Shinji walked unhurriedly through the fog-covered mountain. The visibility around was extremely low; not a single living creature appeared, nor was there any sound.
The silence was unnervingly unsettling.
Of course, this did not include a certain someone.
No one knew how much time had passed when suddenly the surrounding fog began to slowly thin, and the line of sight extended to over ten meters.
It gave the illusion that they were on the right path.
After walking several hundred more steps, suddenly, a figure gradually appeared from the opposite direction.
Shinji immediately drew his decapitation sword, ready to attack.
But when he clearly saw the newcomer, he was momentarily stunned.
"Idiot Tobi?"
"Damn you, Shinji?"
The two stopped simultaneously, then quickly reunited.
"Finally found you. What's going on? I was walking and suddenly found that all of you disappeared, leaving me alone like a headless fly."
Upon meeting, Tobi eagerly began to question.
Shinji, who originally wanted to ask the same question, shook his head, "I'm not sure either. Like you, I was walking and suddenly found you all gone."
"So that means Hidan is separated from us too. I'm worried he might be in danger; we should find him as soon as possible."
Shinji glanced at Tobi with some surprise. "What's wrong? Did you encounter something?"
"Not exactly. I just think that since the enemy deliberately separated us, they intend to defeat us one by one. Now that the two of us are reunited, it's relatively safer, but I'm worried Hidan might be under attack."
"Alright, alright. After knowing you for so long, this is the first time I've seen you analyze things so logically," Shinji said with a smile.
Tobi paused slightly. "That's because you underestimate me. This isn't even an analysis."
"That's true. After following me for so long, you should have improved a bit from osmosis."
Shinji chuckled, and Tobi looked a bit embarrassed, chuckling awkwardly.
"Hm? What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Shinji withdrew his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing. Let's go. Like you said, Hidan might be in danger."
"All right, then let's take these two paths. You and I came from opposite sides. Since we didn't meet Hidan, there's no need to go back. We haven't been down either path yet, so just pick one."
"Fine, I'll follow your lead."
Shinji seemed indifferent about which way to go and readily agreed.
But the moment Tobi turned around, Shinji showed no hesitation—he drew his sword and slashed horizontally!
Thunk!
Hidan's head instantly rolled to the ground.
"Damn you, Shinji! What are you doing? Are you crazy?!"
Watching Hidan's head on the ground while he kept cursing, Shinji couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
"To imitate even his catchphrases in such a short time—that's an interesting ability."
Hidan's eyes widened. "What nonsense are you talking about? Idiot, can't you see the mark on my tongue?"
"Indeed, you didn't miss even that detail. Impressive. But you also revealed too many flaws. Admit it, and I'll tell you."
This time Hidan didn't stubbornly refuse but showed a strange expression. "I clearly mimicked this guy's behavior patterns completely. Where did I slip up? Is it just because I acted a little smarter than him?"
"Of course, it's not just that. You have one fatal flaw."
"What is it?"
Hidan eagerly wanted to know.
Then Shinji revealed a grin, smiling very happily. "The flaw is... I'm not telling you, idiot!"
Black Flash!
Boom!
Shinji punched and smashed Hidan's head.
The opponent instantly dissolved into swirling mist, but voices came from all directions.
"Damn deceitful humans! I will kill all of you, leave none alive!"
It was clear from the tone that after being tricked, the voice was somewhat exasperated.
Seeing this, Shinji laughed even more joyfully.
"It turns out that idiot Hidan is much smarter than you, fool! Ta-da!"
He made an international friendly gesture at the opponent.
Although the one hiding in the shadows didn't understand the meaning of Shinji's gesture, they could feel the strong insult.
"Next time, I will definitely kill you, damn human!"
After throwing this harsh threat, the opponent seemed to quiet down for the time being.
Shinji's smile gradually faded. To be honest, the opponent's ability in such an extreme environment was actually quite terrifying.
When he first saw the opponent, he couldn't detect any difference.
Especially that phrase "Damn you, Shinji" instantly shattered most of his vigilance.
But then the opponent made a mistake. The worry about Hidan was too unnecessary and too logically clear.
That wasn't Hidan's personality, nor something Hidan would say.
Even if Hidan really worried about Hidan, he would only say: "Go check if that guy Hidan's dead or not."
Moreover, maybe the opponent didn't know.
Hidan was the one among them with the strongest survival ability. Even if he encountered danger, Hidan could hide in Kamui space and leave. That was a bug ability that even barriers couldn't stop. Could the mountain fog trap Hidan?
Ridiculous!
So for Hidan to worry about Hidan's safety without any danger encountered was utterly absurd!
And if it were the real Hidan, he would have been cursing loudly by the time he said those words.
It was at this moment that Shinji began to feel something was wrong.
So he observed the mark on Hidan's tongue while feeling the mark on the back of his own neck, which was completely still.
If the two marks were close enough, activating his own would cause a slight warmth.
This ability, once ridiculed by Shinji as useless, came in handy today!
After repeatedly confirming there was no reaction from his mark, he knew this guy was an impostor.
Without further ado, he cut off the impostor's head.
Such a fatal flaw, of course, he wouldn't reveal to the enemy.
He even looked forward to the enemy repeatedly impersonating his comrades, foolishly coming to die, then angrily questioning him why.
Lifting his decapitation sword, he looked around at the two paths the enemy had chosen for him and decided to check them out.
Destroying the carefully prepared things gave him a greater sense of accomplishment.
Meanwhile, at the center of the fog atop the mountain, a huge shell opened and closed slightly.
Like a human breathing, large amounts of fog were sucked in and then expelled with the next opening.
Each "breath" deepened the fog's density.
This was how ordinary fog was transformed into gray fog imbued with cursed energy.
Suddenly, an enraged voice came from inside:
"Damn deceitful humans! I will kill all of you, leave none alive!"
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