BOOM!
The massive explosion sent a shockwave of alarm through every monk in the temple.
"What happened? Someone broke through the Sealed Iron Wall!"
"Quick, report to Master Chiriku!"
Watching the swarm of bald monks, Hidan felt his irritation flare. "Looks like a bunch of stubborn heretics who refuse to convert to Jashinism."
Several monks noticed the trio's cloaks.
"Those coats... they're the legends..."
"There's no mistake. It's the Akatsuki!"
Hidan, Kanon, and Kakuzu advanced with steady strides, heading deeper into the temple grounds.
Inside a Buddhist sanctum, a monk sat in meditative prayer. He clutched a string of prayer beads, his lips moving in a silent recitation of sutras.
"Master Chiriku, we have intruders!" a monk shouted breathlessly.
"Who is it?" Chiriku's voice remained flat, seemingly unbothered.
"It's the Akatsuki."
At the mention of the name, Chiriku's brow furrowed, and his expression grew solemn.
I knew they would come, he thought. He rose slowly, addressing the monks behind him with a sharp command.
"I will face them. The rest of you, provide backup!"
…
The trio came to a halt. Facing them were dozens of Fire Temple monks, their gazes heavy with apprehension as they stared down Kanon, Kakuzu, and Hidan.
The crowd of monks parted, forming a path.
From the center, a man wearing white robes emerged. On his sash was the unmistakable mark of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, identical to the one worn by Asuma Sarutobi.
"Another one of those 'Venerable High Priests' shows up, huh?" Hidan remarked with a snide tone.
"He's more than just venerable; he's in our bounty book," Kakuzu said, his cold eyes fixed on Chiriku.
"Who cares if he's a high priest! Go get 'em, Hidan-nii! Bite him!" Kanon shouted with a giggle, pointing at Chiriku.
"Hey! Kanon-chan, what do you take me for?!"
"Hidan-nii, his head is worth thirty million Ryo!"
"Hey! You guys really are blinded by greed, aren't you?" Chiriku interjected. "Doing this to a monk will surely send you to Hell."
"The judgments of Hell are also decided by money. I'd welcome it," Kakuzu replied indifferently.
"I'm already living in Hell; I stopped caring a long time ago," Kanon added, letting out a bored yawn.
Chiriku stepped forward and spoke softly, "I do not know what business brings you here, but please, turn back peacefully."
"Don't want to engage in 'senseless killing'?" Hidan lifted his scythe, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. "Too bad my religion doesn't allow for that!"
Kakuzu reminded Hidan not to underestimate their opponent, whispering to both him and Kanon:
"The Fire Temple of the Land of Fire is a renowned ninja temple. Legend has it that the monks here can harness a special power known as the Gift of the Hermit Group."
"Specifically, that thirty-million-Ryo man. He is an elite shinobi who was once chosen for the Twelve Guardian Ninja to protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"That loincloth with the Land of Fire crest is the ultimate proof."
"Is he that tough?" Hidan asked, his smirk widening.
Listening to Kakuzu's explanation, Kanon merely adjusted her mask with disdain before drawing her Kusanagi Sword from her waist.
"Twelve Guardian Ninja? Asuma-sensei was one of those too, I think," Kanon said flatly.
"Don't get careless, Kanon, Hidan. You'll die."
"I told you, stop saying that to me!" Hidan grumbled.
Blue sparks of lightning danced along Kanon's Kusanagi Sword.
"Then I'll just have to prove it, no matter who they are, everyone pales in comparison to the Uchiha!"
Instantly, Kanon's Three-Tomoe Sharingan surfaced.
Chiriku froze. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan… he recognized an Uchiha immediately.
"An Uchiha? If I'm not mistaken, you are the only living Uchiha girl in the world... Kanon Uchiha, correct?"
"Are those your last words?" Kanon ignored him and lunged straight for Chiriku.
Seeing Kanon move, Hidan and Kakuzu charged alongside her.
Chiriku pressed his hands together in a prayer gesture. An ethereal, melodic chime filled the air, and behind him, a golden manifestation of chakra appeared, the Thousand-Armed Murder.
