Hidan stood on a rooftop not far away, silently observing the entire scene unfold before him. But from beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed on Gaara of the Sand.
Because within Gaara's body… was a massive tanuki.
Shukaku—the One-Tailed Beast.
"Tch... should I take it now?" Hidan muttered, deep in thought.
A tailed beast.
That question had been haunting him for a while now. He already knew most of the hiding spots of the other bijū and the locations of their jinchūriki. If he really wanted, he could start collecting them immediately. But the real dilemma was—should he seize the opportunity now, or bide his time and reap everything later?
After all, Naruto Uzumaki eventually received the acknowledgment and gifts of all the tailed beasts. Add that to being Asura's reincarnation, and the bastard practically turned into an immortal god—Truth-Seeking Balls, Six Paths Senjutsu, the works.
If that wasn't proof that the power of the tailed beasts still mattered… then what was?
And that's where Hidan's real issue came in.
If he started harvesting jinchūriki now, the Akatsuki—Nagato and Obito's pet project—would definitely feel the impact. That would force their hand.
And more importantly… it would bring out him.
Black Zetsu.
The very thought of that shady bastard made Hidan click his tongue in annoyance. The one thing that still gnawed at him to this day was how Black Zetsu had turned against Uchiha Madara at the final moment, just to bring back that alien rabbit goddess from hell—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Seriously, how the hell did that even happen?
That question had never been answered.
It pissed him off. More than that—it unsettled him.
Black Zetsu was… off.
Madara and Hashirama, the sons of Kaguya's own son, were absurdly powerful—and they died like normal shinobi. But this so-called "third son" of Kaguya? He'd lived through centuries. Millennia. Twisting world events from the shadows like some kind of demonic scriptwriter.
Just thinking about it was enough to raise goosebumps.
"…Forget it."
Hidan shook his head, forcibly pushing the thought aside. That conspiracy freak could rot in the background for now.
He had a system. A killing system.
Once his plan succeeded, he'd have power rivaling even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself. And at that point? Let Black Zetsu come. Let all of them come.
He'd rip them apart.
"Which means… for now, I should go meet that twisted scientist first."
His eyes narrowed.
The one he had been waiting to see.
Orochimaru.
That snake bastard who took perverse joy in studying every forbidden jutsu he could get his pale hands on.
Hidan was excited.
Especially because Orochimaru had access to the remains of the First and Second Hokage. Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. Absolute monsters in their prime.
If he could just upgrade the Impure World Reincarnation to a perfect version—then even powerhouses like Hashirama and Madara could be puppets dancing in the palm of his hand.
And that… that was something Hidan would definitely not pass up.
A grin tugged at his lips.
The faint lines of space twisted around him like threads being pulled taut—and in the next instant, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, the air was thick, cold, and stale. Darkness clung to the stone walls like mold.
Root Headquarters.
"…Hidan?"
Shimura Danzō's only visible eye narrowed as he spotted the arrival. His voice betrayed no emotion, but his thoughts were already racing. Why has he returned now…?
Though Kotoamatsukami—that god-level genjutsu—had forced Danzō to obey Hidan's commands, his core mindset had never changed. He still plotted. Schemed. Manipulated from the shadows. Many of his secret plans continued to unfold in silence.
Hidan, however, was completely at ease. He flopped down unceremoniously onto Danzō's desk, swinging one leg over the other with a mocking grin.
"Take me to see your friend… the one and only Orochimaru."
Danzō's expression darkened immediately.
He had never spoken to anyone—anyone—about his dealings with Orochimaru. Not to his closest Root subordinates, not even under seal. That alliance was buried so deep it may as well have been written in a different lifetime.
So how the hell did Hidan know?
Hidan just smirked to himself.
He could feel the lingering effects of Kotoamatsukami at work. The illusion embedded was as subtle as it was terrifying—able to twist a man's will without ever alerting him. In moments like these, even someone like Danzō couldn't fight the compulsion.
"…Understood."
Danzō stood up slowly and turned toward the exit.
Though the request chilled him, he could do nothing but obey.
As the doors opened, two Root operatives happened to pass by—one of them, Aburame Torune.
"Danzō-sama! Lord Hidan!"
The Root members saluted without hesitation. Neither of them questioned Hidan's sudden appearance. They were already long accustomed to his elusive presence—his status among the underground whispered like myth.
