Shinigami in the Ninja World

The sea breeze, carried by the tides, brought a salty, damp scent.

It made Hidan yawn, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.

"Has Zetsu not reported back yet?" he asked impatiently, swinging his scythe and striking the reef hard.

Kakuzu grinned. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can sense Zetsu. He doesn't dare get close; gathering information isn't that easy."

"Such a coward, that guy," Hidan clicked his tongue, his impatience growing more evident. "He's been dragging his feet just trying to track down the Jinchuriki."

On the beach, a Venus flytrap emerged: "Not everyone is like you, with an immortal body."

"The information has been gathered. Uzumaki Naruto has returned to the mainland. He left Cloud Village just yesterday, heading southwest. They're quite conspicuous."

Kakuzu tilted his head. "Southwest? Towards the Land of Fire? We've been waiting here for almost a month in vain. If we had known this, we might as well have taken on a few more missions."

"You're at it again!" Hidan looked disgusted.

He was about to start a long rant when the Venus flytrap cut him off, speaking with a yin-yang tone, "That's enough. Go find the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki now. Intercept them before they enter the Land of Fire. Even Konoha is probing for information about us to curry favor with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It's possible that if they discover our presence, they'll even assist us just to win his favor. They might even wage war against us. That's the one thing we can't let happen!"

The two of them agreed, and in an instant, disappeared from the beach.

Naruto and Karin were traveling slowly. The Land of Lightning's devotion to the Sage of Six Paths was the most intense among the nations. In contrast, there were far fewer shrines dedicated to "gods" or "great spirits." Perhaps this was evidence that the Sage of Six Paths was more active in the Land of Lightning during his "lifetime."

At the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning, the terrain flattened out, leading to fertile plains ahead.

Naruto suddenly turned around. "Someone's coming."

Karin looked back as well. "Cloud ninja?"

"No," Naruto shook his head. "I didn't sense these auras when we were in their village."

"Cloud Village was beaten so badly; who would still dare to mess with us?" Yang Nine-Tails grinned, stepping on Naruto's shoulder. "How many of them?"

"Should be six," Naruto replied, but his brows furrowed. The information he received through sensing was somewhat strange. Five of the people's auras were very close, almost overlapping. There shouldn't be anything in the ninja world that could evade his sensory abilities. They were indeed five living individuals. But this close together? Were they traveling in a 'human centipede' formation?"

"Should I leave with Nine-Tails?" Karin asked, reaching out to grab Yin Nine-Tails, holding him in her arms.

Naruto shook his head. "No need, they're not strong, just at Jonin level."

Karin nodded slightly. Yin Nine-Tails, hearing this, wriggled out of her embrace and jumped back onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Jonin?" Yang Nine-Tails sneered. "How dare they."

Naruto didn't speak; he stared in that direction, curious as well. Who would still have such guts now?

Before long, two figures appeared in an instant, landing on a tree. Both were tall and dressed identically, in black cloaks with red clouds.

"It's the Akatsuki," Yang Nine-Tails squinted, recognizing them immediately. "But there are only two. Where are the other four?"

Naruto stared at one of them. The 'five life auras' were emanating from this person. What was going on here? A 'single person' made up of 'five people'?

On the tree, the man with slicked-back hair, carrying a scythe, grinned wildly. "I told you, it's useless. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would definitely detect us. See, isn't that right?"

The other man remained silent.

"I was just about to look for you," Naruto said softly. "Didn't expect you'd deliver yourselves so quickly."

"Just as the leader said, you indeed have your sights set on us," the man with the scythe said seriously. "But just the two of us are enough to take you down."

"Arrogant," Yang Nine-Tails sneered. "Haven't you heard about what happened to Cloud Village?"

The man with the scythe squatted on the branch. "Precisely because we've heard. That's why the leader sent us. Allow me to introduce myself."

He reached out with his other hand, grabbing the necklace around his neck. "My name is Hidan, just an ordinary ninja."

Naruto squinted his eyes. From this person, he could sense a trace of "natural energy." Was he... a "Sage Mode user" similar to Jiraiya?

Hidan continued his introduction: "However, this companion of mine—you may not have heard of his name, but his background is quite remarkable."

"Since you're from Konoha, you must be well aware of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, correct?"

Hidan extended his hand to gesture toward his silent companion beside him. "His name is Kakuzu."

"He once fought against the First Hokage."

With those words, Kakuzu finally spoke, adopting the demeanor of a seasoned veteran. "I heard about your victory over the Cloud Village. You're indeed capable and bold."

"Let me test how much of a gap remains between you and the God of Ninja."

He raised his hands, forming a seal.

There was a rustling sound as his shoulders suddenly expanded like a cat's fur standing on end, inflating his body to a monstrous size.

