Hidan stood up straight, staring at Senshi with burning eyes, his expression full of fervor.
"Lord Jashin! I've made all the preparations to fully carry out the teachings of the Jashin faith! As long as I live, I'll keep taking on missions!"
Senshi: (O_O)???
Senshi felt there was something wrong with Hidan, but not entirely wrong.
He had no idea why Hidan was treating the Will of Rain as if it were the teachings of Jashinism.
Still, compared to his original Jashin doctrine—where he'd sacrifice everyone in the cult headquarters—substituting it with the Will of Rain wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
After thinking it over, Senshi decided not to dwell on the details. As long as the outcome was good, that was enough.
While Hidan was clamoring that he would thoroughly enforce the teachings of Jashin, Karin, rubbing her tired eyes, also showed up behind Senshi.
She yawned, then peered out from behind Senshi, looking at Hidan with a puzzled expression.
For some reason, Karin felt Hidan seemed really odd today.
Upon seeing Karin, Hidan froze, then suddenly realized something: "Ah, so it's Lord Jashin's esteemed little assistant! When do we start today's mission? I'm dying to uphold Jashin's teachings!"
Senshi: (O_O)???
Karin: (O_O)???
Karin tilted her head and thought for a moment, then poked Senshi and asked, "Senshi, what did you do to him? Why's he acting so weird? You didn't strike him with lightning today, did you?"
Before Senshi could speak, Hidan picked up on the key word.
He eagerly jumped in: "When heaven's thunder appears, that's when Lord Jashin descends upon the earth!"
Gazing off into the distance, he looked utterly entranced, as if waiting for the doomsday lightning to appear again.
Senshi patted Karin on the head. "I didn't do anything to him; I just left him outside for a bit. Give him some mission request forms and see if he really intends to do missions."
"Oh, right!" Karin nodded and handed Hidan a stack of mission request forms.
Hidan's eyes lit up. "Are these all missions carefully chosen by Lord Jashin? Since they're guided by the Lord, I'll complete every one flawlessly!"
With that, he took these "missions chosen by Lord Jashin" and headed off at once.
Senshi quickly followed him with Karin in tow, wanting to figure out what was really going on with him. Karin was just as curious and wanted to see what Hidan was up to.
The three of them soon began their first mission: taking out a dangerous rogue ninja.
According to Hidan, this missing-nin from the Land of Snow—named Uetaki Shin—had, for some unknown reason, turned up in the Land of Lightning. Apparently, he was extremely brutal, robbing caravans and small villages alike. Everywhere he appeared, villagers suffered dearly.
Fearing him, those villagers pooled their money to hire a Kumo ninja to eliminate this fugitive.
Deep in a forest, Uetaki Shin was wiping the blood off his blade. Next to him lay the body of a Kumo ninja he had dismembered into three pieces for interfering while he was committing a robbery. After cleaning the blood from his blade, Uetaki Shin casually tossed the blood-soaked cloth onto the Kumo ninja's corpse and scoffed, "So much for the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They're nothing special!"
He believed he had every right to gloat—he hadn't suffered so much as a scratch in that fight. He'd been roaming around near the Kumogakure for some time and had yet to meet a truly formidable opponent.
What he didn't realize was that the reason he'd escaped serious Kumo ninja attention was because Orochimaru and Senshi had been stirring up so much trouble elsewhere that the Kumo ninja had no time to spare on lesser threats.
After finishing off the Kumo ninja, Uetaki Shin prepared to continue his raids on nearby villages. Right then, he noticed three figures blocking his path: two adults and a child, all clad in black cloaks with red clouds.
Seeing the trio, Uetaki Shin didn't seem concerned at all. "So you three also took on that mission from those idiotic villagers? Hurry and attack together—I'm in a rush!"
Hidan: (O_O)???
Karin: (O_O)???
Senshi: (O_O)???
His words left the three momentarily speechless.
