"Your body's endurance is impressive," Itachi mused, eyes narrowing as he analyzed Hidan's movements. "But your taijutsu is clumsy, and you lack any form of ninjutsu. A blunt instrument at best."
Anyone familiar with Hidan could see it—his methods were crude, almost laughably simple. No long-range ninjutsu. No versatile skills. In a team, Hidan was always the one charging in like a rabid animal, relying entirely on his immortality. Against a shinobi like Uchiha Itachi, that kind of reckless ferocity was useless.
Itachi had even exposed several intentional openings during their battle. But Hidan, instead of exploiting them, just barreled forward like a berserker, swinging his bloodstained triple-bladed scythe.
"I'll kill you! Damn Uchiha! I'll offer your soul to the Evil God!" Hidan bellowed, a maddened grin on his face, charging in again like a wind-up toy that didn't know how to stop.
On the other side of the battlefield, Sarutobi Hiruzen was in complete control, overwhelming the ancient veteran Kakuzu. While Kakuzu relied on his mastery of the five elemental chakra natures and the fearsome Earth Grudge Technique, it wasn't enough against the sheer versatility and mastery of the Ninjutsu Professor himself—Sandaime Hokage.
Each time Kakuzu unleashed a ninjutsu, Hiruzen would instantly counter with one more potent, more refined. Element for element, jutsu for jutsu—Kakuzu was constantly suppressed.
Even in physical combat, Kakuzu couldn't get an edge. Whenever Hiruzen's Ruyi Jingu Bang struck, its crushing force overwhelmed Kakuzu's defenses. The impact rattled through his body, especially his Earth Grudge-Fear, slowing him down with each exchange.
Strictly speaking, Kakuzu was older than Hiruzen—by decades. Yet even so, Hiruzen's chakra was more vigorous, his movements sharper, his will unwavering.
As for relying on Hidan for backup? A lost cause. Without his immortality, Hidan would've already been a corpse.
"Damn it—!" Kakuzu cursed. In a split-second lapse of focus, Hiruzen's staff pierced through his chest. One of Kakuzu's hearts—specifically the one attuned to water—was annihilated.
As one of the masked monsters tethered to Kakuzu's back collapsed into dust, Hiruzen leapt back, keeping a safe distance.
"There's definitely something off about your body," Hiruzen muttered, eyes sharp. "The ape demon struck you dead-on in the heart, and yet... after a brief stall, you're back on your feet."
"Still got hearts left..."
Suddenly, spikes erupted from the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Hiruzen spun his staff in a sweeping arc, shattering every incoming spike like twigs.
"Earth Style: Yellow Spring Swamp!" he chanted next, weaving hand signs.
Mud surged beneath Kakuzu's feet, threatening to swallow him. But Kakuzu lashed out one of his remaining masked monsters, using it like a lifeline to yank himself free from the mire.
"Hidan! If you don't stop playing around, we're both dead!"
"Like I don't know that already!" Hidan growled, dodging a burst of kunai. "I'm barely keeping my damn head attached over here!"
With no other option, Hidan charged again, determined to trade injury for injury. All he needed was a single drop of Itachi's blood. Just one—then he could turn the entire battle around.
A kunai sank into Hidan's chest, but he grinned through the pain and lunged forward, locking Itachi in a desperate bear hug.
"Let's see how you dodge this, Uchiha! My scythe's going through both of us!"
The triple-bladed weapon arced down—but before it could connect, Itachi's Sharingan spun violently.
The three tomoe merged into one.
"Susanoo."
A wave of red chakra burst outward, manifesting into a towering ethereal warrior. In an instant, the second stage of Susanoo enveloped Itachi, its armored form shielding him from every direction.
Hidan's scythe bounced harmlessly off its surface, sending sparks flying.
"What the hell!?" Hidan roared, eyes wide as he kept slashing. "How can I break this?!"
He struck again and again, screaming, "How can I break it?! How can I break it?! HOW CAN I BREAK IT?!"
No matter how violently he attacked, Susanoo remained untouched.
"I will sacrifice you to the Evil God! I'll tear your soul apart!" Hidan howled, losing all sense of reason.
Itachi sighed. "Pathetic."
Though he didn't know the full extent of Hidan's abilities, one thing was clear: Hidan was a fanatic with a single trick—and no depth.
