Gatō's threat earned only a cold laugh from Zabuza.
With one horizontal sweep, the Kubikiribōchō halted at Gatō's throat — even from several meters away.
"Boss Gatō… looks like you've gotten a bit too full of yourself." Zabuza said, voice like ice, "You think hiring two nobodies is enough to deal with me?"
Cold sweat beaded on Gatō's forehead, "G-gentlemen — save me!"
The next instant, a hand wreathed in writhing black tendrils shot through the window and seized for Zabuza.
Fast — inhumanly so.
With a wet pff, Zabuza's chest was pierced clean through.
Yet no blood spilled. Zabuza — and his sword — collapsed into clear water with a splash, pooling across the floor.
"A Water Clone, huh? So you came prepared." A deep voice spoke from behind.
Two men in black cloaks patterned with red clouds were already inside the room.
The speaker wore a forehead protector branding him a Missing-nin from Takigakure. A mask covered the lower half of his face. His eyes were green, his gaze tired and indifferent.
Kakuzu of the Akatsuki.
Beside him stood Hidan, a bloodstained triple-bladed scythe slung casually in hand. His Yugakure protector hung at his neck, and his grin was reckless — almost eager.
"Who are you?" Zabuza frowned, staring at the pair.
The sinister pressure rolling off them made the air feel heavy.
Kakuzu's voice remained flat, "Missing-nin of Kirigakure in the Land of Water. Momochi Zabuza, the so-called Demon of the Mist. Your bounty at the exchange office is fifteen million ryō. I've been looking for you for a long time. Finally found you."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed, "So you're Kakuzu — the exchange office's famous bounty hunter. What, you want my head?"
Kakuzu didn't blink, "No. I want money. And your head becomes money."
Hidan's killing intent was already boiling over, "Kakuzu, quit yapping. I can't hold back anymore! Just imagining them bleeding and screaming — ah, I'm getting excited!"
Kakuzu snapped, "Shut up. I need to confirm something." He looked to Gatō, "If I kill those two for you, you'll pay thirty million ryō. Right?"
Gatō's eyes bulged, "T-thirty? Wasn't it ten million?!"
"Don't joke." Kakuzu said evenly, "It was clearly thirty."
Gatō forced a laugh that sounded like choking, "Mr. Kakuzu, you can't do this. That's extortion. You're a famous bounty hunter — where's your professional ethics?"
Kakuzu's gaze didn't change, "Remember this: in this world, only money never breaks its word. If you won't agree, then forget it. Hidan, we're leaving."
Gatō panicked, "Wait! I agree, I agree! Thirty million ryō. Not a coin short!"
"Good." Kakuzu's tone was the same as discussing the weather, "I've never liked people who don't keep their word. If you back out afterward, I'll kill you too. And I want cash."
Gatō hated him to the bone, but he still managed a trembling nod.
"O-of course… I understand the rules. I understand."
Zabuza's fury flared. They were bargaining over his head right in front of him — then raising the price on the spot.
Unforgivable.
"That's enough!"
The Kubikiribōchō swept out, its broad blade carrying suffocating pressure.
"Yo-ho!" Hidan cackled and caught the cleaver with his scythe, "Kakuzu, see? I told you you talk too much. If you won't move, I will! Lord Jashin, I'm about to offer sacrifices. That delicious pain — you're going to love it. Bastards who don't understand other people's pain… the gods will punish you."
❊❊❊❊❊
When Mizuki entered the forest with Gaara, he could already feel a fierce battle raging deep within.
Birds scattered from the canopy. The ground trembled in faint pulses. Wild chakra spread without restraint — roaring water, crackling thunder, and slicing wind tangling together.
"Who is Zabuza fighting?" Mizuki quickened his pace, reaching the edge of the battlefield moments later, "Why are Kakuzu and Hidan here?"
Even without ever meeting them, he recognized the Akatsuki's "Zombie Combo" at a glance. There weren't many Akatsuki members, and each was distinctive.
Zabuza was locked in combat with Kakuzu. His Hidden Mist Jutsu smothered the battlefield in fog so thick you couldn't see your own hand.
Even with Wind Release, Kakuzu couldn't disperse such overwhelming mist. He had released four masked creatures, and the barrage of ninjutsu they fired off came as if it cost them nothing. Zabuza was forced to keep his distance.
For the moment, they were evenly matched — neither finding a decisive opening.
On the other side, Haku had deployed Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Moving with a high-speed Body Flicker, Hidan couldn't even graze the hem of his kimono.