Hidan thought to himself, As expected of Lord Jashin's chosen mission! He had yet to gauge the man's actual power, but his nerve was certainly impressive—challenging not just Hidan but also Lord Jashin and the esteemed little assistant!
Karin also thought it bizarre: since when were ninja from small villages this bold, thinking they could take on all three of them at once?
Senshi took a glance at the headband, confirming that he was indeed a ninja from the Land of Snow. Considering that Snow was quite isolated and unstable, Senshi felt it was understandable—but he wasn't inclined to waste time, planning to finish him in a single lightning move and then move on.
"Haah!"
But before Senshi could act, Hidan rushed in with his huge scythe, shouting, "—Cough! Lord Jashin!"
Seeing Hidan hurl himself into attack, Uetaki Shin sneered, "Coming to die all on your own, are you?"
Pshht!
Just as the rogue finished speaking, there was a flash of steel. Hidan's scythe struck with unbelievable speed. Uetaki Shin barely touched the hilt of his sword before his head flew away in a parabolic arc.
Even Hidan looked stunned for a moment after that instant kill. He had expected more from someone who talked so big. He'd planned to secretly gather the man's blood, but there was so much blood gushing out that it hardly took any effort.
Having dispatched Uetaki Shin, Hidan wasted no time and went straight for the next mission request. Times had changed; the new doctrine of Jashin was to complete as many missions as possible rather than fritter away precious time on sacrificial rituals. So, he didn't bother to perform any ceremony over Uetaki Shin's body.
Senshi's trio continued their missions after that, and both Senshi and Karin realized Hidan had really changed. He was no longer the Hidan who only knew how to hand in mission briefs; he was actually using his "immortality" to get things done.
Starting from hunting down Uetaki Shin, they completed seven or eight missions in a row. Thanks to Hidan, Senshi barely did anything except use his mind-sensing abilities to find targets. Before he could lift a finger, Hidan had already taken them out.
Senshi felt gratified and a bit proud—Hidan had evidently been training behind the scenes, surprising everyone with his new skills. Senshi felt that if he so much as blinked, Hidan might evolve into the perfect hired hand.
A talent like that simply had to join his mercenary group.
So Senshi got straight to the point: "Hidan, join my mercenary group. From now on, stick with me, and keep grinding through missions!"
Just then, an oracle sounded in Hidan's mind once again: "Hidan, you have fully grasped the true teaching of Jashin. From now on, you are one of its core members. Uphold our doctrine!"
Hidan's eyes went wide with excitement at hearing Jashin's whisper, his face filled with disbelief and joy. "Fantastic! Lord Jashin, I will never betray your trust! As long as I live, I will keep on with these missions!"
Thrilled by Lord Jashin's promotion, Hidan eagerly agreed. And thus, he officially joined Senshi's mercenary group. From this moment on, he'd be pitted against Kakuzu to see who would be second only to the boss—standing above countless other mercenaries in the black market.
Kakuzu, somewhere else entirely, still had no clue that this Hidan he'd never taken seriously had become his biggest rival. And now Hidan's performance metrics would be perfectly reflected on Senshi's interface. Whether an immortal body or having five hearts was better for carrying out missions would soon be made very clear.
Meanwhile, in Iwagakure, Kakuzu and Sasori had wrapped up their own mission. Kakuzu used his overwhelming strength to subdue Deidara, while Sasori—already uneasy from seeing Orochimaru's Kage-level might at the Kumogakure—was now even more rattled after watching Kakuzu tank countless clay bombs to take Deidara down. That only increased his desire to become stronger.
Sasori turned to Kakuzu. "Kakuzu, how is it you're completely unfazed by Deidara's clay bombs?"
Before Kakuzu could speak, Deidara—who was in the middle of putting on Akatsuki's robes—cut in, "He's just a bit more advanced than I am right now in his art. But I'm not going to stop perfecting my art. Next time, I'll beat his with mine!"
