A special thank you to my patrons:
—Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Archer, Acedia, kurtis newman, Little Sand, Alin Kadas, sediaz, Flavio Rodrigo.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey, Kakuzu. That Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from your village—what kind of person is she?"
In a forest west of the Land of Fire, near the border, two men clad in black robes patterned with red clouds were making their way forward.
These two were, naturally, Kakuzu and Hidan, who were on their way to capture the Seven-Tails.
Kakuzu shook his head slightly.
"I have no idea. I left that village far too long ago. I don't have the slightest clue what the situation is like there now, nor do I know who this so-called Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is."
Hidan pressed on with his questions. "Then, have you ever seen a Tailed Beast's true body before?"
Kakuzu answered. "No. Tailed Beasts are generally sealed inside the Jinchuriki's body. Under normal circumstances, you never get to see their true forms. Hidan, don't ask me such stupid questions again, or I'll kill you!"
Hidan rolled his eyes and spoke with a face full of disgust.
"Every day it's 'I'll kill you.' Well, go ahead and kill me, then—if you actually can."
Kakuzu gave a cold snort and said nothing more. When it came to Hidan and his damnable immortality, Kakuzu was truly at his wit's end.
They had been working together for roughly two years now. During this time, Kakuzu hadn't just been saying "I'll kill you" for the fun of it. In truth, he had lost count of the number of times he had actually put those words into action.
For instance, when carrying out missions with Hidan, he would directly fire off an attack aimed at both Hidan and the enemy, without holding back in the slightest—the kind of attack powerful enough to kill a person. And sure enough, while the enemy would be killed, Hidan would be perfectly fine, merely howling in pain and cursing Kakuzu out while doing so.
There were also a few times when Kakuzu had genuinely lost all patience with Hidan and directly attacked him. The result had been the same. After fighting until he was utterly exhausted and half-dead, he still couldn't kill Hidan.
He had even severed Hidan's head from his body, and the man still wouldn't die. What could you possibly do about that?
It was after those few incidents that Kakuzu never attacked Hidan again. As a deeply shrewd and calculating individual, Kakuzu didn't want to waste chakra on something he knew was utterly impossible. Something like killing Hidan—Kakuzu had long since stopped wanting to try.
"I'm telling you, Kakuzu. When we catch the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, how about letting me be the one to handle her?" Hidan continued speaking.
The members of the Akatsuki generally shared one common habit: they liked to face their enemies one-on-one. Although they operated in pairs, they were usually unwilling to gang up on a single opponent; they much preferred being the ones outnumbered.
It was the same for Hidan and Kakuzu. When carrying out missions, generally speaking, once one of them began fighting, the other wouldn't interfere—unless there were numerous enemies or the opponents were exceptionally strong.
But so far, Kakuzu and the others simply hadn't encountered any truly formidable opponents, so they had always fought their battles individually.
"Can you handle it? Your ability is far too one-dimensional. The Leader did mention that the Seven-Tails possesses flight capability. Be careful you don't end up unable to even lay a finger on her." Kakuzu voiced his doubts to Hidan.
Hidan replied with absolute nonchalance. "No worries. It's not like I can die anyway."
After hearing that, Kakuzu more or less conceded.
"Fine. But remember, be quick about it. After capturing the Seven-Tails, I still have bounty missions to get to."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Come to think of it, Kakuzu, you're always out hunting down people with bounties on the black market. Don't you ever get tired of it?"
"Killing people, earning money. Why on earth would either of those things get tiresome?"
"The first one, I can agree with. Killing is truly an absolute joy; you can never get tired of it. But earning money... that's not necessarily the case, is it?"
"Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand. Just go devote yourself to serving your Lord Jashin."
"Hm, now that you mention it, you've reminded me. Should I also gather some money as an offering to Lord Jashin? Would Lord Jashin be pleased?"
"Lay a finger on my money, and I'll slaughter you!"
"Ah, how many times have you said that now? Hurry up and come kill me already."
"..."
******
The Hidden Rain Village.
Obito stood atop a tall tower and spoke.
"Uchiha Kagaya has reappeared. We must take certain precautions against him."
Pain, standing to the side, spoke. "Haven't we already established an agreement with him?"
Obito fell silent for a moment, then spoke. "He's begun to suspect that I was the one behind the bounty posted on Karin and Haku. So we need to take precautions."
Pain spoke coldly. "You involved yourself in unnecessary matters."
Obito retorted. "It wasn't unnecessary. I had my own considerations."
Pain: "Then, how do you intend to guard against him?"
Obito: "Send someone to monitor his movements."
Pain: "Who do you think is capable of that? Even I find his strength somewhat alarming. I don't believe there's anyone who can keep him under constant surveillance."
Obito: "No, it doesn't need to be constant surveillance. Just one look is enough. Observe his direction of travel, and then we can deduce his objective."
