The two Akatsuki members turned toward the source of the voice. Several figures stood before them.
Shisui.
Zabuza.
Uchiha Yu.
Sasuke.
And several other Umbrella operatives.
Their presence alone showed how seriously Shisui regarded the threat posed by Kakuzu and Hidan.
Sasuke studied the two intruders with open curiosity.
His gaze lingered on Kakuzu.
"Has this guy really lived since the First Hokage's era?"
If that was true, then he was more than a century old. Terrifying.
Shisui nodded softly.
"Yes, Sasuke. The shinobi world is full of unusual and extraordinary individuals. Never underestimate anyone."
Shisui's gaze grew distant for a moment. He couldn't help thinking of Itachi—his friend, his brother in all but blood. The boy he had once vowed to support.
If someone cannot protect their family…
Cannot protect their own blood…
What meaning does protecting the village have?
Especially when the ones who destroyed that family were the very people he once defended.
The thought left a bitter taste. His past self had been naïve. And Itachi… even more so.
Shisui forced his thoughts back to the present and looked again at Kakuzu and Hidan. According to Naruto's intelligence, Hidan possessed an immortal body—an invaluable research subject.
After surviving and rebuilding, Shisui had learned how to evaluate everything for maximum gain. Growth demanded resources, and Umbrella could not afford waste.
Shisui stepped forward.
"Since you've come all this way… stay here as our guests."
Kakuzu's expression darkened immediately.
Hidan, however, grinned maniacally.
"So many people! Lord Jashin will be thrilled! I'll offer all of you to him!"
"Shut up, Hidan!" Kakuzu snapped.
He knew full well these people weren't the easy targets Hidan normally terrorized.
But it was too late—retreat was no longer an option.
Kakuzu formed hand seals at lightning speed.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A massive fireball erupted inside the inn. Fortunately, the owner had already escaped.
Thick smoke filled the room, and by the time it cleared, Kakuzu and Hidan were gone.
Shisui's lips curved slightly.
"Chase."
—
In the open wilderness outside town, Kakuzu found himself surrounded by Shisui's group. His expression tightened. He realized the truth—Shisui had intentionally allowed them to escape the inn to avoid collateral damage.
A fight inside a crowded town would've been messy. Kakuzu could've used civilians as leverage.
Out here, he had no such advantage.
Shisui, Zabuza, Sasuke, and the others formed a precise triangular encirclement.
Shisui's voice was calm but firm.
"Be careful. Don't let him get your blood. His ability works through blood-based curses. Once he has it, you die—no exceptions."
Kakuzu's eyelid twitched.
They knew everything.
For a moment, he resented Hidan more than ever.
Why had he accepted this mission?
Hidan, meanwhile, puffed out his chest.
"Do you idiots know who my big brother Kakuzu is? He fought the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, for three hundred rounds!"
Kakuzu felt heat crawl up his neck.
Regret hit him like a kunai. He shouldn't have bragged to Hidan in the past. The guy had the brain of a child—he remembered every boast.
Sasuke and the others stared at Kakuzu in surprise.
Someone who had faced the First Hokage…?
Their expressions immediately grew more serious.
Shisui chuckled.
Naruto had already told him the truth about Kakuzu—and the joke about the "kunai thrown eight hundred li."
A relic of a bygone era now standing before them.
And Umbrella was more than ready.
Shisui stepped forward with a faint smile.
"The one who fought the First Hokage-sama… was that the same legendary man who threw a kunai from eight hundred li away?"
Kakuzu stiffened.
He felt insulted to his core.
Yes, he had fought the First Hokage—though it had only been a Wood Clone—but being mocked like this stung more than any jutsu.
Sasuke and the others couldn't hold back their laughter.
Hidan, of course, made things worse.
"Big Brother Kakuzu! They're looking down on you! Go teach them a lesson!"
Kakuzu's expression darkened to pitch black.
Without another word, he formed rapid hand seals.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A spear of lightning split the sky, forcing everyone to leap aside. Immediately after, Kakuzu unleashed a barrage of elemental ninjutsu—fire, wind, water, earth, lightning—one after another.
Sasuke's eyes sharpened. This was the first time he had faced such relentless multi-attribute attacks.
"Lightning Release—Chidori!"
A thousand chirping birds burst from his hand. Lightning danced around him as he charged at Kakuzu like a streak of blue light. With Shisui and the others keeping Kakuzu occupied, Sasuke's strike pierced through one of Kakuzu's hearts.
"Got him!"
A triumphant smile flashed across Sasuke's face.
But Shisui shouted immediately,
"Sasuke! Be careful! Kakuzu has five hearts—five lives! To kill him, you must destroy them all!"
But Kakuzu's counterattack was already descending—until his eyes met Sasuke's crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Damn!"
Kakuzu bit his tongue hard, snapping himself out of the genjutsu just before Sasuke's kunai could finish him.
He retreated instantly—
And nearly ran straight into Zabuza's enormous Kubikiribōchō.
At the same time, Hidan was already moving.
The moment the battle began, he had hurled his triple-bladed scythe, the chain whistling through the air.
Its intricate design wasn't for show—it was specifically crafted to draw blood.
Hidan's base strength was around Elite Jonin level, but his immortal body and curse ritual elevated him into a true nightmare for most opponents.
Kakuzu glanced around at the encirclement and felt an unfamiliar heaviness settle in his chest.
At that moment, Shisui placed a hand on Zabuza's shoulder.
"Kakuzu is mine. You all handle Hidan."
As he stepped forward, a powerful aura surged from him—controlled, sharp, lethal.
Kakuzu's instincts screamed.
In the next instant, Shisui blurred.
Dozens of afterimages appeared, flickering around Kakuzu like ghosts.
It was Shisui's signature style—Shisui the Teleporter.
Shisui's blade slashed toward Kakuzu. Kakuzu countered sharply—
Only for his attack to pass straight through Shisui's body.
An afterimage.
But the danger didn't lessen.
Kakuzu's instincts jolted—he rolled aside just in time.
A split-second later, Shisui's true body struck the ground where Kakuzu had been standing.
The switch had been seamless.
Fast enough to fool the eye.
Deadly enough to kill a weaker man instantly.
Kakuzu realized—
He was facing a monster.
...
TN:
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