"What is that?!" Kakuzu was stunned, but Kanon, leading the charge, had already analyzed the mechanics of the golden construct.
"Whatever! Just rush him!" Hidan roared.
Kanon's Kusanagi Sword was caught by Chiriku's bare hand; the lightning of her Chidori blade seemed to have little effect on him.
However, Kanon twisted her body, performing a mid-air flip right in front of him and delivering a heavy roundhouse kick to Chiriku's neck.
CRACK!
The sheer force of the blow startled Chiriku, but the Thousand-Armed Murder behind him was faster. Its golden chakra fists began a high-speed barrage against Kanon.
But in the next heartbeat, Chiriku gasped. The golden fists passed right through Kanon's body as if she weren't there.
As if anticipating this, the moment Kanon retracted her leg, she kicked off the air, flipping backward. While in mid-air, her fingers blurred through hand signs.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower!"
Kanon spat out a massive volley of flames. Hidden within the fire were several shuriken, screaming toward Chiriku.
"The Uchiha truly are a handful," Chiriku muttered. He retreated several steps to evade the blast, only for Hidan and Kakuzu to close the gap instantly.
"Wrathful Vajra," Chiriku whispered as they reached him.
Kakuzu threw a punch, but Chiriku parried it. A burst of golden chakra sent Kakuzu flying backward.
Seeing Kakuzu repelled, Hidan moved with extreme agility.
"I've got you!!!" Hidan bellowed, swinging his scythe at Chiriku's head.
But he, too, was caught in the air by the "Wrathful Vajra." Red chakra fists pummeled Hidan relentlessly, knocking him to and fro.
Finally, Kakuzu and Hidan both lay on the ground. Only Kanon remained standing.
Seeing the two go down, Chiriku deactivated the technique.
"I shall perform a funeral service for the three of you," Chiriku said softly.
"You should save it for yourself." Behind her mask, Kanon actually sheathed her Kusanagi Sword, seemingly content to watch the show.
Just as Chiriku felt a flicker of confusion, a voice drifted from the ground beside him.
"Who'd accept a funeral from a heretic? Lord Jashin would strike me down for that."
"Damn, that actually hurt. Getting beaten like that..."
"I can follow my ritual properly now, right, Kanon-chan?" Hidan asked.
"Do whatever you want, Hidan-nii. The stage is yours," Kanon chuckled.
Kakuzu, still on the ground, reminded him, "Just remember, his body is worth money. Make sure it stays recognizable."
Hidan used his scythe to prop himself up. He looked at Chiriku with a twisted, menacing expression.
"Trading lives for cash?"
"That's hardly a human way to live, really."
"Kanon-chan, Kakuzu, stay out of this."
"This guy... is mine!"
Hidan dragged his scythe across the stone, charging at Chiriku.
Chiriku's anger flared. What did these three think he was?!
"The Fire Temple's Chiriku will never fall to the likes of you wicked monsters!"
"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder!"
The chakra-formed Thousand-Armed Murder reappeared behind Chiriku. Golden fists launched a high-speed assault, battering Hidan!
The explosive impacts sent Hidan staggering back, but his movements remained swift. Within seconds, his scythe managed to graze Chiriku's thigh.
"That hurts! You bastard!"
Covered in bruises, Hidan was finally knocked to the ground by a final punch.
Chiriku didn't even glance at the wound on his leg. "It seems it is over."
"Yeah, it's about over," Kanon muttered.
"Mhm. Just about," Kakuzu nodded, agreeing with Kanon's assessment.
"Over? What kind of joke is this?!" Chiriku was baffled.
Sure enough, Hidan stood up once more. He drove the spike of his scythe through his own arm, blood spraying from the wound.
He licked Chiriku's blood off the blade, then used his own blood to draw a circular array with a triangle inside on the ground.
"Self-mutilation?" Chiriku frowned.
Suddenly, Hidan's skin turned pitch black, and white, bone-like patterns appeared across his face and body.
The Curse Jutsu: Death Controlling Possessed Blood had begun.
"You bald bastard... that really hurt just now! Now, I'm going to make you feel that pain, too!"