After Nagato expressed his opinion, Senshi became somewhat anxious.
He had thought that this matter would go smoothly—that all he had to do was make a quick appearance in the leader's office. After all, cooperating with Kirigakure offered enormous benefits.
Who would've expected that these two "Kage"… well, actually, the "leader" would be so stubborn? With so many advantages laid out before him, he was still busy pondering how many flights of stairs a single bag of rice could be carried up. It looked like he was just one step away from making some bold, boastful claim.
Before Tendo Pain and Konan could continue, Senshi interjected, "Hey! Why is cooperating with Kirigakure suddenly wrong? Let me tell you, cooperating with Kirigakure is absolutely correct!
"Isn't Akatsuki's ultimate goal to make the world experience pain, understand pain, accept pain, taste pain, so that after we rebuild it, people will cherish the peace and stability that was so hard to obtain—isn't that right?"
Nagato nodded slightly. "That's correct. Which is exactly why we can't work with Kirigakure."
Senshi shook his head. "What's 'correct' about that? That line of thinking is definitely wrong!
"Why can't the Kirigakure ninjas in an Akatsuki branch help us achieve Akatsuki's final objective before that branch is even established? Is there anything more painful for Kirigakure's ninja than watching the younger generation they pinned their hopes on grow up, only for those same youngsters to inflict suffering on them?
"Our plan should be for any ninja who joins Akatsuki to work with us to complete Akatsuki's mission. As long as we can achieve that, anybody can join Akatsuki, and Akatsuki can set up a branch anywhere."
Tendo Pain: "(O_O)???"
Konan: "(O_O)???"
Karin: "(O_O)???"
When people said "If you cut Orochimaru open, he'd be black inside," now they couldn't help wondering: if you sliced open Senshi, would he be black through and through as well?
Using Kirigakure's resources to train Kirigakure's own ninjas, only to have those ninjas turn around and hurt their own village… That wasn't just "feeling pain;" it was enough to make even Pain's mother wail in agony.
For a moment, Nagato was dazed. Should he just let Senshi become Akatsuki's leader? In terms of making the world feel pain, Senshi was clearly more far-sighted and more professional than he was. Perhaps no one in the ninja world understood pain better than Senshi. Just imagining the scenario Senshi described made Nagato's own heart ache.
After a short pause, Konan nodded and said, "I agree with Senshi. If we proceed in this way, not only will Akatsuki's cooperation with Kirigakure be highly beneficial for both sides' development, it also doesn't conflict at all with Akatsuki's ultimate goal."
When she finished, Konan turned to Tendo Pain and asked, "Pain, what do you think?"
Tendo Pain had to admit that Senshi understood "pain" even better than he did. Yet he still sensed something off about the whole idea. Strictly speaking, both Kirigakure and Akatsuki seemed to be going in odd directions these days. He couldn't pinpoint why, but it felt like they were both being subtly nudged off track, albeit not completely so.
Regardless, Amegakure had indeed become even more suitable as an environment for Akatsuki to operate, and Akatsuki was now stronger than ever, pushing its plans toward achieving its ultimate goal.
Senshi noticed Tendo Pain's silence and assumed that Nagato—the real mind behind Tendo—was opposed to such an approach or had other concerns. So he decided to press the matter. No matter what, he intended to seal this deal today. A big venture like this was too important to let slip—it could net him multiple "wins" at once.
Senshi looked at Tendo Pain and Konan. "Actually, we don't have to rely on Kirigakure's funding to train Kirigakure's ninjas and then brainwash them into turning against Kirigakure.
"Let's be clear: the ones who caused great harm to the original Akatsuki were Hanzō of the Salamander and Konoha. Hanzō is already dead. So once we train up ninjas in the branch, we could let them direct all that pain onto Konoha, right?"
Karin: "(O_O)???"
Hearing that, Karin immediately thought about her two little subordinates in Konoha—Naruto and Sasuke. Was it really okay for Senshi to set Konoha up like that?
