"Immortality?"
Looking at the fearless Hidan, Uchiha Fugaku raised his eyebrows.
He was naturally aware of Hidan's immortality, but he was skeptical about the limits of this so-called immortality.
Although Hidan wouldn't die if his head was chopped off or his heart pierced, what if his head was split in half?
If that didn't kill him either, would he still survive if his entire body was crushed into pulp?
According to Fugaku's speculation, it was unlikely he would survive that.
While Hidan did have an immortal body, it only meant he wouldn't die from vital injuries. It didn't mean he was unkillable no matter what.
It was probably impossible for him to remain alive after his body was reduced to pieces of flesh.
In Fugaku's opinion, the only person in the entire ninja world who could truly be called immortal was Kaguya Otsutsuki.
It was because of this that the Six Paths Sage and his brother had no choice but to seal her away.
Other than Kaguya, every so-called "immortal" body had its weaknesses and wasn't truly immortal.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade—"
Pulling out a kunai, Uchiha Fugaku infused wind-nature chakra into it, turning it into a sharp, glowing blue blade.
Holding the blue blade, he slashed at Hidan's head.
Puff—
Hidan's head was split down the middle from the base of the ear. From the clean cut, brain tissue was clearly visible.
Blood and fluids oozed out.
"It's useless. I'm immortal!"
A normal person would have died instantly, but Hidan didn't.
He turned his eyes toward Uchiha Fugaku and spoke with confidence.
"Susanoo—"
Seeing that Hidan remained alive even with his head split, Uchiha Fugaku frowned.
He activated Susanoo. The giant ethereal warrior extended a hand toward Hidan.
Fugaku wanted to see whether Hidan would still survive after being crushed into mush.
But then, he stopped.
He had thought of a better way to deal with Hidan's so-called immortal body.
"Corpse Melting—"
Deactivating Susanoo, he activated the left-eye pupil technique: Corpse Melting. A dark vortex appeared beneath Hidan.
It was as if a bottomless hole had opened under Hidan's body. His severed body was immediately sucked into the vortex.
Corpse Melting was designed to disintegrate bodies until nothing remained—not even ashes.
Fugaku didn't believe even Hidan could return from that.
The only uncertainty was that he had never used this jutsu on a living person before.
This would serve as a test.
"What is this place? Ah—ah—!"
Thrown into a pitch-black void filled with black liquid, Hidan struggled to move his eyes, trying to figure out where he was.
But he didn't get the chance to ponder for long.
His body, touching the black liquid, began to melt rapidly.
It was like being submerged in strong acid, or bitten by a million ants. Intense, all-consuming pain spread through every part of him.
Even with his extreme tolerance for pain, Hidan couldn't stop himself from screaming.
"No—ahhh—ah—!"
His face twisted in panic, something that hadn't happened in years.
He had always believed in his immortality. Now, he had a terrible feeling that he might actually die.
It terrified him.
Despite his claims, he was still human—he feared death.
As he realized that death was approaching, he panicked even more.
"Ahhhh—"
After a few breaths, Hidan's screams stopped.
His body no longer moved.
The man who boasted of immortality—was dead.
The Corpse Melting space, able to dissolve even the flesh and soul, proved effective on living beings.
It was the perfect counter to Hidan's immortality.
In no time, the rest of Hidan's body melted completely. There was nothing left of him.
Not a trace of blood, not even ashes.
Only the metal ring symbolizing Hidan's membership in Akatsuki remained, spat out by the Corpse Melting dimension.
"The Corpse Melting space… may be the ultimate nemesis of all so-called immortal bodies."
Uchiha Fugaku stood in thought.
He had always considered Corpse Melting as a utility jutsu, never for battle.
But now, he realized it had battlefield value—especially against immortals.
The black fluid in that space, capable of melting everything, could truly restrain immortal bodies.
Even if someone claimed immortality, they wouldn't last in that space.
"What if… I used this on Kaguya Otsutsuki?"
The thought crossed his mind.
Could Corpse Melting destroy even Kaguya Otsutsuki's true immortal body?
Would it erase her from existence and let him inherit her bloodline traits?
For a brief moment, Fugaku even considered helping Akatsuki revive the Ten Tails and Kaguya Otsutsuki.
But soon he shook off the idea.
While Corpse Melting might counter immortality, betting everything on that against Kaguya was far too risky.
If someday she did return, perhaps then he could try it. But not now.
"I wonder… what did I gain from melting Hidan's body?"
Putting aside thoughts of Kaguya, Fugaku focused on his own body.
Hidan had an immortal body and a suicide-based curse ability. Fugaku wondered whether these were secret techniques or bloodline-like traits.
If they were the latter, then Corpse Melting should allow him to inherit them.
Moments later, he felt changes within himself.
He had obtained Hidan's immortal body and the blood curse technique—Death Blood Curse.
"It seems both are bloodline-like traits," he concluded.
Many Kekkei Genkai were born from someone in an ancestor's line merging chakra natures or traits and passing them on.
Like the Yuki Clan's Ice Release—an ancestor combined Water and Wind chakra, and their bloodline changed, passing Ice Release to descendants.
Hidan must've used forbidden methods to alter his own body into something similar to a Kekkei Genkai, which could be inherited via Corpse Melting.
"Two rats dealt with… now, continue searching for the Five-Tails!"
Using the Mayfly Technique, he sank into the earth and continued to investigate the underground water network.
"Something's wrong..."
After patrolling the crisscrossing underground water channels, he noticed the water was no longer boiling.
The intense heat had subsided.
"Why the sudden drop in temperature? Could it be..."
A possibility came to mind.
His fight with Shennong and Hidan may have startled the hidden Five-Tails.
It could have sensed danger and fled.
Further searching confirmed it.
The water temperature continued to cool until it matched the surrounding terrain.
But there was no sign of the Five-Tails.
It had escaped.
"The capture of the Five-Tails… failed."
Uchiha Fugaku emerged from the earth, disappointed.
Still, not everything was in vain.
He had eliminated two Akatsuki members, weakening the organization.
And he had gained Hidan's bloodline powers: immortality and death curse.
Shennong's body remained. If he melted it too, he might gain medical-related talent.
"It's time to go back."
As Konoha's Hokage, he couldn't stay away too long.
However, as he glanced at Shennong's ring, an idea struck him.
He had removed it because it could have a tracking or positioning feature.
But what if it was more than that?
"Akatsuki values these rings. They might try to retrieve them."
If someone came to recover it, he could track them.
It might even lead him to a White Zetsu base.
He had always wanted to find and destroy that base—to smelt White Zetsu clones and gain natural energy compatibility.
Then he could evolve his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into the Rinnegan.
(End of this chapter)
***
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