If Kakuzu was so obsessed with money, he would definitely go into the bounty station.

But if the place smelled horrible, Hidan might not go in.

Shikamaru frowned, then sat cross-legged and formed a peculiar hand seal at his dantian, as if meditating.

Everyone was puzzled, but Asuma stopped them and gestured for silence. After a long time, Shikamaru exhaled, his expression relaxing considerably.

Asuma smiled.

"Shikamaru, you've come up with a plan?"

That posture just now was Shikamaru's habit when thinking deeply, so Asuma didn't let anyone interrupt him.

Shikamaru nodded.

"I have an idea. I'll share it so everyone can refine it together. First, we make the toilet smell even worse. If Natsuki's guess is right, Hidan definitely won't go in and will wait outside, separating them naturally. Then, we set up an ambush somewhere and have Natsuki use Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to bring Hidan to us—"

Kakashi interjected suddenly.

"Using Hiraishin is fine, but Hidan must be far enough from the toilet. Otherwise, Kakuzu might notice."

After all, Kakuzu was an extremely dangerous opponent. They had to be careful.

Natsuki thought for a moment and added,

"Hidan's curse ritual could be described as a sacrificial ceremony to his worshipped Jashin-sama. He's extremely devoted to that deity."

Shikamaru immediately grasped the point.

"Then we'll exploit that devotion to lure him away, and Natsuki can ambush him and bring him here with Hiraishin!"

As he spoke, Shikamaru had Natsuki contact Tenten via Flying Thunder God to ask her to send over a long piece of white cloth. Once it arrived, Shikamaru took out a brush and wrote a sentence on it.

Everyone's lips twitched as they read it.

If Hidan truly worshipped his god, seeing this would drive him mad.

After that, they continued refining the plan before resting for the night. At dawn, they began moving.

Natsuki used Hiraishin to flash back to his surveillance point.

Unexpectedly, upon arrival, he saw Kakuzu carrying a corpse. Apparently, they hadn't rested all night, choosing instead to kill their next target.

Hidan complained,

"Didn't we just leave the bounty station? Why are we going back again!"

Kakuzu's tone was calm.

"This bounty is ten million ryo. I want to cash it in immediately. Besides, that bounty station is closest. I don't want to walk far."

Hidan was speechless.

"All you care about is money. Don't you have any other goals?"

Kakuzu nodded.

"Only money never betrays."

Fine, Hidan didn't bother saying more. He might as well wander around to preach. If no one listened, he'd just sacrifice someone to Jashin-sama.

Natsuki observed all this and immediately flashed back to report to the team.

No one expected those two to return so quickly. Kakuzu truly was obsessed with money. Their guess had been spot on.

Kakashi said,

"That's fine. We're ready anyway. Let's move according to plan. Everyone, be careful!"

Everyone agreed and hid themselves according to the strategy.

Kakashi was then brought by Natsuki to wait near the toilet.

About three hours later, Kakuzu and Hidan finally returned. As soon as they neared the toilet, Hidan couldn't help gagging.

"Ugh! It's even worse than last time! Why set up a bounty station in a place like this!"

"As long as there's money, it doesn't matter," Kakuzu replied calmly.

"Hmph! I'm not going in there to suffer. You go ahead, I'll wait somewhere that doesn't stink."

"Suit yourself."

Kakuzu carried the corpse inside alone.

Hidan walked upwind, far from the toilet, and sat down to rest.

Suddenly, he saw a child walk by holding a long white cloth. The bold words on it were clearly visible:

"Your Jashin-sama is bullshit! Only fools believe in him!"

That sentence made Hidan explode in rage. His faith had been insulted. There was no way he could ignore it.

"You brat, stop right there! Who wrote this? I'll sacrifice him to Jashin-sama! And you… I'll send you to him too as atonement!"

Hidan cursed and chased after the child.

But unexpectedly, the child, despite looking small, ran incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he was several kilometers away, waving the cloth tauntingly as he ran, driving Hidan berserk.

Hidan never expected a kid to run that fast.

Just as he was chasing with his head down, he suddenly felt someone grab his shoulder.

"Who… are you…?"

Before he could finish the sentence, his vision spun. In the next instant, he was in a completely unfamiliar place.

Hidan immediately sensed it was an enemy and swung his triple-bladed scythe reflexively. But he struck nothing. Natsuki had already vanished.

While Hidan was still confused, a swarm of insects buzzed around him, covering him instantly and biting him until he screamed.

However, despite the pain, he didn't weaken at all.

Hidden in the shadows, Shino shook his head.

"This guy's strength doesn't come from chakra. My bugs can't drain it."

"In that case, attack!"

Sasuke spoke coldly. In the next second, he was in front of Hidan, his short blade slicing straight for his head.

But Hidan wasn't easy prey. His triple-bladed scythe swung with shocking speed, forcing Sasuke to duck to dodge. Hidan's other hand then drew an iron spear from his waist and thrust it at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his short blade to block, but the tremendous force sent him flying, skidding along the ground before stopping.

"Tch… this guy is fast and strong," Sasuke muttered, feeling numbness in his arm.

Shino and Neji also moved in, surrounding Hidan from three sides.

But Hidan hefted his scythe, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"So you wrote that blasphemous nonsense just to lure me here, huh? You brats… I don't mind sacrificing you all to Jashin-sama. Come, offer your lives!"

Sasuke didn't bother replying and rushed in again, his blade aimed for Hidan's throat.

But as the saying goes, "an inch longer is an inch stronger." Hidan's scythe was incredibly long, and combined with his excellent taijutsu, he easily parried Sasuke's attacks.

Neji and Shino tried to close in with kunai, but couldn't get within range.

Originally, the plan was for Shino to use his bugs to finish it. But since Hidan's strength didn't stem from chakra, Shino's attacks were ineffective.

Thankfully, Shikamaru had considered this possibility, so no one was surprised.

After several exchanges, Hidan actually gained the upper hand. Sasuke was nearly cut by his scythe.

"Damn rats… you're agile, but why not just obediently become sacrifices?"

Hidan growled, preparing to intensify his assault.

But suddenly, he found himself unable to move.

(End of Chapter)

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