"These guys are as annoying as flies, no matter how many you kill, they just keep coming..."
Hidan disgustedly shook the blood off his scythe.
Looking at the corpses of the Hidden Sand ninjas on the ground and then at Gaara, who was still unconscious, Hidan grumbled with significant dissatisfaction, "I have to move bases again with this brat. What a pain."
It had been two days since Shukaku's rampage, Simu's attack on the Hidden Sand Village, and Hidan's departure with Gaara.
During these two days, attacks from the Hidden Sand Village could be described as constant.
These corpses on the floor belonged to the fourth group already.
Furthermore, since his tracks were first discovered, the strength of each subsequent wave of attackers had increased, causing Hidan no small amount of trouble.
Fortunately, Simu had previously set up a large number of hidden bases in the desert surrounding the Hidden Sand Village.
Hidan had managed to repeatedly escape the Hidden Sand's pursuit by utilizing these hideouts over the past few days.
After all, the bases Simu left behind were numerous; they contained not only food and weapons for Hidan but also various traps, some of which could even self-destruct.
The Hidden Sand Village had paid a high price just to search these locations.
However, such costs were nothing compared to the value of a Jinchuriki.
Hidan briefly restocked his food supplies and picked up the still-unconscious Gaara, preparing to head to the next base.
Just as he was about to step out the door, he paused and looked toward the entrance.
"Who's peeping at yours truly from the shadows?"
Hidan unceremoniously brandished his Three-bladed blood scythe, assuming a combat stance.
Hearing Hidan's words, the figure lurking outside the base finally stepped out.
The person was shrouded under a cloak, and a clear, youthful voice drifted from within. "As expected of the Jashin Religion, to turn the entire Hidden Sand Village upside down with only two people."
Although Hidan didn't know who the stranger was, this praise immediately made him feel smug.
"Of course! Lord Jashin is the greatest deity. A mere Hidden Sand Village is nothing to us!"
Having said that, Hidan looked at the newcomer with suspicion. "So, who are you?"
Facing Hidan's question, the person reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his true face.
He had short red hair and skin as delicate as white jade; his overall appearance was incredibly refined.
"My name is Sasori. Sasori of the Red Sand."
The boy calling himself Sasori answered Hidan's question calmly.
"Sasori? Sounds a bit familiar."
Hidan thought hard, but because it had been a long time and his brain capacity was limited, he really couldn't remember. He simply leaned his scythe against his shoulder and said directly:
"Sasori, huh? You dare follow me; do you want to be turned into a sacrifice for Lord Jashin?"
Hidan licked his lips, wearing a cruel expression.
Sasori smiled. He didn't doubt the truth of the man's words at all.
This was because he had been following Hidan ever since the man left the Hidden Sand Village with Gaara; he knew this guy truly enjoyed offering enemies to Lord Jashin as sacrifices!
However...
"Jashin, how interesting. But it's also possible that you will be the one turning into a sacrifice, Senior."
A faint smile appeared on Sasori's refined face.
This smile was undoubtedly a provocation to Hidan's strength. He immediately cursed, "Arrogant brat! It looks like I need to show you what I'm capable of!"
Almost without hesitation, Hidan swung his Three-bladed blood scythe and launched an attack.
Since the distance was quite far, the blood scythe disassembled into three segments, transforming into three sharp crimson blades that slashed toward the enemy.
Sasori seemed to have anticipated Hidan's move. He easily dodged with a flip, took several steps back to create distance, and pulled two scrolls from his pocket to open them as quickly as possible.
With two puffs of smoke, two humanoid puppets were instantly released from the scrolls.
Sasori raised his hands, focusing his chakra into threads and injecting them into the puppets while saying, "Let me see your true strength, Senior. I hope you don't disgrace the name of Jashin. You should know, I am quite interested in Lord Jashin."
These words, without a doubt, reignited Hidan's fury.
"Damn brat, just die!"
Unable to endure any longer, Hidan exploded with his top speed and closed the distance.
As a former genius ninja of the Hidden Sand Village and now an S-rank rogue ninja, Sasori's reaction speed was naturally not slow at all.
He reacted the very instant Hidan launched his attack.
First, he used chakra threads to maneuver the humanoid puppet on the left into mid-air. The puppet's stomach then flew open, and countless poisoned senbon poured down like a violent storm.
Hidan, however, didn't care about the senbon at all. He didn't dodge or hide, letting them rain down on his body.
Even though his body was pierced by countless senbon, Hidan's speed did not slow down. In an instant, he appeared before the other puppet.
"Even venom can't cause him harm?"
Sasori analyzed silently. Through observing Hidan's several battles, he could basically confirm that Hidan was immune to the vast majority of attacks.
For example, kunai, strikes from ninja blades, burns from Fire Style, or shocks from Lightning Style had no significant effect on Hidan.
That was why he wanted to try poisoned senbon, but the effect remained negligible.
While analyzing, Sasori used chakra threads to control the other puppet, springing a ninja blade from its arm to slash at Hidan.
Just as Sasori expected, Hidan didn't defend at all, letting the blade strike his body.
Using the opening created by the strike, Hidan delivered a heavy swing of his scythe, smashing the puppet in front of him into fragments.
"Another pile of trash..."
Hidan looked at the shattered puppet fragments with a flash of disdain.
He quickly adjusted his direction. The Ukaku on his back flared like rocket boosters, giving him a second burst of speed!
Facing the high-speed Hidan, Sasori had no time to dodge. He could only pull the remaining puppet in front of him with his chakra.
The result was no surprise; this puppet was also smashed into a pile of fragments by Hidan's slash.
Seeing this, Hidan grinned hideously. "Brat, if your strength is only at this level, then I'll be taking your head as an offering for Lord Jashin!"
Hearing Hidan's bold words, Sasori smiled composedly. "Not bad for a senior of the Jashin Religion. It seems I must show my true strength."
Using the time gained by Hidan destroying the puppets, Sasori pulled out another scroll, this one marked with the character "Three."
Smoke erupted again, and a black-haired puppet, similarly shrouded in a cloak, slowly emerged from the mist.