She tiptoed close to Senshi, placed one small hand on his clothes, covered her mouth, and whispered in his ear:
"Senshi, Naruto and Sasuke are both members of your mercenary group; they're your students, and they're from Konoha. Isn't it kind of bad to do Konoha dirty like this?"
Senshi shook his head. In his view, Karin's words missed the mark. How was he "doing Konoha dirty"? If he didn't propose this plan, would Konoha avoid "carrying that bag of rice"? If he didn't propose it, would Konoha evade a mega Shinra Tensei?
This was basically paying homage to the source material. He was just using a different method for Konoha to "experience pain." In fact, Konoha should be thanking him. After all, would it prefer to be assaulted by hordes of Akatsuki branch ninjas, or be flattened by one mega Shinra Tensei? Given a hundred chances, they'd pick the former. Otherwise, if Nagato unleashed that super Shinra Tensei without resurrecting anyone, Konoha would be finished for good.
Nagato, controlling Tendo Pain, and Konan were both moved by Senshi's second idea. It was, in fact, a very tempting proposal.
Originally, the first version of Akatsuki was a group of idealistic individuals chasing peace and aiming to reform the world. But they were too young and ended up betrayed by Hanzō the Salamander and Danzō from Konoha. One of Akatsuki's founders, Yahiko, was killed by Danzō and his group, along with other first-generation members like Daibutsu. On top of that, Konan's and Nagato's parents had also perished at the hands of Konoha ninjas.
Thinking of all this, Nagato controlled Tendo Pain to nod gravely and say, "You're right! Akatsuki and Amegakure have ended up like this entirely because of Konoha. Let them carry that pain!"
Konan also nodded in agreement. Seeing both of them concur, Senshi flashed a satisfied smile.
"Alright! Then it's decided. I'll go share this good news with Mizukage-sama right now."
With that, before Nagato and Konan could say anything else, Senshi activated Kāma's space-time teleportation, taking Karin with him and disappearing from the leader's office in an instant.
After they were gone, Tendo Pain stood there in confusion: "Hold on, what does 'it's decided' mean? Weren't we just discussing how Konoha should carry that pain? How did this get finalized so fast?"
As for whether or not they should indeed cooperate with Kirigakure, Nagato felt there was more to consider. Kirigakure of the Land of Water—one of the Five Great Nations. Collaborating with such a village required carefully studying a host of issues. Yet Senshi had already run off with Karin, leaving no room for objection.
Seeing Tendo Pain's baffled look, Konan could easily imagine Nagato's frustrated expression back in his real body. Inside, she thought it all somewhat surreal. Of all the members in Akatsuki, Senshi was both the easiest and hardest for Nagato to deal with. Easiest because Senshi could complete absolutely any task given to him, 100% success guaranteed; hardest because he could make spur-of-the-moment decisions on massive issues—like forging ties with Kirigakure—without any real caution.
Though she and Nagato generally supported cooperating with Kirigakure, shouldn't they at least hammer out the specifics of such a weighty matter?
Konan's hunch was spot on. In the chamber where Nagato's life-support equipment had once stood, Nagato was indeed feeling vexed. He felt Senshi was being reckless, but now that it had progressed so far, there was no use overthinking it.
And even though Senshi might be a little impulsive, Konan was still a very reliable partner. Right after Senshi took off, Konan casually comforted Nagato: "Nagato, there's no need to worry too much. With the current strength of Akatsuki and Amegakure, no matter what happens, we can handle it.
"Besides, from any perspective, working with Kirigakure brings more benefits than drawbacks. If a problem crops up later, we can always stop. Trying out a period of cooperation with Kirigakure is no big deal."
After Konan finished speaking, Nagato sighed, controlled Tendo Pain, and nodded. "We really don't have a choice."
