Chapter 44: Hidan's Head
Kakuzu was dead. Zabuza and Raiga had fled.
Only Hidan was left, fighting like a trapped beast.
He had chosen Tenten, who looked the weakest of the three. "Let's start with you, little girl!"
"Watch out!" Kakashi instantly charged, his kunai blocking the scythe with a shower of sparks.
He shoved the scythe back and shouted orders: "Naruto, keep him busy with Shadow Clones! Neji, target his heart with Gentle Fist! Tenten, get ready to support with your tools!"
"Roger!" they yelled in unison.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Shadow Clones instantly swarmed Hidan from all sides.
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
While Naruto's clones kept Hidan distracted, Neji's Byakugan locked onto his chest.
Every strike of the Thirty-Two Palms hit the chakra points around Hidan's heart precisely.
"Annoying flies!" Hidan staggered back under the assault, his movements visibly slowing.
He swung his chain furiously, trying to force Neji back, but Tenten's barrage interrupted him.
"Manipulated Tools: Heavenly Chain Disaster!"
Tenten threw a scroll into the air and formed seals. Chakra flooded the scroll, and it unfurled with a whoosh. Countless metallic chains shot out, raining down on Hidan like a storm.
These weren't ordinary chains. The links were covered in fine barbs. Once they wrapped around a target, the barbs would dig deep into the flesh, making escape nearly impossible.
Hidan, having just repelled Naruto's clones, didn't have time to adjust before the metal storm hit him.
He swung his Triple-Bladed Scythe, trying to cut them, but Tenten's chains were too fast and too dense. In seconds, they bound his arms and legs.
CLANG!
His scythe struck the chains but left only a shallow mark—they were made of special steel, far harder than standard ninja tools.
"Dammit! What the hell is this?!" Hidan struggled, but the barbs dug into his skin, drawing blood.
He was immortal, but he still felt pain. The agony slowed his movements even further.
"Now!" Kakashi seized the moment. "Lightning Blade!"
Blinding lightning gathered in his palm as he lunged for Hidan's throat.
Naruto reacted instantly. His remaining clones piled onto Hidan, grabbing his legs and holding his chains. Most were dispelled by Hidan's thrashing, but they bought Kakashi the split second he needed.
"Gaaah! That hurts, that hurts!"
Hidan's head lay on the ground, watching his own body slowly collapse. His immortality allowed him to retain consciousness and speech even after decapitation.
"Bastard... you actually cut off my head!"
"Don't think this kills me! The immortality Lord Jashin gave me can't be destroyed by something like this!"
His gaze swept over Naruto, Neji, and Tenten. A twisted smile stretched across his blood-smeared face, radiating a terrifying madness.
"You think you've caught me? Just wait! Once my head is reattached, I'll make you feel every kind of pain imaginable! I'll sacrifice you all to Lord Jashin! Especially you, blondie! I'm gonna drain your blood drop by drop and let you die slowly in a curse!"
Naruto stepped forward. "You're still talking tough even like this! We're gonna seal you away so you can never hurt anyone again!"
"Seal?" Hidan scoffed, making a guttural rasping sound. "You brats? And that guy who opens gates, and the lightning guy... you think you can hold me? Lord Jashin protects me! Someone will come for me! And when they do, all of Konoha will pay for today!"
His head struggled on the ground, trying to roll toward his body.
"Just you wait... I won't let you go... every one of you... will be a sacrifice to Lord Jashin... Gah!"
Neji stepped forward, gently placing his foot on Hidan's head to stop it from moving.
Pinned, Hidan still wouldn't yield. "Get off me! You Byakugan freak! Lord Jashin will punish you! You'll be cursed for generations... Ow! That hurts! Don't kick me!"
"Ow! Who kicked me?! This is a head, not a soccer ball!"
Naruto was scratching the back of his head, looking curious. "Oops. I just wanted to see how hard your head was. It's actually pretty bouncy."
"Bastard!" Hidan tried to look at who kicked him but could only see a shoe. "I'll tear you to pieces! I'll offer your blood to Lord Jashin! You'll die in the most painful curse!"
Naruto didn't get angry. Instead, he squatted down, poking Hidan's cheek. "Hey, you're still talking big? If Lord Jashin is so great, why hasn't he come to save you?"
"How dare you question Lord Jashin!" Hidan shrieked. "You're going to hell! You'll never be reincarnated!"
Tenten watched, concerned. "Naruto, leave it alone. What if he bites you? You might get rabies."
Kakashi sighed and pulled Naruto back. "Alright, Naruto, that's enough. Hidan isn't a threat right now, but his immortality is tricky. We need to stay alert."
Naruto stood up, giving Hidan's head a reluctant look. "Fine," he muttered. "I just thought his head was kind of funny."
Seeing Naruto pulled away, Hidan kept cursing. "Just you wait! When I recover, I'm coming for you first, blondie! I'll take your bones apart one by one and offer them to Lord Jashin!"
The rest of the group gathered around.
Shikamaru looked at his "old friend," now in pieces, waiting for the final seal.
"Too bad I don't know this area," Shikamaru said regretfully. "I can't find a good place to bury him."
Sasuke walked over. It was his first time seeing someone survive decapitation.
Hearing Shikamaru, he offered a suggestion.
"The Uzumaki clan shrine. There might be something there to seal him. Orochimaru told me about it once."
Orochimaru had researched many ancient clans, and the Uzumaki's sealing jutsu were naturally part of his studies.
Their shrine contained many sealing tools designed for special constitutions, possibly even something that could suppress an immortal body.