"Where exactly did things go wrong..."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, slowly shifting his feet while scanning the surroundings. Decades of experience as a ninja had ingrained in him a cautious nature.
Hidan slumped lazily on the stone steps, still as indifferent as ever, looking completely bored.
He leaned back against the upper step behind him, his sickle resting casually by his right hand, legs spread wide apart in a loose V-shape.
Unfazed by Kakuzu's vigilance, Hidan even let out a lazy yawn, occasionally patting near his mouth as if trying to fight off drowsiness.
"Now! Mount Myoboku, Frog Sage—appear!"
A low roar erupted from behind Hidan—quiet yet thunderous in his ears.
Hidan didn't have time to react, and Kakuzu standing ahead of him hadn't anticipated danger approaching from behind his partner either.
Crash! Behind Hidan stood the Samurai Pavilion, and with the sound of splitting earth, a red-and-white figure burst forth from underground, attacking the unguarded Hidan.
None other than Jiraiya—lurking in hiding here all this time.
After slipping away from the gathering of those petty chieftains, he quickly found a quiet spot nearby to rest and grab a bite. Around 2 p.m., he arrived early at this location to investigate and set up several ambush techniques.
In the end, he chose this particular hiding place. At first, he thought although it was concealed and surprising, enemies wouldn't be foolish enough to fall directly into his trap.
But fate is unpredictable. To his surprise, were these really top-level members of Akatsuki? Or perhaps this person wasn't a core member at all—just some underling?
His face showed no unnecessary expression. Facing enemies, Jiraiya became a cold-blooded ninja without room for mercy in his heart.
There were two enemies. To gather accurate intelligence, ideally both should be taken alive.
However, if they truly belonged to Akatsuki's central ranks, their strength certainly wouldn't be weak, and holding back wasn't an option here.
Jiraiya made his decision in an instant: eliminate one enemy now, capture the other, and squeeze every drop of intel from him. Even corpses can speak—but it'd just be more complicated!
Only meters separated him from Hidan, which meant practically no distance at all for someone as powerful as Jiraiya. Hidan didn't even have time to react.
[Wild Lion's Mane Technique]
The moment Jiraiya closed in, his hair instantly extended and hardened, wrapping tightly around Hidan's neck.
Tearing through flesh—a sharp ripping sound echoed. Before Hidan could even twist his head, assisted by Jiraiya's force, his head completed a full 360-degree rotation.
Snap! The connection between spine and skull broke cleanly with an audible crack.
The muscles around his neck twisted like coiled wire, wrenched into a spiral by Jiraiya's power.
Hidan's face twisted in confusion. The instant Jiraiya's voice rang out, he felt immense pressure coil around his throat before the entire world began spinning uncontrollably.
"One!"
"Jiraiya finished off Hidan, murmuring softly as he turned his gaze forward toward Kakuzu's direction.
With both hands sealing in front of his body, he bent forward and used his hair to fling the already 'dead' Hidan aside, letting the corpse drop at Kakuzu's feet.
"Just one left... This one looks tough to deal with."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. The death of an ally seemed to cause no emotional disturbance in the enemy.
Indeed, such organizations operate without emotion or brotherhood... (Jianghu-style underworld groups)
"Look who I found... Jiraiya from Konoha's Three Sages..." Kakuzu stared at Jiraiya standing beside the fallen Hidan, green eyes sparkling greedily at the thought of bounty money.
As a bounty hunter deeply entrenched in the underworld for years, Kakuzu definitely knew who Jiraiya was.
Among today's strongest shinobi, Jiraiya was definitely top-tier on enemy nations' wanted lists, with a ridiculous amount of bounty on his head.
Looking at Jiraiya, Kakuzu recalled relevant intelligence while pondering whether or not to fight.
Being one of the Three Legendary Sanin, Jiraiya's reputation was enormous.
Though Kakuzu had lived longer than Jiraiya, power-wise, he might really be outmatched.
But that was only...
Thinking this, Kakuzu's gaze lowered slightly, glancing at Hidan lying on the ground like a corpse after having his neck twisted around by Jiraiya.
