On the battlefield of the Land of Hot Water, the air was as thick as congealed blood, and every breath carried the heavy scent of rust and burning.
Jiraiya held the "Sloth," its blunt, broad blade touching the ground. Within the range centered on the sword's tip, the flow of time was forcibly distorted and stretched.
"Puppeteer" flew in mid-air, its purple hair fluttering in the chaotic wind. A bony mask covered the upper half of its face, and its mouth held a hint of cold amusement. The five threads extending from its slender right hand's fingertips had already been cut countless times.
The two were at a complete stalemate, but it was at this critical moment, which had tied down most of their attention...
"Kill! For the Hidden Cloud!"
"You dogs of Konoha! Pay with your lives!"
From the formations of the Konoha and Hidden Cloud shinobi, who had been on the verge of a standoff at the edge of the battlefield, a wave of hysterical roars and clamor suddenly erupted. Dozens of figures wearing Hidden Cloud and Konoha uniforms suddenly shrieked and lunged at the enemies in front of them without any warning.
Thwack! Thwack!
"Ah!"
"Damn it!"
Screams, shouts, and curses exploded. The fragile balance that had been precariously maintained collapsed! The Konoha and Hidden Cloud shinobi once again engaged in a brutal fight, driven by fear and fury to savagely attack and tear at each other!
In the chaotic battlefield, a figure moved like a ghost, shouldering a giant scythe. His eyes were filled with maniacal excitement and a thirst for slaughter!
"Get out of the way, you useless trash!"
Hidan let out an ear-splitting cackle, constantly swinging his scythe. Wherever he went, whether it was a Konoha or Hidden Cloud shinobi, they were easily torn and cut apart by the giant blade. Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining his robes red.
But this time, his target wasn't Konoha or Hidden Cloud; it was the "Gillian" surrounded by a large number of people!
"Roar!"
As if sensing a threat, the "Gillian" turned its head sharply, opened the giant mouth beneath its mask, and condensed a Cero, firing it at Hidan!
"Hahaha! What a pathetic trick!"
Hidan let out a wild laugh, not dodging. He swung his scythe, brutally slicing the crimson beam in half!
Crack!
The beam was cut in two as if it had met its natural enemy, and Hidan's figure charged through the middle.
"Such a powerful and tempting soul!"
"Let me offer you to Lord Jashin!"
Hidan appeared in front of the "Gillian," his scythe whistling as it tore through the air, brutally slicing into the "Gillian's" body.
Clang! Boom!
The entire body, including the mask, was sliced in two by the scythe. The "Hollow's" black body exploded, and a pale blue spiritual energy instantly surged toward Hidan! Hidan's eyes gleamed with ecstasy. He opened his arms as if to embrace this gift. "Come! Come! I..."
However, before he could finish.
Swish! Swish!
A thread, as thin as a hair but incredibly sharp, instantly severed Hidan's head and limbs. Large gushes of blood sprayed out like a fountain!
The "Puppeteer's" figure in the sky looked down at Hidan with a cold expression, clearly enraged by Hidan's actions in killing the "Gillian" while it was distracted.
Thump! Thump!
Hidan's head slid to the ground, and his limbs were scattered everywhere with a series of dull thuds. However, the head's face showed no pain. Instead, it bore a twisted, almost joyful, smile.
"Hehehe... hahaha!" Hidan's head laughed maniacally, its mouth wide open. "I can feel it! I can finally feel it! Lord Jashin's blessing has descended!"
A sinister, dark red light surged from the arm that lay on the ground and the giant scythe it was clutching.
"Hahaha!" Hidan roared with laughter. "Kill them all, Four-Bladed Scythe Child!"
Buzz!
As his words fell, a black formation suddenly appeared beneath him, and a crimson light instantly enveloped his entire body! In the next moment, the light erupted, centered on Hidan, and instantly covered a radius of nearly a hundred meters!
The nearly one hundred Konoha and Hidden Cloud shinobi enveloped in this light stiffened. Their eyes were wide, and all the color drained from their faces, leaving only pain and terror.
Thump! Thump!
