Hidan suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Saburo felt a surge of wariness rise in his chest, but he answered the stranger regardless.
"I am the Third Kazekage, Saburo."
"Kazekage?" Hidan scratched the back of his head, looking genuinely confused. "Is there such a thing as a Kazekage?"
Kakuzu, standing to the side, fought hard not to laugh at Hidan's clueless expression. He was a trained professional, after all. Meanwhile, Saburo's face twitched as his fury threatened to explode. Kakuzu wanted to offer a word of comfort to the Kazekage.
"Don't mind him. Hidan's not the brightest, and to be fair, Sunagakure is pretty far from the Land of Hot Water. It's not surprising he's clueless."
However, Saburo had already reached his limit. His eyes burned with murderous intent, and without another word, he unleashed his Magnet Release technique.
Seeing the imminent battle, Kakuzu knew better than to intervene. He shifted in an instant, leaving the battlefield to Hidan and Saburo. His gaze shifted to Mukade across the field.
Mukade, hidden within his puppet mechanism, wore a dark, menacing expression.
"You fools keep interfering with my plans! Today, I'll show you the power of the Ryūmyaku!" he roared.
As an exiled shinobi, Mukade had stumbled upon the secrets of space-time manipulation here and the immense power of the underground Ryūmyaku. Before he could claim it, these nuisances had appeared.
Kakuzu merely gave him a condescending smirk.
"Desiring power isn't inherently wrong, but remember—if it's not your own strength, you'll never truly feel secure using it."
For Kakuzu, this battle didn't even warrant removing his cloak. He casually stomped the ground, shattering the earth beneath him and revealing a hidden White Zetsu.
"You idiot! That hurts! Let go of me!" the Zetsu screeched.
Kakuzu chuckled darkly. He'd never seen such a brazen White Zetsu before.
"You've been a nuisance long enough. Now, it's time for you to prove useful."
With one powerful punch, Kakuzu knocked White Zetsu flat. Swiftly, he etched strange summoning symbols into the ground and placed Zetsu's body atop them. Forming hand seals with practiced precision—Tiger, Snake, Dog, Dragon—he finished with both hands pressed together.
Zetsu's body began to convulse as layers of earth enveloped him, shifting and reforming in waves. When the dirt fully covered his head, a new figure emerged. This figure opened his eyes, revealing the unmistakable gaze of Edo Tensei.
Kakuzu nodded in satisfaction. He had successfully wrested control over the time and space of this battlefield.
"You, Kakuzu… and over there… Saburo?"
The reanimated man not only recognized Kakuzu but also the Third Kazekage. Moreover, he possessed Kage-level strength. His identity was unmistakable—the Second Kazekage, Shamon.
"Now isn't the time for reminiscing. Your enemy is ahead. Eliminate him for me."
"You bastard…" Shamon growled. "What nonsense are you spewing?"
Though filled with anger, Shamon's attempt to resist was futile. Kakuzu activated his control, and Shamon's body moved against his will.
"Damn you, Kakuzu!"
Uncontrollably, Shamon charged toward Mukade. His hands wove signs as he ran, summoning a massive scroll. From it, he unleashed hundreds of puppets.
"Hundred Puppet Performance!"
As the original puppet master, Shamon prepared to make Mukade regret every decision he'd ever made.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu leaned back and lit a cigarette. Watching others fight for him—there was nothing quite like it.
...
One hour later—
"Hehehe… this feels incredible," Hidan muttered, lying within the Ritual Circle of Cursed Seals. A black spear was lodged in his abdomen, and his face radiated bliss.
He pulled the spear free and aimed it at his heart, ready to drive it home.
Kakuzu's foot lashed out, knocking the spear aside.
"What the hell, Kakuzu?!" Hidan snarled.
"That guy has something I need. If he dies completely, I won't be able to harvest it."
Saburo lay on the ground, barely breathing after Hidan's assault. If he expired completely, Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear would be useless.
"You bastard! If I don't kill him myself, Lord Jashin won't recognize my devotion!"
Kakuzu paused, glancing back at Hidan. This wasn't just about killing someone—it was about Hidan's faith. And if his faith was threatened, things would only escalate.
After a moment of contemplation, Kakuzu slowly turned to face Hidan.
To break someone's belief, there was only one option: present them with a stronger one.
"Hidan," Kakuzu began, his gaze unwavering—
He admitted that his previous words might have been a little problematic. He shouldn't have used his own power growth to provoke Hidan's faith in the Jashin religion. So Kakuzu had to change his approach. He pointed at the man lying on the ground—Saburo.
"This guy has a black market bounty of 135 million ryo. If I can capture him alive, it'll go up to at least 160 million." Kakuzu extended his hand toward Hidan. "Hand him over."
"You… you bastard..." Hidan gritted his teeth in fury as he glared at Kakuzu. But Kakuzu wasn't budging. It was now a contest of whose faith was more resolute.
After a few moments, Hidan finally slammed his scythe into the ground.
"Fine! Just this once. Next time, I'm not giving in!"
Kakuzu gave a calm smile. Jashin, religion, faith—what a joke. With the power of money, he dared to challenge even Hashirama Senju, so what was a minor god to him?
Satisfied, Kakuzu walked over and took the container holding Saburo. He sealed the man's corpse away and turned to handle something else.
He made a series of hand signs in reverse, and the Second Kazekage's body slowly disintegrated into dust, scattering into the sky. His soul would soon return to the Pure Land.
In that final moment before passing on, the Second Kazekage, Shamon, regained absolute clarity. He realized that Kakuzu had not only used him but also controlled him. Yet there was nothing he could do about it.
By the end, his mindset had undergone a drastic shift. "Kakuzu, what are you planning to do with Sunagakure?"
Even in his last moments, this former Kazekage's greatest concern was still his village. It showed how dedicated he had been to his role.
Kakuzu's response was simple. "Though it's nothing but endless sand and not worth much, it's still part of the shinobi world. Rest easy."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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