"You're no longer a threat."
From within Susanoo, Itachi drew the Totsuka Blade, its ethereal glow humming with divine sealing power. Had Orochimaru been here, he would've instantly recognized it. But Hidan—brainless, raging, and consumed by his religion—had no idea what the sword meant.
With one precise thrust, the blade pierced Hidan's body.
A moment later, his form was pulled into the blade itself—sealed within the drunken dream world of the Ten-Fist Sword for eternity.
Just because something can't be killed doesn't mean it can't be removed.
Still, Itachi felt it was a bit of a waste. To use such a sacred weapon on someone like Hidan...
Meanwhile, Kakuzu saw Hidan vanish and realized his final gamble had come.
He summoned the remaining three elemental masks—wind, fire, and lightning—fusing them all into his right arm. The chakra began to pulse and compress violently.
"Everyone! Get back—now!" Hiruzen shouted. He could already feel the storm of chakra forming in Kakuzu's arm.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Four clones appeared instantly. Each one performed a unique elemental ninjutsu—Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, and Wind—merging into one monstrous combination attack.
"Five-Style Great Linked Bullet Technique!"
At the same time, Kakuzu's compressed arm released its ultimate blast.
"Earth's Wrath: Final Shot!"
The two overwhelming forces collided mid-air, and in an instant, the world seemed to shake.
The detonation that followed was cataclysmic.
"Adamantine Prison Wall!" Hiruzen roared, summoning Enma in his monkey form to create a near-indestructible chakra barrier.
Itachi remained untouched within Susanoo, while the others had wisely fled from the center of impact on Hiruzen's warning.
The explosion tore through the battlefield, carving a crater dozens of meters wide and over ten meters deep into the earth.
When the smoke finally cleared, Kakuzu's body was blackened and crumpled, barely clinging to life.
"Any last words, Kakuzu?" Hiruzen asked quietly.
"How... dull. Eighty years, and I still couldn't win..." Kakuzu rasped, his voice faint.
Hiruzen didn't deliver the killing blow.
Instead, he began forming hand seals.
Konoha could learn much from Kakuzu's forbidden techniques. Killing him here would waste the opportunity. Besides, the Uchiha had contributed greatly to this battle—it would be wrong to hoard the victory.
Binding Kakuzu with a sealing technique, Hiruzen looked to the horizon.
-----------------------
The news of Kakuzu and Hidan's escape was released by Konoha itself—an intentional move meant to explain the destruction of Kankinsho some time ago and, more importantly, to serve as a warning to the rest of the ninja world.
You killed my people, so I'll wipe out your entire clan. Fair trade, right?
Of course, the five great nations didn't stir too much over it. Everyone already knew the details. There was no conspiracy behind the incident—just Sarutobi Hiruzen, the former Hokage, seeking revenge for his fallen son.
The shinobi world, surprisingly, showed understanding. No one criticized Hiruzen too heavily.
However, the daimyos of several nations were not pleased. The violent fallout between villages and the blatant disregard for protocol made them uneasy. As a result, nearly all ninja villages began facing the same problem: reduced support from their respective daimyos.
Especially Sunagakure.
The impoverished Sand Village, which had already been hanging by a thread financially, dared to ignore the Wind Daimyo's warnings. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind responded without hesitation—he cut off all support to Sunagakure.
Normally, such a move would have sent the village into a frenzy, scrambling to protest or make amends.
But not this time.
Sunagakure remained eerily quiet. Not a single formal objection was sent back.
Inside the Kazekage's office, Temari paced restlessly.
"Gaara, are you sure this is okay?" she asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice. She had been helping Gaara manage the village's affairs and knew all too well how dire their resources were.
Without daimyo support, Sunagakure could barely last another month.
Gaara, sitting behind his desk, didn't look worried. Calm and composed, he replied, "Don't worry, sister. Konoha's shipment will arrive this afternoon. It'll be enough to sustain the entire village through the rest of the year."
Konoha had become the central hub of the ninja world ever since the mysterious space-time gate had opened within its borders. No other village contested its role in managing that power.
In fact, most found comfort in Konoha's control. The village had become the strongest among the Five Great Nations, and with Su Xiu Yu overseeing everything, peace seemed almost guaranteed—as long as he remained alive.
