Chapter 199: Ch-199 Defeating Hidan.
Finally, after sharing that long-awaited, heartfelt reunion, Inoiki took a breath and moved back slightly from his mother’s bedside. His expression turned serious, his eyes steady as he looked at both his parents.
"Dad, Mom," he said softly, "I’m really sorry to say this so soon after seeing you again, but... I need to leave."
His mother’s face tensed immediately.
Inoiki continued, "You know Ino is out on a mission—and it’s not just any mission. It could be dangerous, not just for her, but for her entire team. I need to go... to make sure they’re safe."
There was a moment of silence. His words hung heavily in the air.
His mother’s first instinct was to protest. Her lips parted, a mix of fear and maternal protectiveness flashing across her face. But then, she caught herself. She was a strong woman, and more than that, she understood the path her children had chosen. She had always known what it meant to raise a shinobi.
And she also knew she couldn’t keep him here—not by pleading, not even by tears.
She forced a soft smile and gave a small nod, silently giving her blessing. Still, the worry in her eyes remained, impossible to mask.
Inoiki could feel it—but he also knew she understood. He gave her a grateful look before turning to his father.
Inoichi, a veteran ninja himself, had been watching quietly, his brow furrowed in concern. He knew very well what kind of threat Team Asuma had been sent to face—Akatsuki members Kakuzu and Hidan. That alone was enough to unsettle even the most experienced shinobi. And now his son, freshly returned and visibly injured, wanted to head back into danger.
"Inoiki," Inoichi said with a measured voice, "your leg... it doesn’t look healed. You’re moving with the help of that ice construct. Are you really in any condition to fight?"
Inoiki gave a small, reassuring smile.
"It’s... a long story," he said. "One I’ll tell you properly when I return—with Ino. We’ll sit together, and I’ll explain everything... about Pain, the Akatsuki, and the new abilities I’ve awakened. But for now, all I can say is—don’t worry. My body may not be perfect, but my combat effectiveness hasn’t been affected much."
His words carried quiet confidence. Not arrogance—just a firm belief in his responsibility.
Inoichi looked at him for a few seconds longer, then nodded slowly. "All right," he said, placing a hand on Inoiki’s shoulder. "Just promise us you’ll come back."
Inoiki met his father’s gaze and nodded. "I will."
Without wasting another moment, he turned toward the hospital window.
The air around him chilling as faint wisps of frost danced in his wake. With a final glance at his parents, who stood watching with pride and worry mixed in their expressions, he floated into the air and out the window.
The sky above Konoha was bright as he rose higher, a streak of icy mist trailing behind him like a ribbon. Inoiki didn’t look back.
-----
Kakuzu and Hidan had just stepped out of one of the black market hideouts, fresh from exchanging the severed head of Chiriku—the Fire Temple’s head monk—for a bounty.
Kakuzu tucked the payment scroll into his cloak without a word.
But before either of them could take another step, a flurry of kunai and shuriken rained down from both sides, forcing them to retreat into a defensive stance.
Tch. "Ambush," Kakuzu muttered.
The attack came from both sides—Team Asuma and Team Kakashi. From a distance, Naruto’s voice rang out.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a split second, the area was swarmed by hundreds of Naruto’s clones charging toward the two Akatsuki members from every angle.
Hidan smirked.
The two Akatsuki began destroying the incoming shadow clones with ease. Hidan’s triple-bladed scythe tore through one clone after another as he cackled maniacally, bloodlust in his eyes. Kakuzu, more precise, used his immense strength and skill to obliterate the approaching clones with minimal movement.
However, amidst the chaos, a subtle shift in positioning occurred—exactly as planned.
The clones weren’t just attacking—they were herding.
Within moments, Hidan and Kakuzu found themselves separated by nearly fifty meters, a wide clearing now between them.
"Hmph. They’re trying to isolate us," Kakuzu noted coldly.
"Let them try!" Hidan growled, smashing another clone.
Then, suddenly, he struck a clone with a brutal punch—but this one didn’t poof into smoke.
