Chapter 19: Hidan vs. Kakuzu!
Chapter 19: Hidan vs. Kakuzu!
Ignoring Uchiha Obito's feigned foolishness, and watching White Zetsu being burned by Amaterasu, Uchiha Yi suddenly had an idea.
He quickly transformed the Amaterasu flames into Void Devourer Flames.
He almost forgot that White Zetsu had Hashirama cells.
In the original story, Uchiha Madara once told Hashirama, "A god divided yin and yang to maintain balance. The two opposing forces work together to create all things."
The so-called polar opposites, representing yin and yang, could be seen as the powers of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju, or Indra and Asura.
All creation, referring to the Rinnegan.
Of course, expecting the faint traces of Asura's power left in the Hashirama cells within White Zetsu to help awaken the Rinnegan was unlikely.
But even a little bit would still benefit him immensely.
With the Void Devourer Flames, there were only advantages and no drawbacks!
Soon, the flames consumed White Zetsu, who had disguised himself as a girl, leaving only a pile of ashes.
Retracting the Void Devourer Flames, Uchiha Yi realized that the resulting genetic enhancement would take some time to integrate into his body.
However, it was still a pleasant surprise and opportunity.
"Damn it!"
"White Zetsu just can't break its disgusting habits!"
Watching Uchiha Yi walk away unscathed, Obito felt frustrated and blamed White Zetsu.
Even after all these years of working with them, they hadn't changed at all. They were still as incompetent as ever.
Without gaining any useful intel on Uchiha Yi, Obito knew that pushing further would be counterproductive.
Compared to the importance of the Eye of the Moon Plan, Uchiha Yi was a minor threat. He didn't believe Yi could pose any significant challenge.
Moreover, the Akatsuki organization was in need of members.
Without enough manpower, the plan's progress would only be delayed.
After careful thought, Obito decided to put his surveillance of Uchiha Yi on hold for now but still maintain some precautions and monitoring.
A ripple in space appeared, and in the next second, Obito vanished.
Watching Obito leave, Uchiha Yi, still hidden within the last flames, breathed a sigh of relief.
Fighting Obito head-on wasn't what he feared; it was Obito's ability to appear and disappear at will.
Who could remain vigilant at all times? And if Obito chose a moment when he was unprepared, he might not react in time.
If only he had some kind of warning or sensory ability, he wouldn't have to be so cautious.
Feeling a bit restless, Uchiha Yi decided to test his luck by drawing for a skill.
"I offer my roommate's 20 years of being single in exchange for a bit of luck!"
"Lucky draw x1!"
After a short prayer, he activated the virtual interface. With his command, the options on the prize wheel began to spin quickly.
A moment later, the result appeared: "Dragon Fruit!"
"???"
"Is this Fire Release system capable of drawing items like this?"
He didn't understand the system's prize mechanics, but he was taken aback.
He'd expected to draw a skill, but a fruit? And for all the luck he'd sacrificed, this was it?
Feeling a bit deflated, he decided not to waste any more points today.
After a short pause, a dragon fruit appeared in his hand. Thinking it was just an ordinary fruit, he was surprised to instantly understand its properties upon touching it.
Simply put, this was a dragon fruit from a fantasy world.
It had absorbed some of the fire dragon's aura, granting it fire attributes.
Eating it would boost his fire abilities by 1%.
"Not bad!"
After a few bites, Uchiha Yi could feel a subtle improvement in his fire abilities.
Though slight, it enhanced all of his Fire Release abilities without any side effects!
It would be great if he could get more!
Meanwhile, after the team had split up, Konan became the first to encounter Hidan.
"Hey there, girl!"
"Want to join the Cult of the Evil God?"
Seeing someone approach, Hidan eagerly stepped forward to invite Konan.
"Cult of the Evil God?"
Konan responded instinctively.
"Yeah! If you join the Cult of the Evil God, you won't be punished for killing!"
"Plus, Lord Evil God will be pleased!"
"How about it? Sounds like a pretty good creed, doesn't it?"
Perhaps learning from past failures, Hidan thought it best to emphasize the benefits of the cult, hoping to attract more followers.
Little did he know, his words sounded utterly insane.
No sane person would agree with him.
Unfortunately, Hidan himself was a lunatic, and naturally, nothing he said made any sense.
"So, you're the serial killer."
Konan spoke calmly, confirming the intel's accuracy.
"Haha? Serial killer? Not at all!"
"I'm just offering my prayers to Lord Evil God!"
Hidan replied, disagreeing with Konan's description.
"Is he Hidan?"
As Konan spoke, two figures appeared beside her.
She had identified him at first sight and had informed her teammates while she delayed him.
In those few minutes of conversation, Kakuzu and Uchiha Yi hurried over.
"They say he's immortal. Let me test if he really is."
Kakuzu grinned, walking toward Hidan.
"Haha! Who are you guys?"
"All wearing the same clothes—is this a band or something?"
Hidan asked, clueless to the danger.
"No, idiot!"
Kakuzu replied, exasperated, before dodging Hidan's scythe.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Missing his first strike, Hidan leaped, slashing down from above.
Kakuzu crossed his left hand over his right shoulder, hiding his right hand under his sleeve.
Before Hidan could strike, Kakuzu's right fist detached, shooting like a bullet into the air and piercing Hidan's chest.
"Ugh!"
Hidan spat blood and collapsed, motionless.
"Is that it?"
Reeling in his hand using black threads, Kakuzu sighed in disappointment.
"That hurt!"
"It really hurt, you bastard!"
"I'm going to punish you with divine retribution!"
Hidan stood up, seemingly unscathed, stepping into the pool of his own blood to draw a ritual symbol.
Before he could finish, Kakuzu's fist opened another wound in him.
"So he's truly immortal?"
Kakuzu was now convinced.
"Alright, let the ritual begin!"
With that, Hidan slid his bloodstained hand across his tongue. His appearance transformed instantly.
"Everything is ready!"
"Prepare to die!"
Suddenly, Hidan pulled out a sharp stake and drove it into his chest.
Though they'd read reports about Hidan's techniques, the details weren't clear. Both Konan and Kakuzu felt uneasy, except for Uchiha Yi, who knew what was coming.
"Ugh…"
Kakuzu, caught off guard, dropped to one knee, clutching his chest as one of his hearts shattered.
He was shocked, unable to understand how Hidan had done it.
But even that wasn't enough to kill him!
Black threads moved on his back, as if something were about to emerge.
Tearing through his skin, a black, masked creature appeared from his back, turning to dust and disappearing.
"You little punk!"
"You destroyed one of my hearts!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Both had taken damage but hadn't gained an upper hand, which angered Kakuzu.
"Enough of this!"
"Hidan, we recognize your strength!"
"We invite you to join the Akatsuki."
As Konan analyzed Hidan's abilities, she stepped in to prevent the fight from escalating.
"Tch!"
Reluctantly, Kakuzu backed off, suppressing his rage.
"Huh?"
"Why should I join Akatsuki?"
Clearly, Hidan wasn't interested in Konan's offer.
"Then, let me be your opponent!"
Uchiha Yi stepped forward, deciding that it was time to reveal his strength.
Sometimes, showing power is necessary to earn respect and gain influence!
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