In Deidara's mind, the only reason he couldn't blow Kakuzu to pieces yet was that his own artistry wasn't refined enough. Otherwise, Kakuzu might already have been sent packing to meet starfish in the afterlife.
Kakuzu ignored Deidara's talk and casually replied, "I can shrug off his clay bombs because, with Senshi's help, my one and only weakness is no longer a weakness."
Sasori: (O_O)!!!
Kakuzu's words rattled Sasori. Senshi again! Thanks to him, Orochimaru gained Kage-level strength, and Kakuzu's weakness had been completely erased, making him nigh untouchable. Sasori realized that he, too, had to find Senshi if he wanted a quick path to true power.
Listening to Kakuzu and Sasori talk, Deidara became more convinced that joining Akatsuki was the right choice. Working alone, his creative process might easily reach a bottleneck, and his artistic achievements would stall. But from what Kakuzu implied, there were true masters in Akatsuki—artists greater than himself!
By the time Deidara reached the organization, he'd discover that everyone in Akatsuki was, in some sense, an "artist." Their leader, Nagato, represented punk art; Konan was origami art; Karin was abstract art; Hidan specialized in body art (tattoos); Orochimaru in scientific art…
In Amegakure, Konan still had no clue that Kakuzu and Sasori had just recruited another "artist." With the approval of the village's leader—technically Akatsuki's leader, Nagato—lots of the village's new generation had joined Akatsuki, including local kids and refugee children. They were all delighted to wear the black robes with red clouds. Soon enough, Akatsuki's uniform might become the village's version of Konoha's green flak jackets.
Konan was now surrounded by numerous lively children, among them a few young Uzumakis with their striking red hair. They were all thrilled to have received their Akatsuki cloaks, excitedly chattering around her.
"This is awesome! We're in the same organization as Lord Senshi and Angel-sama!"
"Hey, how many times have we said it? When no one else is around, we call her Sister Konan!"
"Right, Yutai, you dummy!"
"I swear I'll inherit the Will of Rain, protect the village, and do my best for the organization!"
Their excitement spread to the rest of the villagers, who were all too glad. Amegakure was now completely different from when Hanzo the Salamander ruled. Life here was getting better each day, and residents were happy to see their children devote themselves to the village. A place like this was worth defending.
On a road from Iwagakure to Amegakure, a caravan was traveling. Trade between Amegakure and other villages had grown far more frequent, a strong sign that the village's economy was on the rise. This was a good thing for both Senshi and Kakuzu—taking on escort missions while traveling was practically tradition for them. With the growth in commerce, missions popped up everywhere.
At the back of the caravan, Kakuzu was flipping through mission request forms. Sasori was long used to seeing this, as Kakuzu had done the same en route to Iwagakure. Deidara, however, was shocked by just how often Kakuzu would dash off to complete a mission without a single rest.
"Brother Sasori," Deidara asked in disbelief, "do all members of Akatsuki have to do missions like that?"
If so, he really needed to think hard about whether to stay in Akatsuki experimenting with clay or go back home and apologize to Kurotsuchi.
Sasori's cold voice answered, "No, not everyone is like Kakuzu."
That made Deidara breathe a small sigh of relief. If all his time was spent on missions, he'd never be able to devote himself to his art. But then Sasori went on, "Actually, compared to someone else, Kakuzu is nothing special at all. In terms of mission work, there's someone in Akatsuki far more obsessed than Kakuzu—Uzumaki Senshi."
Deidara had heard that name again and again on the trip back to Amegakure. According to Kakuzu, the man was Akatsuki's top artist, and Deidara couldn't help being curious to meet him.
He looked around at the scenery and asked Sasori, "Brother Sasori, how much farther to Amegakure?"
He found traveling by carriage insufferably slow—he had wanted to use his giant clay bird to ferry them all. Kakuzu, however, insisted on grabbing an escort mission. Sasori glanced outside as well and answered, "Almost there."
