At this moment, Hidan and Kakuzu were moving through a forest when Hidan suddenly turned to complain,
"Oi! This is all your fault! You insisted on going after that monk, and now look what happened! Leader wants us to infiltrate Konoha and gather intel!"
Kakuzu didn't even glance at him, replying flatly,
"That 'monk' you're talking about has a bounty of thirty million ryō. Even if I sold you, you wouldn't fetch that much."
"Tch! What use is money? My heart belongs only to Lord Jashin!"
Kakuzu clenched his fist but didn't bother to answer, pressing forward in silence.
A bunch of fools who didn't understand the value of money—without it, everything else was pointless. Could they really not grasp such a simple truth?
As the two drew closer to Konoha, they decided to carry out Nagato's mission first. They could take Deidara's bounty target later.
...
Inside the Hokage's office,
Kaito, who had been reclining in his chair with his eyes shut, suddenly opened them, startling Yugao who had been watching him for a while.
Kaito chuckled at her reaction and teased,
"As the Hokage's personal guard, how can you be so jumpy?"
Yugao's cheeks flushed as she lowered her voice,
"My apologies, Hokage-sama… I was distracted just now."
"Don't worry, just joking. You've been standing here long enough. I have some matters to handle."
Stretching lazily, Kaito rose from the chair. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the office.
...
Outside Konoha,
Hidan and Kakuzu were discussing how to sneak in. Honestly, Nagato's choice of spies was questionable—sending these two walking disasters to gather intel?
Kakuzu rubbed his chin, deep in thought on how to obtain information, while Hidan hefted his scythe arrogantly.
"What are we wasting time here for? I'll just grab a couple of Konoha shinobi and interrogate them, problem solved!"
Kakuzu gave him a look usually reserved for idiots.
"You underestimate Konoha. If we're discovered, escaping won't be so easy."
"What's there to fear with Lord Jashin's blessing? Worry more about yourself—don't use up all your hearts."
Veins bulged at Kakuzu's temple. Right now, he really wanted to chop Hidan into eight pieces and throw him in the trash.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind them,
"Since you two have come all this way, why not step inside for a visit?"
"Who's there?!"
Both spun around to see Kaito standing there, smiling calmly.
Hidan raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.
"And you are?"
Kakuzu's expression hardened. His gaze lingered on Kaito's long snow-white hair as he said,
"He's the Sixth Hokage of Konoha—Uchiha Kaito."
"Hah? Hokage? We just stumbled right into him? Hey, Kakuzu, a Hokage's head must be worth a fortune, right? You're about to hit the jackpot!"
But there was no joy on Kakuzu's face. He'd already heard some intel about Kaito from Nagato. The detail that stuck with him most—Kaito possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kakuzu had lived since the era of the First Hokage. He'd even 'crossed hands' with him once—though the rumors said it was only a shuriken tossed from eight hundred li away. Even so, he understood Hashirama's power clearly: the man fully deserved the title of God of Shinobi. Despairing strength. Among shinobi, only Uchiha Madara could rival him.
And Madara's greatest weapon had been the Mangekyō Sharingan. So Kakuzu dared not underestimate anyone with those eyes.
Kaito, seeing that Kakuzu had recognized him, spoke first,
"You're Kakuzu, right? I hear you're quite the financial genius. Truly, a rare talent."
Kakuzu wasn't sure whether Kaito was mocking or sincere, but Hidan burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha! He's spot on! When it comes to money, nobody knows more than Kakuzu!"
Kaito gave Hidan a sidelong glance.
"And you… what are you? An idiot?"
"Nani!?"
The smile froze on Hidan's face. A blaze of fury erupted in his chest as he ripped his scythe free and charged at Kaito.
"You bastard! How dare you insult me?!"
Kakuzu cursed under his breath. "Idiot."
He made no move to help. Better to let Hidan test Kaito's strength first. After all, Hidan couldn't die.
Hidan swung his scythe down with full intent to split Kaito in half.
But Kaito didn't even bother activating his Mangekyō. With a single kick, he struck the scythe.
Crack!
The weapon shattered instantly into fragments, leaving Hidan staring in shock. Before he could react, Kaito's fist smashed into his face, sending him flying.
He crashed through tree after tree, finally skidding to a halt. Immortal or not, pain was still pain. Groaning, Hidan staggered back to his feet, cursing,
"Damn it, that hurts! Bastard! That really hurt, damn it!"
Kaito raised an eyebrow at the endless bluster. With a wave of his hand, a pulling force dragged Hidan back toward him.
This wasn't the Rinnegan—it was the power of the Gravity Fruit.
But to Kakuzu's eyes, the technique looked eerily similar to Pain's. A flicker of unease crept into his gaze.
Smack!
Kaito caught Hidan by the throat. Yet the zealot refused to stay still, thrashing wildly and even trying to bite Kaito's hand.
The result? He broke several of his own teeth, while Kaito's hand remained flawless, pale, not even a bite mark left behind.
Now Hidan was truly helpless.
"Kakuzu! Don't just stand there gawking! This guy's body is freakish—I can't break through it!"
Kakuzu's mouth twitched. Freakish body? Wasn't that your specialty?
Still, he knew he couldn't ignore this any longer. Hidan might be immortal, but if he were hacked apart and no one helped reassemble him, he'd be out of the fight.
He had wanted Hidan to probe Kaito's strength. The result was clear: Kaito was at least as strong as he feared—if not stronger.
Kakuzu didn't dare hold back. The black threads burst from his wrist, shooting forward to launch a punch at Kaito.
Kaito casually raised his hand and caught the strike. Kakuzu's eyes widened.
"Impossible!?"
He had already hardened his body with Earth Release: Earth Spear, making that blow strong enough to demolish a house. Yet Kaito stopped it effortlessly.
Kaito smiled faintly. Purple lightning flared from his hand, electricity crackling down the threads and into Kakuzu's body.
A storm of crackling arcs filled the air—then, with a dull thud, Kakuzu, charred black, collapsed to the ground.