"Surrender."
Shadows blurred into existence, encircling Kakuzu. Wave after wave of impacts hammered into him, sending him skidding across the ground again and again.
Zabuza watched from the side, inwardly astonished. Shisui's Body Flicker Technique… it's even more terrifying than before.
Shisui landed in front of Kakuzu, while Izumi and the others closed in from every direction, forming a perfect encirclement.
Seeing this, Kakuzu's heart tightened. "As long as the green mountains stand, there will always be firewood to burn," he muttered—his way of saying he knew when to cut his losses.
"We already know all your intel, Kakuzu. Do you really think you can escape?"
Just as Kakuzu hesitated, Shisui spoke again, every word striking precisely where Kakuzu was most vulnerable.
Kakuzu's psychological defenses shattered in an instant.
He had survived this long because he was cautious—because he knew when surrender was the wise path.
"…Alright. I surrender."
His voice carried helpless resignation.
A faint spark of satisfaction appeared in Shisui's eyes. As long as they brought Kakuzu back, there would be ways to make him submit fully.
For their future plans, they needed as many powerful shinobi as possible.
"Brother Kakuzu—what are you talking about?!"
Hidan, nearby, yelled in disbelief.
Shisui exchanged a glance with Yu and Izumi. In the next moment, all three of their Sharingan spun as one.
A simultaneous genjutsu assault—something no one else had ever received.
"This one is extremely valuable. We must take him back," Shisui said seriously.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Under the combined genjutsu pressure, Hidan's resistance crumbled quickly. He went slack, eyes unfocused.
Shisui flickered to his side. A sealing formula of unfamiliar origin unfolded instantly, wrapping around Hidan.
He was sealed.
Sasuke approached, eyes bright with curiosity. "Why can't he move? What kind of Sealing Technique was that?"
"Actually, it was two: the Limb Stiffness Technique and the Body Restraint Seal," Shisui explained.
Together, they immobilize him completely."
These were basic Sealing Techniques—but in Shisui's hands, even the simplest methods turned extraordinary.
Hidan regained consciousness shortly after. Only his eyes and mouth could move.
"What did you do to me?!" he shouted, immediately lapsing into noisy raving.
Seeing that Hidan—despite his handsome, refined appearance—was so loud and unhinged, Shisui sighed and resealed his mouth.
"Let's go. Time to head back," he said. Then he paused.
"Oh—right, Yu. Reimburse the shopkeeper for the damage."
Uchiha Yu waved casually. "I know."
Land of Wind
On Naruto's side, Yamato was still relentlessly planting trees. With his Wood Release, he alone produced the manpower of hundreds of shinobi—or tens of thousands of civilians.
Over the past days, the shinobi from the Umbrella Organization had also sprung into action. The ones Naruto sent weren't especially powerful, but most could use basic Earth Release.
That alone greatly accelerated Gaara's development plan.
Meanwhile, several teams had been dispatched to quietly explore and develop potential oil fields.
"Yamato, you've worked really hard these days!"
Naruto said cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder. They had grown rather familiar during this period.
Yamato had also gained a clearer understanding of Naruto—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki who once abandoned Konoha.
Powerful. Approachable. Clever in ways that didn't always feel… entirely human.
Working nonstop, Yamato repeatedly pushed himself to chakra exhaustion—only for Naruto to flood him with Nine-Tails chakra to force recovery.
It nearly broke him.
But the results were undeniable: vast new expanses of green now spread beyond the oasis.
His efforts had even earned the appreciation of every Sunagakure shinobi.
Since Gaara took office, the Hidden Sand's living conditions had steadily improved—and the support of the Seven Colors Trading Company had been essential.
The desert's poverty was crushing. To rebuild its economy and foster real industries, Naruto had invested enormous effort—pouring in funds worth billions of ryō, comparable to the annual budget of an entire village.
The funding brought immediate, dramatic changes to Sunagakure. Although the village's military strength hadn't increased significantly, the quality of life for its residents had improved tremendously.
And for shinobi—what was the purpose of all their battles?
To protect their village and ensure a better life for their families.
This move alone earned Sunagakure a massive surge of public support.
The food industry, clothing industry, and various light industries began to flourish throughout both Sunagakure and the Land of Wind.
Just as Naruto and his team were busily advancing their projects, Naruto suddenly received a call from Shisui.
"What did you just say? You captured two members of Akatsuki? Kakuzu… and Hidan?"
Naruto blinked, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Shisui to bring them in alive.
"You want to study Hidan's ability?"
Hearing the intention behind Shisui's words, Naruto stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Hidan's immortality indeed held tremendous research value.
Naruto didn't expect their scientists to fully replicate Hidan's abilities—just developing a technique or application that accelerated healing would already greatly enhance the survivability of Umbrella's elite shinobi.
With that thought, Naruto bid farewell to Yamato and Gaara, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the Land of Snow.
The moment he arrived, he immediately went to find Shisui.
"Where are the two you mentioned?" Naruto asked.
"Hidan has already been delivered to Orochimaru and Tsunade. Kakuzu is being held in my temporary containment seal," Shisui replied.
Naruto nodded, knowing exactly where Orochimaru and Tsunade conducted their research—it was the laboratory complex built into the mountainside.
He headed there without delay.
The facility was one of Naruto's carefully constructed experimental buildings, housing Orochimaru's biological research division along with many other Umbrella projects.
Layers of barriers and sealing arrays made its security one of the highest in the entire nation.
As Naruto stepped inside, he saw Orochimaru and Tsunade collecting samples of Hidan's blood.
"This man's genetic makeup is extremely strange," Orochimaru said slowly.
"There's a mysterious factor within his cells—something that massively enhances vitality and regenerative ability."
"I can feel some kind of unknown power inside him…"
Tsunade frowned, analyzing the sample.
"Naruto? What brings you here?"
The two looked up as Naruto walked in.
"Shisui told me what you were working on. I got curious. I want to understand what exactly gives him immortality."
Naruto approached the sealed Hidan. Immobilized completely, with even his mouth sealed shut, Hidan could only glare at them—with the same manic hostility as always.
"I'll take a look."
Naruto reached out and extracted a single drop of Hidan's blood. A surge of powerful mental energy radiated from him. Sage Mode markings darkened around his eyes as his spiritual force enveloped the blood sample.
Under Orochimaru and Tsunade's watchful gazes, Naruto's power merged with the cells.
At that exact moment—
Somewhere in the depths of the universe, an unknown being—hundreds of meters tall—opened its eyes.
"God! What happened?"
"…Nothing. An ant is probing into fragments of my power scattered across the world."
The colossal entity gradually closed its eyes again, leaving behind only drifting Kamui-like distortions in the void.
Dark energy rippled outward, connecting to the emptiness of space. An image formed—
A blue planet appeared.
"God… that looks like the star system of the Ōtsutsuki Clan!"
"My faith is eternal. One day, the power of God will blanket the entire universe…"
The massive figure slowly drifted back into deep sleep—as if nothing had occurred at all.
...
TN:
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