Haku's senbon struck while he moved. But Hidan's body was immortal. He neither dodged nor blocked — he simply charged through.
"Damn brat! I don't believe I can't cut you!" Hidan roared, swinging his scythe again and again.
"It's useless." Haku said calmly, "Inside these Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals… I am invincible."
"Then I'll smash every one of these damn mirrors!" Hidan spat.
He rushed a mirror. Senbon flashed toward him.
Hidan didn't evade. One needle speared straight through his eye. He screamed — twice — ripped it out, and kept running. The wound knit itself back together at an absurd speed.
"What kind of monster is that?" Even Gaara was stunned.
Nearby, Gatō and his men looked ready to faint.
"This man is called Hidan." Mizuki said quietly, "A Missing-nin from Yugakure in the Land of Hot Water. He joined the Jashin religion. His body was modified — he gained immortality. No matter how severe the injury, he can't be killed. You could say… he's truly immortal."
Gaara didn't answer. His eyes stayed on Hidan, killing intent sharpening.
Mizuki shot him a glance and felt a flicker of resignation. Gaara was probably thinking: if he crushed Hidan into minced meat with Sand Burial, would he die?
As for Mizuki, Hidan's immortality sparked both envy and curiosity.
"It's like Edo Tensei… and yet it isn't."
With Edo Tensei, even a shattered body repairs itself. Hidan's immortality was cruder. If his head were severed, he'd still need Kakuzu to stitch it back on.
But immortality paired with the Death Controlling Possessed Blood Technique was terrifying. A single drop of blood could guarantee a kill.
If Kakuzu and Hidan could be fused into one… now that would be interesting. An immortal body combined with Earth Grudge Fear — aside from sealing techniques, it should be unbeatable.
At the very least, it wouldn't end like the anime, where Shikamaru buried him and effectively sealed him away forever.
Hidan reached a mirror and raised his scythe.
"Don't you dare!" Haku's body slid out from a mirror, speed exploding.
He drove a kick toward Hidan's abdomen, trying to force him back. But Hidan's speed suddenly surged. The scythe cut toward Haku like a gale.
So he wasn't just muscle. He'd been hiding his true strength — and now he'd seized an opening.
Haku tried to twist away, but he was still too slow. Hidan let go of the scythe. A rope was tied to the handle, so it spun outward and the blade tip kissed Haku's calf.
Blood burst free!
"Hahaha! Come on — share pain with me!" Hidan laughed.
He danced back and traced a small ritual circle on the ground. Then he lifted the scythe, licked the blade, and swallowed the blood.
In the next moment, his skin shifted into a black-and-white pattern.
"You've been cursed! The ritual… begins!"
He drew a pitch-black spear from his clothes, raised it high, and stabbed toward his own abdomen.
Banshō Ten'in ▻ Universal Pull
Mizuki couldn't watch any longer. He moved.
Gravity yanked Hidan off the circle, dragging him into Mizuki's grasp — yet the spear had already punched into Hidan's stomach.
"Ahh — hahahahaha!" Hidan howled with delight, so lost in pain that it took him a heartbeat to realize he'd been pulled away.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" Mizuki said, disgusted, "You sound vile."
He grabbed Hidan by the hair, jerked hard, and tore his head clean off.
Hidan's eyes widened.
"Huh? Why can't I feel my body? My neck hurts — wait, why did my head fall off again? Hey, who are you? Put it back on!"
Gaara instinctively took two steps back.
Decapitated… and still talking.
He used to think the monster inside him was strange enough. This one was worse.
Mizuki calmly pulled out a plastic bag, stuffed Hidan's head into it, and slipped it into his storage ring. Then he dealt with the bigger problem: he packed up Hidan's body as well and sealed it away.
'The secret of immortality is worth studying. I'll bring it back, cut the corpse into pieces, and send it to Naruto and the others. Maybe I can steal immortality too. If that fails… I'll cooperate with Orochimaru and study it together.'
On the far side, Gatō saw Hidan captured like a toy in Mizuki's hands. His face drained of color.
"Run! Run!"
Shielded by his men, he fled toward the forest's edge.
Mizuki's brows lifted.
"Heh. Trying to run? In your next life."
❊❊❊❊❊
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $2 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new books I'm translating on my profile, Cyberpunk 2077: A God-Level Skill Every Day and Infinite Worlds: Building the Strongest Harem! They are also on my website for $5 and $1.5, respectively!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)