[Speaking of which, Team 10 soon used their high intellect and flawless coordination to successfully defeat Kage-level experts far stronger than themselves, avenging their mentor, Asuma.]
[At first glance, the process seems brilliant, but upon closer reflection, it feels quite far-fetched.]
The scene shifted to a dense forest.
Shikamaru crouched on a tree branch, hands in his pockets, his expression as lazy as ever—but his eyes were fixed on a certain spot on the ground below.
There, Hidan and Kakuzu were walking confidently down the path, seemingly unaware that they had already stepped into a trap.
[In fact, from a setting perspective, there's nothing wrong with Shikamaru's plan to defeat Hidan. After all, Shikamaru's skill points were mostly invested in intelligence. And against a low-intelligence opponent like Hidan, he had an absolute advantage; the general direction was correct.]
[The real problem lies in the execution of Shikamaru's plan, because the maneuver of using blood to trick Hidan relied more on Taijutsu performance than just intelligence.]
[With a stat difference of 13 to 24 in combat, pulling off such a precise operation—placing a drop of blood on the tip of Hidan's blade—was arguably the most far-fetched counterattack in the entire series.]
[As mentioned above, Shikamaru had invested most of his skill points into intelligence. As a result, his Taijutsu was naturally far weaker.]
[According to the official databook Jin no Sho: Shikamaru had Strength 4, Stamina 4, and Speed 5, while Hidan had Strength 9, Stamina 8, and Speed 7. In other words, in Taijutsu stats, Shikamaru totaled 13—while Hidan had 24, more than double.]
Throughout the Shinobi World, many people gasped. A twofold gap wasn't just "weaker"—it was "overwhelmed."
[To put it in perspective, let's take an example of Kurenai and Itachi, both Jōnin. Kurenai had Strength 8, Stamina 4, and Speed 8—totaling 20. While Itachi had Strength 9, Stamina 7, and Speed 10—totaling 26. Stats-wise, Itachi was only 6 points ahead.]
[But looking at their actual performance in combat, Itachi kicked Kurenai from a bridge onto the water's surface, and before she could even land, he flickered behind her. Kurenai was completely overwhelmed by Itachi throughout the fight, without any power to fight back.]
[So Hidan's Taijutsu level was comparable to Itachi's. And when fighting Kakashi, Kakashi could barely keep up with Hidan's movements, relying on the dynamic visual buff of his Sharingan.]
[And Kakashi's Taijutsu, early on, could contend up to the Third Gate—putting him in the top tier experts. So the fact that they could trade blows proves that Hidan's Taijutsu was also among the best in the Shinobi World.]
[Here, Shikamaru had neither the Sharingan's visual buff, nor any advantage in physical stats—trailing behind Hidan by more than double. So in a pure Taijutsu exchange, Shikamaru had to precisely drop blood onto Hidan's blade without detection, then use that blood to draw a fake wound on his own face to deceive Hidan—all in an instant.]
[This was nearly impossible. With such a huge gap in Taijutsu, Hidan should have seen Shikamaru's movements like watching a slideshow. So one has to wonder if Hidan was simply an idiot.]
[Of course, Shikamaru's strategy itself was sound. The problem was that he personally executed it. It was like a strategist first setting up an ambush—and then personally jumping down to kill the enemy. If he really had that level of Taijutsu, why scheme at all? He could have just punched Hidan to death.]
On the screen, Hidan and Kakuzu both noticed the suspicious shadow of a tree branch at the same time and leaped into the air.
"Damn—explosive tags?!"
Two kunai carrying explosive tags were thrown simultaneously at Hidan and Kakuzu.
A violent explosion rang out, and both of them were enveloped in smoke.
"Kakuzu!" Hidan shouted in panic.
"I hardened my arms. I'm not injured."
"Forget that, watch out for the shadow..." Kakuzu dodged as he warned, worried Hidan would fall for it again.
As he spoke, the shadow controlled by Shikamaru stretched rapidly toward Hidan's feet.