In just three years, this rising killing star had carved his name into history—The Black-and-White Reaper, The Immortal Ninja, feared by many and understood by none.
"I'm heading out with him," Danzō said curtly. "You're not to follow."
And with that, the two departed, vanishing into the dense forest.
The journey was quiet, but Hidan wasn't idle.
As they leapt through the trees, he activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his gaze casually drifting toward Danzō's right arm.
Ten embedded Sharingan… fused seamlessly with Hashirama Senju's cells.
A grotesque masterpiece, courtesy of Orochimaru.
The operation was a success, no doubt about it—but Hidan could already tell: once Danzō unsealed his arm and used the visual powers, his chakra would drain rapidly. His body's regeneration couldn't keep up with the sheer consumption.
Weakness.
Hidan filed it away.
He turned his gaze to Danzō's covered right eye—the one hidden beneath that dirty white cloth. Chakra flickered faintly beneath it. Another Sharingan. No doubt one of the many looted during the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
What a scavenger, Hidan thought inwardly.
Then—
"We're here."
Danzō dropped from the branch and landed silently.
Hidan followed behind, his footsteps measured.
Before them lay the gaping maw of a massive stone snake.
Its enormous fangs jutted out like daggers, but they were weathered—moss-covered, dulled by time. Even the snake's carved head was blanketed in greenery, like a forgotten relic from a bygone era.
A fitting entrance for Orochimaru's domain.
"Is this the place?" Hidan asked, narrowing his eyes at the gaping passage inside the snake's moss-covered mouth. The air was damp, stale.
A trace of disgust flashed across his face.
Tch. Figures. Exactly what you'd expect from a snake's den. Wet, dark, and smells like decay. Disgusting.
Danzo gave a glance back and spoke in his usual gravelly tone. "Orochimaru is further in. His laboratory lies at the bottom. This—" he flexed his right arm slightly "—was his token of sincerity for our collaboration."
Hidan had already taken note of that grotesque limb—the ten Sharingan fused with Hashirama cells. A failed aesthetic, but a successful experiment.
Before he could comment, a cold voice slithered through the trees.
"Well, well… Lord Danzo. It's been a while. Have you brought me a new test subject?"
The voice was smooth, sharp, and unsettling. Like a woman whispering from beneath your bed at 3 a.m.
And then, he appeared.
Pale skin, obsidian hair, a face that would've been handsome if not for the sinister undertone, and golden slit-like eyes that gleamed with reptilian hunger.
Orochimaru. The Sannin. The exiled genius of Konoha.
One look at him and Hidan knew—the bastard was already trying to mentally dissect him.
Orochimaru's gaze lingered on him for only a second before his tongue flicked out like a serpent's, tracing the edge of his lip.
"I smell the blood of the Uchiha Clan…"
His eyes glinted.
"You're not Itachi. You're certainly not Sasuke. That must make you… the so-called undying ninja everyone's been whispering about lately."
Danzo didn't miss a beat. "He's not your specimen, Orochimaru," he said coldly. "Don't get any ideas."
Orochimaru didn't look away.
His eyes kept crawling all over Hidan like insects.
"Fufufu… how fascinating. To think there's another Uchiha with such an infamous reputation outside the Akatsuki. And with the Mangekyō, no less…"
Hidan's lip curled.
"Your eyes are as disgusting as your breath. No wonder Itachi made you scurry back into this cave like the rotting snake you are."
The smile disappeared from Orochimaru's face.
Just like that, the forest fell silent.
The temperature dropped.
Murderous intent thickened the air like a choking fog.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his voice deathly quiet. "What did you say?"
Hidan stood calm. Unflinching.
"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" he said mockingly. "Still bitter about the Itachi incident, huh? I mean, you did get annihilated by genjutsu and had to shed your skin just to crawl away. And here I thought you'd grown since then."
A sharp hiss escaped Orochimaru's throat.
The desire for the Sharingan.
The hatred for Uchiha Itachi.
The humiliation of that defeat.
All of it boiled beneath his pale skin. His killing intent flared violently, engulfing the forest around them like venomous mist.
But Hidan... just gave him a look as if looking at an idiot.
Then, his eyes began to rotate.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan revealed itself fully—complex lines forming a mesmerizing, cursed pattern.
