Kakashi's question did not receive a direct answer.
Shinju's next words turned the shock in Kakashi's single exposed eye into something else entirely.
"Team 7 will be responsible for support and cleanup," Shinju said calmly. His tone was flat, but the content was anything but ordinary. "The frontal assault and attrition will be executed by them."
As soon as he finished speaking, the metal wall on one side of the base slid open, revealing a passage.
Two people walked out.
The moment Kakashi saw their faces, his body tensed.
The one in front was a tall man wearing a Takigakure forehead protector. His face was wrapped in black cloth, leaving only a pair of eerie, green-glowing eyes exposed. He wore the black cloak with red clouds.
Kakuzu.
Behind him was a silver-haired man with slicked-back hair, wielding a triple-bladed scythe. His cloak hung open, revealing the pendant of the Jashin cult on his chest. His eyes burned with bloodthirsty fanaticism.
Hidan.
The immortal duo of Akatsuki.
These two S-rank missing-nin, who should have been captured by the "Divine Court" as research subjects, were now standing here unscathed.
Kakashi's hand had already gone to the weapons pouch at his waist. Beneath his mask, the Sharingan was ready to spin into life.
"Relax, Kakashi," Shinju's voice stopped him. "They're our people now."
Kakashi did not relax.
He couldn't understand. How could these two monsters, who killed without batting an eye, possibly become "their people"?
Kakuzu and Hidan stepped up in front of Shinju and knelt slightly.
They didn't look at Kakashi, nor at Itachi or Shisui. Heads bowed, they waited for orders in a posture of absolute obedience.
Shinju walked between the two of them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Kakuzu."
"At your service." Kakuzu's voice was hoarse and emotionless, like he was reciting a fixed line of script.
"What is your mission?"
"To capture missing-nin for Shinju-sama, claim the bounties, and earn money for you, my lord. That is my highest mission, and it must be carried out."
Kakuzu's answer was smooth and precise, every word flawless.
Kakashi's gaze swept over Kakuzu's back.
The four masks representing four different elemental hearts were all still there.
This monster was still in his prime.
His mind raced, analyzing what he'd just heard.
Kakuzu's core drive—his greed for money—had been preserved. That instinct hadn't been erased; it had been redirected toward a new goal: serving Shinju.
That was far more terrifying than simple genjutsu control.
Genjutsu could be dispelled. But this method, which twisted a person's desire from the root, was almost permanent.
Shinju's hand patted Hidan's shoulder next.
"Hidan."
"My lord!" Hidan's head snapped up, and the fanaticism in his eyes was almost overflowing. He licked his lips and spoke in a feverish tone:
"Shinju-sama is my new evil god! Everything I am belongs to you! Please give the order—I can't wait to offer those hypocritical old coworkers as sacrifices to you! Their screams will definitely please you!"
Watching this scene, Kakashi felt his common sense crumbling.
Hidan's crazed faith in his evil god hadn't disappeared.
Only the object of his worship had changed—to Shinju.
His lust for slaughter, his sacrificial rituals, every mad trait that made Hidan who he was—had all been preserved perfectly.
Those traits had now become weapons pointed squarely at the enemies Shinju designated.
Shinju hadn't killed them, and he hadn't controlled them with genjutsu.
He had used some method Kakashi couldn't comprehend to twist their wills at the root, rewriting the core of their beings.
He had preserved their strongest combat instincts and personal quirks, and locked a shackle of loyalty around their souls.
This ability to rewrite a person's mind was more terrifying than any destructive ninjutsu.
Kakashi had seen the Yamanaka clan's secret mind-reading techniques. He knew the terrifying power of Uchiha genjutsu, and he'd even heard of Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods), the ultimate eye technique that could alter a person's will.
All of those techniques, to some extent, damaged the target's mind or came with serious limits.
But the two men before him—Kakuzu and Hidan—their mental states looked… "healthy." One could even say they were purer and more focused than before.
All of their drive had been condensed into a single point.
"Kakashi." Shinju's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.
"They are the spear and shield in your hands. Kakuzu's five elemental hearts can counter any enemy. Hidan's immortal body makes him the perfect vanguard. Use them to wear down Deidara and Sasori."
"You only need to step in at the most suitable moment… and finish the capture."
Shinju's gaze locked onto him.
"Remember—I want them alive."
Kakashi drew in a slow breath, steadying himself. He understood Shinju's plan now.
Using Akatsuki against Akatsuki.
Sending the people most familiar with Akatsuki's combat style… to deal with Akatsuki.
It was a crazy plan.
And a flawless one.
Kakuzu and Hidan, together, possessed overwhelming frontal combat strength and were almost impossible to kill.
Letting them clash with the equally troublesome "Art Duo" was the best possible arrangement. Deidara's explosive clay would be far less effective against Kakuzu, whose body could harden and who possessed multiple hearts.
Sasori's poison-laced puppets were meaningless against Hidan's immortal body. On the other hand, Kakuzu's long-range ninjutsu and Hidan's curse ritual could perfectly counter Deidara and Sasori.
It was a battlefield tailored just for them. No matter which side got hurt, it wouldn't be bad for Konoha.
Kakashi and Team 7 would stay hidden in the rear. Once both sides were exhausted, they would complete the mission at the lowest possible cost.
"I understand." Kakashi nodded, accepting the arrangement.
He was a shinobi. Mission efficiency and success came first. From a tactical standpoint, this plan was airtight.
Shinju glanced at him, then turned toward the two living war machines behind him.
"Go."
The order was simple and clear.
Kakuzu and Hidan did not hesitate.
They dropped to one knee at the same time and replied in a tone of absolute devotion:
"At your command, my lord!"
The moment their words fell, their figures blurred and vanished at the base's exit. They moved so fast that even Kakashi's Sharingan barely caught two afterimages.
That eerie, absolute submission shifted Kakashi's feeling of awe toward this boy into something else.
He no longer saw Shinju as just a "genius" or a "strong shinobi." Those words were no longer enough to describe what he had witnessed.
In his eyes, Shinju was a true god—someone who could rewrite a person's will at will.
Itachi and Shisui watched all of this without much change in expression.
They had already seen Shinju resurrect the dead. Compared to that, a scene like this barely stirred them anymore.
They only had one thought in their hearts:
They were grateful to be standing on Shinju's side.
"Go, Kakashi," Shinju said. "Take Team 7 and enjoy the show. This will also serve as real combat training for them."
"Understood."
Kakashi accepted the order and turned to leave the base.
He needed to gather his students—and figure out how to explain to them that their upcoming "teammates" would be two infamous S-rank missing-nin.
Soon, only Shinju, Itachi, and Shisui remained in the hall.
Shinju watched the three light points on the ninja world sand table representing Kakashi, Kakuzu, and Hidan racing toward the Temple of Fire.
On the opposite side of the map, the two points representing Deidara and Sasori had just crossed the border and entered the Land of Fire.
Two squads, following different routes…
Heading for the same destination.
The Temple of Fire—a place once devoted to quiet training and asceticism—was about to become a preplanned hunting ground.
A tiny bird made of clay rode the wind, silently gliding toward the temple's rooftop.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]