Under the night sky.
In a quiet alley, the middle section of a tall wall in a cul-de-sac suddenly collapsed, revealing a wide passage. Four figures emerged one after another, and the collapsed wall slowly rose behind them, obscuring the passage.
"Hey, I'm talking to the main body."
Number Two played with the Thunder God Sword in his hand, gesturing with his chin behind him.
"Are you sure you don't want to deal with it further?"
He had originally planned to burn down what they called the Evil God Cult headquarters, but Ren and the other thought it wasn't necessary. In the end, they just collected some corpses, sealed them in scrolls, and took them away, which made him a bit puzzled.
Before Ren could speak, Number One, who was beside him, casually inserted a Kunai into Ren's Ninja tool pouch and shook his head, saying,
"There's no need. Our objective has been achieved."
Hearing this, Number Two subconsciously turned to look at Hidan, and after a moment of thought, he understood, grinning.
"You're right."
After all, although this was the headquarters of the Evil God Cult, their numerous strongholds of varying sizes distributed in other places meant that it wouldn't make much sense to completely wipe them out and eradicate them.
Leaving this place as is wouldn't matter to them; they might even have some unexpected gains if they came back next time.
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
Ren ignored the two chatting, instead turning to look at Hidan, who seemed to be in a daze, as if from another world, and asked,
"Kid, where are you going next?"
Hidan, hearing his name, subconsciously looked up. After realizing, he looked at Ren with dissatisfaction and said angrily,
"I told you, I'm Hidan, a Ninja from Yugakure, not some kid!"
"Oh, please."
Ren rolled his eyes, then stroked his chin, looking at Hidan with interest, his strange gaze making the latter feel a chill.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
Hidan involuntarily took a step back, speaking uncomfortably.
"Hidan, right?"
Ren leaned closer, revealing what he considered a kind and friendly smile, and said,
"I think you're quite interesting, kid. How about it, want to come with me?"
Hidan, hearing this, took another step back, leaning against the wall behind him. Looking at Ren, who was steadily approaching, he stammered,
"Go, go where?"
"To Konoha."
Ren had no intention of hiding it and said straightforwardly.
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Hidan's eyes immediately widened. He raised a hand, pointing at Ren, looking at him with astonishment.
"You, you're a Konoha Ninja?"
"Yes, coming or not?"
"No!"
Hidan refused with extreme firmness. Although to him, the people in his broken Village were all peace-loving idiots, no matter what, it was where he had lived since childhood. How could he be abducted by a few words from the other party?
"Sigh."
Ren sighed, then turned and walked away. Just as Hidan thought he had been let go, a lazy voice came from ahead.
"Then there's no choice."
Before Hidan could react, a pair of hands suddenly pressed onto his shoulders. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move.
"You… Ugh…"
Hidan suddenly turned his head, seeing Number Two holding him. He was about to say something, but his words were cut short after only two words, replaced by a muffled grunt.
Hidan sharply lowered his head and saw a hand pressed against his abdomen. The next moment, he felt that the Chakra in his body could no longer be sensed, as if it had all disappeared.
"What are you doing… Mmmph!"
Hidan cried out, but before he could finish, a hand wrapped around his neck, firmly covering his mouth. Unable to make a sound, he could only glare at the two of them.
"Tsk, little Hidan."
Number Two put an arm around Hidan's shoulder, leaned in close, and looked at him with a mischievous smile.
"No one targeted by the main body has ever escaped. Just honestly follow us and join the fun."
After saying that, ignoring Hidan's struggles, the two each grabbed one of his arms, then disappeared on the spot with an Instantaneous Body Technique. The dark alley returned to silence.
A quarter of an hour later, Ren, who was speeding through the forest, stopped. After settling on a tree trunk, he turned to look at his side and smiled, saying,
"Alright, let him go. Let's rest here for a bit."
Number One lowered his hand, looked at the bit of saliva stuck to it, and immediately felt disgusted, wiping his hand on the other person's clothes, while secretly regretting.
If he had known, he would have used a rag to gag him. Now, having this hand covered in saliva was terribly uncomfortable.
"I say, kid, isn't it disgusting to spit?"
"Is it my fault?!"
Hearing this, Hidan immediately retorted.
"If you hadn't captured me, I wouldn't be like this!"
As he spoke, he was still trying to detect the Chakra in his body, attempting to use Ninjutsu to escape.
But strangely, no matter how Hidan tried to sense it, the Chakra in his body was as if it had never existed. Helpless, he could only start looking around, trying to find an opportunity to escape.
"Don't even think about it."
Looking at Hidan, whose eyes were darting around, Number Two raised a hand and patted the other's shoulder, saying with a chuckle,
"If you're caught by this Sealing Jutsu, let alone you, even a Jonin would have to comply obediently."
Hearing this, Hidan's face immediately turned ashen. Looking at Number Two's smiling face, he said weakly,
"...What exactly do you want…?"
Hidan was utterly despondent. He had been targeted by those notorious members of the Evil God Cult while on a C-rank mission, captured and tortured for over half a month. He had finally found an opportunity to escape.
He had thought he was saved by a kind person, but he didn't expect the other party wasn't normal either, forcibly abducting him because of his unique constitution. It was simply outrageous.
"I'm not saying this, but what's the point of being in a Village like Yugakure? You, by the looks of it, are not content."
Number One leaned against a tree trunk, looking at Hidan, and raised an eyebrow.
"You…"
Hidan immediately became furious. He was about to retort, but he opened his mouth for a long time and didn't know how to argue, so he could only turn his head away and sulk.
After all, what the other person said was true. He was indeed very dissatisfied with the peace-loving people in his Village.
A Ninja Village that loved peace, prioritized the development of tourism, and turned a blind eye to the reduction of its combat power.
In the Village, during wartime, he often heard people talking about which geniuses had risen in the major Villages and gained fame in the Ninja World.
As a young man, Hidan naturally yearned for this greatly. He also wanted to make a name for himself on the battlefield.
But unfortunately, his Ninja Village, due to its philosophy of peace, had no intention of participating in the war and forbade them from going out and causing trouble.
This made Hidan increasingly dissatisfied with the Village, while his yearning for the outside world grew stronger.