"Is this really the time to be worrying about it?"
Mizuki had no interest in answering Hidan's question. Trying to explain anything to someone like him was like talking to a brick wall. The safest thing would still be to tear him apart piece by piece.
Mizuki had chosen to fight both Hidan and Kakuzu deliberately, but no matter how he looked at it, there was no escaping the overwhelming pressure they brought. Techniques as cursed as Death Under Pledge—sometimes ignorance truly *was* bliss. Knowing about it only stacked the odds against you. To beat Hidan, you had to win without getting scratched. Avoiding injury completely against opponents of this level was extremely difficult. Even Mizuki had some special techniques he kept hidden for emergencies. Only those who weren't ordinary could survive unscathed under the deadly attacks of an elite Jonin.
"You know," Hidan said, his temper finally snapping after being constantly hounded by Mizuki, "Don't think just because you're strong you can push me around..."
"Push me around? You're definitely easier to handle than that gloomy partner of yours." For ninja whose survival depended entirely on intel—especially someone like Hidan, who relied so much on secret techniques—it was inevitable that once his abilities and weaknesses were known, he became vulnerable. Once countered properly, their effectiveness dropped drastically.
"Oh? Is that so?" Provoked into laughter, Hidan swung his Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe as he spoke. "Don't think killing someone like Sasori means you can mess with me. Soon enough, I'll show you the wrath of Jashin-sama."
"A god, huh? That actually interests me..." Mizuki had always been drawn toward anything in the ninja world bearing the word 'god' or connected to divine power.
"But I suppose my interest isn't quite what you think it is. I'd rather see it for myself and find out exactly what this god is all about."
"You dare defile a deity like this!" Enraged by Mizuki's blasphemy, Hidan swung his bloodied scythe at him and shouted, "You'll never reach the Pure Land after death..."
"You—a follower of a death cult—talking to me about the Pure Land? How ridiculous." Mizuki didn't waste any time halting his assault. Once again, he extended a massive hand formed from natural energy, stretching and reaching for Hidan.
"But you're right. Before long, someone like me probably won't have much chance of entering the Pure Land anyway. Not that it's any of your business."
As Mizuki finished speaking, a wave of real regret washed over him. Still, he never truly regretted the path he chose. Choosing life over concerns for the afterlife had been his own decision. In a world where even death brought no peace, living without regrets was all that mattered. What came after wasn't worth worrying about.
Dodging Mizuki's attack with difficulty, Hidan gasped for breath. "I don't really get what you're trying to say, but you sure don't sound like a saint yourself..."
"A saint? Who needs judgment from a monster like you—who barely counts as human to begin with?"
Mizuki, who was controlling the giant hand chasing after Hidan, gradually began to feel strained. Recklessly drawing on natural energy like this wasn't some everyday technique you could just keep using. Each time it was employed, it placed immense pressure on him—draining his chakra and leaving his spirit even more exhausted.
Fighting up close might consume far less energy, but aside from sheer strength and decent reflexes, Mizuki had little else going for him. Defeating Hidan, an S-ranked missing-nin, with taijutsu alone would be a lot more feasible if someone like Might Guy were using the Eight Gates. Plus, one small mistake could leave him slashed by Hidan's Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe—and that would be disastrous. He had barely eliminated **Red Sand of the Desert**, and now getting dragged into another brutal fight immediately after was definitely not part of Mizuki's plan.
Facing the current stalemate, Mizuki had no choice but to admit he hadn't planned well enough. While drawing the tailed beasts' attention had been a solid strategy, the chaotic battlefield prevented both him and his allies from leveraging their numerical advantage, dragging the battle into a drawn-out struggle—one that favored Hidan and Kakuzu. Hidan's Immortal Body allowed him to maintain a decisive killing edge over everyone at all times, forcing constant vigilance under mounting pressure. Kakuzu, the other opponent, was still a huge pain in the ass too. Although Mizuki couldn't yet understand why Kakuzu hadn't released his masked beasts—doing so might balance the numbers—it would also expose the weakness of his Immortal Body. Mizuki suspected Kakuzu, a monster who had lived this long, was being cautious and unwilling to reveal his secrets.
[We can't keep this up—we need to drive them back fast. There's still Shukaku, a major threat that needs to be dealt with eventually.]
Just as Mizuki was at a loss, another immortal monster—Kakuzu—came charging at him again. While Mizuki was swatting Hidan away like a fly, the two once more aggressively surrounded him. Facing Kakuzu's powerful punch, Mizuki knew better than to take it lightly. Although he personally dismissed the exaggerated claims comparing Kakuzu's strength to Tsunade's super strength, after testing it firsthand, he could confidently say it was far weaker—even Mizuki himself had the upper hand.
Still, there was no denying the punch's overwhelming force.
Taking advantage of Kakuzu's attack, Hidan also hurled his weapon forward. Using the extendable rope tethering his blade, he continuously adjusted its direction, aiming directly at Mizuki.
Mizuki couldn't afford to be careless against this pincer attack. He raised a Chakra Shield to block Hidan's Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe, then prepared to clash head-on with Kakuzu's brute force—only for Kakuzu's arm to suddenly snap off his body. Controlled by the pitch-black, tentacle-like Earth Grudge Fear, it skillfully dodged Mizuki's straight punch and slammed heavily into his chest.
Caught by this brutal strike, Mizuki let out a muffled grunt before being sent flying several meters backward.
[Forgot about this trick—he really knows how to handle those tentacles.]
Mizuki suffered a slight disadvantage. He scrambled back to his feet and immediately began retreating to evade Kakuzu's powerful strike, while barely dodging Hidan's swinging [Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe].
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