"Kanon Uchiha..." Shikamaru gritted his teeth. Even the scorched Asuma looked toward her with a flicker of dread in his eyes.
Kanon's arrival signaled one thing: they were now well and truly cornered.
"Shikamaru, you're here too?" Kanon tilted her head curiously.
"You!" Shikamaru's expression darkened as he faced her.
"What's going on here? Having a little meeting?"
Kanon spoke casually as she handed the briefcase over to Kakuzu.
"Kanon-chan, this is my fight! Stay out of it!" Hidan roared at her.
"Ugh... I never said I was going to interfere, Hidan-nii," Kanon snapped back with a pout.
"Though, Asuma-sensei, you look like you've been through the wringer. Do you need a hand? I wouldn't mind sending you straight to Hell."
Kanon's playful smirk contrasted sharply with her horrific words, causing the four Konoha shinobi to recoil in grim silence.
"Kanon! You've truly fallen!" Asuma shouted, desperate to buy more time.
"Fallen? When did I ever 'fall'?"
"You joined the Akatsuki to turn against Konoha! This is the home that raised you!"
"Is that so? If this is the village that raised me, why can't I see a single member of my clan? Where is my family? Where are my parents?!" Kanon asked, her smile never wavering.
"Kanon Uchiha! Your heart shouldn't only be big enough for your family and clan!" Asuma stammered, his words ringing hollow even to himself.
"So, I should be like you people? Losing yourselves for a village that has no room for 'home'?"
"A shitty village like this... it's better off destroyed."
"Stop trying to waste time. How about I go slaughter the reinforcements you're waiting for right now?" Kanon's lips curled into a sharp grin.
"What?!" Shikamaru froze. Had she seen through Asuma's plan already?
"Chatting with me just to wait for backup... isn't that right, Shikamaru?" Kanon's smile widened as she locked eyes with the boy, whose pupils had shrunk to pinpricks.
"So you noticed too, Kanon-chan," Kakuzu noted with a slight nod.
"I think Hidan-nii is the only one who didn't."
"Watch your mouth!" Hidan barked from across the clearing.
"Keep fighting. Kakuzu-nii and I will just watch for now." Kanon laughed and sat down on the stone steps, watching the center of the battlefield like a spectator at a play.
Asuma breathed a small sigh of relief seeing Kanon stay her hand, especially since his arm was already...
"You've already been cursed."
"Now, let the ritual begin."
Hidan's eyes turned bloodshot as he let out a manic howl. "Come! Experience the ultimate pain with me!!"
Asuma trembled, his hands suffering from severe, localized burns.
"Why is Captain Asuma taking damage?!" Izumo and Kotetsu were aghast.
Only Shikamaru remained deep in thought.
Is it possible that...
"Looks like that thirty-five million is as good as ours." Kakuzu patted Kanon on the shoulder.
"I'm not counting it again! I'm exhausted!" Kanon stretched her arms over her head.
Hidan laughed manically, pulling a sharp black stake from his cloak.
"Everything is ready! It's going to hurt, so get ready!"
Asuma spun his trench knives, the blue blades of the Chakra Blade flickering. He glared at Hidan before charging at high speed, aiming to take the immortal's head.
Hidan saw it coming, but his hands were faster. He drove the black stake directly into his own thigh.
"Take this!"
A piercing agony shot through Asuma's thigh. He stumbled, collapsing right in front of Hidan.
"It hurts, doesn't it?! Hahahaha!"
"I'm not stopping at the vitals!"
"But this pain... it's the best."
"The pain of his impending death is etched into my very body."
"Transcending agony and finally turning into pure ecstasy!" Hidan laughed deliriously.
Blood seeped from Asuma's leg, but he could only stare at Hidan with unwavering intensity.
In the distance, Kotetsu and Izumo finally understood. Somehow, Hidan's body and Asuma's were linked.
Any injury Hidan sustained was reflected back onto Asuma. But Hidan was immortal.
"O-hohoho! Hahahaha! Where do you want to feel the pain next?!" Hidan pointed the stake at his own arm.
"Here? Or here?"
"The feet are a good choice, too."
"Or... do you just want to end it all?" Hidan pressed the tip of the stake against his own heart, grinning down at Asuma.
"Shikamaru, don't use physical attacks like Shadow Stitching!"
"Use Shadow Possession to stop his movements! Hurry!" Izumo yelled.
"I'm already doing it!" Shikamaru grunted through gritted teeth.
