The coordination between Hidan and Kakuzu was something even Naruto hadn't anticipated.
They answered every question without hesitation, especially those related to the Akatsuki.
Regardless of how much they could actually answer, at least their attitude was good—sincere and earnest.
Hidan spoke confidently, showing no awareness of his status as a captive: "My relationship with the Akatsuki isn't harmonious."
"That organization is primarily about making money, with stirring up conflicts as a side effect. This is completely contrary to my beliefs!"
"The person I despise the most is someone like Kakuzu."
The man beside him, covered in black lines, gritted his teeth, wanting to retort, but with a nine-tailed fox perched on his head, he could only swallow his anger, turning his head slightly to the side and pretending he hadn't heard anything.
"Do you know about the god I worship? Now that's something truly interesting," Hidan said, leaning forward suddenly.
But before he could finish his sentence—
"Hadō #1. Shō (衝, Thrust)!"
A burst of energy hit him squarely in the face, knocking out several teeth, which fell to the ground along with blood.
"Now isn't the time for you to talk about those things," Naruto said quietly. "Answer what I ask you to."
Hidan gritted his teeth, covering his right cheek as he yelled, "Damn it, that really hurts!"
"If you don't want to hear it, then just ask properly. Don't use force!"
"I'll continue talking about the organization."
"There are a total of... I'm not exactly sure how many members are in Akatsuki, but it seems there are only nine main members."
"As for their identities—"
"I only know one, Uchiha Itachi."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Hidan immediately raised his hand: "I swear, that's the truth!"
"When we have meetings, it's not in person, but through a technique called the 'Magic Lantern Body Technique,' where we project our consciousness into an unknown space. You can't clearly see what the others look like."
Naruto nodded.
Hidan scratched his head and continued: "As for the leader of the organization, he's said to be a formidable person, though I've never met him in person, only seen his projection during meetings."
"He possesses the legendary Rinnegan."
"He calls himself a 'god,' but to be honest, he's probably just a powerful ninja like you."
"His power is far from that of a true god, like the one I worship..."
Another energy burst struck him.
Almost immediately as he changed the subject, it hit the other side of his face, making both sides symmetrical.
Kakuzu snickered.
Naruto turned his gaze towards him.
He quickly reined in his smile, casually turning his head to the side: "What I know is pretty much the same as what Hidan said."
"What this talkative guy said is all true," Naruto said, pointing at Hidan. "But that last statement was a lie."
"You obviously know more."
Kakuzu froze, his body stiffening.
"I have the ability to distinguish between truth and lies," Naruto said calmly. "Speak the truth."
Kakuzu lowered his head, remained silent, and clenched his teeth, refusing to say a word.
"Naruto," Karin tugged at his sleeve.
Naruto looked over.
The red-haired girl gave him a cautious glance.
He walked aside with her.
"I feel like something isn't right," Karin said softly, keeping an eye on the two men. "You must have noticed by now, right?"
"They're acting too deliberately," Naruto said with a smile.
Karin nodded.
This situation seemed as though the Akatsuki were overly confident for some reason. They sent two guys with special abilities, intending to use them to capture Naruto.
But upon closer examination, these two didn't seem surprised at all that Naruto had captured them instead.
And they were quite willing to divulge information about the Akatsuki.
Naruto hadn't even conducted much of an interrogation before they revealed the critical intelligence that the Akatsuki was based in Rain Village.
Most importantly, it was Hidan who kept talking about the Akatsuki.
Yet this man knew less about the organization than Naruto did.
At the very least, Naruto knew that the Akatsuki had someone named "Uchiha Madara" behind it, and that they were likely collecting the tailed beasts to revive the "Ten Tails."
Hidan knew nothing about this.
The only useful piece of information he provided was that the leader of the Akatsuki possessed the Rinnegan.
"They're most likely bait sent by the Akatsuki," Naruto said, turning to look at the two men. "Their goal is to tell me the location of the Akatsuki to lure me there."
"They'll set up a trap and gather their forces to capture me."
Karin asked anxiously, "So what are you going to do, Naruto?"
"Are you really planning to go to Rain Village?"
She instinctively felt this wasn't a good choice.
"I'm wondering just how foolish the Akatsuki think I am," Naruto said softly. "Do they really believe that I'd lose my mind and rush straight there just because I know their location?"
Yang Nine-Tails jumped onto Naruto's shoulder: "But it's just Rain Village."
"Could it possibly be stronger than Cloud Village?"
Naruto and Karin stared directly at it.
Just after they spoke...
The perfect example appeared.
