Kakuzu and Hidan quickly turned around, only to see Rōshi standing right behind them. Perhaps because their attention had been focused entirely on locating Kisame Hoshigaki, they hadn't noticed that Rōshi had already sensed their presence the moment they entered the area.
"You two seem to be wanted criminals."
Rōshi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Although I've already left Iwagakure, I still have a responsibility to deal with criminals when I encounter them. Besides, I'm running low on travel funds."
Rōshi instantly used the Body Flicker Technique, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. His fist, enhanced by years of harsh training and Four-Tails chakra, slammed directly into Hidan's chest.
Bang!!!
Hidan was launched through the air like a cannonball.
Kakuzu immediately reacted. The seams on his body split apart as several masked creatures emerged from his back.
Wind Release.
Fire Release.
Lightning Release.
The masks opened their mouths and unleashed a barrage of elemental ninjutsu.
Rōshi had encountered many shinobi during his years of wandering, but a ninja whose body contained living masks was something entirely new.
The combined ninjutsu struck him head-on, engulfing him in explosions and smoke.
Boom!!!
Even Rōshi was blasted backward.
"Hidan! Get up!"
Kakuzu shouted.
A normal person would probably ask if their partner was alright.
Unfortunately, Hidan wasn't normal.
Even if that punch had shattered every bone in his body, he still wouldn't die.
"I'm up, I'm up."
Hidan climbed out of a crater while dusting off his Akatsuki cloak.
"Honestly, I'm usually the one ambushing people. Didn't expect to get ambushed myself. I got careless."
He twisted his neck.
Crack! Crack!
Aside from looking slightly messy, he was completely unharmed.
Meanwhile, Rōshi rolled across the ground before regaining his footing. Dust covered his face.
"I underestimated you."
He wiped away the dirt and slowly exhaled.
"I didn't expect one of you to have a body stitched together with threads and the other to survive a direct punch like that."
His expression became serious.
"Since you're both monsters, I won't hold back either."
"It's been a while since I fought seriously."
A tremendous amount of chakra erupted from Rōshi's body.
Scarlet-red chakra mixed with blazing heat covered his entire frame.
The chakra cloak bubbled like molten rock.
Lava Release Chakra Mode!
As someone who had spent decades training alongside the Four-Tails Son Gokū, Rōshi possessed a unique combat style that combined taijutsu with Lava Release chakra.
In this state, both his offense and defense increased dramatically.
A single punch could pulverize solid stone.
Seeing this transformation, both Hidan and Kakuzu felt their scalps tingle.
We're monsters?
You're not exactly normal either!
More importantly, neither of them wanted to fight Rōshi seriously.
Even if they wanted to, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Battles between shinobi depended heavily on compatibility.
Hidan's immortality and Kakuzu's multiple hearts gave them incredible survivability, but neither possessed a good answer to Rōshi's overwhelming close-range power.
If Hidan attempted to block with his triple-bladed scythe, the weapon would likely become red-hot after only a few exchanges.
The matchup was terrible.
The only reason Kisame Hoshigaki could reliably suppress a Jinchūriki like Rōshi was because Samehada absorbed chakra.
After quickly calculating the odds, Kakuzu reached a conclusion.
Even if they somehow defeated Rōshi, it wouldn't solve their actual problem.
Their real target was Kisame.
Taking a deep breath, Kakuzu suddenly raised a hand.
"Wait!"
"No!"
"..."
Kakuzu froze.
Isn't "Wait!" supposed to be a divine technique?
What happened?!
Before he could think further, Rōshi's fist smashed directly into his face.
Bang!!!
Kakuzu flew backward.
Stars practically appeared in his eyes.
The legendary "Wait!" technique only worked for protagonists and major villains.
As loyal subordinates under Chinatsu's command, Kakuzu and Hidan were neither.
Naturally, it failed completely.
Hidan roared and charged forward with his scythe.
Rōshi inhaled deeply.
"Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
Several blazing lava projectiles erupted from his mouth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hidan was forced to stop and defend himself.
The explosions pushed him backward dozens of meters despite digging his heels into the ground.
Even Hidan realized continuing this fight was a terrible idea.
Retreating seemed like the smartest option.
Just as Kakuzu and Hidan prepared to withdraw, an enormous volume of water suddenly surged across the battlefield.
A massive shark formed from water leaped into the air.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
The gigantic shark crashed directly into Rōshi's Lava Release chakra cloak.
Steam exploded outward.
Whoosh!!!
The entire battlefield disappeared beneath white mist.
Hidan and Kakuzu stared in disbelief.
Kakuzu immediately recognized the technique.
"That Water Release..."
"It's Kisame Hoshigaki!"
As the steam dispersed, a familiar figure emerged.
Blue skin.
Shark-like features.
Samehada resting on his shoulder.
Kisame Hoshigaki had arrived.
"Isn't that Hidan and Kakuzu?"
Kisame grinned.
"Aren't you two supposed to be capturing other Jinchūriki? Why are you fighting my target?"
"We'll explain later."
Kakuzu answered immediately before Hidan could say anything dangerous.
"Let's capture him first."
Kakuzu feared that if Hidan opened his mouth, the already chaotic situation would become even more chaotic.
Fortunately, Kisame wasn't the suspicious type.
He simply assumed Pain had changed the mission arrangements.
"Fine."
Kisame rolled his shoulders.
"Let's capture him together."
"I have to admit, this guy is stronger than I expected."
His eyes locked onto Rōshi.
At that moment, Rōshi emerged from the steam completely unharmed.
His expression had become much more serious.
Unlike Hidan and Kakuzu, Kisame was a genuine threat.
As the wielder of Samehada and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kisame possessed chakra reserves so vast that many called him the "Tailless Tailed Beast."
More importantly, Samehada could devour chakra directly.
Many of Rōshi's techniques would become significantly less effective against him.
Rōshi immediately reached the same conclusion.
Without hesitation, he established a connection with the Four-Tails sealed within him.
The next moment, an overwhelming amount of chakra erupted into the sky.
Red chakra surged outward.
A gigantic ape-shaped figure materialized on the battlefield.
The Four-Tails, Son Gokū!
The earth trembled beneath its weight.
Looking at the enormous chakra construct before him, Kisame's grin only widened.
Meanwhile, Hidan and Kakuzu quietly exchanged glances behind him.
Hidan: What now?
Kakuzu: Easy. Kisame showing up is actually perfect.
Hidan: Huh?
Kakuzu: Let's pretend to help. Once both sides are exhausted, we'll know exactly what to do.
Hidan: You're smarter than you look. Let's do that!
Kisame's eyebrow twitched.
For some reason, a strange feeling of unease suddenly appeared in his heart.
Almost as if someone behind him was plotting something.
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