Kisame started to doubt whether his ears were playing tricks on him.
Shinju was… negotiating with the Shinigami?!
And judging by his tone, there wasn't even the slightest trace of respect—he was talking like he was chatting with an old friend!!ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Had Shinju really gotten this bold already?!
Did he not even put the Shinigami in his eyes anymore?!
'No, that's impossible!' Kisame quickly denied his own thought.
Even if Shinju was a genius, before the Shinigami, there was only room to kneel and beg!
If he dared to talk like this now, it had to be out of ignorance!
He'd learn his lesson soon enough!
With that in mind, Kisame couldn't help but look forward to the Shinigami's reaction.
If this being took Shinju away, Akatsuki would lose a powerful enemy—and world peace would be one step closer! ୧⍢⃝୨
...
Inside the sealed chamber—
The Shinigami glanced at the overly casual Shinju, then at the terrified rabbits and chickens that had soiled themselves on the ground. It felt utterly insulted! o(￣ヘ￣o)
Shinju, on the side, said, "Go on, eat up. The contract's already sealed—you can't back out now. ╮(╯▽╰)╭"
"If they die of fright, they won't taste good anymore."
"I can still bring you offerings this time, but next time, who knows?"
The Shinigami: "..."
It felt deeply offended!! (｀･∧･´)
The last time this boy had at least tried to trick him. But now? He didn't even bother pretending!!
And from the way he spoke… it sounded like this time he wouldn't even be getting small animals as offerings anymore!
Was this brat trying to freeload off him?!
The Shinigami's eyes widened, and it slowly drew out the short blade clamped between its teeth…
Kisame's soul nearly left his body in fright. (°Д°≡°Д°)
Shinju… how could Shinju dare to do this?!
But what happened next completely shattered Kisame's understanding of the world!
The Shinigami flipped the blade in its hand, pressed it against its own abdomen, and began to stab inward—slowly.
Once the blade was fully embedded, the Shinigami drew it sideways, slicing open a large gash across its belly!
A moment later, a faint blue, ethereal mass drifted out from the wound and vanished.
That was the soul of the Fourth Hokage!
The Shinigami… had actually complied!! ∑(✘Д✘๑)
After finishing, the Shinigami stomped off in anger!
Before fading away, it shot Shinju a vicious glare—
As if to say: You'll die too, boy. One day, you'll fall into my hands.
The little chickens and rabbits on the floor had no breath left by the time it disappeared.
"Gulp—" Kisame swallowed hard.
The power to bargain with the god of death itself…
Could Akatsuki really bring peace to the world with someone like that standing in their way?
"Seems like the technique worked," Shinju muttered to himself. "Since Kisame's still alive… maybe I should just sacrifice him to test Edo Tensei and revive the Fourth?"
Kisame: "..."
If dying meant he could skip interrogation and torture, that didn't sound too bad.
But after seeing the Shinigami just now, for some reason… he suddenly didn't feel like dying anymore.
Before Kisame could speak, Shinju continued to mumble to himself,
"Nah, forget it. Any enemy ninja will do. Better to make the most of this guy—send him to headquarters instead…"
...
Land of Fire — inside the Daimyō's palace.
After the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War, all the daimyō of the participating nations had been gathered here for protection.
To ensure their safety, they weren't allowed to leave until the war ended.
That meant that every day, the daimyō were bored out of their minds—left only to play mahjong or shogi to pass the time.
"I'm one tile away from winning!"
The daimyō of the Land of Fire sighed, "I wonder how long this war will drag on. Being locked in here every day is driving me insane. --003d_--003d"
The daimyō of the Land of Lightning, who had been losing continuously, snapped,
"You should be grateful! This is your palace. Your servants and family are all here. We haven't complained, so what are you whining about? ¯\(ツ)/¯"
The daimyō of the Land of Earth nodded,
"He's right. You gamble and play chess with us every day—you've already won enough money to buy half a city! ╰_╯"
The daimyō of the Land of Fire, unable to retort, quietly focused on his tiles.
After a while, he pushed forward with both hands and grinned.
"Mahjong! Hahaha! (＾ワ＾)"
The other daimyō reluctantly handed over their ryo…
Just then, as they were paying up, everyone felt the floor begin to tremble.
And the shaking only grew stronger!
The daimyō of the Land of Fire quickly called for his servants.
"What's happening outside?"
A guard rushed in and reported, "Intruders are attempting to attack the palace, but Jiraiya-sama has engaged them."
"Please rest assured, my lords—while Jiraiya-sama stands guard, there's nothing to fear. ( --0027▿ --0027 )"
The daimyō of the Land of Fire nodded.
"If it's Jiraiya, I have full confidence. He's trained excellent disciples. (•̀⌄•́)"
The other daimyō looked curious. "Who's this student you trust so much?"
The Fire Daimyō smiled, waiting for that exact question.
"His disciple… is none other than Konoha's Shinju! (^∇^*)"
...
Outside the palace—
Jiraiya, alongside the shinobi assigned to protect the daimyō, stood blocking two intruders.
When he saw who they were, Jiraiya smiled faintly at one of them.
"Konan, never thought I'd see you again here. ´◡`"
But the woman in the Akatsuki cloak showed him no courtesy.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you've already died once. There's no need to stand in my way again! (๑`^´๑)"
Jiraiya's hair nearly stood on end at that remark.
"You've got some nerve saying that!"
"I found you, Yahiko, and Nagato—three war orphans struggling to survive—and I took you in, taught you ninjutsu! And this is how you repay me?! (′д｀σ)σ"
Konan sneered coldly. "Sensei, if you hadn't interfered with Akatsuki's plan for peace, no one would have laid a hand on you."
"But you just had to—"
Jiraiya waved a hand, cutting her off. "Enough! I'm done wasting words. At least you weren't my only students!"
"Sensei, we—"
Before Konan could finish, Zetsu, who stood beside her, interrupted,
"Oh come on, why waste time arguing with this old man? Just kill him and take the daimyō. Once they're captured, every nation will fall into chaos—and let's see if the Allied Shinobi Forces still have the will to fight! (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
Konan nodded. With a rustling "whoosh," paper wings unfolded from her back, lifting her into the air—
While Zetsu's body sank slowly into the ground, merging with the earth.
The next instant—
"Rumble——!!!"
Countless thick vines of Wood Release burst out from the ground, lashing toward the defending shinobi!
Jiraiya quickly shouted for the Allied ninjas to dodge, his face full of shock.
"Never thought I'd see the day Zetsu could use Wood Release! (º Д º*)"
Half-black, half-white, Zetsu smirked disdainfully.
"There's a lot you people don't know."