Junko Watanabe approached the body of Tachiyama Shinsaburo, which Minato had dragged out, and swung her blade, slashing each of his limbs once.
"Phut!"
Blood immediately sprayed like a small fountain.
"What are you trying to do?"
Tachiyama Shinsaburo spoke with just his mouth. According to common sense, he should not be able to produce any sound with his vocal cords uncontrollable after decapitation.
However, an ordinary person would have died the moment their head was severed. How could someone display such rage as he did now?
"Kill you," Minato replied calmly from the side.
Upon hearing this, Tachiyama's grotesque face showed an expression of wild laughter. "Kill me? I've already obtained true immortality. Not even the Sage of Six Paths could kill me. Do you really think you can?"
After obtaining immortality, Tachiyama Shinsaburo underwent a tremendous personality transformation.
After all, he no longer feared death at all.
Minato looked at him with slightly compassionate eyes and said, "There's no such thing as absolute immortality in this world. Even if you've acquired what you call an immortal body, it's still the same..."
"What you call 'immortal' is merely being difficult to erase in a physical sense. Ultimately though, you're still human... not divine."
"You brat, what exactly are you trying to say?" Tachiyama roared furiously. If he had the ability, he would bite through Minato's throat without hesitation.
"As long as you're human, or rather, even if only a living creature, you need nourishment. Without it, no matter how powerful an individual may be, they will eventually die from lack of nutrients," Minato explained.
Looking at his arteries that had been slashed open on all four limbs, Tachiyama's pupils slightly contracted.
Blood was one of the main carriers of nutrients in the body. As the meaning behind Minato's earlier words sank in, these guys intended to quickly drain all nutrients from his body.
Now, even Tachiyama started showing signs of panic because even he couldn't determine for certain whether this kid's method could actually kill him.
"There are plenty of ways I can kill you—reduce your body to ashes, rip you apart limb by limb. Even if you somehow survive, there probably won't be anyone in this world capable of restoring your remains," Minato continued.
The last time Sakumo didn't kill Tachiyama Shinsaburo wasn't because he lacked the means; it was because he was injured and being relentlessly pursued by Ryo Yagura.
Before this mission began, Hatake Sakumo had considered capturing Tachiyama alive and bringing him back to Konoha. If this near-immortal ability could be studied and utilized, it would certainly yield significant benefits.
But this man represented too many unknown variables. Moreover, if he remained alive, using live subjects for research involving this capability would violate fundamental ethical principles.
Therefore, right here and now, he should be killed.
"You damn brat!" Tachiyama screamed in fury. After acquiring his immortal body, he had committed one fatal mistake.
He had become overly dependent on the benefits provided by his immortal body, neglecting his actual abilities.
No matter how strong an ability was, it still all came down to the user's skill.
The reason Wood Release became so famous throughout the Ninja World wasn't because of its raw strength, but because of the First Hokage who wielded it.
Whether it be the Sharingan, Byakugan, kunai, or shuriken, they were all just weapons in the hands of ninja.
...
"Boom!"
From deep within the dense forest, a figure was sent flying back, clearly battered. But a second figure, even faster, shot in front of him and cut down with a single blade strike.
Ryo Yagura staggered back again. The Lightning Release Armor covering his body had already lost its glow, and both his speed and strength had dropped considerably.
The lightning glow on Sakumo's tanto had dimmed significantly as well—clearly, these two powerful experts had used up a great deal of chakra in their intense battle.
Junko Watanabe, Minato, and Yan stood together, eyes wary. Even with Sakumo present, they couldn't afford to underestimate Ryo Yagura.
Through Sakumo's figure, Ryo Yagura saw the horrifying and bloody scene.
Tachiyama Shinsaburo's body was soaked in a pool of blood. Due to massive blood loss, his skin had turned pale and his body was beginning to stiffen.
His severed head, lying not far away, wore an increasingly blank expression.
He wasn't dead yet, but keeping the head alive alone seemed to require a huge amount of energy.
"What an idiot!"
Ryo Yagura cursed inwardly. Not long ago, this fool had aimed to kill Sakumo Hatake—now, a woman and two kids had done this to him.
Still, Raikage had entrusted him with the mission to protect this man and bring him safely back to Kumogakure.
But now the situation was clear—he could no longer fulfill that mission.
If things continued like this, it wouldn't just be Tachiyama Shinsaburo; even he himself might end up dying here.
Swoosh!
Then, his eyes flickered, and suddenly he blasted backward. Seeing this, Sakumo didn't chase after him.
It wasn't that Sakumo couldn't have killed him, but although relations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning were tense, open hostility hadn't officially begun.
If he were to eliminate Ryo Yagura here, there would definitely be war between the two nations.
"Are you all alright?"
After Ryo Yagura left, Sakumo stepped forward and asked, his gaze sweeping around until landing on Junko Watanabe's right hand, stained red with blood.
He flashed in front of her and pulled out a roll of bandages from the ninja pouch at his waist, tossing them to her.
A shadow of gloom flickered across Junko's eyes, gone in an instant, before she began bandaging herself.
Only then did Sakumo turn his attention toward Minato and Yan Uchiha, giving a slight smile. "Good job."
Before the two stood Tachiyama Shinsaburo's severed head. His face had already grown somewhat stiff, yet the defiance in his eyes remained visible.
"You really made us work to put you down."
Sakumo's expression, however, remained cold and indifferent. This should have been a simple assassination mission originally, but because of this man, it nearly escalated into a political upheaval.
If it hadn't been for Kato Miyone's quick thinking—swapping identities with Fuu Akimoto before he showed up—nobody knows where things would've ended up.
"Die."
The next moment, Sakumo's gaze sharpened. Gripping the [Chakra Tanto], he drove it down without mercy. The [Lightning Release Chakra] exploded outward, vaporizing Tachiyama Shinsaburo's head in an instant.
Due to the extreme heat, nothing splattered.
Seeing this, Minato and the other two couldn't help but relax a little.
Finally… their mission in the Land of Hot Springs was done.
...
...
As for this rather unusual way of finishing someone off, Yoshihiko mentioned in an interview that Hidan would eventually die from lack of nutrients, so that's why I went with this method. Hope everyone won't find it too strange.
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