Make it in time... please, make it in time!
The Shadow Possession raced across the ground. Just as Hidan's hand began to thrust the stake toward his own heart, the shadow finally reached his feet.
"Die!"
"Not a chance!" Shikamaru roared.
The stake stopped, having only pierced Hidan's skin a fraction of an inch. He was frozen.
"Great job, Shikamaru!"
"Tch! This trick again!" Hidan tried to break the binding through sheer physical strength. Shikamaru bit his lip hard; the pressure was immense.
"Oh... Hidan-nii got caught," Kanon said softly.
"Kakuzu-nii, are we really not going to help?"
"He can't die. There's no need. If we step in, he'll just complain later."
"If you say so, Kakuzu-nii."
Seeing that Kanon and Kakuzu still weren't moving, Kotetsu turned to Izumo.
"Izumo, how long since we sent the request for backup?"
"About ten minutes. It'll be another twenty before they arrive."
"Dammit... what are we supposed to do?"
"You could just die here," Kanon teased from the steps, resting her chin on her hands and smiling at them.
"Tch!" The two ignored her, focusing on their plight.
"If we kill him, Captain Asuma will also..."
"The best way to break a long-lasting technique is to kill the caster."
"But if we can't do that..."
Shikamaru analyzed every detail. He caught Kanon's mocking gaze, she was clearly taunting him for his lack of observation.
He felt a surge of self-reproach. He hadn't been the "Rook" that protected the team; instead, Asuma had to protect him. He was being picked off.
His mind went into overdrive. Every detail of the fight flashed before his eyes: Hidan's mention of the curse, the ritual, the "preparation," his licking of the blood, and the array he drew at the start.
In seconds, Shikamaru deduced that the technique likely only functioned within the array.
"Finally figured it out?" Kanon murmured from the stairs.
"If this is going to take much longer, let me help," Kakuzu said, stepping forward. "I can't let our bounty fly away."
"Didn't I tell you not to interfere?! Kakuzu! Can't you just watch from the side like Kanon-chan?!"
"I've got this handled!"
Suddenly, Shikamaru's eyes widened. He had found his opening. Asuma, seeing the look in his student's eyes, realized Shikamaru had a plan.
"Did you figure something out, Shikamaru?"
Without a word, Shikamaru stood up, using the Shadow Possession to force Hidan to walk out of the blood array.
"That move, huh," Kanon nodded. It was a logical play. She had seen Shikamaru's secret techniques during the exams; she knew exactly what he was doing.
"Does that shadow jutsu force the target to mirror the user's movements?" Kakuzu asked.
As he was forced out of the circle, Hidan realized his secret was out.
"What are you doing?" Izumo asked.
"He's dragging Hidan-nii out of the array," Kanon answered for him.
"Not bad, Shikamaru. You're quick to analyze." Kanon gave him a mock thumbs-up.
"But it's Hidan-nii's fault for talking too much!" she criticized.
Watching Shikamaru's deduction, even Kakuzu gave a slight nod of approval. The boy had broken down Hidan's technique perfectly.
"This kid is impressive."
Shikamaru proceeded to break down Hidan's every word and action.
It made Hidan's blood boil. "You brat! You bastard! I'm going to cut you into a thousand pieces once I'm free!"
"You won't get that chance!"
With that, Hidan was pulled completely clear of the array.
"He's out!"
"Good! Now to confirm if the link is broken!"
On Shikamaru's signal, Asuma quickly flicked a kunai, slicing Hidan's ear. When the injury didn't reflect onto Asuma, the team knew they had succeeded.
Immediately, Shikamaru transitioned into Shadow Stitching, impaling Hidan and pinning him to the ground.
"I'm... at my limit! I can't hold him much longer!"
"Well done... Shikamaru."
Asuma staggered forward, one step at a time, toward Hidan.
The Wind Release chakra hummed along the edges of his trench knives. As Asuma drew closer, Hidan finally yelled, "Kakuzu! Kanon-chan! Help me, dammit!"
"Hurry up!"
"I'm on it! Hang in there, Hidan-nii!" Kanon sprang to her feet, a Rasengan already beginning to swirl in her palm.
But just as she was about to charge, Kakuzu reached out and stopped her.
"Kakuzu-nii! What are you doing?"
Before she could say another word, Asuma's blade swept through the air, severing Hidan's head.
"That is why I told you not to be overconfident," Kakuzu said coldly to the rolling head. "Our silence was your punishment for being so arrogant."