Chapter 76: Share Ultimate Pain!
Renji rose from the crater, his body pristine. His wounds had vanished as if they'd never been, though his tattered clothes still clung to him in ragged strips. Nearby, Might Guy lay sprawled on the ground, a charred husk. His chest rose and fell in faint, agonizing breaths—teetering on the edge of death, but not yet gone.
Renji's mood soared; this outing had yielded far more than anticipated. He sauntered over and sat cross-legged beside Guy, gazing up at the deceptively ordinary afternoon sky. As birds flitted by, Renji mused that in this serene moment, the real Tsunade, Kakashi, and Might Guy had all fallen silent—forever.
"Guy-Sensei," Renji said softly, his voice laced with expertly feigned emotion. Thanks to Guy, he'd fully grasped the Eighth Gate of Death.
Guy couldn't respond, his breathing labored. Only his hearing lingered on the brink of oblivion, the fading sensation of Renji's voice filtering into his dying consciousness.
"Guy-Sensei, this isn't over. We'll meet again."
Guy didn't grasp the meaning, nor did he need to. Death was familiar to ninja, as routine as breathing or training.
Renji's right hand rested gently on Guy's chest, feeling the fading heartbeat. Just before it stopped, he brushed Guy's soul. "I didn't lie." They would reunite.
His touch activated, and Guy's body warped under his Idle Transfiguration, shrinking into a grotesque monster that Renji tucked into his ninja tool pouch. Immediately after, two blue flesh lumps detached from his hand, bouncing to the ground and rapidly expanding into perfect replicas of Tsunade and Guy.
He had now mastered all their Ninjutsu. His disguises were flawless, save for the unreplicable Sharingan. 'No matter.' Renji extended his other hand, clutching the bloodied Sharingan Obito had gifted him. His palm morphed into a viscous puddle of flesh, the eye sinking into it as a new slit opened, spun, and merged seamlessly.
Satisfied, Renji stood. "Lady Hokage, Kakashi-Sensei, Guy-Sensei—time to return to Konoha."
…
Land of Fire, Konoha – Hokage Office
The replica of Tsunade lounged brazenly in her chair, facing Danzo Shimura. "I brought him back."
Danzo's gaze flicked to Renji. "What about Sai? And Uchiha Sasuke?"
The clone sneered. "That's my concern as Hokage. Elder Danzo, mind your own business." Her tone carried a sharp warning.
Danzo eyed her newfound assertiveness, then turned and left. Renji followed him silently back to ROOT. The moment they were inside, Danzo exploded. "What's going on? You said she wouldn't return!"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +500!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +500!]
[Chakra (103,904,001 / 200,000,000)]
"Is that really her?"
'If Danzo weren't so useful,' Renji thought, 'he'd be croaking on the floor by now.'
Renji's words made Danzo's pupils shrink. "What do you mean?"
Danzo sat, staring at the boy who'd grown taller than him. "I joined the Revivalist Alliance," Renji explained, "and offered my Bloodline Limit in exchange for this puppet." He then produced the real, bound Tsunade, dropping her onto the stone floor. "The one in the office is a fake. The real one is here."
He savored Danzo's shock. "Manipulate her to your ends. It'll be easy. And if it fails, you're clean. Two shots at becoming Hokage."
Danzo wouldn't refuse.
"Very good."
…
Deep Night, Renji's Apartment
A knock echoed at his apartment. Renji, who had been studying the new Sharingan in his palm—now enhanced by Hashirama cells and hinting at a Rinnegan evolution—closed the eye and answered the door.
Naruto stood there in his pajamas, forehead sweaty, hugging his pillow.
"Why so late, Naruto?"
Renji was puzzled. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato had returned shortly after him, their mission to retrieve Sasuke an expected failure.
"I had a nightmare," Naruto muttered, slipping inside and immediately claiming Renji's bed. He curled up in Renji's scent-filled quilt and began recounting the dream.
Renji simply closed the door, climbed in resignedly, and listened like a patient parent.
"I dreamed of the Nine-Tails." Renji's heart stirred. The Sharingan in his palm could glimpse the beast, but he wasn't ready to act yet. Naruto's transformations were growing more frequent, and the beast's power terrified him. "I hurt you as a Tailed Beast…"
The guilt had festered for days. Tonight's dream—where he was ferocious, striking friends blindly—pounded at his heart.