A series of spine-chilling thuds rang out. Fine blood vessels on the skin of the shinobi squirmed frantically like living things. Then, their blood was forcibly siphoned from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, as well as every pore on their bodies. It turned into crimson lines, madly rushing toward Hidan!
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
A large amount of blood quickly gathered on the ground, forming a rectangular and circular crimson formation. Flesh, blood vessels, muscles, and bones began to grow under Hidan's head at a visible rate...
In just three seconds, Hidan stood up again, without a single wound on his body, as if he had never been injured! And the shinobi who had been drained of their blood became shriveled and withered, turning into bone-thin husks that fell to the ground.
Nearly a hundred people were forcibly drained and sacrificed in just a few seconds. A nauseatingly thick smell of blood soared into the sky, and the entire battlefield instantly became a living hell.
Meanwhile, the Jashin-Sect followers who had received Hidan's blood were not drained. Instead, they also absorbed the blood and felt a stronger power, their faces becoming even more fanatical.
"Hahahaha! This is the power bestowed by Lord Jashin!"
Hidan stood with his hands on his hips, his body naked, laughing maniacally, letting several threads cut through his body. The threads passed through him as if they were cutting through air. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that the cuts were healing instantly.
"This ability, this aura..."
Feeling the aura of the Four-Bladed Scythe Child in Hidan's hand, the "Puppeteer's" eyes flickered as it weighed its options. This guy's self-healing ability was somewhat restraining its threads.
With this thought, it took a deep look at the wildly laughing Hidan and then glanced at the shocked and furious Jiraiya in the distance...
Tear!
The space in front of it was torn open, and a Garganta opened. Its figure disappeared into the void.
"Damn it, why did it run away? I wanted to offer that guy to Lord Jashin. I wish I could fly." Hidan pouted, looking a bit disappointed. He picked up his giant scythe, put it on his shoulder, and turned his gaze to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya endured the weakness that came from maintaining his "Time Domain." He looked up, his expression solemn, at the naked, perverted madman in the distance.
But Hidan didn't attack him as he expected. Instead, he stood in place and scratched his head for no reason.
"Tch, another guy from Konoha," Hidan muttered unhappily. "After all, I promised that Kabuto guy to try not to kill people from Konoha."
With this in mind, he stopped looking at Jiraiya, turned, and looked at the terrified Hidden Cloud shinobi, a crazed smile appearing on his face.
The moonlight was obscured by thick, heavy clouds. The once brightly lit and heavily guarded Daimyo's estate was now shrouded in panic and the pungent smell of blood.
The long corridors with their carved beams and painted pillars, and the exquisite courtyards, were now filled with broken walls, shattered porcelain, and shocking bloodstains.
"Ugh, ah!"
"Hold them off!"
"Protect the Daimyo!"
Nearly a hundred samurai with sharp katanas formed a formation, trying to block the black figures coming toward them, but their actions were like moths caught in a spider's web.
Clang!
One samurai's sword brutally struck a "Hollow's" arm, but it was like hitting hard rock, only producing a few sparks. The "Hollow's" sharp, bony claws, however, easily tore through armor and pierced flesh and bone.
One samurai's blade pierced another "Hollow," but the anticipated piercing of its heart did not happen. Instead, the "Hollow" grabbed him and forcibly pulled out his soul.
"Hold on!"
"The Twelve Guardian Ninja are on their way!"
"Don't let these monsters get near the Daimyo!"
The tragic deaths of their comrades made the other samurai's eyes bloodshot. They roared and charged, trying to fill the defensive line with their lives! However, the samurai's proud sword skills and intricate coordination were so clumsy in front of these inhuman monsters.
In the depths of the estate, in the most luxurious bedchamber, the heavy wooden doors were tightly closed. Outside, the dying screams of the samurai and the low growls of the monsters could be heard. The once-lofty and pampered Fire Daimyo was now cowering behind a large screen with his family, his body trembling violently! His ornate robes were soaked with cold sweat, his face was bloodless, and his eyes were filled with terror and despair!
"F-father..." The young heir clutched the Daimyo's sleeve, his voice choked with sobs. "What... what are those things..."
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. As a future Daimyo, you should remain calm in the face of danger..."
