The wandering shinobi and various missing-nin were naturally no match for members of the Akatsuki organization—they couldn't even be considered worthy opponents.
The difference in strength was absolutely overwhelming. Any single Akatsuki member could effortlessly eliminate entire groups of these mercenaries.
Even the relatively stronger rogue shinobi were crushed with contemptuous ease.
They simply weren't operating on the same level at all!
It could be said that the Akatsuki organization dealt with this massive collection of rabble in an almost playful manner, treating the conflict more like training exercise than serious combat.
However, precisely because there were so many of these inferior opponents, the cleanup still required considerable time from Akatsuki.
Before they could properly deal with Orochimaru, they had to eliminate these annoying distractions.
Akatsuki wasn't concerned about the actual strength of these mercenaries, but if they remained present, Orochimaru might exploit the chaos to create unexpected complications.
For safety's sake, it was better to clear the battlefield entirely.
Therefore, the organization had been temporarily delayed by this cleanup operation. Now that the battle was concluded and most of the rogue shinobi had been eliminated, the remaining survivors had completely lost their will to fight and fled in terror.
BOOM! BOOM...
The thunderous aftermath of distant combat reached their ears!
The Akatsuki members turned their attention away from the escaping mercenaries and focused on the sounds of battle in the distance.
"That's where Kakuzu is fighting Orochimaru?"
"Yes, that's definitely Kakuzu. I recognize his Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques. The explosion patterns match his style."
"No, don't you notice that Kakuzu's jutsu doesn't seem to have gained the upper hand?"
"How is that possible? Orochimaru is definitely no match for Kakuzu in direct combat. Besides, Hidan is there as well. It should be trivially easy for the two of them to defeat Orochimaru."
"I'll go investigate personally! Yeah!"
The excitable Deidara used explosive clay to create a large bird and leaped directly onto its back. "Come on! Yeah!"
Before he finished speaking, the massive clay bird carried Deidara into the sky, heading toward the location where the fierce battle was erupting.
"That guy..."
Hiruko's long tail slowly retracted as Sasori glanced at Deidara's departing figure without showing particular concern.
The recent battle to eliminate the rogue shinobi had been fought by him and Deidara working together. It seemed that Deidara wasn't satisfied with simply throwing explosive attacks and had rushed ahead to seek more exciting combat.
"Let's proceed!"
Tendo Pain walked forward with measured steps, and the others followed at a deliberate pace.
Behind them, the battlefield was filled with choking smoke while blood flowed like crimson rivers. Countless body parts lay scattered everywhere, creating a scene as if hell itself had descended upon the earth.
The battlefield maintained a deathly silence that was genuinely frightening. Apart from the occasional crackling sounds of flames consuming debris, no other sounds disturbed the eerie quiet.
Hmm?
Deidara stood on his clay bird and approached the center of the battle as rapidly as possible when he suddenly looked upward.
The sky displayed a clear blue expanse without a single white cloud visible.
"Was there something in the sky just now?"
Deidara scratched his head in confusion. He seemed to have glimpsed something, but now no trace remained. Could it be that his eyes had deceived him?
Maybe it was just a flying bird...
There were only a handful of shinobi in the entire world who possessed flight capabilities, and the possibility of them appearing in this location was extremely small. Therefore, Deidara concluded he had simply seen incorrectly.
However, in the blind spot of his vision, Shihouin Naraku sat cross-legged high in the air with his right hand supporting his cheek, observing Deidara's descent with amused interest.
"Who are these two additional fighters?"
"Where is Orochimaru?"
Deidara descended into the forest on his flying bird, and the chaotic battle scene on the ground came into his sight.
A muscular man moving with lightning speed was systematically beating both Kakuzu and Hidan. A figure with strange metallic wings was releasing various magnetic projectiles, bombarding Kakuzu and Hidan with relentless fury.
While Kakuzu could occasionally mount counterattacks with assistance from his masked creatures, Hidan was being beaten mercilessly. If he weren't immortal, he would have been pulverized long ago.
Among the four combatants, Hidan appeared by far the most miserable.
There was simply no way around it. Hidan's immortality was indeed formidable, but this ability wasn't accompanied by enhanced defense, and his physical strength remained relatively modest.
As for his expertise in taijutsu, the Third Raikage completely overwhelmed him. Whether considering the legendary leader's terrifying speed or his extensive experience fighting against armies of tens of thousands, Hidan couldn't match him in any category.
Attacking the Third Kazekage proved equally difficult for Hidan.
Every time he threw his Bloody March Scythe, he used the rope connected to the weapon to alter his attack angle, attempting to strike his opponent. However, his efforts were easily evaded.
Even when he occasionally created openings for attacks, the Third Kazekage controlled his magnetic wings to directly block Hidan's strikes.
What made the situation even more troublesome was that Hidan couldn't match the Third Raikage's speed and couldn't reach the Third Kazekage flying overhead. This meant he had no method to obtain blood for his cursing rituals.
Hidan had been nerfed to an absolutely epic degree!
Of course, even if he had managed to obtain blood from the Impure World Reincarnation bodies, whether his curse technique would prove effective remained questionable.
The Reanimation Jutsu summoned the souls of the dead and attached them to artificial bodies. Unless Hidan's curse could directly harm souls, his technique shouldn't succeed against such targets.
Therefore, due to various limiting factors, Hidan was the most pathetic participant among the four fighters!
A grotesquely obvious gash marked the area around his heart, one-third of his neck was completely severed, his waist was severely collapsed inward, and his left arm had vanished entirely.
Fortunately, Hidan retained his immortality and possessed decent regenerative abilities, otherwise he would have perished long ago.
On the opposite side, Kakuzu had lost two of his precious hearts and been forced to withdraw his masked creatures back into his body for protection.
Two masked monsters emerged from his shoulders, and eight massive black threads expanded outward, forming a specialized defensive configuration.
This all-out defensive posture was the only reason Kakuzu hadn't been defeated and killed already.
Since Hidan couldn't provide meaningful assistance, Kakuzu effectively faced the combined pressure of both the Third Kazekage and Third Raikage alone!
The Third Raikage serving as the primary attacker was incredibly difficult to handle, and with the Third Kazekage providing aerial support, Kakuzu was fighting a desperately losing battle.
Both opponents had once served as Kage of their respective villages, and their coordinated assault demonstrated why Kakuzu's survival until this point was actually a testament to his extraordinary abilities.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...
Fire and smoke suddenly erupted across the battlefield as continuous explosions forced the Third Kazekage to retreat from his aerial position.
"Hahaha! You two guys are absolutely pathetic! You still need to witness my art! Yeah!"
"Take this!"
Deidara's arrogant voice echoed from the sky above. Under normal circumstances, Hidan would have fired back some insulting retort, but he currently lacked the energy for such banter.
The bird constructed from explosive clay flapped its wings and flew directly toward the Third Kazekage. The moment it approached, it detonated violently, blasting holes through the hastily formed iron sand shield.
Bang!
Kakuzu, who had just managed to catch his breath, felt the pressure suddenly diminish. However, in the next instant, he was kicked away by the Third Raikage, whose teleportation-like speed made defense impossible.
Splurt!
A mouthful of blood erupted from Kakuzu's lips!
Kakuzu transformed into a human projectile and crashed through the forest, smashing countless massive trees before finally stopping. He relied on the giant black threads emerging from his body to absorb the tremendous impact.
That incredible speed...
Deidara's eyes shifted with newfound concern as he controlled his bird to climb to a higher altitude for safety!
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