Did Danzo give chase?
Of course not. Instead, he arrived at a predetermined meeting point outside Konoha. From the shadows, Kabuto Yakushi, wearing his signature glasses, stepped out.
"Lord Danzo, Lord Orochimaru has sent me to retrieve the agreed-upon items."
Danzo cast a cold glance at Kabuto, this multi-faceted spy who harbored far too many secrets. If circumstances allowed, Danzo would have killed him on the spot.
"Take them," Danzo said indifferently. Behind him, Aburame Ryoma stepped forward, holding several green nutrient-filled containers. Inside each one was a Sharingan—several Sharingan!
That's right!
After Orochimaru hastily initiated the "Konoha Crush Plan" and suffered a major loss of one billion Ryo to Deidara, he decided to reclaim some losses through Danzo.
Although Orochimaru was the one who sought Danzo's cooperation, his masterful rhetoric flipped the narrative, making it seem like he was doing Danzo a favor. Naturally, Danzo had to pay a price!
Deidara had mentioned that Sharingan could counterbalance Hashirama cells, so Orochimaru decided to request some Sharingan as experimental materials.
After all, during the Uchiha clan massacre, Danzo had hoarded an unknown number of Sharingan. Sacrificing a few low-level Sharingan with one or two tomoe in exchange for the Hokage seat?
Shimura Danzo had hit the jackpot!
Elsewhere, Deidara and Sasori had successfully escaped Konoha and arrived at the agreed rendezvous point.
"Brother Sasori, did you gain anything?" Deidara asked curiously.
"Hmph! Those cowardly rats of the Hyuga main family!"
Sasori was furious. Initially, he had planned to collect some Kekkei Genkai users, but upon reflection, the vast Konoha only had the Hyuga clan left. Unfortunately, due to the Caged Bird Seal, the Byakugan of the branch family couldn't be taken, leaving him no choice but to target the main family.
However, the main family members were remarkably timid. By the time Sasori arrived, the entire Hyuga clan was tightly guarded by the branch family. With the Byakugan's exceptional detection abilities, Sasori couldn't even find someone like Hinata to bribe as an informant.
Frustrated, Sasori turned his attention to Konoha's prison, only to encounter a scar-faced man who wanted to play some twisted interrogation game with him!
To avoid exposing his puppet identity, Sasori had to deal with the lunatic for quite some time before finally escaping. By then, Orochimaru had already begun retreating, forcing Sasori to withdraw as well.
After a short wait, Orochimaru arrived with a somewhat battered Kakuzu and Hidan.
"Hidan, you look awful! How did you end up looking like... a charcoal figure?" Deidara nearly burst into laughter upon seeing Hidan's entirely blackened skin. It wasn't from using the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood; his skin had been completely carbonized.
"It's all Kakuzu's fault! His jutsu kept missing, and I got hit several times!" Hidan complained, completely oblivious to why Kakuzu's aim had been so off that day.
"Now that the Konoha Crush Plan is complete and everyone is safe, let's call it a day," Deidara suggested.
He was eager to find a way to earn more Shock Value, level up, and unlock the Insect Form Activation. He already had the Aburame clan's secret techniques, and just watching without being able to use them was driving him crazy.
"I'm heading back to the Sound Village," Orochimaru announced before leaving on his own.
"What about you, Kakuzu?"
"I need to collect new hearts." Kakuzu's tone was filled with pain. His original five hearts had come from exceptionally powerful ninjas, and finding replacements of the same quality would be a daunting task.
All for the sake of fifty million Ryo! If I had known the losses would be this great, even a billion wouldn't have been worth it!
Every time Kakuzu thought about how this obnoxious, blond brat earned more than him without lifting a finger, his heart ached even more.
"See you around, then!"
"Oh, by the way, Kakuzu, when you cash in the bounty, don't forget to hand over the full amount to me!" Deidara added.
"Hmph! Got it!"
"Now, about my payment for the past five days—settle it now!" Kakuzu demanded, his wounded heart in desperate need of monetary comfort.
Deidara scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah, well... I don't have any money right now!"
Kakuzu's green, beady eyes widened in fury, his entire body radiating murderous intent. "You little brat! Are you trying to cheat me?!"
If there was one thing Kakuzu couldn't tolerate, it was someone trying to dodge a payment.
Deidara quickly raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Kakuzu, calm down!"
"Listen to me."
Reluctantly, Kakuzu nodded, giving him three sentences to explain.
"You'll hand over that fifty million to the leader, won't you?"
"The leader will then give me a billion, right?"
"So, if that's the case, I can just ask the leader directly for fifty million. We can skip your part entirely!"
I...
I can't believe this!
"Deidara! You're taking it too far!"
"Hey, Kakuzu! Don't get so worked up! Elderly blood vessels are fragile, you know. Look, you're bleeding already!"
Time to run! Time to run!
Deidara bolted, unable to bear Kakuzu's mix of resentment and rage.
Sigh! I'm still not on Nagato and Konan's level!
When it comes to bullying the elderly, my heart still aches a little!
Deidara and Sasori had run a considerable distance when Sasori suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Brother Sasori?" Deidara asked, puzzled.
"An enemy. A strong one," Sasori replied. It was the first time he had used the word "strong." Who could appear in such a place and make Sasori feel this way?
Deidara didn't have to wonder for long.
From behind a rock ahead, a tall man with long white hair and a forehead protector bearing the kanji for "oil" stepped out.
His demeanor was playful, even in the face of formidable opponents.
"Oh! This friend has a keen eye!"
"That's right! It's me! The Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya-sama!"
"And I am very strong!"
Jiraiya!
This was an unprecedentedly formidable opponent!
Although Jiraiya's raw power didn't surpass the Eight-Tails or Yagura Karatachi, ninja battles often relied on versatility and adaptability.
As the saying goes, even someone as strong as Nagato could be killed by an ordinary person with a kunai to the heart.
In many cases, high-damage jutsu, including the Tailed Beast Ball, resulted in excessive overkill. The real challenge in ninja combat was delivering effective damage directly to the opponent.
And Jiraiya was undoubtedly a master in this regard. With expertise in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, as well as sealing techniques and powerful summoning jutsu, he was a well-rounded fighter with high combat intelligence. Most importantly, he possessed Sage Mode, making him an exceptionally difficult adversary.
"So, it's Jiraiya of the Sannin!" Sasori immediately summoned the Third Kazekage. "Deidara, be careful this time."
Seeing the human puppet of the Third Kazekage, Jiraiya's expression grew serious. "As I thought, it's the Third Kazekage. Sasori of the Red Sand, you're truly a dangerous individual!"
"So, I'll have to ask you to step aside for now. My target is your companion!"
"Toad Mouth Bind!"
Sasori suddenly found himself in what appeared to be an esophagus, surrounded by pink, fleshy walls.
A genjutsu?
No, it's a barrier! And it's impossible to break out of quickly!
Unable to sense Deidara anymore, Sasori could only hope that the brat wouldn't get himself killed!
Having successfully trapped one of the Akatsuki members in the Great Toad's esophagus, Jiraiya turned his attention to the remaining one.
This was the perfect opportunity! He had to capture this Akatsuki member and extract more information!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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