"Hm? Kai?"
Itachi spotted Kai almost immediately.
Then his gaze uncontrollably shifted toward the adult man standing beside him.
His silhouette.
The black hair hanging over his forehead.
The shape of his brows and eyes...
All of it gave Itachi an indescribably familiar feeling.
It was like a stirring from deep within his bloodline.
As though this man shared an inseparable connection with him.
Yet at the same time...
He felt like a complete stranger.
This strange sensation caused even Itachi's normally calm and composed eyes to show a trace of utterly absurd confusion.
Especially when he noticed the missing arm.
His heart involuntarily tightened.
So...
Who exactly was the man beside Kai?
"What's wrong, Itachi-san?"
Kisame Hoshigaki was the first to notice that something was off about Itachi.
Following his gaze, he looked over.
The fierce little eyes that had been brimming with hostility instantly shrank to pinpoints when they landed on Kai!
The savage grin froze on his shark-like face.
In its place appeared pure horror—
As if he had seen a ghost.
Clang!
Even Samehada slipped from his shoulder and crashed onto the ground.
Several floor tiles shattered instantly.
The next moment, Kisame staggered backward like a man who had seen death itself.
His finger trembled as he pointed at Kai.
"H-He... Y-You...!"
"How are you here?!"
He would never forget it.
The battle he had intended to use as his grand debut after joining Akatsuki.
The humiliation.
No—
Calling it humiliation wasn't enough.
It had been a complete and utter massacre.
Kai had practically beaten the entire Akatsuki by himself!
Kisame had always believed that as long as he stayed away from Konoha, he would never encounter that monster again.
Yet now...
What was happening?
The helplessness and terror from that day surged back into his mind.
Almost instantly, every hair on his body stood on end.
His abnormal reaction naturally attracted attention.
Hidan.
At this moment, Hidan was carrying his massive scythe over his shoulder as he lazily turned around.
As one of Akatsuki's newest recruits, he was currently enjoying unprecedented confidence.
His ego had inflated to the heavens.
So when he saw Kisame's pale face and trembling body, terrified by a mere child, he immediately sneered.
"Oi, oi, Shark Face."
"Since when did you become such a coward?"
"Isn't he just some brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?"
"You're scared of that?"
After speaking, he turned back toward Kai and examined him carefully.
When he saw Kai's baby-faced appearance and short stature...
Disdain practically overflowed from his eyes.
"These two are strange... Hm?"
Unlike the Akatsuki members, who were silently observing, Mei Terumi's attention immediately landed on Kai's clothing.
"That's an Uchiha clan outfit!"
"So... they're Konoha shinobi?!"
The moment she realized that, a brilliant light flashed through her beautiful eyes.
Among the Five Great Villages, Konoha's strength was unquestionable.
However, after noticing there were only two of them, she couldn't help sighing.
"Too weak..."
"If it were Konoha's Copy Ninja, there might still be hope..."
"But a man who isn't even a jōnin, bringing along a child..."
Muttering to herself, Mei Terumi gritted her teeth and shouted first:
"Run!"
"Get out of here!"
"Please return to Konoha and report this to the Hokage!"
"Our Kirigakure has been attacked by an unknown organization!"
"They're trying to seize all the Tailed Beasts from the Five Great Villages!"
"If Konoha sends reinforcements to Kirigakure, we will repay the favor generously!"
After saying that, she wiped the sweat from her face.
A resolute look appeared in her eyes as she stared at Akatsuki.
If things truly became hopeless—
Then even if she had to sacrifice her life, she would ensure these two escaped.
Only then could Kirigakure obtain real reinforcements.
But the moment she finished speaking, Hidan burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"This brat?"
"Looks like Konoha has run out of people!"
"They actually sent a kid who's still drinking milk!"
"Hahaha! Brat, shouldn't you be going home for your bottle?"
As he spoke, he swung his massive scythe off his shoulder and arrogantly pointed its blade at Kai.
Then he turned the weapon toward future Sasuke.
"And you!"
"You've already lost an arm!"
"How dare you still run around outside?"
"What are you? Some one-armed swordsman?"
After saying that, he burst into laughter once more.
The sound was incredibly grating.
There wasn't a trace of friendliness in it.
Only pure malice.
The exposed eye beneath Sasuke's bangs almost turned bloodshot.
Every single word Hidan spoke landed directly on Sasuke's deepest wounds.
Each sentence perfectly targeted the two people he cared about most in his life—
His elder brother.
And his second brother.
Ordinarily, Sasuke wouldn't even have bothered with someone like Hidan.
Otherwise, he would have already used Amenotejikara and sent him flying.
His entire attention had been focused on Itachi.
But now—
His body trembled violently.
Not from fear.
But because...
The pain and fury that had accumulated for more than twenty years—
The pain engraved into his very bones—
Had finally found a spark.
And Hidan's reckless mockery became the fuse.
A fuse that ignited everything.
Buzz.
Buzz—Buzz!
Violent chakra erupted from his body like a spatial storm.
Uncontrollably spilling outward.
A dangerous vortex formed around him.
He stared at Itachi's cold side profile.
Then slowly turned toward the laughing Hidan.
At that moment, his killing intent finally found an outlet.
"Are..."
"You looking for death?"
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet the coldness instantly spread across the entire battlefield.
The murderous aura, so dense it was nearly tangible, immediately locked onto Hidan.
In an instant, the battlefield that had originally been a confrontation between two sides developed a strange atmosphere.
Everyone's attention shifted to the two newcomers.
Killing intent.
Hatred.
Fear.
All of it mixed together.
"Oh? HAHAHAHAHA!"
A few seconds later, Hidan suddenly burst into laughter.
He pointed at his own nose and laughed toward the sky.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"You're saying I'm looking for death?"
"Then come!"
"I'd be delighted!"
The moment those words fell, he extended his long tongue and licked a smear of blood still clinging to his scythe.
Then pointed it directly at future Sasuke.
But the instant Kai saw that scene—
A strange thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"Licking blood like that..."
"Aren't you afraid of catching AIDS...?"
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