"Tch, I didn't expect you to be immortal too."
Deep within the dense forest of the Land of Hot Water, Hidan's body was covered in eerie, black and white, skull-like runes.
A massive scythe was still impaled in his abdomen, and blood continuously gushed out, yet there was no trace of pain on his face, only a mix of madness and confusion.
"You're not the only immortal one."
Kakuzu slowly picked himself up from the ground, looking at Hidan as he spoke coldly, though his heart was aching.
One of his hearts was actually destroyed by this bastard.
"However, his ability is indeed peculiar, no wonder he uses such a large scythe."
Kakuzu had basically figured out Hidan's ability. He collects blood with his huge scythe, then uses a secret technique to synchronize damage.
But while he is immortal, the person who gets hit isn't. Even Kakuzu himself felt a great loss.
"Have you thought it through?"
Though his heart was aching, Kakuzu maintained a cold and indifferent tone.
"Join us. Even if you're immortal, what you've done in Yugakure will surely attract more pursuers, but we can offer you protection."
"Moreover, we won't restrict your beliefs, nor will we interfere with your actions on a daily basis, as long as you complete missions and earn money for the organization."
"Tch, what a hassle."
Hidan bared his teeth. In truth, he didn't particularly want to join any organization, nor did he care about protection.
If anyone came after him, he'd just offer them as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin. However, the conditions offered by this guy were indeed quite good.
Especially since this 'organization' didn't care about his beliefs, which was much better than Yugakure. Besides, this guy in front of him was also immortal.
"Fine, I agree to join this 'organization.' What a pain."
After a moment of thought, Hidan finally nodded, which made Kakuzu breathe a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to continue fighting Hidan. He hadn't known anything about him beforehand, so Hidan managed to get his blood.
If the fight continued, he would likely be the one in trouble.
If he could start over, he certainly wouldn't be afraid, but that's how Ninja are. Without intelligence, a single oversight can be fatal.
"A wise choice, then I'll take you—"
Kakuzu's voice remained cold, but halfway through his sentence, a voice suddenly rang out.
"It seems your mission is complete."
This voice immediately made Kakuzu's gaze sharpen. Even Hidan behind him raised an eyebrow.
Space distorted, and the next moment, a figure walked out from within the space.
This eerie way of appearing was indeed intimidating, which was precisely the effect Obito wanted.
"No need to worry, I am Uchiha—"
"Obito?!"
However, before Obito could finish speaking, Kakuzu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he became excited.
"Wearing a mask, revealing one Sharingan—that's him, alright! Hidan, let's go together, kill this guy and make a fortune!"
"…"
Obito's face darkened. He suddenly felt that instead of trying to recruit this guy, he might as well just kill him.
Where in the world did this money-grubber come from?
.....
"Not bad, you're learning very quickly, Takemi!"
In a dense forest of the Land of Hot Water, Guy looked at Takemi with admiration, while Kakashi beside him was engrossed in his book, head bowed.
Although they had been rushing these past few days, Takemi still showed his 'eager to learn' side.
Kakashi wasn't sure when he became interested in the Eight Inner Gates, but he kept pestering Guy for guidance.
And Guy wasn't stingy. He even happily began teaching him, winking at him every time Takemi made progress.
"Are you treating this as a competition? That's my disciple…"
Kakashi was somewhat exasperated but didn't say anything, after all, that was his disciple.
"It's all thanks to Guy-sensei's excellent teaching."
Takemi maintained his usual humility, even though he had already mastered it.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have learned so quickly."
"Now you have mastered the method of opening the first Four Gates. I temporarily cannot teach you what comes next."
Guy winked at Kakashi again. Seeing that Kakashi ignored him, he didn't mind, but instead became a little serious.
"The Eight Inner Gates requires very high physical conditioning. You need to maintain diligent training. Although your physical conditioning is good, you still need more training."
"Yes, I understand."
Takemi nodded, though he grumbled inwardly, his physical conditioning wasn't enough?
Of course, he understood.
Physical conditioning is hard to gauge accurately just by looking, and even after sparring, it's difficult to get a clear sense, especially during a mere practice session.
Moreover, he had confirmed some things!
"When I use the Eight Inner Gates, I seem to feel a surge of hot blood, and even some unique power…"
The essence of the Eight Inner Gates is to temporarily gain powerful strength by unlocking the channels within the body that restrict Chakra.
But Ōtsutsuki shouldn't have this problem, and activating these so-called 'gates' is, to some extent, activating his physical power.
"So, it's really possible for me to temporarily gain stronger power by using the blood surge from the Eight Inner Gates?"
Takemi stroked his chin. His only question now was how many 'gates' he would need to open to achieve the true effect.
He wouldn't dare open all Eight Gates. It's true that Ōtsutsuki can revive, but he's only at 21%.
"Alright, stop talking, now focus on the mission at hand."
Just as he was pondering, Kakashi spoke up. He put away his perverted book, then pulled out a map.
"Although we haven't found the target after searching for several days, we must be careful."
"After all, besides the obvious guy, we also need to be careful…"
"That guy might appear. Don't forget. He's the one who's truly unpredictable."
"Don't worry, Kakashi, we'll be careful."
Guy knew who Kakashi was referring to without saying it aloud. He patted Kakashi's shoulder, smiling reassuringly.
"Besides, don't forget. He was dead last. Meanwhile, I was second to last."
"Is that something to be proud of?"
Kakashi was exasperated. Even though he knew Guy was trying to distract him, he couldn't help but crack a smile.
Takemi also found it amusing. He remembered that Guy had once kicked Obito in the face.
"Huh?"
As they walked, Takemi suddenly felt something was amiss. Kakashi, who had been bantering with Guy, also stopped.
Guy froze for a moment, immediately became vigilant, and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Someone." Takemi replied in a low voice.
Kakashi's face was also full of vigilance.
"Get ready for battle, be careful, they're here!"
The words had barely left his lips when, in an instant, accompanied by a distortion in space, countless kunai shot towards them. The sheer number of them was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
"Are they using space-time Ninjutsu to launch attacks?"
Kakashi immediately formed hand seals, his mind racing. He also knew who the attackers were.
Earth Release: Multiple Earth Style Wall!
Kakashi's gaze was sharp. The moment he finished his hand seals, he pressed his hands to the ground.
The next moment, four stone walls carved with dog heads appeared around them, encircling them and blocking all the kunai outside.
Boom—
The next moment, a violent roar sounded. Clearly, those kunai had explosive tags on them.
A series of fierce explosions almost collapsed Kakashi's walls, and the smoke from the explosions nearly engulfed them.
"Be careful, I smell three scents. We must be vigilant."
Kakashi whispered a warning, but just then, a voice boomed in his ear.
"Is your useless nose still so keen?"
Kakashi's expression changed. Feeling the rush of wind from behind him, he immediately leaped up to dodge the attack.
"Kakashi!"
Guy was anxious, but just then, feeling a slight tremor beneath his feet, he immediately pulled Takemi and leaped up.
In an instant, countless sharp earth spikes erupted from the ground, and a figure with an exaggerated scythe also came chopping towards them.
"Be careful, Takemi!"
Seeing this, Guy could only push Takemi away and deal with that guy himself.
"It seems I'll have to deal with you…"
But just as Takemi landed steadily, a cold voice rang out not far away.
"Brat…"
"…"
(End of Chapter)
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