"I won't fall for it twice!"
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Team 10's location]
Ino stared at the stats on the screen, her mouth wide open. "The gap is that huge? Shikamaru, how did you pull that off in the future?"
Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless. "Didn't the screen just say it? Hidan's an idiot."
Chōji chimed in, "I think so too. A normal person wouldn't be that easy to fool."
Asuma, cigarette in his mouth, smiled. "Regardless, a win is a win. And if the enemy is stupid, that's their problem. At least it's way better than me—I actually lost to that guy."
The screen seemed to skip ahead. It was the same forest, but Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen, and Hidan was already caught in Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu.
"The Shadow Possession Jutsu is a success."
"Let's go for a nice little walk... just the two of us."
Shikamaru manipulated Hidan into dropping his scythe and running deep into the forest.
And as Shikamaru threw kunai one after another, the surrounding trees soon became covered with explosive tags.
"So you won't let me get away, huh?" Hidan looked around, amused.
Just then, Shikamaru actually released the Shadow Possession Jutsu.
"This shadow technique only lasts about five minutes, right?"
"And it's just the two of us now…"
"That works out well for me too, you idiot!!"
Despite losing his scythe, Hidan still drew a long blade and charged at Shikamaru with a cackling laugh.
A single slash—and blood splattered.
Caught off guard, Shikamaru's cheek was cut open by Hidan's blade.
Hidan then brought the tip of the blade to his lips and licked it slowly.
[Alright, in less than a second, Shikamaru had to accomplish the following to execute his plan here:]
[1. Avoid getting his cheek actually slashed by Hidan's blade.]
[2. Keep a syringe hidden in his hand without it being discovered.]
[3. Splatter Kakuzu's blood onto the tip of Hidan's blade.]
[4. Smear Kakuzu's blood on his own face in a way that matched the shape of a scratch.]
[5. React with a flinching motion that matched Hidan's attack trajectory.]
[6. And do all of the above without Hidan noticing.]
[Now the question is: Was Shikamaru holding back earlier just to test Asuma's abilities?]
[Because if we're really forced to make sense of it, the only explanation is that Hidan had repeatedly offended Jashin, and by this point, he was already cursed by the evil god.]
[According to Hidan's own description, the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood must result in death once activated—but the Akatsuki's mission to capture Jinchūriki required him to take them alive. So when he captured the Two-Tails, Hidan didn't deliver a fatal blow—already breaking the rule once.]
[Afterward, Hidan performed at least thirty minutes of prayer—and even he admitted it was too long, but it was doctrine, and he had to obey. Skipping it would be blasphemy.]
[But after killing Asuma, Hidan was called to seal two tailed beasts. For six days and six nights, he performed no prayers at all. That was a major taboo too.]
[Divinity is fickle, and Jashin—judging by name and abilities—is hardly a benevolent being. So if one assumes he possesses consciousness, it's possible that Jashin himself is vindictive and, having been provoked, handed down punishment to Hidan.]
[And if we assume the deity has no consciousness, we can interpret it as: lack of devotion weakens the Jutsu—and even the believer's own abilities. After all, Hidan is the only immortal in the entire cult. The doctrine about prayer after a ritual curse was likely tailored specifically for him. So under those circumstances, it's unlikely that the doctrine included pointless rules—they were probably hard-won lessons passed down through generations of believers.]
[Furthermore, in the first fight, Shikamaru was exhausted just from pulling Hidan out of the ritual circle. While in the second, he seemed to have unlimited chakra, repeatedly restraining both Hidan and Kakuzu. This could partly be attributed to Shikamaru's thorough preparation and the fact that Hidan and Kakuzu had been awake for six straight days—but an equally plausible explanation is that Jashin had placed a conceptual super-debuff on Hidan—including but not limited to reduced physical abilities and lowered intelligence—so that whatever he did would lead him toward ruin, making him yet another offering to Jashin.]
*****
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