Land of Grass.
In an abandoned building, after hearing Uchiha Shinji's orders, Sasuke grumbled discontentedly, "More of this damned 'stay low' nonsense. We've been hiding for days!"
Haku, standing nearby, tried to calm him. "Don't complain. Following the boss's orders won't steer us wrong."
Sasuke's face twisted with frustration. "C, if you want to hide, go do it yourself. I've got my own business to take care of!"
Haku stepped in front of Sasuke, blocking his path. "Don't be reckless!"
Sasuke let out a cold snort. "C, don't force me to get serious with you!"
"Sigh…"
Haku let out a helpless sigh.
In a flash, he darted behind Sasuke, aiming a precise hand chop at the back of Sasuke's neck.
"So fast!"
Sasuke was inwardly shocked, quickly turning to block.
Thud thud thud.
The two engaged in a fierce taijutsu clash within the abandoned building, the muffled sounds of their strikes echoing through the room.
The longer they fought, the more alarmed Sasuke became.
He hadn't expected Haku's taijutsu to be so sharp. Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was faintly struggling to keep up with Haku's rhythm.
Thud!
After another clash, the two recoiled from the impact, each stepping back.
Sasuke snapped, "C, are you really going to get in my way?"
Haku replied calmly, "The boss's orders were clear. At this stage, we need to stay discreet and avoid contact with demons as much as possible."
Sasuke's irritation flared. "If that's how it is, I'll show you my true power!"
Haku's tone remained steady. "If you're thinking of using 'Susanoo,' I'd advise you to reconsider."
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "How… how do you know about that?"
Haku explained, "The boss paired me with you to assist you. When the time is right, I'll help you with your revenge. But now isn't the time—we need to prioritize the bigger picture."
Before the mission, Shinji had used 'Jikibi' to inform Haku of Sasuke's identity, instructing him to keep a close eye on Sasuke and authorizing Haku to subdue him if necessary. Thus, Haku had known Sasuke's background from the start.
Seeing how well C understood him, Sasuke felt a pang of unease. After weighing his options, he reluctantly sat back down.
Haku reassured him, "Don't worry. The boss hasn't forgotten your vengeance."
On a high cliff elsewhere, Hidan, much like Sasuke, was grumbling about the order to stay low—it didn't suit her personality at all.
Karin shot her a glance. "Got a problem? You can take it up with the boss directly."
Hidan immediately quieted, muttering under her breath, "Tch, I'm not that stupid."
Karin ignored Hidan's complaints and, using the terrain to her advantage, focused intently on scanning the surroundings for signs of Akatsuki members.
"Trouble!"
Hidan suddenly let out a startled cry.
Karin asked, "What's wrong?"
Hidan's face twisted with unease. "My… my body is having some issues. It seems like it's being evacuated from the Land of Grass!"
Like Karin, Yakumo, who had adapted to the 'Koryugan,' had seen her dojutsu prowess grow steadily with her physical development. As her dojutsu power increased, Hidan's spiritual form's range of activity had expanded from the initial fifty kilometers tested to seventy-five kilometers now.
Under normal circumstances, this range was sufficient.
But with Yakumo currently retreating toward the Land of Fire with Tsunade, a distance of seventy-five kilometers was far from enough for a cross-country journey.
Karin frowned. "What do we do now?"
Hidan replied, "I might have to head back for a bit. Don't worry, I have other ways to extend my range. Wait for me!"
With that, Hidan's spiritual form transformed into a streak of rainbow light and vanished into the horizon.
In a forest, Neji and Kimimaro inadvertently stumbled upon a massive group of Hidden Grass Village refugees.
This large refugee group was actually a amalgamation of several scattered groups, making it not only numerous but also including a significant number of Hidden Grass Village shinobi. There were several jōnin alone, with dozens of chūnin and genin combined.
Faced with such a large number of Grass shinobi, both Neji and Kimimaro felt a bit overwhelmed.
However, just as they were deliberating how to handle this troublesome situation, the Grass shinobi, gripped by intense fear, turned and fled.
In an instant, the massive refugee group scattered like startled birds and beasts, shouting things like "It's the Akatsuki!" and "Run for your lives!"
Watching the Grass Village refugees flee in panic, Neji and Kimimaro exchanged bewildered glances.
In that moment, they truly grasped the fearsome reputation of the Akatsuki. Merely wearing the red-cloud cloaks, without even lifting a finger, was enough to scatter dozens of shinobi.
On a battlefield littered with severed limbs, Kokushibo, 'Upper Rank Two,' flicked his long blade, shaking off the fresh blood clinging to it.
The few remaining Hidden Mist shinobi stared at Kokushibo in terror, as if gazing upon the embodiment of death.
Not long ago, their twenty-man squad had been reduced to just the three of them by this 'Upper Rank Two.'
Kokushibo sneered with disdain. "You shinobi… are too weak."
"Damn… damn it!"
"Did the signal go out?"
"Let's take him down!"
The three Hidden Mist shinobi roared hysterically, preparing for a final stand.
"Hey, get out of the way! This guy's ours!"
At that moment, a lazy voice called out from the distance.
Both sides on the battlefield turned to look.
Two figures clad in red-cloud cloaks and wearing conical hats were approaching the battlefield, riding atop a giant white bird.
On another battlefield, the demonized Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' crushed a puppet beneath his foot before raising his head to face two approaching figures.
These two were none other than the Akatsuki's Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
As they drew near, Kisame removed his conical hat, surveying the battlefield. Noting the scattered remains of Hidden Sand shinobi, he remarked with a mix of awe and amusement, "This 'Upper Rank One' is something else, huh? Itachi, looks like we're in for a tough fight!"
Itachi slowly removed his own hat, responding with a simple, "Hm."
Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' silently raised his sword, pointing it at Itachi and Kisame.
Atop a flying fusion beast, Hiruko and Kurotsume Raiga were observing a demonized swordsman below, locked in combat with Hidden Cloud shinobi.
Raiga's expression was grim. "This guy's strength is no joke."
Hiruko chuckled. "The leader's orders were clear. No matter how tough these monsters are, we've got no choice but to dive in!"
Raiga said, "I'll go first. Cover me!"
Hiruko nodded. "Alright. His swordsmanship is sharp, so you'd better be careful. It's rare to have a normal partner—I don't want to end up with another lunatic!"
"You're the lunatic here!"
With that, Raiga's form flickered, leaping from the back of the flying fusion beast toward the battlefield below.