"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up, we need to go. The pursuers will be here soon. Leave before things get more complicated..."
Pipa Shizang, with his eyes closed, murmured a reminder to the others. Seeing this, Minato's face showed a hint of reluctance, and he squatted down in front of Pipa Shizang.
"What about you..."
"Can't you tell I'm beyond saving? Get going before the entire Hidden Mist Village gets involved. Also, if possible, could you bring me my sword?"
With these words, Pipa Shizang took his last breath.
Following the principle that the dead deserve dignity, Minato retrieved the decapitating broadsword from the ground nearby and placed it in Pipa Shizang's hand.
Things belonging to the Hidden Mist should stay in the Hidden Mist.
Looking at the broken decapitating broadsword, Shinji felt a spark in his mind.
The three young ones still didn't have weapons, especially Kimimaro. Without a substitute weapon, he might continue using his bones in the future, and no matter how much milk he drank every day, it probably wouldn't help. Not good.
He decided to take the decapitating broadsword back, melt it down, and forge two new weapons for the three young ones. The material was unique, containing a special regenerative iron that actively absorbed iron from the wielder's blood. It was one of a kind in the entire ninja world.
"Minato, take the sword with you. We're heading back."
Hearing this, Minato was stunned. Was Mr. Anri really taking something from a dead person? That seemed a bit out of character...
"Hurry up."
Knowing it was useless to refuse, Minato eventually picked up the decapitating broadsword he had just placed in Pipa Shizang's hand, silently apologizing to him in his heart.
"Brother, take me with you..."
Seeing Shinji about to leave, Huang Quan quickly ran up to him. After all, staying close to someone like this was the safest!
"Scram."
With that, Shinji and Minato, carrying the broadsword, disappeared.
Left alone, Huang Quan stood silently for a while, looking at the empty clearing with only corpses, then picked up the ring from Shizang's hand and walked away alone, determination in his step.
'Baby is hurt, but baby won't say!'
...
The next day, on the border of the Land of Tea.
After completing his mission, Kakuzu sat on a huge rock, eyes closed, arms crossed, tapping his finger repeatedly on his arm, indicating his inner frustration and indecisiveness.
That fool, Yihao, had actually managed to die during the mission!
Even though he had been warned, a single slip-up had still led to his death!
What now?
Returning meant likely ending up in a nominal team with that damn Angolaman. If that happened, Kakuzu's fate would be sealed.
Running away would mean defecting from the organization. Not only Angolaman but the entire Akatsuki would hunt him down. The outcome would still be the same.
For the first time in his nearly 70 years, Kakuzu stood at a crossroads, unsure of what to do. Both directions led to the same outcome—death.
What to do? Wasn't there a third option? Wasn't there any option that led to survival?
The ring reacted—probably the leader summoning them. What to do now?
Suddenly, an idea came to Kakuzu—he had a flash of inspiration!
...
This time, Pain had summoned the Akatsuki members for no other reason than to figure out what had happened after losing a fifth of their team members all at once.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
In less than two minutes, except for the heroic sacrifices of Pipa Shizang and Yihao, everyone else gathered in one of Akatsuki's secret bases through Pain's Projection Jutsu.
Before Pain could announce Shizang and Yihao's demise, Kakuzu urgently spoke up.
"Leader, I have something important to report to you in person!"
"If it's that important, you can say it here—everyone is present."
"No, it's very important!"
Seeing Kakuzu's insistence, thinking it must be urgent, Pain didn't press the issue further and said, "Alright then. Come to the secret base in the Land of Rain afterward. I'll be waiting for you."
"Got it." Kakuzu nodded.
"Alright, now let's get to the main topic." Pain then glanced at Huang Quan, "Pipa Shizang has been eliminated. What exactly happened, Huang Quan?"
Huang Quan began recounting the events.
When Pain heard it was the Three-Tails Jinchuriki they had faced, he nodded. Given Shizang's strength, it would have been challenging against the Fourth Mizukage.
However...
When they heard that the rampaging Three-Tails Jinchuriki had been casually beheaded by Shinji, many in the room were left speechless.
Wasn't that a bit exaggerated?
"Minato, what happened?" Pain looked at Minato.
