After a short rest, the group continued their journey.
It was around five in the morning, and since it was late autumn, the sky was still pitch black.
Although they weren't in a hurry, sleeping outdoors was uncomfortable. It would be much better to return early, lie in bed, and sleep until they naturally woke up.
"Whoosh."
Hidan followed Ren, soaring through the forest, the cool breeze blowing across his skin, and the feeling of freedom brought a look of satisfaction to his face.
After he agreed, Number One swiftly unsealed the Chakra in his body. When Hidan felt the Chakra flowing within him, he almost cried.
He had no idea how long it had been since he had felt so free and unconstrained.
Number One and Number Two took this opportunity to go back and rest. They had only come out for some fresh air, and after two fights, they were satisfied. They had also helped look after Hidan for half a day, so continuing to accompany the main body on the journey would just be asking for trouble.
Looking at the figure speeding beside him, Hidan hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Ren."
"Hm?"
Ren turned his head, still moving quickly through the air, and said with dissatisfaction, "Brat, can't you just call me 'Brother'?"
After speaking, Ren waved his hand casually and sighed, "Go on, what is it?"
"Are you... stronger than a Jonin?"
Hidan hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had long piqued his curiosity.
He first heard Ren's name at the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War.
As one of the legendary Sannin and Tsunade's disciple, Ren, on the battlefield, single-handedly slew Explosion Release Ninja Gari, who was already well-known in Iwagakure, while Hidan was still learning to throw shuriken at the Ninja Academy.
From then on, he frequently heard the names of many geniuses from various Villages, and Ren was undoubtedly the most talked-about.
He moved between various fronts, his presence felt on every battlefield, and various astonishing deeds were successively revealed, making his reputation increasingly prominent.
Hidan, who had graduated while listening to the astonishing deeds of the other party, originally thought that after becoming a Ninja, he could join the war and fight the other party to make a name for himself, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.
The peace-loving Yugakure, to avoid being caught in the crossfire, directly put the Village in a semi-closed state, guarding the Land of Hot Springs, showing no intention of participating in the war.
This left Hidan, who wanted to show off his skills, dumbfounded. But with the Village rules as they were, he had no choice but to watch other peers make names for themselves on the battlefield, earning the title of 'genius.'
Now that he finally met his goal, he had no desire to challenge the other party.
In Hidan's opinion, the Burnt Scar Man, who was the leader of the Evil God Cult, was an existence that could instantly kill him.
How powerful, then, was Ren, who had instantly killed the other party?
Although they were both of similar age, the power gap between them made Hidan question himself.
At the same age, under different resource training, the disparity was so great, which was one of the reasons Hidan agreed to Ren.
While thinking, Hidan also constantly comforted himself, the other party was a few years older than him after all, if he worked harder, he would definitely catch up soon.
"Of course."
At this, Ren immediately became interested, pointing his thumb at his chest and grinning, "It's not me bragging, but even in the Ninja World, there are no more than a handful of people stronger than me."
The current Ren possesses the power of two Tailed Beasts, Chomei and Isobu, along with the blessings of Ice Release, Storm Release, Sage Mode, and various forbidden Jutsu.
Ren dared to say that in the current Ninja World, there were very few who could defeat him, and none who could kill him, after all, Flying Thunder God was not learned in vain; if he couldn't win, he would run far away.
Of course, Ren was talking about living people. If dead people were included, Ren's ranking would instantly drop to double digits.
"Really?"
Hidan's face showed a look of skepticism. In his opinion, there were countless masters in the Ninja World who were stronger than Jonin.
Whether it was the Five Kage, the legendary Sannin, or established powerhouses like Hanzou, known as the "Demigod," and Konoha White Fang, the number of these people combined would have long pushed Ren into some forgotten corner.
"You don't believe me? I..."
Hearing this, Ren's eyes immediately widened, and he was about to say something, but his voice abruptly stopped, his speed plummeted, and then he stood still on a tree trunk.
"Hm?"
Hidan stopped as well, then cast a questioning gaze at Ren, only to see the latter frowning and muttering as he looked ahead, "Interesting."
Just as Hidan was wondering, Ren turned to him and whispered, "Slow down, and be careful to conceal yourselves."
"Okay."
Hidan quickly nodded in response, then watched as Ren performed hand seals, and a block of ice slowly emerged from behind him.
"This is..."
Under Hidan's surprised gaze, Number One, who had previously cast the seal on him, reappeared in front of him and opened his eyes, complaining to Ren, "I say, main body, can't you treat us equally? Why do I have to work while that guy sleeps?"
"Alright, alright."
Ren rubbed his brow, then pointed ahead, saying somewhat helplessly, "You should sense over there first."
Number One turned around in confusion, then his sensing ability quickly covered the area ahead. Soon, a clear understanding appeared in his eyes, and he turned to Ren, saying in a deep voice, "How do we proceed?"
"No."
Ren shook his head, then gestured with his chin towards Hidan's position beside him.
"You look after this kid, and we'll go take a look."
Although he knew Hidan was immortal, to avoid any other accidents, it was good to have someone providing support.
"Mm."
Number One nodded slightly, then reached into Ren's Ninja tool pouch to retrieve the Thunder God Sword, and then leaped to Hidan's side, saying warmly, "Let's go."
Although it felt a bit awkward to be looked after, Hidan didn't say much. After all, his own strength made it difficult even to protect himself. All he could do now was follow orders and not cause trouble for Ren.
Meanwhile, a thousand meters away, by a cliff, two figures stood facing each other, and two other figures had already fallen. Their clothes on their chests were soaked with blood, and their faces, pressed against the ground, were filled with disbelief.
"Mr. Hoshigaki..."
Looking at her fallen comrades on either side, the woman's beautiful face was filled with shock. She looked at the familiar yet strange face before her and said tremblingly.
She didn't understand why the other person, who had always been calm and composed, would suddenly change like this, even turning his blade on his comrades.