Sure enough, that afternoon, a convoy from Konoha arrived at Sunagakure. The transport team brought not only large reserves of food and supplies but also essential daily necessities to improve the villagers' lives.
More importantly, among the cargo was something far more valuable: a complete set of technical guidance on drip irrigation, sourced from the Marvel World.
For Sunagakure, this was a game changer.
The Land of Wind wasn't short on land—what it lacked was arable land. The dry, arid conditions made agriculture nearly impossible. Water scarcity had always been the village's greatest weakness.
Gaara stood beside the supplies, holding a booklet in his hand. "Send for Granny Chiyo," he instructed.
A short time later, the elderly puppeteer arrived.
"You called for me, Lord Kazekage?" Chiyo asked with her usual bluntness.
"I did," Gaara said. "Granny Chiyo, this is a guidebook on drip irrigation technology. It's going to be crucial for the future of Sunagakure. With it, we can transform the land and increase our food production."
Skeptical but curious, Chiyo took the booklet and began reading.
Drip irrigation, as it explained, was a method of using thin pipes—capillary tubes—to deliver water directly to the roots of plants, minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency. It was specifically designed for dry, desert-like conditions.
At first, Chiyo's expression was unreadable. But as she flipped through the pages and absorbed the details, her surprise slowly shifted to understanding... and then to hope.
"This..." she muttered, eyes scanning the diagrams. "This could change everything."
She looked up at Gaara, her voice more serious now. "This technology... it's not just farming. It's survival. But manufacturing so many metal pipes will cost us dearly."
Gaara nodded. "I've already arranged for that. I brought back 200 tons of raw metal with the shipment. It'll be delivered to the village within the next few days. I want you to oversee the processing and installation. No one understands materials and construction better than you."
Chiyo blinked, visibly moved. It had been a long time since she'd felt this needed.
"I understand. Leave it to me. I'll make sure it's done perfectly."
Gaara gave her a small nod of gratitude. Sunagakure's future wasn't just built on war anymore. It would be built with wisdom—and unity.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki base had grown tense.
Their leader had called an emergency meeting.
Everyone gathered—minus two.
Hidan and Kakuzu, the infamous immortal duo, were gone. Their fates were sealed.
Pain addressed the group, his Rinnegan eyes scanning each member with cold focus.
"You've all heard," he began. "Hidan and Kakuzu are lost. When on missions in the future, avoid direct conflict with Konoha's forces. This time, they were pursued and eliminated by none other than Sarutobi Hizashi and Uchiha Itachi."
The room went silent.
Pain's gaze turned toward Zetsu. "Why weren't they warned? What happened to your intelligence network?"
Zetsu, the plant-like half-man with an aloe-shaped head, gave a curt answer. "Konoha's barriers are too strong. I couldn't get through. Any intel from within the village is always delayed."
He wasn't making excuses. But it didn't make the failure sting any less.
"This is the last time, Zetsu. I won't allow another mishap to disrupt the plan."
After the meeting, Zetsu slipped underground and disappeared into a hidden cavern.
There, he found Obito—masked and waiting.
"Obito," Zetsu began, "Nagato is becoming... arrogant. He's drifting from Madara's path."
A ripple in the air. Obito emerged, his orange mask reflecting the dim torchlight.
"It doesn't matter," he replied flatly. "The plan is still progressing. The biggest threat now is Konoha. Are you sure you can't get in?"
Zetsu frowned. "Even your space-time ninjutsu can't penetrate their barrier. What do you expect me to do?"
They both fell silent.
Back during the Nine-Tails' rampage, Konoha's security had been a joke—holes everywhere, like a sieve. Now? After the Uchiha clan took over, it had become an impenetrable fortress. Rumors suggested the Uzumaki clan had developed new barrier seals specifically to stop intruders like Obito.
Whether they were designed for him, no one could say for sure. But it was effective.
"The situation inside Konoha is no longer under our control," Obito said. "But that's fine. We'll focus on the other Tailed Beasts for now. The Nine-Tails can wait."
Before vanishing with Kamui, he added, "And get me new recruits. We're two short."
Silence returned to the cave.
Zetsu remained for a moment longer, speaking softly to the shadows.
"Mother... just wait a little longer. I'll rescue you soon."
But in his blind loyalty, Zetsu didn't realize the world was already changing—shifting in ways he hadn't accounted for.
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