Kakuzu directly ignored the chattering Hidan, pretending not to know him.
Anyone who saw Hidan like this would think he was mentally deficient.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, had no desire to associate with such an idiot.
He glanced at the three shinobi before him.
"Hey, that's..."
Kakuzu's eyes widened as he spotted an interesting target, excitement flashing across his face.
"Well, well, what luck! This trip to capture the Nine-Tails is already proving worthwhile."
His gaze locked onto Sarutobi Asuma.
Those sharp, calculating eyes practically declared that Asuma was already his prey.
That distinctive Hokage-guardian attire...
It matched the information he had gathered perfectly.
"Thirty-five million ryō. This is a jackpot."
"Hey, Hidan, stop whining about your clothes and take a good look at who's standing across from us."
"Tch—"
Often ignored by Kakuzu, Hidan was already used to it.
He sighed and, with a sharp rip, tore off his tattered Akatsuki cloak, standing shirtless. His eyes lazily scanned the Konoha shinobi.
He didn't recognize any of them, but their forehead protectors made it clear they were Konoha ninja.
"Kakuzu, you can pay for the damn cloak. And what's the big deal? Just a bunch of Konoha weaklings."
Kakuzu: "..."
As expected, his partner was a total moron. Kakuzu had just pointed out their prime target, yet Hidan had already forgotten.
No wonder he followed a ridiculous god—his brain was clearly lacking.
Asuma felt uncomfortable under Kakuzu's greedy gaze.
"What's with that guy? He keeps staring at me. He's not looking at Kakashi or Genma—just me."
"Heh—"
Hidan casually spun his scythe in his hands, stretching his muscles as he sneered.
"Konoha trash, you're gonna pay back that explosion tenfold. Time to accept the judgment of Jashin-sama!"
"Hey, Hidan, leave the bearded one to me. The rest are all yours."
"Tch, Kakuzu, are you serious? All three of them threw explosive kunai at us—why should that guy be yours?"
"Idiot, because his head is worth thirty-five million ryō!"
"Huh, is that so?"
Hidan took another look at Asuma.
Now that he paid attention, the man did resemble the bounty listing Kakuzu had shown him earlier.
"Hahaha! No wonder you're so excited, Kakuzu. You've already counted that bounty as yours, huh?"
Hidan and Kakuzu's conversation completely ignored Kakashi and the others.
That was their confidence—Kakuzu and Hidan both believed in their overwhelming strength.
Although Asuma and Shiranui Genma were irritated, they remained patient, observing quietly.
Hidan gave off the impression of an unhinged lunatic. Without knowing their enemies' abilities, Kakashi and the others weren't about to act recklessly.
Asuma, however, was concerned. How much did Akatsuki really know about Konoha's shinobi?
He had once been one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja who protected the Daimyō, and his bounty in the black market was well-known.
If Akatsuki was aware of that, it meant they had done their research.
Kakashi kept his Sharingan trained on Hidan and Kakuzu, watching their every move.
"Asuma, Genma, stay on guard. These guys are from the same organization as Uchiha Itachi."
They all knew exactly what Itachi had done.
A group of rogue ninja with ten members, including someone like Itachi, wasn't an organization that did good deeds.
"Hey, Kakuzu, we haven't even reached Konoha yet. Why were we detected so soon?"
Kakuzu was also surprised by this turn of events.
"No helping it—we were too obvious."
That, and the fact that Akatsuki had been making a lot of noise capturing Jinchūriki.
Every village in the shinobi world was on high alert, increasing security across the board.
That was exactly what Kakuzu had suspected.
Seeing Kakashi's scarlet Sharingan, Kakuzu's expression darkened slightly.
"Hidan, don't get careless. That silver-haired one is Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. He's no pushover."
"Tch..."
Hidan grinned.
"Kakashi, huh? Even I've heard of him. Jashin-sama will definitely enjoy this offering!"
Kakashi: "..." (Did this lunatic just call me a fart ninja?!)
Hidan brandished his scythe and charged straight at Kakashi.
"Asuma, Genma, focus on the masked one."
"Oi, Copy Ninja, you're mine!"
Hidan fought while shouting, as was his style.
To others, he might seem like an idiot.
But for Hidan, taunting his enemies made the battle more entertaining—and threw them off their game.
"Fart Ninja?"
The first time, Kakashi let it slide. But the second time?
With a twitching eyebrow, Kakashi corrected him: "It's Copy Ninja, not Fart Ninja. Get it right."
"Eh, same thing. Jashin-sama doesn't care."
Hidan swung his scythe viciously at Kakashi.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out as Kakashi deflected each strike with his kunai.
"Asuma, Genma, deal with the masked one."
"Hah! You still have time to worry about them?"
Hidan smirked. He just needed a single cut—once he got Kakashi's blood, it would be over.
He could toy with the so-called Copy Ninja however he pleased, then offer him as a sacrifice to Jashin-sama.
Kakashi remained cautious. His fighting style always involved assessing the enemy first.
But Hidan's moves confused him.
Thus far, Hidan had only attacked with taijutsu and his scythe.
Does this guy even use ninjutsu? Or is he hiding his abilities?
Suddenly, Hidan's face twisted into a gleeful expression.
"Gotcha!"
Taking advantage of a brief distraction, Hidan's scythe sliced through Kakashi's torso.
"Hah! This so-called Copy Ninja isn't much at all. You're not even worth the ritual—Jashin-sama won't be pleased."
"One down, two to go."
Hidan grinned victoriously.
But Kakuzu, watching from a distance, frowned.
"Hey, look again. What did you actually cut?"
Hidan: "Huh?"
Suddenly, a puff of white smoke erupted, revealing that the bisected Kakashi had transformed into a wooden log.
"Ah, crap..."
Hidan's eyes widened in realization.
Substitution Jutsu!
If reached 100 Power stone i upload 2 advance chapter
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