章節 72: Chapter 72: Old Grudges
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Ranke was right.
Hidan is a pervert.
He's not just a masochist; he's a complete lunatic who finds pleasure in pain. But that doesn't make him any less dangerous.
As Hidan stood there, holding his severed head with a twisted grin, Ranke couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
Hidan's body bent down, picked up his own head, and carefully reattached it. Within moments, his skin mended, and it was as if nothing had happened. Hidan was whole again.
Ranke's jaw dropped. "What the... even if your head gets cut off, you don't die? That's insane!"
Hidan, his face flushed with sick satisfaction, smirked at Ranke and said, "You got me good, but now it's my turn!"
Ranke's eyes widened. "Stay back, you freak!"
Hidan swung his massive scythe.
The deadly weapon whistled through the air, and although Ranke's reflexes saved him from a fatal blow, the edge of the scythe still managed to graze his arm.
Hidan pulled the scythe back, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he stared at the blood on its blade. "Ah, perfect! Now we can share the pain. Let's feel it together!"
He licked the blood off the scythe, his body suddenly turning black and white. Strange symbols appeared beneath his feet, marking the beginning of his ritual.
From his sleeve, Hidan drew a sharp black rod, grinning wickedly at Ranke. "Get ready for the real fun!"
Before Ranke could react, Hidan stabbed the rod into his own thigh. His face twisted with a grotesque mix of pain and pleasure.
But it wasn't just Hidan who felt it. Ranke gasped as sharp pain shot through his thigh as well.
He clutched his leg. "What... what did you do?!"
Hidan didn't answer. His eyes locked onto Ranke's, and he aimed the black rod directly at his own heart.
Ranke's breath hitched as realization dawned on him. "No... don't!"
But it was too late. Hidan plunged the rod into his chest without hesitation.
A surge of agony washed over both of them, but while Ranke writhed in pain, Hidan twisted on the ground, a look of sheer ecstasy on his face.
Hidan was immortal, but Ranke wasn't.
The life drained from Ranke's eyes as his heart was pierced.
He collapsed to the ground, dead before he could even prepare a counterattack.
Sasori, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, frowned in disgust. "You're revolting."
Hidan, still basking in his twisted pleasure, responded, "You just don't understand true art. Pain is the ultimate form of art!"
Sasori sighed. "Art, huh... whatever you say."
He knew better than to argue with someone as deranged as Hidan.
Turning his attention to the massive moving fortress ahead, Sasori's interest piqued.
The complex mechanisms reminded him of his puppets, but as he studied it further, he noticed how crude it was compared to his masterpieces.
As Sasori opened the back of the puppet , and a young boy with pink hair stepped out.
Hidan, noticing the boy's youthful appearance, raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're just a kid?"
The boy smiled, his voice unsettlingly calm. "Looks can be deceiving. I defected at the end of the Second Great Ninja War."
Without hesitation, Sasori unrolled a scroll from his back. The kanji for "Three" was inscribed on it. With a puff of smoke, a massive puppet materialized in front of them.
Hidan eyed the puppet curiously. "I've fought plenty of puppeteers from the Sand Village, but your puppets... they're something else."
Sasori smirked, his tone dripping with disdain. "Don't compare those amateurs to me. My puppets are works of art. This one, in particular, is the most powerful puppet in existence—the Third Kazekage."
Sasori had assassinated the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet.
Thanks to his unique process, the puppet retained the Kazekage's abilities, including his famous Magnet Release.
As Sasori and Hidan prepared for battle, two figures appeared atop the fortress.
One was Haido, the mastermind behind the fortress. The other was his last powerful subordinate, Fugai.
Haido's cloak billowed in the wind as he stared down at them. "I must admit, I'm curious. Why are the three of you blocking my path?"
The Animal Path of Pain stepped forward, addressing Haido. "Are you Haido?"
Haido nodded. "Indeed. And you are...?"
The Animal Path wasted no time. "We are the Akatsuki."
With a swift series of hand seals, the Animal Path activated his summoning jutsu. "Summoning Technique!"
In an instant, the remaining five Paths of Pain materialized, surrounding Haido.
Haido felt a cold sweat drip down his back. Before he could speak, he felt something latch onto him. "Shura Path!"