"Does it bother you?" Renji asked flatly. He didn't care: he could evade the attacks effortlessly and would collect Naruto later. "Focus on your strength, Naruto. Sasuke's grown strong, right?"
They lay down, Naruto nodding. "Mm. Very strong."
"We'll work hard too." Renji closed his eyes, his cue to end the chat. Naruto understood and closed his eyes as well.
Morning brought the clatter of pans from the kitchen. Renji sat up, spotting Naruto's pillow and a stray golden hair on his own. Barefoot, he entered the kitchen to see Naruto cooking breakfast.
"Naruto, you're sixteen and balding!"
Naruto yelped, snatching his hair back. "Hair loss is normal!"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1!]
[Chakra (103,904,002 / 200,000,000)]
He fretted inwardly about a bald future while Renji savored his panic, sitting down to the simple meal of milk, bread, and eggs.
"Yo, eating already?" Jiraiya suddenly squatted at the open window, snatching Naruto's last piece of bread.
Naruto lunged, but Renji stuffed more bread in his mouth to silence him.
Jiraiya chewed. "Renji, don't spoil him."
"Shut up if you want to learn new Ninjutsu," Jiraiya added.
Naruto instantly teared up, hugging Jiraiya's thigh. "Ero-Sennin! I was wrong…!"
Jiraiya was here to train him; Sasuke's growth demanded it. Promising Renji he'd get stronger, Naruto vanished with his master. Renji sipped his milk calmly. Strength was futile—Naruto would learn that eventually.
Later, Renji wandered the Village, his mind racing. 'Ten-Tails Chakra: 200 million. Nearly 100 million short. I'll fleece Danzo pre-war, Obito and Madara during, Black Zetsu after, then Kaguya. No discrimination; I'll fleece them all.'
"Renji?"
It was Ino at the flower shop, standing with Sai, who was buying blooms.
"A coincidence?" Sai smiled, approaching and handing Renji the bouquet. "Best friends."
Ino laughed awkwardly at Renji's deadpan expression. "Introduce us, Renji."
"Sai, chat with her."
'Take this ghost-like person away,' Renji thought.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000!]
[Chakra (103,905,002 / 200,000,000)]
Sai just stared, still smiling. Ino decided maybe not.
"Huh? You're all here." Asuma arrived, picking out red roses.
Ino immediately teased him, "Asuma-Sensei, when's the wedding with Kurenai?"
"Wh-What?!" Asuma glanced nervously at Renji and Sai. "How'd you know?"
"Everyone knows!"
Renji smiled, nodding. His sheepfold included Asuma and Kurenai. No sheep would escape.
…
Meanwhile, the opportunity Hasumi Maki had been waiting for arrived. The Akatsuki Organization tasked Kakuzu and Hidan with capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. How could Maki let such a prime chance to harvest Malice Value slip away? He insisting on joining the mission.
He and Hidan shared a twisted bond, being the only two in Akatsuki who couldn't truly die, and often amused themselves by stabbing each other in grotesque games of endurance. Neither Hidan nor Kakuzu objected to him tagging along.
Kakuzu slew Chiriku, the Fire Temple monk, ostensibly for info on the Nine-Tails. Hasumi Maki knew better: Kakuzu was chasing the hefty bounty on Chiriku's head.
Subtlety wasn't in their vocabulary. Maki, even less so. He wasn't just high-profile; he was a spectacle, leaving his signature modified humans—grotesque remnants of his Idle Transfiguration—as calling cards.
Thanks to the trio's brazen rampage, news of the massacre reached Konoha swiftly. The replica Tsunade mobilized patrols and sealed the borders. Asuma Sarutobi, Chiriku's old friend, led the pursuit squad.
…
Konoha – Hokage Office
"A 150-kilometer radius around the Fire Temple is locked in a 20-squad net," Shizune reported, trying to ease the replica Tsunade's tension.
Tsunade's brows remained knotted. "Asuma's team?"
"No word yet," Shizune replied.
…
The temple was gone—nothing but rubble and the lingering scent of ash. Asuma's squad stood before the devastation in grim silence. Only the great statues near the gate remained standing.
