The battle had barely begun before it was already over.
Hidan indeed had an immortal body, but he lacked regenerative abilities. Once his limbs were severed, they had to be stitched back together to be usable again.
Now, Hidan's limbs had all been cut off, leaving only his head attached to his torso. He was still cursing and swearing.
"Damn bastards, this hurts like hell!"
"Gloomy freak, stitched-up monster, fox brat! I'll kill you all!"
"You blasphemers of Jashin-sama will definitely be cursed by him."
"..."
"Kakuzu, sew his mouth shut."
Naruto found the noise unbearable and didn't want to listen to Hidan's trash talk anymore.
Kakuzu obediently sent out a few black threads from his body, aiming for Hidan's mouth.
"You bastard, you can't... mmmph!"
Hidan, who had lost his limbs, struggled violently as the black threads approached his mouth. He still had to spread the teachings of the Jashin cult. How could he do that if he couldn't speak?
But his struggles were futile. Soon, his mouth was completely sewn shut, leaving no gaps. All he could do was let out muffled groans.
Naruto didn't want to look at him anymore and directly sealed him into his seal space.
This startled Kurama and Minato, who had been living a leisurely life in the seal space. It had been a while since they'd had a new guest.
"Where... did you put him?"
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock when he saw this. After all, there hadn't been any sealing scroll.
"I have a sealing array on my body, so I just sealed him into my seal space."
"What? There's such a convenient ability? Boss, can you make one for me?"
Kakuzu's eyes lit up. A sealing array that didn't require a scroll and could be used directly on the body? If Kakuzu had that, he wouldn't need to keep all his money with the organization.
He'd definitely seal it all on himself and take it out to count whenever he felt like it.
"I'll make one for you when I get the chance."
Naruto made the promise, then turned to Orochimaru, who was looking at him eagerly, and said, "Don't worry. He'll be your exclusive test subject. Once we get back, I'll hand him over to you. I have a lot of ideas about immortality."
"Is there anything else, Master?"
Orochimaru could sense that Naruto had more to say.
"Well, since we're already in the Land of Rivers, we might as well settle everything here in one."
"However, this dangerous place doesn't need to exist anymore."
'The Natural Energy here felt off. A 'god' that required so much flesh and blood to sustain couldn't possibly be anything good.'
A large bird appeared beneath the three of them, lifting them into the air as a small black sphere fell.
---
The Land of Grass, which is located north of the Land of Rivers, bordered the Land of Rain. Beyond the Land of Rain lay the Land of Grass.
The territory of the Land of Grass is also very small, and it is sandwiched between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, making its position even more precarious.
More importantly, during the Ninja World Wars, the Land of Grass had always acted like a fence-sitter.
Before the wars began, it remained a vassal of Konoha. But once the wars started, it often provided convenience to Iwagakure.
The famous Battle of Kannabi Bridge was a prime example.
Kusagakure allowed Iwagakure to pass through its territory, enabling them to reach Kannabi Bridge directly. This forced Team Minato to destroy the bridge.
However, after the Third Great Ninja War, Kusagakure reestablished diplomatic relations with Konoha, restoring their friendly, neighborly ties.
But now, with Iwagakure and Konoha on the brink of war again, it was unclear which side the Land of Grass would choose this time.
"Master, are you going to Kusagakure for the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
In the air, Orochimaru casually deflected a few shuriken that had pierced through the clouds and couldn't help but ask about Naruto's purpose for this trip.
He was always a man of great curiosity.
Moreover, their act of flying over the Land of Rain was quite conspicuous. While the other three great villages were still observing the situation, Sunagakure had already made its move.
Although Sunagakure often allied with Konoha, it was always the first to betray them.
As the saying goes, 'Your own poverty is terrifying, but your ally's success is even more distressing.'
Despite being one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure was arguably the most impoverished due to its harsh geographical environment. Not only did Konoha take the lion's share of missions, but the Land of Wind's Daimyo also frequently cut the village's funding.
Look at Konoha next door, it's so rich, it would be a shame not to take a bite out of them while they were in chaos.
So now, as Naruto and the others flew over the Land of Rain, they appeared in the shared sightlines of both Sunagakure and Konoha.
Both sides suspected the trio of being spies sent by the other, so they rained shuriken down on them.
However, Naruto was flying too high. So by the time the shuriken reached them, they were no longer a threat.
Naruto nodded and said, "The Box of Ultimate Bliss is indeed one of our targets, but it's more of a side objective."
"Even the Box of Ultimate Bliss is just a side objective? Master, your standards are truly high."
Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh. That was a Six Paths Ninja Tool, rumored to be capable of granting any wish.
But what Orochimaru didn't know was that, the wish-granting aspect was a complete lie. If someone made a wish, all they'd get was a monster named Satori.
Moreover, Satori wasn't particularly strong. Although rumors claimed that Kusagakure had nearly conquered the world with it, its actual performance in the original work didn't even reach the level of a Tailed Beast.
Naruto's real goal was Karin.
As a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan, Karin's Uzumaki bloodline was undoubtedly powerful, arguably even better than Naruto's in terms of pure lineage.
First, she possessed the innate ability of Heal Bite. Additionally, despite being drained by Kusagakure for years, she had awakened Mind's Eye of the Kagura and Adamantine Sealing Chains on her own. This level of talent was remarkable. Even if she only mastered these three abilities, she would still be an almost all-around Support-Type Ninja.
She is also a rare talent.
"But boss, isn't flying so openly in the sky a bit too conspicuous?"
Kakuzu looked at the dense crowd of ninjas on the ground and couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was a traditional Ninja. When possible, he preferred to infiltrate quietly. After all, a Ninja's Chakra was limited, and once surrounded by a large force, death was almost certain.
Hadn't even the Third Raikage died under the siege of a Ninja Army?
Naruto just smiled and said, "It's fine. For me, it doesn't make much of a difference. This is faster."
---
Nara Suzaku, the Jonin of the Nara Clan and the current acting clan head.
He had temporarily formed a new 'Ino-Shika-Cho' team with Akimichi Shido and Yamanaka Fu to handle the Sunagakure front.
At this time, Suzaku stood outside the tent, looking up at the distant shadow in the sky.
"Kamon, can you make out the figures up there?"
Suzaku asked the Hyuga Ninja beside him.
When Hyuga Kamon retracted his Byakugan, his expression turned grim.
"Suzaku-sama, I can only confirm that one of the chakra signatures belongs to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Hearing this, Suzaku's face also changed.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm certain."
Kamon also wore a bitter smile, 'How could I mistake the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's Chakra? That little blond had often been seen running around with our clan's young lady.'
'It's a pity that because of the defection, Hinata-sama is now in a bad situation.'
Suzaku's expression darkened completely as he looked in the direction the figure had gone.
'That way... seemed to lead toward Kusagakure and Iwagakure.'
"Someone, immediately inform Hokage-sama about the Jinchuriki's appearance. Also, send two Ninja teams to gather intelligence."