Silently, he added in his heart, Konan truly is the best. Not only was she always by his side, facing any difficulty together, but whenever Senshi caused him headaches, she would do her best to reassure him, so he wouldn't fret too much. But since he wasn't good at expressing emotions, he wouldn't say such appreciative words to Konan anyway.
Nagato mulled things over briefly and decided to continue reviewing the stack of documents concerning village development and Akatsuki's broader plans. All at once, he realized that after the meeting, Konan hadn't left Tendo Pain's office. So he controlled Tendo Pain to speak with her.
"Konan, is there anything else?"
Asked by Pain, Konan's delicate, beautiful face revealed some embarrassment, like there was something she wanted to say but found it difficult.
Seeing her like this, Nagato felt a pang of anxiety. Uh-oh. This might be huge. Konan, how about you pretend I didn't ask?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Konan gently said, "Nagato, as the village and Akatsuki grow at an ever faster rate, we're seeing frequent incidents of unrest all around the village. To ensure we can develop peacefully and stably, I've created the Amegakure Police Force. Would it be possible to let me have the Preta Path as well, so it can assist me in running the department?"
As she finished speaking, her bright, lovely eyes sparkled, full of anticipation, aimed at Tendo Pain. Of course Nagato, looking through Tendo, could see her irresistibly enchanting expression. Still, he wanted to say, "Konan, that's not going to work. That technique won't affect me. I'm only left with three Paths—Asura, Animal, and Preta. How could I possibly just hand over the Preta Path to you?"
Yet…
A dozen or so minutes later, Konan appeared happily in front of the new Amegakure Police Force building, with a tall man wearing the Akatsuki robe right behind her: the Preta Path of Pain. His ability was to absorb others' chakra. Typically, no matter how vicious the opponent, Preta Path could subdue them without killing them. He was a perfect fit for police work.
As for why the Preta Path was there? Well, if a young leader faces the kind of "challenge" Konan posed, how many could really pass such a test unscathed?
While Konan merrily took Preta Path to register with the police force, Nagato, up in the Amegakure tower, was left questioning his life.
He gazed out the window, murmuring, "Is this really okay? I can't shake the feeling that something's amiss."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the nearby Asura Path and Animal Path, feeling even more forlorn. Senshi used Wood-Style clones to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. Nagato, on the other hand, was controlling seven Pains at once—almost doing seven jobs by himself. The free time he had for deep contemplation seemed to be shrinking by the minute.
The responsibilities he held included: head of Amegakure's interrogation department, head of Anbu, head of the police force, head of the leader's office, leader of Akatsuki, "Kage" of Amegakure… all titles belonging to Uzumaki Nagato.
Sighing at the irony, he refocused on the towering stack of documents on his desk. The furious tapping of pen on paper would likely continue late into the night, making him want to cry from overtime. With Amegakure now open to outsiders from across the land, the influx of visiting shinobi was enormous. Even his Rain Tiger at Will technique couldn't solve every public safety issue. So it was definitely necessary to set up a police force.
By now, they had established most of the key departments the village needed; hopefully, Asura Path and Animal Path would remain safe. If something urgent happened and he couldn't leave, he could at least dispatch those two. Still, an uneasy feeling lingered in his heart, as if big trouble was on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Senshi had already taken Karin to look for Mei Terumi. After asking around, he learned Mei was staying at a hot spring inn. Unfortunately, he came at a time when Mei was soaking in the hot spring, so he couldn't meet her. But no matter—this was exactly where having an assistant shone.
Senshi patted Karin's head. "Karin, go tell Sister Mei that the leader has agreed to cooperate with Kirigakure."
Karin nodded and headed off toward the women's bath to find Mei. But before she left, Senshi added, "Karin, if you'd like to have a soak in the hot spring, you can stay with Sister Mei."
This time, Karin shook her head adamantly—like a little rattle drum. Mei was very gentle, and Karin did enjoy spending time with her, but being around Senshi was even more fun and exciting. Unless there was something that prevented him from bringing her along, she would always choose to remain at his side. She was, after all, his most capable little assistant!
