What a pair of lunatics, even crazier than me."
Seeing that neither of the two showed any intent to stop him, even he could not help laughing out loud. Afraid they might change their minds, he hurriedly fled. The others quickly followed, and when they passed the corpse of the Banruo Group leader, they could not help casting a look of pity.
There was no helping it. With "Shadow" and Nagato standing there, the pressure was overwhelming, and everyone thought the two were blocking their path. Who would have expected that Root had no such intention at all.
So they were waiting for someone? Waiting for who?
Almost at the same time, everyone thought of Kakuzu, who had not yet come out, and could not help feeling a trace of sympathy for him.
Only after everyone had left did "Shadow" turn to Nagato beside him and ask, "That was a Two-Tails Jinchuriki. You are not going to make a move?" "…"
Perhaps feeling uncertain about his original plan to collect the Tailed Beasts, Nagato was silent for a moment. In the end, he shook his head and said calmly, "Not yet." If they acted now, it would only alert the others and put the villages on guard.
At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed as a figure finally emerged from the doorway. It was clearly Kakuzu, struggling to carry the "Tiancongyun Sword."
When Kakuzu saw Nagato and "Shadow," his already exhausted body finally gave out. With a loud bang, the heavy one handed axe slammed into the ground, and he nearly collapsed into the pool of blood.
"Let us skip the fighting," he said flatly. "Just tell me what you want." He was truly worn out.
Today was simply the unluckiest day of his life. Thinking about this thing called the "Tiancongyun Sword," which was obviously an axe, unbearably heavy, and yet still a one handed axe, made him want to curse whoever designed it.
What kind of twisted sense of humor led someone to create such an object? Forget the tens of millions he was still owed, he did not even know whether Onoki would turn hostile the moment he handed this thing over.
This trip had been a complete loss. All Kakuzu wanted now was to go back, find his private stash, and lie on top of his money to relax.
Seeing his bullied appearance, Nagato gave him a strange look but still said evenly, "We are here to invite you to join Akatsuki." "Akatsuki?" Kakuzu asked in confusion.
"It is an organization founded to achieve true peace," "Shadow" said in a joking tone. "No..."
Just hearing that, Kakuzu knew it was a boring organization and instinctively wanted to refuse the offer. Before he could finish, however, Yunchuan interrupted him.
"Those heads over there," "Shadow" said with a smile as he pointed at the mountain of corpses. "Consider them your welcome gift." "…"