The Daimyo's voice was dry as he tried to console him, but his words were unconvincing, and he couldn't even stop his own body from trembling. They could clearly feel the bone-chilling aura outside the door, as if it could freeze their souls. Every scream was like a heavy hammer striking his heart. Never before had they felt death so close!
What the hell were these things?!
Bang!
Crack!
The heavy wooden doors of the bedchamber were suddenly knocked open by a huge force. Wood splinters flew as a massive "Hollow" walked in, its crimson eyes locking onto the trembling people behind the screen!
"Ah!"
"No!"
The Daimyo and his family shrieked in despair. They stared in terror, waiting for death.
However, at this critical moment, a roar suddenly erupted from outside the bedchamber.
"Get out of my way!"
A figure appeared at the bedchamber's entrance, its body exuding a surging chakra. Its golden hair wildly fluttered in the air.
Tsunade's expression was grim. She tightly clenched her right fist, and chakra condensed at the peak of her knuckles, slamming into the "Hollow" in front of her.
Boom!
The entire bedchamber violently trembled. The hard ground cracked and collapsed, and a terrifying impact spread in a ring. The "Hollow" was brutally blown up.
But soon, under Tsunade's gaze, the "Hollow's" figure re-condensed. However, its body was now so faint it was almost transparent. It was clear that Tsunade's blow had caused it great damage.
As the "Hollow's" figure re-condensed, Tsunade's figure appeared above it even faster. Her right hand's five fingers were held together, covered in a layer of chakra that exuded a sharp aura.
Chakra Scalpel!
Swish!
A cold light flashed, like a hot knife through butter. Tsunade's palm accurately pierced the "Hollow's" pale mask. A pale blue spiritual energy gushed from the cracks in the mask.
Boom!
The Hollow's head and body instantly exploded, turning into black smoke and dissipating.
"As I thought, the mask is the core and the weakness?"
Tsunade turned sharply, scanning the "Hollows" outside the chamber. Her figure moved like the wind through the crowd of "Hollows." Every time she appeared, it was accompanied by the cold gleam of her Chakra Scalpel.
Boom! Boom!
A series of dull explosions rang out, and one "Hollow" after another collapsed and dissipated!
The remaining samurai were stunned by the sight, but soon, they also realized the weakness of these monsters.
"It's the masks!"
"Attack their masks!"
The surviving samurai leader roared, his voice hoarse. The remaining samurai suppressed their fear and reformed their formation, using their swords and bodies to kill the "Hollows"! Soon, the Twelve Guardian Ninja also arrived from the periphery. Seeing that the "Hollows" had reached the bedchamber, their faces changed, and they quickly came to help.
Once they figured out the "Hollow's" weakness, and with no "Gillian" present, the battle didn't last long. With Tsunade's overwhelming strength, the samurai's desperate protection, and the aid of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the remaining "Hollows" were quickly cleared out.
Inside the bedchamber, the air was filled with the heavy smell of blood and the chilling aura left behind by the dissipated "Hollows."
The Fire Daimyo, supported by his family, walked out from behind the screen, trembling. A sense of relief at having survived a disaster appeared on his face. But that relief was quickly replaced by a surge of fear and rage.
"Damn it!!"
The Daimyo pushed away the attendant who was supporting him. His body trembled with fury and terror. His voice was shrill and sharp as he roared, "What... what are these monsters?"
"Why are they here? Why did they attack my estate?!"
He turned sharply to the attendant, whose face was also bloodless, and almost yelled, "Immediately! Immediately send a letter to Konoha and question Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"How can he be Hokage? Why would he allow such monsters to appear in the Land of Fire! He must give me an explanation, an explanation that satisfies me!"
"Otherwise, otherwise..."
The Daimyo did not finish his sentence, but his bloodshot eyes, filled with fear, were also filled with anger and suspicion toward Konoha! The blood and death of this night had completely shattered his blind trust in the power of the shinobi, leaving only fear of the unknown horror and a towering rage at Konoha's dereliction of duty.
Tsunade stood in place, looking at the furious Daimyo and the devastated estate. Her face was slightly pale due to her fear of blood. She took out a bottle of sake with a trembling hand, tilted her head back, and took a large gulp. The spicy liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn't dispel the heaviness in her heart.
"Old man," she thought. "This time, it's really a mess."