Hidan’s fist was caught mid-air.
His eyes widened. What the hell?
The clone’s grip was like iron—and the moment of hesitation cost him. Electricity burst from the clone’s hand, crackling across Hidan’s body in a sudden surge of Lightning Release. His muscles tensed involuntarily as paralysis set in.
"What the f—!"
Before he could react, a kunai appeared in the clone’s other hand and plunged directly into his chest.
Blood sprayed. Hidan stumbled back, shocked, though not dead.
"You’re no damn clone," he hissed, glaring.
In that instant, the "clone" shimmered—and transformed.
It was Kakashi.
Expression calm behind his forehead protector, Kakashi held the kunai steady. "Transformation Jutsu."
Hidan’s grin faded slightly as realization struck. They fooled me.
This wasn’t just some random strategy. It was coordinated deception—designed specifically to exploit their carelessness.
Far away, hidden in the trees, Shikamaru watched calmly, whispering to himself, "Step one—separate them. Step two—strike when they least expect it."
Just then, all of Naruto’s remaining shadow clones vanished in a sudden burst of white smoke.
Hidan blinked. His expression turned blank.
His grip on his triple-bladed sickle loosened, and the weapon fell from his hand with a dull clank.
Without hesitation, Sakura lunged forward. "Now!" she shouted, her fist glowing with chakra.
With a resounding crack, she smashed her fist into Hidan’s head, slamming him into the ground like a meteor impact. The earth cracked under the force, and debris flew in every direction.
Kakashi moved swiftly. Before Hidan could even twitch, he restrained him with reinforced chakra rope.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly.
Having learned about Hidan’s immortality and ritual-based technique from previous intelligence, the team’s plan had relied on disabling him quickly—and it had worked. The daze wasn’t random. Ino, hidden in the rear, had successfully used her Mind Body Switch Jutsu to take control of Hidan for a brief but critical moment.
But just as they were about to begin dismembering Hidan to prevent his participation in the fight entirely, something unexpected happened.
A sudden crackling sound cut through the air.
A masked figure burst from the treeline, its body writhing with black, thread-like tendrils. Before anyone could react, a beam of lightning surged from its gaping mouth, slicing through the chakra ropes binding Hidan.
The severed restraints fell in smoking pieces.
Hidan stirred and groaned, regaining full consciousness. "Tch... What the hell took you so long to back me up?!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "What is that thing...?"
Ino and Sakura flinched, feeling a jolt of unease.
Meanwhile, a loud boom echoed from the far side of the battlefield. Shikamaru, Choji, Asuma, and Naruto were locked in fierce combat with Kakuzu, whose cloak had been torn away.
Behind Kakuzu stood four masked beasts, each with monstrous features and black cords trailing from their bodies. They moved independently, surrounding the battlefield. Each mask unleashed a different elemental jutsu:
—A wave of searing fire blasted toward Shikamaru.
—A jet of slicing wind howled at Choji.
—a surge of water surged toward Naruto.
—A torrent of crushing earth smashed toward Asuma.
Each attack forced the Konoha shinobi to remain constantly on the move, unable to regroup or counterattack effectively.
Back on the other side, Hidan had already slipped free from their formation, his speed unexpectedly sharp for someone just moments ago embedded in the ground. It was clear now—he had only been subdued because of the perfect timing and surprise factor. Without that, restraining him was much harder.
Kakashi tried to intercept him, racing to cut off Hidan’s path.
But the lightning mask intercepted him first—firing a concentrated bolt of energy that forced Kakashi to leap back, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
As Kakashi regained his footing, another of Kakuzu’s masks arrived. Before he could reposition, its mouth gaped open and unleashed a torrential blast of wind.
"Tch—!" Kakashi grunted.
The wind slammed into both Kakashi and Hidan, sending them flying in opposite directions. Dust and debris clouded the battlefield.
These masked creatures... they weren’t any summons. They were Kakuzu’s own hearts, given form—each one wielding a deadly elemental nature.
The tide of battle had shifted again.
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