Truth be told, Sasori was more anxious than Deidara to return. He'd gathered plenty of intel about Senshi from Kakuzu, who claimed Senshi definitely had a way to boost his strength rapidly, though it would come at a price.
The caravan's progress was neither too fast nor too slow. Kakuzu would leave for a mission, finish it, and catch up. And once they reached Amegakure, Kakuzu hauled Sasori and Deidara off the cart immediately.
"You two go report to the leader," he told them. "I need to settle this escort mission, then go back to taking more jobs. Going to Iwagakure cost me too much mission time; I need to make up for it."
Sasori: ヘ(゜▽,゜)ノ
Deidara: (O_O)???
Sasori was used to it, but Deidara found Kakuzu's behavior outrageous—he hadn't stopped taking missions the entire trip, yet now he complained he'd lost so much time?
Plus, wasn't recruiting Deidara—someone personally chosen by the organization's leader—important enough to count as time well spent? Apparently not to Kakuzu. Deidara clenched his fists in frustration, vowing to prove that his art was unmatched.
Once Kakuzu was gone, Sasori said to Deidara, "Come. I'll take you to see the leader."
Deidara nodded. He was curious about the Akatsuki leader and also wanted to meet the other members—especially this Senshi that everyone spoke about.
After arriving in Amegakure, Deidara heard the name repeatedly and realized that Senshi commanded enormous respect in the village. To Senshi, however, it was nothing new to have his legend spread in places he wasn't even physically present—Amegakure, Kusagakure, Kirigakure, and soon, the Land of Lightning, too.
Guided by Sasori, Deidara soon arrived at the great tower in Amegakure, where he met the leader of Akatsuki, Pain (with Konan beside him). Before this, the youngest core member of Akatsuki was Senshi; now that Deidara had joined, that title belonged to him.
Although Pain and Konan had already reviewed Deidara's file, his youth still surprised them a little. Pain looked him over. "Where's Kakuzu? Why isn't he with you?"
Sasori casually answered, "He's busy doing more missions."
Pain: …
Konan: …
They both knew Kakuzu had been obsessed with mission after mission lately, but this was pushing it. He couldn't even bother to officially report in before heading back out?
After a brief silence, Pain turned to Deidara. "I've read your intel. Now that you've joined Akatsuki, you must abide by the organization's orders!"
Deidara responded, "I joined Akatsuki to better pursue the ultimate art. As long as that goal isn't affected, I'll obey the organization's arrangements."
That answer, of course, wasn't good enough. Before Pain or Konan could scold him, Sasori snapped, "Deidara, how many times have I told you—those fleeting works of yours don't count as art at all!"
Enraged, Deidara shot back, "Brother Sasori, you really think you know art better than I do?"
Sasori said sternly, "Deidara, only something that lasts forever is true art!"
Deidara retorted, "Brother Sasori, art is the brilliant sparkle of an instant. Art is an explosion!"
Sasori: "Deidara! Eternal!"
Deidara: "Brother Sasori! Explosion!"
Sasori: "Eternal!"
Deidara: "Explosion!"
Sasori: "Et—"
Deidara: "—plosion!"
Before they could keep squabbling about their artistic philosophies, Pain cut in, "Enough!"
"You two, knock it off!"
"You're both members of Akatsuki, so keep disagreements in check and avoid open conflict!"
Then he turned his attention back to Deidara. "Any mission the organization assigns you in the future, you must complete diligently. Otherwise, you'll be punished."
Deidara gave a dismissive snort. "I won't fail any mission. Don't underestimate my art!"
Pain decided not to waste more words on the newcomer and instructed Konan, "Konan, take them downstairs and arrange everything else."
Konan nodded and led them away. Watching Sasori and Deidara head off, Pain could only hope they'd find some common ground without clashing too violently.
He didn't have any immediate tasks for them, so they'd have a little time to adjust and to get Deidara acclimated to Akatsuki. Having just joined, he'd need some familiarity with Amegakure and the organization before he could start completing missions in earnest.
~~
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