"Huh?"
Seeing Killer Bee rushing toward him, Hidan was initially stunned but then immediately overjoyed.
"Perfect timing!"
He shouted loudly, swinging his triple-bladed scythe with force, while his other hand flung something.
A sharp spear appeared in his hand and was thrust toward the Eight-Tails.
Sasori and Kakuzu, who were just about to attack, stopped in their tracks.
A tailed beast facing off against an immortal monster.
They found this confrontation intriguing.
What's there to fear?
At worst, Hidan gets torn apart.
After all, Kakuzu was here. If needed, he could just sew Hidan back together slowly.
The Akatsuki organization had many monsters, and almost every member was one.
Immortality was not uncommon among them.
Kakuzu and even Sasori could be considered variations of immortality.
However, no one matched Hidan's level of immortality.
Many had speculated about the limits of Hidan's immortality.
Itsuki knew.
Even if Hidan was blown into pieces, he still wouldn't die. Now, who could reason with that?
But!
At that point, staying alive might be worse than dying.
Not dying truly became a fate worse than death.
"Ahhrrrgh!"
Killer Bee let out another loud roar.
Half-transformed into his tailed beast form, one side of Killer Bee's body became covered in bone.
"Lariat!"
"So exciting!"
A hint of madness appeared in Hidan's grin.
"BAM!"
A loud noise echoed as blood splattered.
Hidan was forcefully struck by Killer Bee, splitting his body in two. One half was still charging forward, while the other half was thrown backward.
"Huh?"
Hidan's face showed a bit of confusion.
"One down!"
Now fully covered by the Eight-Tails' power, Killer Bee became emotionally charged, raising his arm and shouting in excitement.
"Crack!"
The side of his body covered by bone suddenly made a cracking sound.
Immediately after, the bone shattered into fragments.
This was Hidan's counterattack.
Killer Bee didn't care. He had already killed an enemy. What was a little bone shattering?
At most, it would just consume a bit more chakra to reform another one.
"Whip!"
Suddenly, a metal chain wrapped around Killer Bee's body.
"Huh?"
Following the chain, Killer Bee saw Sasori.
Sasori's true form.
"Get lost!"
Sasori growled and, with a strong flick, threw the half-transformed Killer Bee far away.
"BAM!"
Killer Bee was hurled hundreds of meters.
While controlling the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori prepared for his next attack.
"For a mere puppet, your strength isn't bad!"
Killer Bee's mocking laughter rang out.
After half-transforming into his tailed beast, his strength had greatly increased, and his emotions were running high.
"It's not bad, and there are plenty of other surprises."
Sasori responded with a cold laugh.
"Then bring it on!"
Killer Bee shouted and charged toward Sasori.
"Click!"
The puppet's mechanical mouth opened, and a large amount of iron sand began to form.
At the same time, the scroll on Sasori's back unsealed itself.
"Whoosh!"
A water jet shot out, hitting Killer Bee directly.
"That's it?"
Killer Bee looked unimpressed and continued charging.
However!
Sasori's arm began to rotate.
As it spun, the water jet became thinner.
The pressure increased exponentially.
"How is this possible?"
Under the intense pressure, even Killer Bee found it hard to withstand.
The compressed water jet was powerful enough to cut through almost anything.
At that moment, Sasori's other hand also moved.
He aimed at Killer Bee and unleashed a burst of flames.
First water, then fire.
Even with the protection of the tailed beast cloak, Killer Bee was struggling to hold on.
But at this point, there was no way for him to dodge.
"BAM!"
With a dull thud, Killer Bee was blasted away again.
"Bee, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
Killer Bee shook his head.
"Hmph!"
The Eight-Tails snorted coldly and said, "I've told you before, that's a member of the Akatsuki. You should be more careful. Don't think you're invincible just because you have my power. While Uchiha Itsuki might be an exception, the ninja world isn't short of Kage-level strong opponents."
In his mind, the Eight-Tails couldn't help but think of the Third Raikage.
That man was truly a monster.
Even the Eight-Tails had no choice but to acknowledge him as such.
No matter how hard he fought, he couldn't injure the Third Raikage.
The battle only ended when both sides exhausted their strength and collapsed.
The ridiculous thing was, the only injury on the Raikage was one he inflicted on himself.
If their opponent were the Third Raikage, even teaming up with Killer Bee wouldn't necessarily be enough.
But unfortunately, the Third Raikage was dead.