Footsteps echoed. Two monks approached, their robes torn and faces pale.
"Konoha ninja?" one asked hoarsely.
Asuma nodded. "We came as soon as we heard."
"I'm the abbot," the old monk said, leading them toward the courtyard. "We gathered survivors to tend to the fallen."
Rows of coffins lined the temple grounds.
"This is barbaric," Ino whispered, fists clenched.
"The bodies…" The abbot hesitated. "They're strange."
"How so?" Shikamaru asked, instantly alert.
"Mind if we take a look?" Asuma said calmly.
The monk nodded. Another monk pushed open a coffin lid—and the stench hit them first. Inside lay a twisted, unrecognizable corpse.
Shikamaru's face darkened. "Modified humans…" he muttered. Then his eyes widened. "This is Renji's brother—Hasumi Maki."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000!]
[Chakra (103,910,002 / 200,000,000)]
Asuma's jaw tightened. "What about Chiriku?"
The abbot's eyes dropped. "We… haven't found his body."
"Captured? Or taken for the bounty…" Asuma's thoughts churned.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000!]
[Chakra (103,915,002 / 200,000,000)]
Shikamaru looked up, voice low. "Asuma-sensei... Chiriku's head fetches thirty million ryo underground."
Asuma exhaled slowly, resolve hardening. "Then we know where they're headed."
"The nearest bounty station?"
"There are five total," a monk answered. "The closest is—"
"They're there," Asuma said, cutting him off.
Shikamaru nodded grimly.
"Move out," Asuma ordered.
…
Bounty Station
Kakuzu wordlessly set Chiriku's cold, lifeless body on the counter.
The attendant—expressionless and used to death—checked for seals, compared the corpse's face with the bounty poster, and nodded. With a hiss, a hidden slot opened behind him, swallowing the body into roaring fire.
Hasumi Maki leaned forward eagerly, peering over the counter with childlike curiosity.
"Hey, am I on the list yet? Come on, tell me—what's my head worth these days?"
The clerk flipped through his papers with robotic monotony. "Nothing."
Maki puffed his cheeks like a sulking child. "Ugh. Guess I'm still not famous enough."
Kakuzu ignored him. He was already stacking ryo with practiced precision, the soft rustle of bills like music to his ears. For once, he seemed almost content—cash collected, hearts secured. He even humored Maki with a rare compliment.
"There are some shinobi no one dares to put a price on."
Maki's grin returned instantly. "Ohhh, so I'm that terrifying, huh?" He scratched his chin smugly.
And then Hidan ruined it.
"It stinks in here!" he shouted.
Of course it did. The bounty station was hidden behind a decrepit public restroom. The actual exchange room lay past a false wall at the last stall, and the air reeked of rust, ammonia, and death.
Maki—who didn't need to breathe—hadn't noticed. But the moment Hidan mentioned it, he inhaled.
And instantly regretted it.
"Let's get out—now!" he gagged, yanking Hidan by the collar and dragging him outside. Both collapsed onto the stone steps, Maki gulping exaggeratedly at the clean air.
Hidan's body jerked violently. He turned, eyes blazing. "You just stabbed me, didn't you?!"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000!]
[Chakra (103,916,002 / 200,000,000)]
The sea-urchin-like spikes retracted neatly from Maki's arm.
"Ah—!"
Hidan screamed again, spinning. More spikes.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000!]
[Chakra (103,917,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Do that one more time—!"
"Ah—!"
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000!]
[Chakra (103,918,002 / 200,000,000)]
"You bastard! My turn!" Hidan grabbed his scythe—
—but stopped cold as a shadow crept under Maki's feet, pinning him in place.
Shadow Possession Jutsu—complete.
A split-second later, Akimichi Choji burst from the treeline like a cannonball, his massive blade cleaving through the air. The impact skewered Maki clean through the chest—
and impaled Hidan right behind him.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +2,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +2,000!]
[Chakra (103,920,002 / 200,000,000)]
Ino darted in, her tanto flashing as it pierced Maki's heart.
"Got him!" Choji grinned. Team Asuma had executed perfectly.
Then Hidan looked down at the blade lodged through his ribs and yawned. "That actually hurt. Who the hell are you clowns?"