Karin soon reached the hot-spring pool and found Mei. White steam rose in wisps all around, drifting upward. Mei Terumi was quietly leaning against the edge of the pool, her stunning face serene and relaxed. Above the water, her smooth, snow-white shoulders and the graceful collarbone were fully on display. If Jiraiya had been here, his Icha Icha Paradise would likely have had several more chapters of material.
Seeing Mei, Karin ran over happily and said, "Mei-nee, I have some good news for you!"
Hearing Karin's words, Mei's heart gave a little jolt. A slightly strained smile appeared on her beautiful face. "Karin, have you come up with a new delicious dish again? I'd love to try it, but right now isn't really convenient. I'm pretty tired and want to take a good soak to relax. If you've cooked up something tasty, maybe you can share it with Amegakure's 'Angel' instead."
Once she finished, Mei realized how clever she was being. She had just escaped a potential crisis of being forced to eat Karin's "dark cuisine," and she'd also directed the threat of that cuisine toward the Angel of Amegakure. She had observed the bond between Angel and Senshi was as strong—maybe stronger—than hers. Such a dangerous woman obviously needed to be punished by Karin's cooking!
(O_O)???
Originally, Karin only planned to deliver a quick message and leave, since Senshi was still waiting outside. But since Mei had mentioned wanting to taste her cooking, Karin felt obliged to satisfy her. And to be fair, she couldn't favor one over another—she had to prepare a special dish for Konan as well!
So Karin giggled. "Mei-nee, I'm not here to talk about cooking. Senshi asked me to let you know that our leader has officially agreed to the partnership between Amegakure and Kirigakure. But of course, if you really do want to try my cooking, I'll happily make a special dish tonight for both you and Konan-nee!"
"Senshi's still waiting for me outside, so I'll be off now. Bye, Mei-nee!"
After waving, Karin took her leave.
Mei Terumi: "o(T︿T)o"
Watching the little girl skip away, Mei felt a flood of regret. How foolish of me! Why did I have to bring up her cooking in the first place?
Outside the hot spring, Karin bounded back over to Senshi, who, noticing her beaming face, asked curiously, "Karin, why are you so happy just delivering a message?"
Karin faithfully relayed the whole incident in concise detail.
"Pfft!" After hearing her account, Senshi couldn't help laughing. Mei had thoroughly shot herself in the foot with that one.
After that, he used his Mantra, intending to bring Karin along to locate Kakuzu. He had wanted to find Kakuzu earlier but had gotten called to Konan's meeting. Now that everything else was settled, he could finally go reward his top mercenary officer.
But scanning with his Mantra, he was startled.
"?"
And not because he noticed Mei Terumi in the hot spring, but because he saw that Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori were all in the same place—joined by Deidara and Fū, the Seven-Tails jinchūriki from Takigakure. Quite a lively gathering. It completely surprised him; he had no idea why Sasori was mixed up with the others.
To explain that, we have to go back several hours.
After returning to Amegakure, Sasori headed off to the black market. Hoping to save up enough money to upgrade his Hextech Rejuvenation Core, he accepted a bounty worth thirty million ryō. The target was a ninja named Uchenchi, who also took jobs via various black markets but was extremely ruthless. After killing a target, he usually wiped out the entire family to prevent revenge. Because he left no survivors, no one had been able to retaliate—until now.
Eventually, he failed to destroy some survivor during a mission, and that survivor ended up becoming a wealthy merchant. This merchant directly posted a 30-million-ryō bounty on Uchenchi's life in Amegakure's black market, making it impossible for him to escape. After all, if no other ninja could handle it, the legendary Senshi would eventually come for him. But instead, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori all took the job first!
