The sunlight dappled through the forest, breaking into scattered patches of light. A gentle breeze rustled through, bringing waves of coolness. But no coolness could compare to the chill in Kakuzu's heart.
Snapping back to his senses, Kakuzu found that time had stopped at the exact moment he and the masked man locked eyes.
'How did I fall into a genjutsu? Move, now!'
Kakuzu found himself completely paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. He tried to force chakra through his body to break the genjutsu, but it was useless.
'A genjutsu that can't be broken by forcing chakra—is it because of the Sharingan?'
Looking across, a pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes watched him and Hidan with amusement, like they were two fish waiting to be butchered on a cutting board.
'Such powerful Sharingan, such terrifying genjutsu.'
This person, Kakuzu felt, had to be deeply etched into his mind. Though he claimed to have five lives and be unkillable, Kakuzu had lived this long by knowing when to bend and when to stand firm. Now, facing a formidable enemy who could take his life at any moment, he felt a sense of powerlessness, similar to when he faced the Akatsuki leader's Rinnegan. No, even more terrifying. The strength of the person before him was even more bizarre; just a genjutsu was enough to claim his life.
Kakuzu wasn't sure what was happening with Hidan behind him, but he guessed it was probably the same as himself.
'Why? Why did we encounter such a powerful individual?'
Kakuzu glared fiercely at the man's mask. Through his eyes, he noticed the masked man excitedly observing them both, and then suddenly, those eyes turned listless and bored?
"Congratulations, you're lucky. Boss won't let me kill innocents indiscriminately. Because even he isn't sure whether the so-called Akatsuki organization is good or bad."
'Boss?'
Kakuzu was inexplicably horrified. Was there an even stronger existence above this guy?
"You're Kakuzu, right? You can go now."
Six-Tails glanced at Kakuzu, a hint of boredom in his eyes, as if he had lost interest in a toy.
"However, Hidan, right? Because you attacked me, you're now the defendant and are about to be sent to court. Everything you say from now on will be used as evidence."
"Oh." Six-Tails paused, a humorous expression on his face, and said cheekily, "I forgot to mention, I'm the plaintiff, the judge, and the jury!"
"I now declare you guilty and sentenced to lifelong servitude!"
This series of statements caused a flicker of despair in Kakuzu. How could he lose to a person like this?
"However," Six-Tails ' gaze swept back to Kakuzu, and he said mockingly, "Before I let you go, let me enjoy a good show."
"Now, the show begins!"
Kakuzu was surprised to find that the three tomoe in the masked man's eyes spun rapidly, actually merging into a special form resembling a shuriken.
'Is it a Mangekyo like Itachi's?'
Then, Kakuzu inexplicably found that his body was slowly turning backward, and at the same time, he couldn't control his body at all.
'Why can't I control my body? And why is my chakra circulating wildly? Who is this man? What kind of genjutsu is this?'
This indescribable experience made Kakuzu feel, for a moment, that physics no longer existed! How could such a genjutsu exist?
Turning his head, Kakuzu found that the village elders he had supposedly killed were standing alive right in front of him. Meanwhile, Hidan opposite him was having a similar experience.
"This is the First Ninja World Martial Arts Tournament—no, the First Ninja World Martial Arts Unrestricted Combat Tournament!"
Uchiha Six-Tails jumped onto a large rock nearby, pulled out a bag of potato chips, and excitedly commentated while eating.
"Currently in the ring, we have Kakuzu from the Akatsuki organization, and Hidan, also from the Akatsuki organization."
"Contestant Kakuzu immediately unleashed all his major moves; his body actually disintegrated, and four dark monsters jumped out!"
"Eek~ Is that a person or a monster?!"
"Oh? These four monsters each possess a different attribute! Kakuzu can actually gather all five chakra natures through this method! What a genius idea."
"Now, let's look at the other side!"
"Our criminal, Contestant Hidan, is no slouch either. He's doing nothing, standing perfectly still. What's he planning?"
Six-Tails bared a bright, maliciously grinning smile and said, "Oh, it turns out he wants to test the endurance of his immortal body!"
"What? He doesn't want to? These are all things the referee wants to do!"
"Guards, take out the person who just spoke!"
Don't ask what Kakuzu's mood was at that moment. He couldn't hear; his five senses were completely controlled, and his only thought was to kill the person in front of him. This Hidan truly lived up to his potential as excellent material. After enduring Kakuzu's five-element barrage, he still stood tall and proud.
"Excellent, Boss will definitely be very satisfied with this material."
After speaking, Six-Tails ' voice suddenly deepened, "Too bad, Contestant Kakuzu has lost four lives. He's about to die too, it seems our tournament must end here."
"Now, genjutsu release!"
As the voice fell, Kakuzu found that the village elders he could never kill suddenly turned into Hidan, standing motionless. And he himself lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
'Absolutely no chance to fight back.'
Muttering inwardly, Kakuzu painfully closed his eyes, awaiting judgment.
Uchiha Six-Tails had finished watching the show and incidentally eaten six bags of potato chips. He jumped down. He walked over to Kakuzu and picked up the money bag. Counting it, 3.2 million Ryo.
"That's a lot of money. Since that's the case, I'll take it."
Kakuzu glanced at him, not daring to harbor any hatred. He was deeply afraid of this man.
"As a trade, I'll give you these two. Consider it bought."
As if to convince Kakuzu, Uchiha Six-Tails emphasized again, "Look carefully, I'm doing a fair trade. Don't say I robbed you."
Something landed on his chest. Kakuzu opened his eyes and found two red pills.
'This looks familiar. Wait, aren't these the Xiaoyao Pills that cost 200,000 Ryo each at the Exchange Office?'
Kakuzu tremblingly picked them up and put them in his mouth. He knew these were life-saving items. Swallowing them, he felt a surging vitality immediately begin to spread throughout his body. Five minutes later, the medicinal effects took full hold. Kakuzu found that he could actually stand up.
"Thank you, honored one," Kakuzu said very courteously.
"Thank yourself. Not attacking me was your greatest stroke of luck. You were very close; if you'd waited any longer, you definitely would have attacked."
Hearing this, cold sweat ran down Kakuzu's back. Did this person truly want his life?
"You may leave."
Six-Tails glanced at him, then prepared to let him go. Kakuzu looked at Hidan, who was still standing stiffly, deeply immersed in the genjutsu and unable to extricate himself. He didn't even dare to ask about him.
"Oh, right."
Six-Tails ' voice suddenly sounded, startling Kakuzu. He was truly afraid the other party would go back on his word.
"Don't be scared. I just wanted to ask how you got this money."
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[Six-Tails : Boss, that thing you've always wanted to buy? I finally have enough money for it!]
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Naruto, who was having barbecue with his teammates and then joined by Team Ten, suddenly looked at Team Ten's jonin leader with surprise.
Sensei Asuma Sarutobi, is he really that valuable?