The Shura Path had appeared behind him, using its mechanical arms to lock Haido in a tight grip. With a powerful leap, the Shura Path dragged Haido into the air.
The Deva Path, the leader of the Six Paths of Pain, watched calmly from below. "Let's finish this quickly."
As Haido struggled, the Human Path approached, placing its hand on Haido's chest. Haido's eyes widened as he felt his soul being tugged out of his body.
He groaned in agony. "Who... who are you people? I have no quarrel with you!"
The Deva Path's cold eyes bored into Haido.
"You aspire to create a utopia, yet you lack the power to achieve it. Those who have never known pain can never truly understand it. I'll show you the gap between you and a god."
The Shura Path held Haido in place as the Human Path continued to extract his soul.
Haido screamed in pain, his voice laced with desperation. "You're pushing this too far! Stop!"
The Deva Path remained unmoved. "What if I don't?"
Suddenly, Haido's chest began to glow with a cyan light. A massive chakra surge exploded from within him, his body swelling as he broke free from the Shura Path's hold.
Haido lunged at the Deva Path. "You must be the real one!"
The Deva Path remained calm. "You're smart... but overestimating yourself."
"Shinra Tensei!"
With a single command, a powerful repulsive force blasted Haido away. The Animal Path slammed his hands to the ground. "Summoning Technique: Chameleon!"
A massive chameleon appeared, its tongue wrapping around Haido before he could recover.
As Haido struggled, the Shura Path leaped into the air. "Shura Attack!"
The Shura Path's head split open, revealing a hidden cannon. With a deafening roar, it fired directly at Haido.
"Boom!"
After the explosion, Haido lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
The Deva Path approached him, gripping Haido's head tightly. "With your strength, you'll never save the world. But I won't kill you... Just know when to give up."
With that, the Six Paths of Pain turned and began to walk away.
However, a blond boy suddenly appeared in front of Pain. Temujin angrily shouted, "Who are you, and why do you want to hurt Lord Haido?!"
Pain ignored Temujin's outburst.
Determined, Temujin's dagger transformed into a long sword as he pointed it at Pain. "I won't let you harm Lord Haido!"
Pain glanced at the boy, unimpressed. "Don't overestimate yourself. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss."
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force instantly blasted Temujin into the air. He crashed into the sand, his fate uncertain.
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Inside the moving castle, Naruto witnessed the entire scene unfold.
He clenched his fists, ready to jump in and help Temujin fend off the Six Paths of Pain.
But before he could act, Shikamaru appeared behind him, covering his mouth. "Naruto, what are you thinking?!"
Naruto struggled and whispered, "Temujin is my friend! I have to help him!"
Shikamaru sighed in frustration. "You idiot! Do you even know who those people are? The ones with the red cloud robes?"
Naruto blinked, confused. "Who are they?"
Shikamaru pointed to Hidan. "See that guy with silver hair and the scythe? He's Hidan, a rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water. He's killed countless people and is classified as an S-class criminal."
Then, Shikamaru pointed to Sasori. "And the one with pink hair? That's Sasori of the Red Sand. He killed the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet. He's also an S-class rogue ninja from the Hidden Sand Village."
Shikamaru's gaze turned serious as he looked at the six mysterious figures. "I don't know who they are, but they're clearly not weaker than those two. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Naruto's worry deepened. "But Temujin... He's in danger! He's my friend!"
Just as Naruto spoke, the moving castle violently shook, causing both him and Shikamaru to be thrown off balance and tumble into the yellow sand below.
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Meanwhile, Haido, who had been lying behind Pain, suddenly smiled. Violent blue energy began radiating from his chest.
Haido stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "It's here! The Gelel Stone vein is right beneath us!"
He then glared at Pain with resentment. "I'll show you the true power of the Gelel Stone!"
With every ounce of strength, Haido activated the Gelel Stone embedded in his chest. A loud rumble echoed from deep underground as the veins of the Gelel Stone came to life.
Suddenly, countless undead monsters emerged from the moving castle.
These creatures were meant to delay Pain and buy time for the castle's final transformation.
Haido sneered at the Deva Path. "Do you know what's behind me? This moving castle is the pinnacle of the Land of Phantom's technology. It can perfectly harness the power of the Gelel Stone!"
No sooner had he spoken than blue energy began to pulsate from the castle behind him.