Pain: "In other words, use a disposable pawn to scout?"
Obito: "Yes. However, even if it's a disposable pawn, they must at least transmit the information back before dying."
Pain: "I understand. I'll have Konan make the arrangements."
A swirling vortex materialized, spiraling Obito away as he began to vanish.
"Be quick about it. Kakuzu and the others have already set out to capture the Seven-Tails. I don't want him running over and causing trouble at this time."
Pain inquired. "You believe he'll go and interfere with Kakuzu and the others capturing the Tailed Beast?"
Obito nodded, then shook his head.
"Perhaps. I'm not sure how to put it, but I have a feeling he might go. Capturing the Tailed Beasts is an absolutely critical matter. We must ensure everything goes flawlessly. Even if it's merely a possibility, we should still investigate that man's movements."
With those words, Obito was completely drawn into the vortex and vanished from that spot.
******
Two days later.
The Hidden Rain Village.
A purple-haired female shinobi, dressed in attire somewhat reminiscent of a martial arts uniform, knelt on the ground, quietly awaiting the Angel's orders.
After a moment, countless white sheets of paper began fluttering down from above her. Very quickly, a woman with the same hair color materialized, enormous white wings spreading from her back.
Both had purple hair. The difference was that the one kneeling on the ground was merely an ordinary shinobi of the Hidden Rain who had only recently been promoted to Chunin, while the one suspended in the air, possessing those colossal wings, was known to every single person in the entire Hidden Rain Village—the Angel.
The Angel of God.
"The reason I've summoned you here alone is to assign you an S-rank mission. Go to the northeast of the Leaf Village. Locate this man, and then report his direction of travel back to me."
As she spoke, sheet after sheet of white paper converged on the ground, swiftly forming the likeness of a man. It was Kagaya's image.
The female shinobi kneeling on the ground lifted her head and glanced once at Kagaya's appearance, then lowered her head again.
"Yes, I understand. I will certainly do my utmost to complete the mission!"
The Angel, Konan, nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. Then set out immediately. Don't delay. Remember—this is an S-rank mission. You must exercise extreme caution and ensure the intelligence is transmitted back."
"Yes!"
With that, the kneeling female shinobi rose to her feet and departed from this place.
Konan watched her departing silhouette, and a trace of sorrow and worry crept between her brows.
A disposable pawn... had been deployed.
Konan knew full well that even though she had instructed this shinobi to be careful, before that Kagaya... would being careful really be of any use? At the end of the day, a mere Chunin, standing before that man—the only thing she might possibly accomplish was transmitting back a single piece of information.
The very moment she set out, Konan no longer held any hope whatsoever for her survival.
Monitoring Kagaya... this was something even the members of the Akatsuki scarcely dared to do. Let alone a mere Chunin?
"Whoever you are, pursuing us—we've already spotted you!"
In the midst of a forest, two male shinobi were guarding a girl with cyan-colored hair, who carried a red cylindrical package on her back. They shouted out nervously.
The two male shinobi were indeed extremely tense. They had been followed for quite a long time before finally detecting their pursuers, which signified that the ones tracking them likely possessed strength far exceeding their own!
Yet, they absolutely could not afford to be defeated, because the one they were guarding was their village's Jinchuriki!
The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
With two swift sounds, two figures appeared before them.
These two shinobi wore black robes patterned with red clouds. One had his face covered, and the other carried a crimson, three-bladed scythe on his back.
It was none other than Hidan and Kakuzu.
Their luck had been extraordinarily good. Originally, according to their plan, they might have needed seven or eight days—maybe even half a month or a full month—to locate the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Yet in reality, it had only taken them two days!
No, rather, it was more like the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki had found them. Kakuzu and Hidan had simply been traveling normally when they suddenly sensed a group of people rushing in their direction. After tailing them for a short while, they confirmed the identity of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
Hidan bared his teeth in a wide grin. They had found their target. However...
"As expected, this really is troublesome. We actually can't kill her."
The cyan-haired girl, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Fu, suddenly started in surprise and fixed her gaze on Kakuzu's forehead protector.
"Hey, I gotta ask... Mister, were you originally from the Hidden Waterfall Village?"
Kakuzu didn't speak. His green pupils stared flatly at Fu.
Kakuzu didn't care about Fu as a person. What Kakuzu cared about was Fu's identity as the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. After all, this was their very first Tailed Beast capture. A deeply calculating, shrewd man like Kakuzu much preferred to err on the side of caution.
Fu thought for a moment, then continued speaking.
"Ah! I know! You're Kakuzu-senpai—the one who failed to assassinate the Hokage, stole the hearts of the village's high-ranking officials, and then fled the village, right?!"