Killed by the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
For whatever reason, the Third Raikage had been killed.
The Eight-Tails never looked for excuses.
Strategy, carelessness—it didn't matter.
Dead is dead.
If they could plot to kill the Third Raikage, they could also plot to kill them.
"I understand."
Killer Bee's voice was low.
Killing one Akatsuki member had excited him, and with the power of the Eight-Tails enhancing him, he had indeed become a bit too elated.
Because he was too strong.
This wasn't right!
His opponent was the Akatsuki!
Extremely dangerous Akatsuki members.
"Very good!"
The Eight-Tails' voice was filled with satisfaction. "Bee, don't rush. You're strong, and I'm strong too. And we trust each other. Together, we can defeat them all. As long as we're careful, there's nothing we can't accomplish."
"Okay...uh!"
Just as Killer Bee was about to start rapping, he suddenly froze.
His entire body stiffened.
Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Bee!"
The Eight-Tails' voice was filled with confusion.
"What's happening? Why am I...?"
"Pffft!"
Killer Bee coughed up blood, his tailed beast transformation undone. He staggered and nearly fell.
"Heh heh, heh heh!"
A sinister laugh echoed.
Hidan walked back, his body now black and white, resembling a demon from hell.
A sharp spear was impaled through his chest.
**Curse: Death Controlling Possessed Blood!**
"Hahaha, pathetic, pathetic! Fool, fool!" Hidan laughed maniacally. "You thought you'd won? Wrong! The loser is you! The one who's going to die is also you!"
In the recent clash, Hidan was directly cut in half by Killer Bee.
But, he managed to injure Killer Bee with his triple-bladed scythe and spear.
For Hidan, as long as there's blood, it's a nightmare for his enemies.
Unfortunately, he was split in two, and with his body in different places, he was left in a fit of helpless rage.
He wanted to attack, but he just couldn't!
Who would have thought?
At that moment, Kakuzu strolled over, casually carrying one half of Hidan's body.
"Do you want it?"
He dangled the half of Hidan's body.
"What do you think?"
Hidan was so angry he wanted to jump up and curse him out.
But, he couldn't do it.
Kakuzu didn't waste any words either.
He wasn't the type to talk unnecessarily.
Without delay, he used his black threads to start stitching Hidan's body back together.
And just like that, Hidan was restored!
He let out a sinister laugh and began drawing with his feet.
"That laugh is awful."
"Awful? I learned it from Itsuki Uchiha. I think it's got character."
"Itsuki Uchiha? Well, that explains it!"
"Don't tell me, tell Itsuki Uchiha if you've got the guts."
Hidan rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
Kakuzu's eye twitched slightly.
It seemed he learned that eye-roll from Itsuki Uchiha as well.
Damn Uchiha! Can't you teach him something useful?
Meanwhile, Killer Bee was in trouble.
He lay on the ground, coughing up blood, his expression filled with disbelief as he looked at Hidan.
Someone who's been cut in half is still alive?
Is this some kind of joke?
So this is Akatsuki?
Even Killer Bee had to admit it was terrifying.
Even as a powerful ninja, if his heart were pierced, he wouldn't survive.
In the original story, many fell victim to this move.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki was pinned to the wall by Hidan.
Sarutobi Asuma also lost his life.
It wasn't that Asuma was weak, it's just that this technique was too overpowering.
Who could withstand it?
A direct attack to the heart, completely catching you off guard.
"Bee, pull it together!"
The Eight-Tails roared frantically from within Killer Bee's sealed space.
But no matter how loud it roared, the light in Killer Bee's eyes was fading.
"Hey, you didn't kill him, did you?"
Sasori glared coldly at Killer Bee.
The Third Kazekage had gathered a large amount of Iron Sand, preparing to unleash a powerful attack, but now even he paused.
"I don't think so, right?"
Hidan sounded uncertain, "Aren't they supposed to say that tailed beasts have strong vitality? How could he die from just that? How is that strong?"
"Idiot!"
Kakuzu snapped, "No matter how strong, the heart is still a weak point. If you gave Itsuki Uchiha's heart a hit like that, he wouldn't survive either."
"Then I'll have to give it a try."
"If you're not afraid to die, go ahead!"
Kakuzu's tone was filled with disdain.
This move was powerful, but not invincible.
As long as you were prepared, it was easy to counter.
At least Kakuzu had several ways to deal with it.