Following his leads, Sasori arrived at the location and witnessed a surprising scene. Three people he knew were there. On the left stood Hidan, gripping a huge scythe and ready to kill at the slightest provocation. Opposite him was Kakuzu, with green eyes. Unlike the lone-wolf Hidan, Kakuzu had two companions: Deidara, his partner, and a girl Sasori didn't recognize—the Seven-Tails jinchūriki of Takigakure, Fū, who was Kakuzu's ardent supporter and little assistant.
At that moment, Hidan glared at Kakuzu icily. "Kakuzu, I saw him first—are you trying to steal my job?"
He was referring to Uchenchi. When Uchenchi first spotted Hidan, he nearly keeled over in fright, but seeing Hidan and Kakuzu bickering gave him hope. He knew both Hidan and Kakuzu had bounties on their heads in black markets elsewhere. Now all he wanted was for them to fight to the death, allowing him to reap the benefits if they destroyed each other or at least both ended badly.
Hidan and Kakuzu didn't disappoint him: their argument quickly escalated. Kakuzu glowered, "Hidan, I'm warning you—stay away from my target. He's worth thirty million. Even if you saw him first, I accepted the job first. Haven't you noticed I've been finishing every mission I pick up lately? That means the moment I accepted it, the job was basically done. You're the one trying to take my assignment!"
After Kakuzu finished, his little assistant Fū spoke up to back him.
"Lord Hidan, based on the mission acceptance logs, Lord Kakuzu did indeed pick up the bounty first. Logically, after he'd claimed it, you shouldn't have accepted it again. Otherwise, if you were on a mission sometime and Lord Kakuzu swooped in to claim your target, you'd waste a huge amount of time."
Hearing that, Hidan snorted. "Brat, nobody asked you. If you or Kakuzu dare stop me from completing my mission, I'll kill you both!"
Deidara found all this very entertaining, making no move to intervene; he just folded his arms and watched. Hidan's words enraged Kakuzu.
"Hidan," Kakuzu said darkly, "I believe I warned you before: watch your tone toward my assistant. Are you really pushing me to kill you?"
Hidan sneered, "Tch! Don't get cocky. I have Lord Jashin's immortal body. What could you possibly do to kill me?"
Then he turned to Deidara. "Deidara, how about this—you become my assistant!"
Seeing that "Lord Jashin" had an assistant, and Kakuzu likewise had one, Hidan wanted one of his own. He'd looked around the Uzumaki clan's settlement and found some promising kids, but they were too young to be his helpers. Deidara was at least somewhat viable.
Deidara: "?"
Hidan's words first startled Deidara, then enraged him. Sure, he was young, but he wasn't some little kid to be taken lightly. Fuming, he slammed his hands together, summoning a giant clay bird—bigger than Hidan. He planned to blow Hidan to bits.
Kakuzu's eyelid twitches at the sight of that massive clay bird. "Deidara, what are you doing? Put that thing away!"
The bigger Deidara's clay bombs, the more powerful they were. One that size would surely vaporize their target if it exploded. They needed Uchenchi's corpse—or at least his head—to deliver to their client, who wanted it as part of a memorial for the family Uchenchi had murdered.
But Hidan didn't seem worried. "Tch! That thing won't do a thing to me!"
Hearing that, Deidara exploded in anger. He pulled out two handfuls of clay spiders, ready to hurl them at Hidan. "You bastard, don't underestimate my art!"
Off in the distance, Uchenchi saw Deidara getting involved and was so happy he was practically crying. Deidara also had a bounty on the black market. If all three fought and ended up severely injuring each other, leaving him to profit… He couldn't even begin to imagine how much money he might make and how he'd spend it.
But Sasori saved him from pondering that conundrum further. Seeing Kakuzu and Hidan quarreling, Sasori crept quietly over to Uchenchi. The man's focus was entirely on Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara; he never noticed the hidden "crafty fox" approaching.
While Uchenchi fretted about possibly having "too much money to spend," Sasori, having locked onto him with the mechanical arm powered by his Hextech Rejuvenation Core, sprang into action.