Then, with a ripping sound, his cloak tore apart, revealing his upper body, densely stitched with black threads.

These threads seemed alive, writhing and crawling, tearing Kakuzu's body open. They emerged and, upon hitting the ground, transformed into four dark creatures, each wearing a different mask, their bodies constructed of thread.

"I sense five overlapping life forces—is this the source?" Naruto tilted his head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "But..."

"There's no qualitative difference; just five elite Jonin."

Kakuzu did not respond, his hands forming seals swiftly. One of the masked creatures, like a frilled lizard, opened up a mass of threads and its mouth.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage."

At the same time, another masked creature opened its mouth.

"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work."

Flames surged, crashing forward like a small tidal wave.

The wind fed the flames, creating a lake-sized wave of fire that erupted in an instant, roaring furiously.

Naruto remained calm, raising his hand and swatting the air.

His chakra spread out.

The flames, ferocious as they were, could not penetrate his immediate vicinity.

But...

Kakuzu's objective seemed to be more than just this.

The flames obscured the view, seemingly aiming to conceal the technique he was preparing, hidden within the massive Wind and Fire Release chakra.

Wind, fire, and lightning—the three chakra natures converged on his arm, merging with great difficulty and force.

The light blue chakra pulsated, then shot out like a laser.

The recoil caused Kakuzu to stagger.

The blue beam pierced through the sea of fire, heading straight for the blonde youth.

Naruto raised his hand.

"Bakudō #39. Enkōsen (円閘扇, Round Lock Fan)."

A high-speed rotating yellow shield unfurled before him, absorbing the attack.

Kakuzu's pupils dilated in disbelief.

He had anticipated that ordinary jutsu would have no effect on Naruto.

But...

That last technique...

It was one he had honed over decades, inspired by the Tsuchikage's "Dust Release."

A fusion of three chakra natures, transcending the "Kekkei Genkai."

"Did you really fight the First Hokage?" Naruto asked, lifting his hand.

One of the masked creatures leaped out of the flames, a large, sharp earthen spear clutched in its mouth, aimed directly at Naruto's throat.

But a flash of lightning streaked by.

"Hadō #4. Byakurai (白雷, Pale Lightning)."

The mask shattered, and the creature lost its vitality, continuing to lunge forward for a few steps, only two or three paces away from Naruto. But the last meter, an insurmountable chasm, caused it to stumble and fall, the earthen spear piercing its own head.

Beneath the mask, a faint life force remained, cautiously concealed.

"This jutsu is somewhat interesting," Naruto noted but continued speaking to Kakuzu, "As a Jonin, it's quite impressive."

"But I have met the First Hokage, and even the chakra contained in his soul far surpasses yours now."

Kakuzu did not respond.

Instead, a burst of maniacal laughter rang out, drowning the crackling of flames burning the trees.

"You've been deceived!" A fierce wind howled as Hidan jeered.

"Kakuzu was just a distraction. I am the main attacker."

"Until now, I've never sacrificed someone as powerful as you to Jashin-sama. You should be able to please Him, right?"

He did not approach Naruto directly, hiding beneath the creature wielding the Earth Release mask. With a wave of his hand, his blood-red triple-bladed scythe extended with a clattering sound, hurtling toward Naruto.

Naruto raised his hand.

Two fingers caught the blade of the scythe.

Hidan grinned.

Another hand suddenly extended from his sleeve, gripping a black short staff. Before chakra could flow through it, the staff elongated into a spear, thrusting towards Naruto's leg.

He grinned savagely, reveling in the thrill.

But as the black spear pierced through the fabric and struck Naruto's calf, the sensation that followed was not of piercing something soft.

Instead, it struck something incredibly hard, sending a numbing shock through his hand.

This feeling caused his expression to change.

Naruto glanced down and pointed a finger.

"You went to such lengths, trying to bypass my sensory abilities."

"All just to hurt me with this thing."

"Do you think that as long as you wound me, you'll be able to take me down?"

As he spoke, golden ropes surged from his fingertips, binding Hidan tightly.

Seeing the situation turn sour, Kakuzu attempted to flee.

But as he turned around, a fox with a small golden sword gripped in its mouth blocked his escape route.

He immediately halted.

This little fox may appear small and weak, but it was none other than the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails.

Escape was no longer an option.

"Is this related to pleasing that evil god?" Naruto reached out, lifting Hidan to eye level. "Since you've gathered so much information about me, you should know that I have quite an interest in gods and such."

"Of course, I'm even more interested in your organization."

"Can you tell me everything you know?"

Hidan clicked his tongue.

Even though he was captured, his expression remained largely unflustered.

"If you want to know, I can tell you." He answered calmly, without hesitation.

This startled Karin.

Isn't the contrast a bit too much, before and after?

~~~

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