Fu's face was brimming with excitement. Meanwhile, the two male shinobi standing before her were already breaking out in uncontrollable cold sweats.
"Kakuzu?"
"No way... Th-then... just how old is he?!"
The fact that Kakuzu was still alive was something only known to those of relatively high strength. Ordinary Jonin, Chunin, and the like had no way of knowing.
Fu continued speaking excitedly. "I've always wanted to meet you, Kakuzu-senpai, and become friends with you!"
As a Jinchuriki, Fu had a very humble and modest wish: to make one hundred friends. Her life experiences were quite similar to Naruto's—in fact, even more miserable than his.
When Naruto was in the Leaf Village, if his Tailed Beast ever went on a rampage, there were at least people who could step up and defend the village. But in Fu's Hidden Waterfall Village? If she ever lost control, the village would absolutely suffer devastating casualties!
With the Hidden Waterfall Village's decline over recent years, the villagers' fear of the Seven-Tails as a potential threat had grown larger and larger. Only the village leader understood the immense benefits of having a Jinchuriki in the village. But the reality was, not everyone was capable of considering matters from the village's overall perspective.
Thus, the Hidden Waterfall Village's loathing for the Seven-Tails grew year by year.
This was also precisely why Pain had dared to capture the Seven-Tails. Once they captured it, the Hidden Waterfall not only wouldn't report the Akatsuki—they might even be so moved they'd weep tears of gratitude.
Hidan looked at Kakuzu with a face full of speechless disbelief.
"Oi, Kakuzu... is this girl an idiot?"
"Didn't I already tell you? I left the village a very long time ago. I don't know them."
Fu walked directly up to Kakuzu and spoke.
"To start with... just being friends who can have tea together would be fine! Please!"
Saying this, Fu extended both hands, waiting respectfully for Kakuzu to shake them.
From this, one could also see how much the Hidden Waterfall shinobi detested the Seven-Tails. The two male shinobi were fully aware that Kakuzu and Hidan harbored no good intentions whatsoever, yet they still allowed Fu to walk right up to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu didn't extend his hand to shake Fu's. Instead, he spoke coldly.
"I didn't come here today to make friends."
Fu's expression flickered. The shadows of the trees fell across her face. "Huh? Well, that's a real shame."
Fu was optimistic, not stupid. She could also sense that these two before her held no goodwill. But she still wanted to try, to see if she could perhaps make friends. Yet now, it seemed... a fight was absolutely unavoidable.
*****
Several hours later.
Fu was not a perfect Jinchuriki. She couldn't command the full power of the Tailed Beast, and her own personal strength wasn't particularly high either.
Thus, although this battle had its twists and turns, the outcome was never in any doubt.
Against opponents like Kakuzu and Hidan, a so-called Jinchuriki was just that—so-called. If the word "Perfect" had been placed before the title "Jinchuriki," they might have been able to try and defeat Kakuzu and Hidan.
What a pity... before Fu's title of "Seven-Tails Jinchuriki," the word "Perfect" did not exist.
Hidan, stripped to the waist, was meticulously drawing his ritual death pattern. Before Hidan lay the corpses of the two male shinobi who had been guarding Fu.
Kakuzu straightened his Akatsuki robe and brushed the dust from his body. Carrying Fu—now unconscious, covered in wounds, and stained with traces of blood—in one hand, he spoke with impatience.
"Hidan, are you done yet? We still have to go back and report."
Hidan turned his head and roared. "Shut up! The ritual offering to Lord Jashin cannot be rushed! The fact that we can't kill the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki has already greatly angered Lord Jashin! I must properly offer these two shinobi to Lord Jashin!"
Kakuzu snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Like I said... where exactly is this Lord Jashin of yours?"
Hidan turned back and fixed his gaze on those two corpses.
"Faithless heathens like you... cannot see Lord Jashin! Ahahahahahaha!"
Kakuzu sighed in exasperation, then casually tossed the blood-streaked Fu to the ground and found a spot to sit down.
Kakuzu was truly at his wit's end with Hidan. If it had been any other partner who dared to waste his time like this, Kakuzu would have slaughtered them long ago. Up to this point, Kakuzu had killed far more than just one or two fellow Akatsuki members. But with Hidan, he truly had no recourse. This man simply couldn't be killed—what could you do?
He could only wait.
Fortunately, although Hidan had said he wanted to conduct a proper ritual, his ceremonies weren't terribly long. It was over in half an hour, which Kakuzu could still tolerate.
Picking up Fu, Kakuzu set off, accompanied by Hidan, who had once again donned his Akatsuki robe. They departed from this place, leaving behind only a small patch of razed forest and two shinobi corpses drenched in blood.
The Seven-Tails... successfully captured!
And at this very moment, Kagaya had only just set out, intending to come and stop Kakuzu from capturing the Seven-Tails.