The next instant: Death Ray unleashed!
A beam of light, transitioning from blue to red, shot out from the palm of that mechanical arm with blinding speed, slicing clean through Uchenchi's neck before he even realized what was happening.
"Ding!"
"Splat!"
With that single Death Ray, Sasori instantly killed the ninja with a thirty-million-ryō bounty on his head. Overjoyed, he thought excitedly: The Hextech Rejuvenation Core is incredible—boosting all aspects of my puppet control and hugely increasing my combat power. Before, to handle someone of this level, I'd have needed to deploy lots of puppets, maybe losing a few. But this time, striking by surprise, I finished him in one blow! Now I can get top-quality 'materials' more easily too!
Still elated, he used the tail of his Hiruko puppet to pick up Uchenchi's head and stash it inside the main puppet body.
"Clack!"
A compartment on Hiruko's back opened, and Sasori placed the severed head inside. The commotion naturally caught Kakuzu's group's attention, but Sasori ignored their reactions for the moment and first responded to something Deidara had said earlier.
"Deidara, I've told you many times: that fleeting stuff of yours can't be called 'art!' Only something that can last forever can be considered true art!"
Everyone turned to stare at him, dumbfounded. None of them had noticed Sasori's arrival, let alone that he would kill Uchenchi so stealthily.
Kakuzu: "(O_O)???"
Hidan: "(O_O)???"
Deidara: "(O_O)???"
Fū: "(O_O)???"
They were all shocked there was a sneak like this, a "crafty fox" who had seized the bounty target while they were still arguing. Both Kakuzu and Hidan were furious.
Kakuzu snarled, "Sasori, what do you think you're doing? Are you provoking me? You dare kill my target? You must have a death wish!"
Hidan was just as angry: "Sasori, you bastard! Afraid I'd return to Lord Jashin, you sabotaged my mission! I'll kill you for that!"
Sasori paid no heed to their threats. Now that he had upgraded to the Hextech Rejuvenation Core, he saw them as nothing special.
Deidara was also surprised that Sasori had played the sneaky card, but he wasn't really concerned about the bounty itself. What infuriated him was Sasori's challenge to his view of art.
Looking at Sasori coldly, Deidara said, "Hmph! Quit spouting nonsense. Art isn't eternal—it's the radiant burst in a single fleeting moment. Art is an explosion!"
Kakuzu and Hidan, preoccupied with their stolen target, paid no attention to the art debate. Kakuzu glowered at Sasori. "Hand over the head of my beloved bounty target. Otherwise, even if we were once friends, I won't go easy on you!"
Hidan was less subtle. Brandishing his giant scythe, he said angrily, "Give me back my target's head, or I'll cut off your head and take it myself!"
Sasori sneered. "Kakuzu, Hidan—just you two 'lightweights' want to challenge my art?"
Then he turned to Deidara. "Deidara, open your eyes wide. Let me show you what truly perfect art looks like! Compared to before, I've made a massive leap!"
Of course, Deidara didn't buy that Sasori had progressed. He also completely rejected Sasori's concept of art, believing his own explosive approach was supreme.
Incensed by Sasori's direct mockery, both Kakuzu and Hidan rushed forward, aiming to teach that sneaky guy a painful lesson for stealing their target. Even two versus one, Sasori had no fear—just a minor squall on the artistic path.
As they closed in, Sasori wasted no time. He activated his Hextech Rejuvenation Core's "third arm" ability. A mechanical arm imbued with a high-tech, mysterious vibe floated beside him.
"Boom!"
A flash lit up the center of that mechanical palm, releasing a dazzling beam at Kakuzu with lethal force.
"Argh!"
Kakuzu poured everything into the Body Flicker Technique and barely dodged, but the attack still burned through one side of his Akatsuki robe. Had he been a fraction slower, he would have been hit. Even though his Earth Grudge Fear would have helped him survive, he was certain Sasori had grown stronger.