Yang Nine-Tails, feeling embarrassed, stomped heavily on Naruto's shoulder: "Am I wrong?"
"Rain Village is just a small nation."
Naruto reached out and pinched its tail: "Rain Village may be a small nation, but..."
"Our enemy is the Akatsuki."
"Hidan knows very little about that organization."
Yang Nine-Tails muttered, "He's just an idiot."
He couldn't stand Hidan's endless preaching about his beliefs, so he came over and left the mess to Yin Nine-Tails.
"Kakuzu is no fool," Naruto said, glancing at the man with his head lowered, his body covered in black stitching. "But he didn't say anything."
"What does that matter?" Yang Nine-Tails asked, puzzled.
Naruto remained silent.
Karin spoke up to explain, "There are only two possibilities: either he's a very loyal person—"
"But he's already a rogue ninja; what loyalty are we talking about?"
"Then the only other possibility is—"
"He believes the leader of the Akatsuki is more of a threat than you."
The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto.
"How much do you know about the Rinnegan?" Naruto asked him.
The Nine-Tails shook his head. "I don't know."
"But among humans, that rumor is indeed true—the Rinnegan was once the eye of the Sage of Six Paths."
"After that, I've never seen anyone else possess it."
"Not even Indra or Uchiha Madara."
Naruto caught on to an unfamiliar name. "Indra? Who is that?"
"One of the sons of the Sage of Six Paths, Ashura's brother," the Nine-Tails replied casually. "A very extreme person who, out of jealousy of the Sage of Six Paths' love for Ashura, killed his own brother."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "So... the Rinnegan is unique to the Sage of Six Paths?"
The Nine-Tails thought for a moment and then nodded. "From what I understand, that can indeed be said."
"The Sage of Six Paths..." Karin repeated the name. "I never thought this would be connected to the Akatsuki's affairs."
Naruto looked up.
The sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight.
He recalled the time back in Konoha when he faced the "Sage of Six Paths" or the "power left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
That technique is called "Truth-Seeking Ball."
"Before we can confirm what their abilities really are," Naruto continued quietly, "or before we figure out how many members they have and what powers they possess—"
"Rushing to Rain Village is not a wise choice."
"Then..."
He extended his hand and formed a summoning seal.
A toad appeared in a puff of smoke within the formation.
"Ah, it's Uzumaki Naruto," said the toad with goggles hanging around its neck, tilting its head. "It's rare for you to summon me."
"Is there something you want to tell Jiraiya?"
Naruto nodded. "I have two pieces of information to share."
"The Akatsuki's base is in Rain Village."
"The leader of the Akatsuki possesses the legendary Rinnegan."
The toad was surprised. "Rain Village? That tiny village?"
"I understand. I will pass this message to Jiraiya."
Naruto waved his hand. "There's something else."
"Have Konoha share this information with the other villages that possess tailed beasts."
The toad was taken aback.
"Share it with the other villages?" It was somewhat surprised.
Naruto nodded with a smile. "Yes, and say that this intelligence was provided by Uzumaki Naruto."
The toad's expression turned serious. "Understood."
As soon as it finished speaking, with a "puff," it disappeared.
"Will they believe you?" Karin asked, frowning.
Naruto shook his head. "Only Cloud Village and Sand Village are likely to take it seriously."
"Then..." Karin was puzzled, not understanding why Naruto wanted to share this information with the other villages.
Naruto looked at Hidan's still intact black robe with red clouds. "Karin, have you thought about why they would want to lure me to Rain Village?"
"Their base is there; they have the advantage of fighting on their home turf," Karin responded immediately.
She thought for a moment.
Reflecting on recent times, they hadn't been able to gather much information about this organization.
Even Jiraiya, who had focused on this matter for years, had only managed to collect some peripheral intelligence.
So...
She continued, "This organization doesn't want the Five Great Nations to pay too much attention to their existence."
"They want to remain as hidden as possible."
Naruto nodded and looked into the distance. "It's the same as in battle: to defeat your enemy, you must not let them achieve their goals."
"If they want me to go to the Land of Rain, then I won't go."
"If they want their existence to remain unknown to the Five Great Nations, then I'll tell the Five Great Nations."
Karin seemed to be deep in thought.
"Are you just going to let them be?" The Nine-Tails grinned and shook his head.
Naruto shook his head. "Of course not."
"Aren't there two ready-made experimental subjects right here?"
"We'll just stay outside the Land of Rain and do our own thing."
"If they want to challenge me, why should I go to them?"
"Otherwise, they should just stay hidden."
Yang Nine-Tails grinned and nodded.
~~~
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