043 Reborn as the Third Kazekage

In a desolate alley in the Land of Rain, the drizzle continued to fall relentlessly. Outside the alley, several corpses lay scattered haphazardly. The entire alley looked as though it had been bombarded by an airstrike—both concrete walls were nearly demolished, the ground was riddled with craters, each about a meter wide, and the marks of an intense battle were everywhere. If an experienced ninja were present, they would surely be stunned by the sheer ferocity and destruction of the battle. This level of devastation could only be caused by the clash of at least two Kage-level fighters!

At the farthest end of the alley lay two corpses. The one further inside held a shattered chain-scythe, its breathing apparatus askew, and the Amegakure forehead protector was knocked to the side. Its long gray-white hair was tangled and matted on the ground. The ninja armor on its torso was severely damaged, and the once-muscular body was riddled with deep wounds—gashes from Wind Release, burns from Fire Release, and scorched marks from Lightning Release. The death was gruesome, to say the least. A glance at the face confirmed it: the famed "Demi-God of the Ninja World," Hanzo of the Salamander, and the leader of Amegakure.

Not far from Hanzo's body lay another corpse, but this one was peculiar. It wore a Takigakure Village forehead protector with a deep slash across it, marking it as a rogue ninja. The face was obscured by a black mask, revealing only a pair of lifeless green eyes. Below the neck, the body resembled a dismantled puppet, with its torso and limbs disconnected and held together by black threads.

After a moment, a black dog-like figure slowly crept into the alley. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a dog but a masked creature crawling on all fours. It scanned its surroundings before heading straight for the dismembered body. With a few sharp movements, it tore open the chest and climbed inside. Moments later, the torso twitched slightly, and the black threads began to writhe like living snakes, reattaching the limbs and head. Before long, the body was whole again.

"Phew…" The "corpse" let out a long breath and sat up slowly.

"This is a huge loss," Kakuzu muttered as he inspected his shattered mask fragments, counting them with pained fingers.

"One… two… three… four. Four of them destroyed! Damn it!" Enraged, he kicked Hanzo's corpse.

Something unexpected happened. His kick landed squarely on the torso, rupturing something inside. With a loud "pop," a cloud of purple gas began seeping out of the corpse's wounds, spreading rapidly.

"Shit!" Kakuzu performed a series of backflips, retreating to safety.

"This old bastard was crazy—he even had poison sacs hidden in his body!"

Hanzo's corpse, of course, offered no reply. The purple gas continued to spread, enveloping a passing rat. Within seconds, the rat collapsed and died on the spot. The toxicity was terrifyingly potent. Witnessing this, Kakuzu retreated several more steps.

"This place is too dangerous. I'm out of here." Without hesitation, Kakuzu leaped away.

As he darted across rooftops, Kakuzu couldn't help but berate himself for taking such a reckless mission. Thankfully, he had one Earth-style "hearts of grief" left, otherwise, he might not have survived. This mission had cost him his Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Water hearts. More frustratingly, he hadn't acquired a new heart to replace them. He'd intended to take Hanzo's heart as a trophy, only to discover that the old man was toxic inside and out. Now he'd have to search for four more hearts—who knew how long that would take?

"Damn it, I need more money!" Kakuzu cursed through gritted teeth.

...

"Good move!" Arashi sidestepped Hidan's thrown scythe, countering with two kunai. Calm and composed, Hidan skillfully twitched the steel cable in his hands, creating ripples that deflected the kunai. Without pausing, he yanked the scythe back and used it as a pivot to launch a spinning kick at Arashi.

Arashi nodded internally. This kid's taijutsu is impressive. He stepped forward to engage, but just as Hidan's kick neared his chest, Arashi suddenly shifted. His body twisted like a top, performing a graceful 180-degree aerial flip. The two traded positions midair, and when they landed, Arashi had his kunai poised at the back of Hidan's head.

"Not bad, not bad. Where'd you learn that? It's creative!" Arashi praised, only to notice that Hidan had a short spear in a reverse grip, its tip aimed at Arashi's abdomen.

"Duy-sensei taught me. He said to always keep a move in reserve for a counterattack."

"Good, very good. Based on your taijutsu alone, you're at a Chunin level."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sensei!" Hidan retrieved his scythe, coiling its cable as he went.

With a puff of white smoke, the Arashi in front of him disappeared—it had been a shadow clone.

"You're amazing, Hidan! You even beat him!" A child's voice called out. Arashi emerged from a distance, holding a beaming Sasori, who waved his tiny hands excitedly.

Hidan smiled as he took Sasori into his arms.

"Nah, I'm nowhere near as good as Sensei."

"Still, you're improving. That scythe technique—I modeled it after Hanzo of the Salamander's chain-scythe dual strikes. It's all about bold, unconventional angles, and you're starting to get the hang of it. By the way, how's your Transformation Jutsu coming along?"

"Well…" Hidan scratched his head awkwardly. Outside of taijutsu, his skills were lacking.

"I can do it! I can!" Sasori wriggled out of Hidan's arms and excitedly performed hand seals. With a puff of smoke, an identical copy of himself appeared.

Arashi raised an eyebrow, impressed. As expected of a prodigy from Sunagakure. He ruffled Sasori's hair approvingly before turning back to Hidan.

"As a ninja, you need a variety of techniques. Pure taijutsu fighters aren't unheard of, but having limited methods can be a disadvantage against an evenly matched opponent. Here, I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Yes, Sensei!"

"I want to learn too!" Sasori chimed in eagerly.

"No problem. Listen carefully. This technique, developed by the Second Hokage Tobirama, is a B-rank jutsu that creates physical clones. The hand seals are simple, but the key lies in balancing your chakra. Watch…"

"Lord Kazekage! Urgent news from Amegakure!" Pakura interrupted, holding a document.

"Well, looks like this will have to wait." Arashi scanned the report and sighed. "Luckily, winter break is almost here, so this won't interfere with your training. Pakura, assign Hidan a temporary bodyguard role and have him accompany us to the Land of Rain. You, pack your things." Arashi gestured to Hidan.

"The Land of Rain? What happened?" Hidan asked, puzzled.

"Your idol, Hanzo of the Salamander, has been assassinated. We're heading there to pay our respects. Oh, Pakura, make sure Chiyo settles the bill."

"What?" Hidan blinked in confusion. Since when did I have an idol?

"What about me? I still need to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Sasori whined.

"You—" Arashi crouched down, pinching Sasori's cheek affectionately. "First, focus on puppet techniques with your grandmother. I'll teach you the jutsu when I get back!"