While Sasori attacked Kakuzu, Hidan lunged from another angle.
"Boom!"
Without missing a beat, Sasori used another Death Ray. Thanks to the vast chakra from his Hextech Core, he could spam this near-instant technique. Sparks flew as Hidan's giant scythe got blasted away. Before he could react, Sasori fired again!
Utterly startled, Hidan had to roll aside to avoid it, then scramble toward his "bloodstained triple-bladed scythe." Kakuzu prevented Sasori from pressing the attack on Hidan by unleashing a mass of Earth Grudge Fear black threads at him.
"Boom!"
Faced with Kakuzu's move, Sasori let out a cold laugh. Controlling his mechanical arm via the Hextech Rejuvenation Core, he unleashed another powerful beam, scattering the black threads that aimed to bind him.
Even fighting two opponents, Sasori was unscathed. Standing tall, he said proudly, "I told you—both of you are just a bit of rough weather on my artistic journey. You're nothing but weaklings!"
Though Sasori couldn't stand up to someone like Orochimaru, who had repeatedly bought "cheats" from Senshi, he had no trouble handling Hidan, who had no cheats, and Kakuzu, who only had partial upgrades.
Seeing Sasori so conceited, Hidan and Kakuzu decided to go all out. Kakuzu sneered, "What's there to be smug about? I know you too well—this ability is nothing like what you used to have. It's not something you trained yourself to do, but a cheat you got from Senshi. Otherwise, you'd be dead by my hand—or even Hidan's."
While Kakuzu said this, Sasori momentarily lost focus, giving Hidan a chance to strike. Hidan was also a crafty type; he dashed over to Sasori's Hiruko puppet, slashing it furiously with his triple-bladed scythe. Then he unexpectedly pulled out a black rod and stabbed Sasori's body.
"Huh?"
No blood was drawn. He tried a few more times in different spots—still no blood.
Hidan was at a loss. Damn, not a drop of blood in this guy's body!
Originally, Sasori's Rejuvenation Core was partly organic, containing flesh and blood. But once it was upgraded to the Hextech version, he had no biological tissue left. That made him a perfect counter to Hidan's death-curse ritual.
Realizing Hidan was just poking him with a black rod without accomplishing anything, Sasori immediately fired a Death Ray at Hidan's face. Hidan barely managed to block with his scythe.
"Boom!"
The mighty impact blasted him backward. Sasori ignored him, turning to Kakuzu in the distance: "Kakuzu, is that all you've got? No wonder Senshi abandoned you two weaklings!"
Those words completely enraged Kakuzu and Hidan. Hidan shook his head, got up, and gripped his triple-bladed scythe again, preparing to dismantle Sasori's Hiruko puppet. Kakuzu, without a word, unleashed his five Earth Grudge Fear masked beasts, ready for an all-out war.
Not far from Kakuzu, Fū shouted, "Stop it! Don't fight anymore—please!"
Meanwhile, Deidara was stunned by Sasori's artistic advancement. He himself had once lost to Kakuzu, yet Sasori could now handle both Hidan and Kakuzu at once. Didn't that mean Sasori's art had far surpassed his own? It was a crushing blow to Deidara's confidence on his artistic journey—faced with a monstrous rival whose art made his own seem feeble, he couldn't see a clear victory.
However, Sasori's three-way fight didn't continue. Just as they were about to go all in, a dark-red, swirling portal they all knew well appeared—a space-time gateway. The next moment, Senshi emerged with Karin.
Senshi had no clue what had transpired among them beforehand. He'd only seen via his Mantra that Sasori and the others were fighting fiercely and were on the verge of taking extreme measures. When Senshi arrived, Hidan instantly howled, dropped to his knees, and slid toward him, tears and snot flying:
"Lord Jashin, that bastard Sasori ruined the mission you gave me! You've gotta punish him!"
~~~
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