[Akatsuki Hideout]
The scene of Sasori being embraced by the Father and Mother puppets lingered on the screen for a while, and the atmosphere in the hideout grew somewhat heavy—even Deidara was unusually quiet for a few seconds.
Deidara looked at the screen, scratched his head, and his expression shifted from confusion to sudden realization.
"I see. So that's why Sasori-san—who's stronger than me—died at the hands of that old woman and little girl. So that's what happened."
He was just thinking; if Sasori couldn't win, couldn't he at least escape? But it turned out he actively sought death at the end.
However, since it involved Sasori's family matters, Deidara didn't feel right saying more. He opened his mouth, as if to ask something, but seeing Sasori's expressionless puppet face, he swallowed his words.
The other Akatsuki members basically shared the same thoughts, only Itachi looked at Sasori a bit longer.
His gaze swept over Sasori, then moved to the two embracing puppets—the "Father" and "Mother"—on the screen.
For a fleeting moment, something seemed to flicker deep within those calm, black eyes. But soon, his face returned to its usual indifferent mask—making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
As for Sasori himself, he remained expressionless, letting the others observe him as they pleased.
Those two puppets... it had been a long time since he'd seen them.
When was the last time he saw those two puppets? The day he left Sunagakure? Or even earlier? He couldn't clearly remember.
Those memories were too distant—so old they felt like a past life.
But something also stirred within Sasori's heart.
'Life Rebirth? It could actually grant life to puppets?'
Grandma… so that's your resolve?'
But those two have been dead too long. He would just let the old hag live according to her established fate.
Just then, the screen's narration continued once again, and the scene shifted to another Akatsuki member.
His hair was slicked back, no forehead protector on his brow, a fanatical grin on his face, and a certain crazed light reflecting in his eyes.
He wore an open black coat, revealing a sturdy chest, and what stood out most was the massive scythe in his hand.
His entire appearance and demeanor made it clear at a glance that he wasn't normal.
[Hidan, a member of the Akatsuki, codename "Santai," originally from Yugakure in the Land of Hot Water. After gaining immortality through forbidden experiments of the Jashin cult, he massacred his entire village, then subsequently joined the Akatsuki, forming the "Immortal Duo" with Kakuzu.]
[His immortal body still requires Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear technique to reattach severed limbs. And in the end, although he remained technically alive, he fell into a weakened state—making him the only Akatsuki member not completely eliminated.]
[But that kind of existence is certainly worse than death. And he had no further appearances afterward, so he's counted as the second Akatsuki member to die.]
Hidan was lounging with his scythe on his shoulder, one foot propped on a chair, the other tapping restlessly on the floor—his whole demeanor slouched and carefree.
But when he heard the Sky Screen say he was the second Akatsuki member to die, the smile on his face instantly froze, and his eyes widened.
"What… why am I the second one? And did I die or not?"
His mind couldn't quite process it for a moment.
The screen said he was the only member not completely eliminated, yet also counted him as the second to die. So did he die or not?
Hidan scratched his head, messing up his hair in confusion.
Just then, Deidara interjected with a grin, "Didn't the screen say it? You didn't die. Your immortality really is useful—you're still alive in the end."
But then he changed his tone. "But if the screen's words are anything to go by, I'd rather just die."
At the thought of his future state of being neither truly alive nor dead, Hidan suddenly became irritable and shouted at Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu… you… what were you doing?! How did I end up in such a state?!"
However, before Kakuzu could answer, Deidara rolled his eyes. "It's obvious that Kakuzu probably died too. Otherwise, why wouldn't he help you?"
Hearing that, Hidan's mood lifted. "Oh, that makes sense! Kakuzu, I guess I blamed you for nothing."
Looking at Hidan's stupid face, Kakuzu couldn't even be bothered to respond.
'Tch!'
Someone as cautious as him—who could have possibly killed him?
Once the screen revealed it, he would stay far away from that person, even if it meant disobeying Pain's orders.
Still, unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't leave the Akatsuki anyway. After all Konan was still in the organization!
[Although Hidan's personal strength ranked near the bottom of the Akatsuki, his ability "Cursed Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood" was simply broken.]
[Without prior knowledge of the technique, the chances of being killed on first encounter are basically 100%. Sarutobi Asuma is a classic example—if he had known about this ability beforehand, he wouldn't have been killed so easily.]
[Of course, it's not entirely impossible to counter this ability. You'd either have to use Genjutsu like Itachi, or just summon a giant mecha—anything to keep Hidan from touching you.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Team 10's location]
Shikamaru instantly sat up straight, fixing his gaze on the screen. And after a few seconds of being stunned, Choji and Ino also stared intently at the screen, afraid of missing even a single detail.
'Hidan!'
'Cursed Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood.'
Asuma also narrowed his eyes. So this is the one who killed him in the future?
And what kind of ability was this? It sounded terrifying—you couldn't even let him touch you?
---
[Hokage Office]
Hiruzen suddenly looked much more relaxed.
'Hidan, huh?'
'Immortal body, is it?'
'And can't let him touch you in battle?'
Great. With this intel alone, it was enough.
As the man known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu"—he excelled at many long-range Ninjutsu attacks. He'd make sure Hidan never got close.
He then slowly turned to look at Tsunade: "Tsunade, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on this Hidan's movements. As soon as you have any intel, please notify me immediately."
"That's the least I can do as a father for my child."
Ever since learning of Guy's true strength, Hiruzen's anxiety about Nagato coming to Konoha had eased considerably. And under Tsunade's leadership, the village was steadily getting back on track.
He now felt he could focus on other matters.
Tsunade nodded; she wouldn't make things difficult for the old man over something like this.
[The so-called "Cursed Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood" is a technique where Hidan, through blood, can inflict the same damage he receives onto his enemy. It sounds stupid at first, but combined with his immortal body, it becomes nearly unstoppable.]
[As a religious fanatic, Hidan often enjoys self-mutilation—piercing his own heart with his black spear, cutting his body, and other extreme acts. So the problem is, after shouting "Lord Jashin will forgive you," he survives—but his opponent doesn't.]
[Speaking of which, the best summoning beast for Hidan would probably be a mosquito. As long as a mosquito could secretly sip an enemy's blood and pass it to him, he could assassinate anyone in the Shinobi World.]
[And Hidan's ability is especially deadly against female shinobis—if he secretly collects their blood, he's essentially unstoppable.]
[The only question is: if he got Kaguya's blood, would the ability still work?]
*****
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