As Matatabi's enormous claw came crashing down toward them, Chinatsu, Hidan, and Kakuzu immediately leaped away to avoid the attack from the giant Tailed Beast.
If that strike had landed directly...
Well...
For these three, it probably wouldn't have caused much damage anyway.
One possessed monstrous regenerative abilities thanks to her special constitution and Wood Release-enhanced vitality, one was blessed with Jashin's immortality, and one carried multiple hearts within his Earth Grudge Fear body. It was precisely because of these abnormal abilities that Hidan and Kakuzu had managed to defeat Nii Yugito in the original timeline.
However, things were different now.
Because of Chinatsu's interference four years ago, Yugito had trained herself to an astonishing degree. Her mastery over Matatabi's chakra cloak and combat abilities far exceeded what Chinatsu remembered from the original story.
If Hidan and Kakuzu fought Yugito again under these circumstances, their chances of victory would be extremely low.
More importantly, Chinatsu couldn't casually use Wood Release or Susanoo.
Those abilities were simply too recognizable.
The situation was clearly becoming troublesome.
Chinatsu clicked her tongue.
Beside her, Hidan seemed to realize he had acted impulsively. He glanced toward Chinatsu with a guilty expression that resembled a large dog that had accidentally overturned its master's favorite flowerpot.
Unfortunately, Chinatsu didn't even look at him.
Besides, Hidan hadn't actually intended to cause trouble.
And honestly...
Chinatsu herself had no idea how to escape the awkward situation with Yugito.
Perhaps Hidan's interruption had actually helped break the deadlock.
Of course, that was assuming they survived the giant cat currently trying to flatten them.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Chakra Mode."
Chinatsu narrowed her eyes.
Blue lightning instantly wrapped around her body.
This was a Kumogakure-style Lightning Release enhancement technique she had learned during her intelligence missions in the Land of Lightning years ago.
Crackling electricity surged across her limbs, dramatically increasing her speed and reaction abilities.
Matatabi continuously swung its giant claws.
One strike after another.
It looked less like combat and more like someone playing whack-a-mole.
Unfortunately for Matatabi, every attack missed.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Large craters continuously appeared throughout the street.
Seeing this, Yugito suddenly stopped.
A strange sense of guilt appeared in her heart.
For some reason, as she looked at the damaged street, an imaginary voice seemed to echo in her mind.
"Look around you!"
"Your third-rate fighting skills are destroying everything!"
"What exactly have you protected?!"
Although nobody had ever spoken such words to her before, the growing number of craters somehow made the voice sound increasingly real.
The strange feeling of déjà vu made Yugito frown.
The Tailed Beast transformation receded.
She maintained only Version One of her Tailed Beast Cloak and charged directly toward Chinatsu.
Beneath the cloak, Chinatsu's eyes had already shifted into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Every movement Yugito made became crystal clear.
Punches.
Kicks.
Claw strikes.
All of them were effortlessly avoided.
Chinatsu had originally planned to grab Yugito's head, slam her into the ground, and then immediately flee.
Unfortunately, the chakra cloak surrounding Yugito made physical contact difficult.
Yugito: Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!
Chinatsu: Miss! Miss! Miss! Miss!
As the battle continued, Yugito gradually sensed something was wrong.
Even while holding back and avoiding a full transformation, her attacks should have been enough to pressure an ordinary elite jonin.
Yet her opponent moved with absurd ease.
It was as though every attack had already been predicted.
Yugito's expression became increasingly serious.
Meanwhile, Chinatsu suddenly jumped backward.
Without forming any hand seals, she raised one hand.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
A massive black lightning beast burst forward.
BOOM!!!
The black lightning panther crashed directly into Yugito.
Smoke, dust, and shattered debris instantly filled the entire street.
At this level of combat, ordinary smoke was nearly useless.
A jonin could disperse it with a simple wind release or chakra burst.
But for Chinatsu, even a few seconds were enough.
She landed beside Hidan and Kakuzu.
The two instinctively thought she was ordering a retreat.
"Don't move."
"I'll take us away."
After speaking softly, Chinatsu placed one hand on each of their shoulders.
Flying Thunder God Formula.
Activation.
Teleportation.
The smoke was dispersed less than two seconds later.
Yet the three figures had completely vanished.
Even Yugito's senses couldn't locate them.
"They escaped..."
"But how?"
Yugito frowned deeply.
Then her thoughts immediately drifted toward a certain cult.
"The Jashin religion..."
"Could this be one of Jashin's miracles?"
"Does Jashin truly exist?"
Yugito's train of thought instantly derailed.
The highly disciplined Kumogakure jonin began attributing increasingly unreasonable abilities to the Evil God.
"Two Akatsuki members..."
"And a young lady whom both of them respect..."
"The Jashin religion..."
"Akatsuki..."
"It seems I need to update Kumogakure's intelligence records."
Yugito sighed and looked around.
The original purpose of her search had completely disappeared.
What had already been like searching for a needle in a haystack had now become utterly impossible.
Perhaps...
They truly weren't fated to meet.
Yugito silently shook her head.
After straightening her clothes, she began her journey back to Kumogakure.
---
Kumogakure.
Raikage's Office.
"What did you just say?!"
"An Evil God?!"
The Fourth Raikage A slammed his fist onto the desk.
BOOM!
The sturdy desk shattered instantly.
The reporting shinobi trembled.
"No, Raikage-sama! We aren't lying!"
"It was Captain Yugito!"
"We found traces connected to Captain Yugito!"
The mention of Yugito caused A's expression to soften slightly.
"Yugito?"
"Then perhaps there really is some suspicious cult activity in our territory."
A rubbed his chin.
Whether the Evil God existed or not wasn't important.
The important thing was maintaining village security.
"Send two additional teams."
"Locate Yugito."
"And investigate these cultists."
"Understood!"
The gathered shinobi immediately departed.
Soon afterward, two additional elite Kumogakure teams left the village.
Naturally, they would never find Chinatsu.
However, they might accidentally discover a few genuine followers of Jashin.
After all, Hidan had spent years enthusiastically spreading the teachings of Jashin wherever he went.
His missionary work was considerably more active than his actual Akatsuki duties.
As for Yugito...
She had already returned to the village.
Her destination was Kumogakure's mission and bounty board.
The wall was covered with countless notices.
Assassinations.
Escort missions.
Missing persons.
Investigation requests.
Yugito slowly walked toward the counter.
Then she suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Her gaze landed on a section covered by several overlapping mission notices.
Something felt familiar.
She reached forward and removed a few papers.
Underneath them was an old, abandoned bounty poster.
The photograph attached to it was slightly faded.
[Uchiha Chinatsu]
[Female]
[Age: 17]
[Konohagakure]
[Appearance as shown]
[One of the surviving members of the Uchiha Clan]
[Estimated Strength: Elite Jonin]
[Bounty: 10 Million Ryō]
[Capture Alive]
[Mission Cancelled]
Yugito stared at the photograph.
Although the face looked somewhat older than the girl in her memories...
She recognized her instantly.
The same smile.
The same eyes.
The same person.
For several seconds, Yugito's brain completely stopped functioning.
Still alive?
Konohagakure?
An Uchiha?
At that moment, her mind felt like a machine that had suddenly released a puff of black smoke.
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