If it were an ordinary person, receiving such treatment would certainly result in death, but if it was Hidan...
Hmph, looks like Hidan learned his lesson this time, a slight upward curve forming at the corner of Kakuzu's mouth.
Jiraiya noticed Kakuzu wasn't moving. Again, his hands formed a seal in front of his chest. His hair behind him flared out like an angry hedgehog, bristling defensively outward.
[Ninjutsu - Needle Jizo]
From information Minato gave him, Jiraiya had some intel on these two individuals, although limited. Still, from those simple descriptions, he recognized both of them instantly.
One was a rogue ninja from Tachigakure wielding a sickle, the other a rogue from Takigakure Village, abilities unknown.
The one on the ground was the Tachigakure rogue. The remaining one must be the Takigakure Village rogue.
To test the enemy's strength, Jiraiya decided to launch a ranged attack first and observe their reaction.
"Hmph..."
Kakuzu slightly raised the cloth covering his face, not taking Jiraiya's assault seriously, merely lifting his right arm to protect vulnerable areas like his eyes.
Ding! Ding! Ding! A series of sharp collision sounds rang out. Countless slender, needle-like white hairs slammed into Kakuzu's raised arm, ringing out like metal striking steel.
[Earth Release - Earth Spear Jutsu]
This was the ninjutsu mastered by Kakuzu's original body. It could harden his skin to the durability of steel, enhancing defense while also pushing physical attacks to extreme levels unmatched by ordinary shinobi.
"Not bad..." Jiraiya never thought such an attack could defeat his enemy. This method was merely for testing purposes.
Licking his dry lips, chakra surged through Jiraiya's body.
Meanwhile, behind his arm shielding his face, Kakuzu's eyes showed much confusion.
"That guy Hidan, what's taking him so long? Does he expect me to cover for him?"
Kakuzu was facing Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin. His first thought was about the bounty on Jiraiya's head, but immediately afterward, he began calculating his odds.
One of the most frequent things he did throughout his ninja career was assess the gap between himself and his enemies.
Level-headed and unarrogant—this was why he had survived more than eighty years as a ninja.
Back then, when sent by the village to assassinate Hashirama Senju, he almost got killed precisely because he failed to accurately evaluate himself.
Luckily, Hashirama appreciated his fearless spirit and spared his life.
Since then, he developed the habit of thoroughly evaluating himself before engaging in unnecessary battles.
This was exactly the quality every bounty ninja needed! Because the temptation of rewards often made many lose sight of their actual capabilities.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, looking again at Hidan lying motionless on the ground. A hint of dissatisfaction flickered across his mind while simultaneously preparing for combat.
He wanted to see how he stacked up against Jiraiya. But even so, escape was still doable—if he played it smart.
His skin darkened again along both arms, revealing a metallic sheen. This change had absolutely nothing to do with Earth Release techniques anymore.
Thud! Both legs instantly crossed as he kicked off with his right leg from behind; Kakuzu decided to become bait, creating a perfect opportunity for that guy Hidan.
After all, he'd seen Hidan's abilities firsthand—powerful beyond reason—but with obvious flaws.
When facing a ninja of Jiraiya's level, it's either an instant kill or you flee far away after your initial strike.
Fists forward, Kakuzu launched toward Jiraiya, leaving a deep crater where he had stood.
"Here we go!"
Jiraiya grinned, chest rising and falling, cheeks puffed out like a frog summon readying for battle.
[Fire Release – Flame Bullet]
Using chakra to condense oil enhanced the fire technique's power, producing hotter flames that were harder to extinguish.
His body lowered slightly, stretching his head forward, face flushed red.
At this moment, Hidan—who Jiraiya had already assumed dead—moved his eyes slightly, and his right finger twitched almost imperceptibly.
Blazing flames roared into fireballs laced with glowing embers, shooting forth from Jiraiya's mouth toward Kakuzu ahead.
Unfazed, Kakuzu kept charging forward, as if deliberately risking his own life.
The instant Jiraiya released his jutsu, his brows shot together in a sharp frown.
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