Choji's eyes bulged. "B-but that was a fatal strike…"
"Quit twisting the damn thing!" Hidan barked. "It hurts!"
Choji's face went pale. "He's—immortal?"
"Obviously."
Maki, still impaled but smirking, muttered, "You idiot. Look at their forehead protectors—they're Leaf shinobi."
"I don't care about dumb symbols!" Hidan snapped.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000!]
[Chakra (103,921,002 / 200,000,000)]
Asuma's voice darkened. "We underestimated them."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +2,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +2,000!]
[Chakra (103,923,002 / 200,000,000)]
Maki grinned at Shikamaru. "Hey, Pineapple Head—Akatsuki works in pairs, right?"
Shikamaru tensed. One immortal was bad enough. Two was impossible.
Maki chuckled. "Time to update your intel—we're a trio now."
BOOM!
The wall behind Asuma detonated. Kakuzu emerged from the smoke, his hand already reaching. The shadow link shattered instantly.
"Money calls to money," he rasped, his stitched mask turning toward Asuma. "The Third Hokage's son… worth quite a bit."
"Kakuzu, wait!" Hidan swung his crimson scythe wildly. "Let me do my ritual first! You can have the cash after!"
Kakuzu sighed. "Maki, you joining his circus?"
Maki waved lazily. "Nah. But don't kill them. I need them alive for... modification."
"No corpses, no bounty," Kakuzu said coldly.
"No souls, no art," Maki replied.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000!]
[Chakra (103,928,002 / 200,000,000)]
Silence. The two glared—money versus madness.
"You both suck," Hidan groaned. Then his grin widened. "Why not do both? Modify 'em after we get paid. Everyone wins."
Kakuzu considered it. "…Fine."
Maki smirked. "Stare at me like that again, and I'll steal your wallet."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +50,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +50,000!]
[Chakra (103,978,002 / 200,000,000)]
He meant it. Kakuzu took a step back, seething.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +100,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +100,000!]
[Chakra (104,078,002 / 200,000,000)]
…
Hidan crouched, carving the jagged, bloodstained sigil of Jashin into the dirt.
Asuma gave orders between clenched teeth.
"I'll lead! Shikamaru—once there's an opening, Shadow Stitching Jutsu! I'll cut his head off!"
"Too reckless," Shikamaru countered. "That's not your—"
"Don't argue!" Asuma snapped. "We're facing three S-Rank criminals. If we hesitate, we die. But I'm not letting my team fall here!"
"Ino, Choji—support and protect Shikamaru!"
Choji's voice trembled. "Sensei, we should pull back—"
Shikamaru's eyes hardened. "There's no retreat. We either fight or die trying."
From the sidelines, Maki yawned, bored out of his mind. "Hey, Pineapple Head. Where's Renji? Was kinda hoping to meet him."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +4,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +4,000!]
[Chakra (104,082,002 / 200,000,000)]
Shikamaru's glare could have cut stone.
Suddenly, Hidan lunged—an unstoppable blur of blades and chains. His scythe collided with Asuma's Chakra Blades in a burst of sparks. The clang echoed through the forest.
Asuma wasn't fighting a man. He was fighting a demon that enjoyed pain.
The scythe's chain whipped around, slashing from behind. Asuma barely blocked, the shockwave sending him skidding backward, boots carving trenches into the dirt.
"Too slow," Hidan taunted. "Ignoring pain is sinful! Jashin-sama will punish you!"
He swung wildly, laughing.
Asuma countered, forming seals.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
A massive cloud of flaming ash engulfed Hidan—
—only for the man to step through it unscathed. His charred flesh peeled away, revealing a black, skeletal form gleaming beneath.
Asuma's own arm blistered, smoke curling from his burns.
"Feel that now?" Hidan grinned. "Perfect! Ritual—STARTS NOW!!"
He licked the blood on his scythe, stepping into the sigil. His skin turned jet black, bones painted in white markings—the symbol of shared agony.
Asuma's breath caught. 'Why is the pain bouncing back?!'
Hidan raised a long iron spike, eyes wild with fanatic devotion.
"Share ultimate pain!" he roared, plunging the spike straight into his own chest—
—and Asuma's scream tore through the battlefield.