Kakuzu looked at Hidan with murderous eyes and said coldly, "If you keep running your mouth, I'll kill you properly."
tsk...
Hidan stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, completely unafraid.
"Oh, Kakuzu, what are you talking about? You know this is something you can't do, and that's why we're a team!"
Swish—
Kakuzu's right hand was instantly covered with a layer of pitch-black hardness, and his fist suddenly swung toward Hidan.
Clang—
A crisp sound of steel colliding followed.
The punch landed directly on Hidan's scythe.
Kakuzu said calmly, "I've had several partners before, and you're the only one who's lasted this long."
This exchange could be seen as a form of banter between Hidan and Kakuzu.
Because Kakuzu's previous partners had all been killed by him.
The only reason Hidan hadn't met the same fate was simple—Hidan was immortal.
Despite Hidan's lengthy and complicated sacrificial rituals, Kakuzu still tolerated him. In his own way, he even cared for Hidan.
The two rested for a while before continuing on their journey.
Kakuzu muttered, "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is just a brat, but Konoha will definitely guard him. Capturing him won't be easy."
Hidan scoffed. "What are you afraid of, Kakuzu? Itachi already gave us the passcode for Konoha's barrier. We just use the Transformation Technique, disguise ourselves, sneak into the village, grab the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and that's it."
In Hidan's mind, capturing a Jinchūriki was a straightforward and brutal task.
And maybe, along the way, he could offer a few Konoha shinobi as sacrifices to Jashin-sama.
Kakuzu flipped through his bounty book, his eyes settling on one name he would never forget.
"Hidan, Konoha has an Elite Jōnin named Sarutobi Asuma. He was one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire's Daimyō. His head is worth 35 million ryō. Keep an eye out for him—I want his head."
Hearing this, Hidan rolled his eyes, his face twitching in irritation.
Sure enough, he knew Kakuzu wasn't tagging along just to capture the Nine-Tails.
The real reason was the 35 million ryō bounty.
Hidan glanced casually at the book and lazily muttered, "This guy? Yeah, yeah, got it."
In truth, he didn't even bother to look properly at Asuma's picture.
As a money lover, Kakuzu had deep ties to the underground black market.
For him, the Nine-Tails was just an extra prize.
Just as Hidan guessed, Kakuzu was here primarily for the bounty on Asuma's head.
The weather was unbearably hot, and walking under the scorching sun made Hidan even more irritable.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted. It'd be great if I was teamed up with little Deidara. At least he has his clay birds to ride. Walking sucks."
He then glanced at Kakuzu with a look of disdain.
To Hidan, Kakuzu was utterly dull.
Swish—
Kakuzu suddenly shouted, "Hidan, move!"
Suddenly, dozens of kunai with explosive tags flew toward them.
Hidan's lazy expression instantly turned to shock.
The kunai with explosive tags were already right in front of them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of massive explosions erupted, shaking the ground violently.
The detonation created a massive mushroom cloud of smoke and debris.
The ambush had been launched by none other than Konoha shinobi.
"Kakashi, is it over?"
"I don't know. With that many explosive tags, even they wouldn't walk away unscathed."
The attackers were Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, and Shiranui Genma.
After learning about Akatsuki's movements, Konoha had significantly increased its border patrols.
Especially after hearing that Iwagakure's Four-Tails Jinchūriki had been captured, Konoha expanded its security perimeter.
Each patrol team included a sensor-type ninja who could report back to headquarters at any moment.
The surveillance network extended far beyond Konoha.
This particular area was quite a distance from the village, but Konoha's sensors had detected two unknown chakra signatures—both incredibly powerful.
That was why Kakashi's team was sent to investigate.
And what they found shocked them.
Black cloaks with red clouds. Just as Jiraiya's intelligence had described.
Akatsuki. Two-man teams.
And they were heading straight for Konoha.
The target was obvious—Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto.
Against S-rank criminals, Kakashi and the others were extremely cautious.
Meanwhile, Hidan and Kakuzu had been walking boldly through the Land of Fire, confident in their strength.
They had planned to use the Transformation Technique only when they neared Konoha.
But they hadn't expected Konoha's security to be stretched so far beyond the village.
Strolling leisurely through the Land of Fire had practically invited trouble.
Thick smoke billowed as the three Konoha shinobi stared intently at the explosion's aftermath.
Against Akatsuki, Kakashi didn't dare to let his guard down. His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan was already active.
With a senbon between his lips, Genma muttered, "Did we get them? A surprise attack like that should've done some damage."
Kakashi's Sharingan suddenly sharpened.
"Be careful, you two. Those guys aren't down yet."
The black smoke dissipated, revealing a lazy, mocking voice from within the massive crater left by the explosions.
"Tsk tsk... 'Did we get them? A surprise attack should've done some damage.'"
Hidan repeated Genma's words in a sarcastic tone, his smug grin infuriating.
Apart from their tattered cloaks, neither Hidan nor Kakuzu bore a single wound.
Genma, Asuma, and Kakashi were all visibly shocked.
Even if they had been caught in the explosion, escaping unscathed would've been nearly impossible.
Yet these two Akatsuki members had done just that.
Asuma swallowed hard. "Is this Akatsuki? They're monsters."
Kakashi's Sharingan flickered as he noticed something about Kakuzu.
For a brief moment, Kakuzu's exposed skin turned jet black before returning to normal.
What was that...?
Hidan stretched his arms, yawning, before looking down at his shredded cloak.
"Damn, that explosion really wrecked our outfits. Kakuzu, these uniforms are expensive, you know. So, what do you think? Should we make them pay for the damages?"
After all, these robes were custom-made.
And who was going to foot the bill?
Naturally, the one who controlled Akatsuki's finances—the ever-stingy Kakuzu.
Advance chapter in PATREON
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