Deep within Ryūchi Cave,
Sasori and Madara stared at the unrecognizable pile of flesh on the ground.
They exchanged glances, both lost in thought.
Madara curiously poked at Hidan's remains.
"This guy's head is reduced to pulp, yet his flesh is still writhing. Is he dead, or… not dead?"
Sasori spoke with absolute certainty.
"Hidan possesses immortality. He's definitely alive... but…"
He paused, gazing at the mass of mangled flesh that didn't resemble any recognizable form.
At this point, it was impossible to distinguish head from tail.
"…How on earth are we supposed to put him back together?!"
Even a master craftsman like Sasori was utterly at a loss. Faced with this situation, he found himself in an unprecedented bind.
Madara stood up coldly, brushing himself off.
"Just leave him. If that's his fate, let it be."
To be honest, Madara couldn't care less if Hidan dropped dead then and there. In fact, he would've preferred it.
...
Somewhere in a Higher Plane
In an endless abyss of darkness,
An indescribable being stirred, causing the entire realm to tremble.
It was a mass of amorphous protoplasm, covered in tendril-like hairs.
A mere glance at this entity would drive any mortal to madness, turning them into devout worshippers.
This was a God.
Having just feasted on a high-quality sacrifice, the God's attention turned toward the one who offered it.
The deity felt an urge to bestow a "reward" upon this faithful servant.
Countless eyes—over three hundred, each shimmering with faint light—opened across its form, gazing toward a lower-dimensional plane.
"%￥*@#!"
Upon observing its follower's appearance, the God gleefully waved its tentacles in delight.
This little creature… fit its taste perfectly.
In its good mood, the deity secreted a single droplet of its essence, tearing through layers of space-time with its tendrils to send the sticky substance toward its chosen devotee.
...
Back in Ryūchi Cave
"Plop."
A soft sound echoed as a drop of liquid fell.
Madara, who had been meditating to recover his strength, was struck by an inexplicable chill.
He instantly stood, scanning his surroundings with a wary expression.
But after a thorough search, he found nothing unusual.
"...Strange. Was it just my imagination?" he muttered under his breath.
For a brief moment, a deep sense of unease had seized him, as though something was threatening his very existence.
"Huh?"
Madara's eyes widened in shock.
The pile of flesh that had once been Hidan was beginning to shift and merge.
Through a process of mutual "devouring," the mass was slowly forming into a humanoid shape.
"...What the hell?!"
Sasori, standing nearby, was equally dumbfounded, his expression blank.
What was unfolding before their eyes completely defied all logic and reason.
This wasn't scientific… This wasn't even remotely plausible!
"Madara, Sasori, you two—uh?!"
Obito had just returned from the battlefield when he, too, froze at the sight.
However, with his wild imagination, Obito quickly came up with a "reasonable" explanation.
"Probably the God was pleased with Hidan's performance and decided to give him a little… cashback, yeah."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Though, in this slime-like state, even Kakuzu's stitching skills won't be enough to fix him."
Obito's thoughts then wandered elsewhere.
"Come to think of it, the White Snake Sage's death was surprisingly… productive."
Its soul was offered to the God by Hidan, its chakra had been handed over to the system,
and even its corpse wouldn't go to waste—Sasori could craft countless 'artworks' from it.
"When you put it that way, the White Snake Sage suddenly seems kind of… noble," Obito mused.
After observing the grotesque "creation" process for a while, the trio decided they'd had enough.
While it was fascinating, it was also utterly revolting.
Obito glanced at Madara, noting his missing right arm.
"Grandpa, are you okay?"
The recent battle had left everyone with some gains, but Madara? Not only did he walk away empty-handed, he'd also lost an arm.
Madara smirked and ruffled Obito's hair with his remaining hand.
"Hmph. Do you think something like this could bring me down?"
"That was one of the most exhilarating battles I've ever had. Totally worth it!"
Their gazes met, and both couldn't help but grin.
The next moment, they burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Scowling at the scene, Sasori thought to himself,
These two must've taken a blow to the head during the fight.
Exhausted from the battle, the pair's laughter didn't last ten minutes before they stopped.
Obito turned to Sasori, a rare seriousness in his tone.
"Sasori, we couldn't have done this without you."
"I've already stashed the White Snake Sage's body and the other snake's remains for you. You can pick them up whenever you want."
Sasori nodded calmly.
"Thank you, Leader. But there are still two more enemies left to deal with."
Obito waved a hand dismissively.
"No rush. The White Snake Sage is dead, those two don't pose much of a threat now.
"Let's wait for Hidan to finish up. Besides, I need to rest for a bit."
Sasori inclined his head.
"Understood. I've collected the blood of our earlier opponents. Once Hidan's ready, we can use his curse technique to finish them off."
Obito clapped Sasori's shoulder with a grin.
"Perfect. That'll take care of one more."
"As for the last one… leave her to me. I'm quite interested in her."
...
Land of Earth – Outskirts of Iwagakure
A figure emerged from the ground, smugly flicking their golden bangs aside.
"See? That was way too easy. Just a piece of cake, un!"
But as the figure recalled how he'd been abandoned by two heartless teammates recently, his good mood soured.
"Hmph. I'll prove to those two that my art never needed anyone else's help, un!"
After a quick disguise, Deidara took a secluded path toward the heart of Iwagakure.
"It's only been a few years. Han shouldn't have moved, right?"
Absentmindedly fiddling with the clay in his hand, Deidara began imagining the scene where he'd successfully bring Han back to the Akatsuki, leaving Sasori in awe of his artistic prowess.
"Ha, I can't wait to see his face, un!"
Just then, a familiar voice called out, tinged with surprise.
"Hey! Deidara?! What are you doing here?!"
"What's on your mind? You look so happy!"
Deidara instinctively responded without thinking,
"I was just thinking about—" He froze mid-sentence.
"…Wait a second?!"
Whipping his head around, he spotted a petite figure atop a hill not far away.
Under the moonlight, he recognized her—short black hair, a delicate face, wearing a red cloak with black fishnet leggings that revealed long, slender legs.
"Kurotsuchi?!!"
Deidara's instincts screamed danger as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
Sure enough, dozens of Iwa shinobi had surrounded him.
Farther in the distance, more Iwa-nin were approaching in waves.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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