Outside a newly built underground exchange, not far from the Fire Temple.
"You sure it's really here?"
Choji looked suspiciously at Ino, who was being carried on Sakura's back. "This looks like a toilet no matter how you see it."
"To find this place, I had to possess four or five exchange managers! The intel can only be wrong if they altered their memories!"
Ino, already exhausted from high-frequency use of her Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques, could only weakly wave a fist of protest at Choji.
"Yep, this is the place!"
Sakura nodded, her expression growing more mocking. "Generally, only greenhorns newly migrated to the Land of Fire would dare take such jobs. Probably from some small country, arrogantly thinking they can fool Konoha like they fool the small country's Ninja Villages!"
"Shh, they're here!"
Shikamaru, who had been on guard, lowered his voice to alert the other two.
Immediately, everyone's gaze turned toward the end of the road. Two men in black robes with red clouds were approaching.
One of them, wearing a mask with greenish pupils, held the collar of a corpse, dragging it behind him like dried fish.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Hidan, carrying a scythe, saw Kakuzu heading straight for the toilet and called out in dissatisfaction.
But seeing the other showed no sign of stopping, he snorted coldly. "A toilet, huh? Fine, I'll use it too while I'm at it!"
The moment the two entered the exchange disguised as a toilet and the door closed, a warning from Kakuzu suddenly rang in Hidan's ear. "We're being watched. We'll leave through the employee secret passage later!"
Having defected from Takigakure nearly sixty years ago and now in his nineties, Kakuzu's experience as a Missing-Nin was far beyond what the younger generation of the Ninja World could match.
He had sensed the surrounding watchers almost the instant he entered the exchange's vicinity.
Following his decades-old operating principles, he should have withdrawn immediately upon encountering such a dangerous situation.
However, faced with Chiriku's astronomical bounty, unable to resist the lure of money, he still chose to enter the exchange.
"Eh, it's just a few pursuers from Konoha, right? Just kill them. How powerful can they be? How many lives can they have compared to us?"
Hidan waved his hand dismissively, turning to go out and fight.
Having gotten the money and regained his composure, Kakuzu swiftly grabbed Hidan's arm with lightning-fast reflexes.
He lectured in a tone full of frustration. "Idiot! We already exposed our abilities once at the Fire Temple. Do you think the ninja coming this time won't have prepared counter against us?"
"True..."
Scratching his head in frustration, Hidan ultimately decided to follow Kakuzu's advice.
After completing the exchange transaction, they cleanly and efficiently took the exchange leader hostage, forcing him to lead them to the pre-prepared secret passage.
Passing through a long, deep passage, they saw outside light again, finding the other end led directly into the depths of the forest.
However, when the two emerged, the people waiting for them caused them both to freeze.
"Go back!"
Kakuzu, without hesitation, immediately tried to pull them back.
Unfortunately, a loud boom came from behind. A massive red meatball fell from the sky, crashing down and collapsing a section of the passage, completely sealing off their retreat.
"Nowhere left to retreat. Can we fight?" Hidan wiped the dirt from crawling through the passage off his face, his arm bending to grip his scythe.
"We can, but..."
Before Kakuzu could finish, Hidan was already charging out with a laugh.
"Hahahaha! Let's kill each other!"
With excitement and distortion, the whistling scythe flew like thirsty fangs, eager to feast on the enemy's blood.
"Scatter!"
Seeing Hidan's mad charge, Shikamaru felt a chill. Reminding his teammates to retreat, his hands also formed hand seals, preparing to unleash the Nara Clan's secret technique.
Clang!
Amidst the rustling forest, a clear metallic ring echoed.
Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the source. A graceful, jade-like arm blocked the scythe's path.
The three-bladed bloodletting scythe was wedged in the joint of the girl's arm, unable to advance further and failing to inflict any damage.
"Whoa, you're not afraid of blades?"
"Doesn't that make you immortal? Gross!"
Hidan's pale purple eyes widened, showing disgust.
"You have the nerve to say that? Immortal Ninja of the Jashin religion, Hidan!"
Sakura flicked the scythe away with a backhand, dusting herself off.
Ever since entering her young adulthood and gaining [Steel Skin], this body's defense had become increasingly terrifying. Even many B-Rank Ninjutsu couldn't even give her a sense of pain.
Maybe if she felt empty someday, she could learn from Kaido, attempting suicide worldwide to earn the title of [Strongest Creature in the Ninja World] for fun?
"Tch, you know me?"
Hidan yanked hard on the chain on his arm, retracting the bloody scythe. "Kakuzu, help me! All the money's yours. I want to use them for a ritual."
"Fine then. The other three aren't worth much. The leading Jonin killed the Fourth Kazekage. Bounty of one hundred million, all mine!"
Kakuzu lifted his head, grabbing his black robe with red clouds and flinging it off, revealing a body covered in cuts and stitch marks.
It was hard to tell if it was human or beast, monster, or something even more insane and ferocious... Pitch-black fur wriggled, bristling like an enraged beast.
"Not good, stop him! Don't let Sakura get surrounded!"
Shikamaru, the team's strategist, analyzed the battlefield. His shadow extended from beneath him.
One of the two enemies was clearly no match for Sakura. If they could just help Sakura delay the other one, the scales of victory would tip in their favor.
"Choji, cover me!"
Ino shouted, spreading her hands into a rectangle aimed at the distant Kakuzu.
"Got it!"
Consuming his body fat to transform it into copious Yang Release chakra, Choji's massive arm swiped out, grabbing both Kakuzu and the tree behind him in his grasp.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Ino, preparation complete, immediately used the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique. Yin Release Chakra formed spikes, piercing into the opponent's mind.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru landed lightly on the ground, his shadow already wrapping around Kakuzu's entire body.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, complete!"
This whole set of seamlessly coordinated moves was the result of generations of refinement of their secret techniques by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Few in the Ninja World could withstand a full set and still retain fighting capability.
If Ino-Shika-Cho were facing an ordinary Jonin today, they could already declare victory.
But unfortunately... their enemy wasn't ordinary.
Crack, crack, crack!
Strange sounds came from various parts of Kakuzu's body. Ino, who had direct mental contact, was attacked first. Letting out a scream, she was forced to sever the Mind Body Switch Technique.
Shikamaru and Choji immediately felt greatly increased pressure due to Ino's failure. "What happened, Ino?"
"H-he has more than one person's consciousness in his body!" Ino stood up, clutching her head, hurriedly warning.
But in front of them, black threads erupted from Kakuzu's body, forming spikes that instantly pierced through Choji's palm, making him cry out in pain and release his grip. Then, the threads quickly extended toward Shikamaru.
"Not good!"
Unable to release the Shadow Imitation Technique, Shikamaru could only increase Chakra output, making his shadow spread over Kakuzu's body, attempting to restrain those black tentacles.
"Hmph, useless struggle. You'll make fine new additions to my collection!"
Kakuzu sneered, the black blood vessels welling up from his body growing faster.
As the numerous needle-like vessels were about to pierce Shikamaru, a kunai with a sakura mark embedded itself in the black spikes.
In the low hum of tearing space-time, a blazing light, as if the universe itself was being torn apart, crossed the boundary.
Sakura dragged the unconscious Hidan by the leg with one hand, while her other hand grabbed Kakuzu's tentacle, pulling hard.
Violent strength yanked Kakuzu to her side. Then, with a stomp, she created a huge crater.
"What's the fun in bullying youngsters? How about I play with you instead, using your techniques!"