Minato gave an awkward smile, "Mr. Anri didn't plan on getting involved at first, but the persistent attacks from the Fourth Mizukage seemed to upset him, and then he..."
Everyone: ...
"A perfect Jinchuriki capable of fully controlling a Tailed Beast—Fourth Mizukage Yagura—couldn't even withstand a single strike from Angolaman?" Orochimaru spoke.
"Also, Mr. Anri told me to note down anyone who talked about him during the meeting, so... it'd be best not to discuss him too much."
Minato scratched his head and smiled, and everyone understood what he meant—Anri wouldn't let anyone badmouthing him go unpunished.
"Why didn't he save Pipa Shizang?" Konan asked, her brow furrowed.
"Because there was no saving him. At that point, Shizang had already been blasted in half by a chakra sphere."
Huang Quan spoke. In his view, if someone was blown up like that, there was no saving them.
Konan shook her head, "No, if it was him... he could have saved Shizang."
To Konan, even when she was on the brink of death, Shinji had saved her, so there was no reason Shizang couldn't be saved.
"Wait, let me ask."
Minato went offline and came back three seconds later.
"Mr. Anri said Shizang didn't ask for help, and he himself said he couldn't be saved. That's why Mr. Anri didn't do anything..."
Everyone: ...
Was this really Pipa Shizang's fault?
"So, he did have the ability to save Shizang, right?"
Asked by Pain, Minato scratched his head, replying, "He could have, but saving someone depends on Mr. Anri's mood. Most of the time, he charges a hefty fee for it, and you can't just refuse him afterward. So, it's best not to think of him as a medical ninja—he'd be upset..."
Hearing the mention of payment, Konan clenched her fists inside her long sleeves, thinking of something.
What did he mean by 'most of the time'? Did it mean others had similar encounters besides herself?
Bastard! Animal!
To make sure everyone understood the gravity, Minato let out a sigh, his expression turning serious. "The point is, Mr. Anri can indeed do miraculous things, but ultimately, it all depends on his mood and interest. Don't force him to do anything, or the consequences... no one could handle them."
"I'd love to hear more about these miracles. Care to elaborate?" Orochimaru licked his lips. "You must've seen a few, being by his side."
"Uh..."
Minato hesitated, but quickly received a message from Shinji in reality.
"Mr. Anri said... something like killing a self-righteous snake, for instance..."
"Looks like I've upset him. Please convey my apologies—I didn't mean to offend." Orochimaru spoke, his words surprisingly apologetic.
"Alright, let's move on. Kakuzu, about Yihao... No, come see me personally. Before that, there's a mission for you and Orochimaru. You'll go to the Land of Hot Water, as requested by their government. It seems a rampaging immortal killer is causing trouble..."
Minato frowned. 'Immortal killer'? That sounds awfully familiar... almost like someone he knew, but there hadn't been any killing recently.
"Mr. Anri and I are in the Land of Hot Water. Who exactly is this immortal killer?"
Konan replied, "We don't know yet. Just that he's from Yugakure, and they can't kill him, which is why they asked us."
"I see. Since you're in the Land of Hot Water, then I'll leave it to you. As for the rest..."
"Wait, Pain!" Konan interrupted. "Count me in for this mission too. An immortal killer could be useful to the organization."
Though she said that, Konan was simply giving herself a legitimate reason to ask Shinji about Madara.
After all, if she didn't, who knew when she'd next have the chance?
Pain hesitated, but nodded. "Alright. Huang Quan, who's temporarily without a team, will accompany you. An immortal won't be easy to deal with."
Hearing this, Kakuzu finally let out a sigh of relief.
He didn't have to go near that guy's territory!
...
In an inn, upon hearing Minato's account of the mission, Shinji immediately thought of Hidan. The description fit perfectly.
In the manga, Shinji couldn't recall Hidan's exact joining time. The anime version of Itachi's story seemed to describe it, but it contradicted "Ultimate Ninja Storm."
In Itachi's story, Hidan appeared after Orochimaru defected from the Akatsuki, whereas in "Ultimate Ninja Storm," Hidan was subdued by Orochimaru and Kakuzu. There was a time conflict.
Of course, those details were irrelevant. Shinji was more interested in Konan's decision to come looking for trouble herself. If it came to him, Shinji was never one to refuse.