The castle absorbed the Gelel Stone's power from beneath the earth, twisting and transforming until it became a colossal mechanical beast.
The beast's eyes glowed with cyan light as it roared to life.
The Deva Path of Pain observed the transformation with mild curiosity. "So this is the Gelel Stone's power? How pathetic... And you thought you could build a utopia with this?"
Without hesitation, Pain tossed a small black sphere into the air. The sphere ascended, growing in intensity.
"Chibaku Tensei!" the Deva Path intoned.
Suddenly, an overwhelming gravitational force emanated from the sphere. It pulled at the yellow sand on the ground, and even the massive moving castle groaned under the strain.
The mechanical beast roared in defiance, but it was no match for the immense power of the Chibaku Tensei.
The entire castle shattered into pieces, the debris sucked into the sphere's gravitational pull.
Even as green energy crackled around the remains of the castle, it was utterly overwhelmed by the might of Pain's technique.
Haido stared at the destruction, disbelief etched on his face.
"Impossible... This can't be happening..."
Haido had placed all his hopes on the Gelel Stone, believing it would give him the power to reshape the world. But now, he saw how futile his efforts truly were.
The truth was, the Gelel Stone's power wasn't weak. But Haido had the misfortune of facing the Six Paths of Pain—one of the most formidable forces in the world.
In the original story, even a small amount of Nine-Tails chakra allowed Naruto to defeat Haido with a Vermilion Rasengan.
Against the full might of the Six Paths, Haido didn't stand a chance.
As the castle's ruins floated helplessly in the air, Pain turned and began to leave.
Before departing, the Deva Path instructed Sasori, "Sasori, take care of the trash."
Sasori sighed. "This kind of dirty work should really be left to Hidan. But since the leader ordered it, I'll handle it."
Under Sasori's control, the Third Kazekage puppet manipulated the black iron sand, which quickly condensed into sharp spikes.
In an instant, the iron spikes shot out, piercing through everything in their path—including Haido, Fugai, and Temujin.
Blood splattered across the sand as the spikes impaled their bodies.
Temujin, who had been barely conscious, struggled briefly before succumbing to his injuries.
Shikamaru, realizing what was happening, pressed Naruto's head down into the sand. "Naruto, don't move! We can't afford to act recklessly now!"
Naruto's voice trembled with anger. "But... he was my friend..."
Red chakra began to seep from Naruto's body, his rage fueling the power of the Nine-Tails. His eyes turned crimson, and he could no longer hold back.
"You killed my friend!"
"The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With the Nine-Tails' chakra enhancing him, dozens of Naruto's clones surrounded Sasori.
But Sasori merely snapped his fingers. The iron sand swirled, obliterating almost all of the clones in an instant. "Your friend was worthless. His death means nothing."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "He wasn't worthless! He was my friend!"
Sasori's expression turned cold. "Then I'll make sure you join him."
At that moment, a gust of wind swept through the battlefield, and Kakashi appeared, snatching Naruto away just as a massive iron sand block crashed down where Naruto had stood.
Kakashi looked at Naruto. "Leave this to me, Naruto. Rest for now."
Naruto, tears of frustration in his eyes, whispered, "Kakashi-sensei... they killed my friend..."
Kakashi paused. From the perspective of the village, Temujin's death had no impact on Konoha, and in some ways, it was even advantageous.
But seeing Naruto's pain, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to say that.
Instead, he promised, "I'll make them pay. Shikamaru, take Naruto and get him out of here."
Shikamaru nodded. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
As Shikamaru led Naruto away, Kakashi turned to face the two S-class criminals before him.
Kakashi addressed them, "You've caused quite the commotion. I'm sure the ANBU from the Hidden Sand Village will be here soon."
Sasori smirked. "Let them come. I'll kill every last one of them if they dare to show up."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Sasori... the Sand Village meant something to you, didn't it?"
Sasori's voice grew cold. "I was once a ninja of the Hidden Sand. During the Second Great Ninja War, my parents left to fight against Konoha. My grandmother told me they would return soon..."
He paused, his eyes darkening. "But they never did. Later, I learned they were killed by Konoha's White Fang. Your father, Hatake Sakumo, isn't that right, Kakashi?"
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每周推薦票狀態
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