Sinister chakra erupted from him like a pulse, brushing away Orochimaru's pressure like it was mist in the wind.
"You've chosen the wrong target, Orochimaru," Hidan said coldly. "Try projecting your trauma somewhere else. I'm not a pussy. I don't tremble when someone stares at me with bloodlust."
Orochimaru's body twitched slightly. It wasn't fear. Not entirely.
It was conflict.
His instincts screamed danger.
His greed, however, refused to let go.
This Uchiha… was different.
Yet the temptation to possess his body burned through Orochimaru's core. To learn the secrets behind that Mangekyō. To dissect the chakra that now twisted the air itself.
He was a snake.
A venomous one—coiled in darkness, waiting for the right moment to strike. A predator who had shed his skin countless times in pursuit of power. And now… Orochimaru had found what he believed to be the perfect vessel.
As Hidan's Eternal Mangekyō gleamed, Orochimaru's pupils dulled.
His body slackened.
Expressionless.
Still.
But—
"…You think I'd fall for that?"
Orochimaru's lips curled slowly into a grin.
"The Sharingan's illusions may be powerful… but most require eye contact. And snakes—"
His golden eyes suddenly snapped open, filled with sharp intelligence and twisted delight.
"—don't need eyes to hunt their prey."
A sinister chakra pulsed through the air.
"Even blind, I can sense your movements. Your breath. Your malice."
Orochimaru's voice deepened, dripping with obsession.
"So give me your body, Hidan-kun. Become part of me... and I'll ensure your legacy never dies."
Hidan stared at him, unimpressed.
"You talk like Itachi didn't already mop the floor with you."
He tilted his head, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"And now here you are… crawling out of whatever grave you dug for yourself, thinking you've got the right to talk big to me?"
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
But Hidan didn't stop with the roasting.
"Oh, don't look so offended. You really thought cutting off your own vision would save you from genjutsu?" He scoffed. "You think you're clever, but all you've done is prove how desperate you are."
For a moment, Orochimaru's eyes twitched.
He had always prided himself on foresight, on preparation, but Hidan's presence—it disrupted his rhythm. A perfect Uchiha vessel. Eternal Mangekyō. Immortality.
It was everything he wanted.
And he was so close.
"You've studied the Uchiha well," Hidan admitted, his gaze narrowing. "Almost impressed. You really went all out trying to figure out how to take an Uchiha's body… Guess all that prep work made you think you could try again with me."
Orochimaru chuckled lowly.
"How about it? If you hand over your body willingly, I'll let you keep your consciousness… for a time. I'll even find you a new vessel. A fitting one."
He was almost trembling with excitement now.
The obsession, the trauma from Itachi's genjutsu, the years of failure—they had all led to this.
But Hidan just stared at him blankly.
"…You're insane."
He stepped forward, the sharp clang of his boots echoing in the forest.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
His chakra surged violently, warping the air around him.
"I'm Uchiha Hidan… how in the world could you possibly even have the idea to go against me?"
Orochimaru's grin cracked.
"Then die screaming. Shadow Snake Hand!"
His right sleeve burst open.
Dozens of venomous serpents shot forth—hissing, fangs gleaming with paralytic toxins designed to numb the nervous system in seconds.
But Hidan just calmly and slowly, raised two fingers pressed together like a blade.
"Chidori Sharp Spear."
Zzzzt—
Lightning erupted from his fingertips.
A crimson spear of pure chakra exploded forward, slicing through the serpents in a single swipe. The snakes writhed, split midair, their remains dropping to the forest floor, spasming under residual voltage.
Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly.
Lightning Release…?
His mind reeled.
The Uchiha clan specialized in Fire Release and Genjutsu. Not Lightning.
That technique—wasn't that Hatake Kakashi's?
No… this was different.
Definitely more lethal.
"What kind of Uchiha—"
"A real one," Hidan said with a wide grin, not admitting that he was a thief.
[Author Note]📢
Hey everyone! Merry Christmas ⛄
Just a quick update — I've started a new Naruto novel:
Naruto: Blackbeard Template
It's a fresh project with cleaner writing and a steadier release pace.
If you enjoyed my previous stories, feel free to check it out!
Thanks for the support 🗣️
— Arthorain