"Cough, cough!"
Killer Bee let out a low cough, struggling to get up, but he just couldn't manage.
"Looks like he's not dead. Jinchuriki do have strong vitality. Let's take him back!" Sasori said coldly, "The mission is finally complete. All the tailed beasts have been captured. We can start the plan."
"Hmph!"
Hidan snorted, "Honestly, instead of whatever this plan is, I'd rather we each seal a tailed beast inside ourselves and conquer the world by force. That'd be way more fun."
"Shut up, Hidan! Stop saying pointless things," Kakuzu snapped.
"Alright, let's go."
Kakuzu started walking toward Killer Bee, muttering to himself, "This guy's head is worth quite a bit of money. Now, he's mine. As soon as the tailed beast is extracted, I can cash in on his bounty."
Nobody was going to take his money from him.
Just as he finished speaking, Killer Bee suddenly lifted his head, a gust of wind rushing past.
"Pfft!"
A blade shot out from Killer Bee's hand, piercing straight through Kakuzu's heart.
"Urgh!"
Kakuzu's face froze in an instant.
Whoosh!
Then suddenly!
Killer Bee leaped up and dashed madly into the distance.
"Trying to die?"
Seeing this, Sasori was furious. The Third Kazekage's long-prepared attack was finally unleashed.
Countless metal spears shot out like arrows, aimed at Killer Bee.
"Bee, don't stop! Leave these to me!"
The Eight-Tails' voice roared in Killer Bee's ears.
"Got it, Little Eight!"
Killer Bee gritted his teeth, ignoring the discomfort in his body, and kept charging forward.
"Pfft!"
One by one, the spears were blocked.
The Eight-Tails released a massive amount of chakra, creating a special clone at the spot, using its body to block all the attacks, buying time for Killer Bee.
The clone was pierced all over.
"You're fast, aren't you?"
Hidan cackled and started drawing with his feet again.
"I don't know what you're doing, but I'm not letting you finish it!"
The Eight-Tails clone roared and charged forward, taking Hidan's attack head-on, knocking him away.
"Scram!"
Boom!
The clone was destroyed.
Hidan was knocked far away, and by the time he got up, Killer Bee had already run far off.
"Damn it!"
Hidan growled lowly.
The Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood wasn't limitless in range.
Otherwise, Hidan could kill anyone who had ever lost blood anywhere in the world.
Just as Killer Bee was about to disappear from sight, a white bird suddenly flew out and crashed into him.
Boom!!!
A massive explosion echoed.
A white bird?
An explosion?
Deidara?!
The Akatsuki members immediately thought of that person.
"Don't forget about me!"
Deidara gritted his teeth, riding a giant white bird as he flew over.
"You're healed?" Sasori asked coldly.
This idiot had insisted on transforming into Itsuki Uchiha and was nearly blasted by a Tailed Beast Bomb. Now he was happy?!
"Hmph!" Deidara sneered, "A little injury doesn't affect my fighting at all."
The smoke slowly cleared.
There was no sign of Killer Bee.
He'd obviously escaped.
"He got away?"
Deidara was stunned.
Sasori snorted coldly, "Are you helping us or the Eight-Tails?"
"Cut the crap!"
Deidara retorted coldly, "Even if I hadn't attacked, you still wouldn't have caught the Eight-Tails. My attack just made his injuries worse."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hidan and Kakuzu arrived at the scene.
"What now?"
"Damn, how is he still so lively? I pierced his heart!"
Hidan grumbled.
"The Eight-Tails!" Kakuzu thought for a moment. "A tailed beast isn't really a living being; it's more like pure chakra. Tailed beasts never really die. Even if they disappear, they'll revive soon enough."
"He must've done something."
"So what do we do now...?"
"We wait and plan," Kakuzu said calmly. "The Eight-Tails has definitely returned to the Hidden Cloud Village. That place won't be easy to mess with."
"No problem at all," Deidara sneered. "I can take that place down by myself."
"Oh?"
The group looked at Deidara with amusement.
"Little Deidara, what's your plan?"
"I'll take care of the Eight-Tails," Deidara said coldly. "You three don't need to do anything extra. Just assist me."
With that, the white bird flapped its wings and flew off into the distance.
"He's not thinking of attacking the Hidden Cloud Village, is he?" Hidan asked, stunned.
Sasori and Kakuzu said nothing, simply watching the direction Deidara had flown in.