The meeting point written in the letter was a dense forest near Okuno Toyoju.
When Kirito and Anko arrived, Hidan leapt down from a tree, yawning arrogantly. "What's this? Is Konoha so short on manpower now? They sent one Jōnin and one Genin to make the ransom exchange? Tsk, tsk. Watanabe Yuta, I guess your father doesn't really care about saving you."
"Mmmph…"
Yuta Watanabe's mouth was stuffed, and he was tied upside down, hanging from Hidan's blood-stained triple scythe. His body trembled violently, his face pale with terror.
The moment Kirito saw the man, he froze. That's Hidan—from the Akatsuki Organization!
If Hidan was here, then his partner Kakuzu couldn't be far away.
Seriously? These guys are supposed to be elite members of Akatsuki, and they're resorting to kidnapping for ransom?
After a brief exchange, Anko immediately realized something terrifying—the enemy's strength far surpassed hers.
Keeping her expression calm, she said coolly, "If it's just an exchange, one person is enough. We've brought the money as agreed. I just hope you'll keep your end of the bargain."
Hidden in the shadows, Kakashi and Guy exchanged glances.
Guy whispered, "Kakashi… their strength?"
Kakashi's lone eye narrowed. "Unfathomable. No weaker than you or me."
Guy fell silent, watching closely. If Anko was right, there had to be another enemy nearby, hidden from view.
About fifty meters away, perched on a tree branch, Kakuzu watched the negotiations with disdain. Too weak. Pathetic. I expected someone strong, but Hidan can handle this himself. There's no need for me to move at all.
Hidan smirked and turned around so that Anko and Kirito could see Yuta dangling helplessly. "Tsk tsk, see? I even brought him here myself. That's pretty sincere, don't you think?"
Anko: "…"
Kirito: "…"
Kirito sighed inwardly. So much for an easy S-rank mission from a spoiled rich man… now we've run straight into mid-level Akatsuki monsters. Perfect.
Still, if they could resolve this peacefully with money, that would be ideal. The mission objective was simply to rescue Yuta, not to fight Akatsuki.
Seeing Yuta trembling and pale, Anko's brows furrowed. "Then let's not waste time. Here's the money. Release him."
Hidan's lips curled into a sinister grin. "Heh. I thought we'd have a bloody battle, but you two are surprisingly tame. Fine. One hand pays, one hand frees. Simple trade."
"Alright," Anko said softly, holding out her hand toward Kirito. "Give it to me."
"Huh? Weren't we supposed to do this together?" Kirito asked in confusion.
Anko flicked his forehead with a faint smile. "I'll handle it. I'm just worried you might mess it up. Be ready."
Kirito sighed but nodded. "Be careful, okay?"
"I know, kid. Stop nagging," Anko muttered, picking up the chest of money.
The exchange went smoothly. Pain had ordered Akatsuki members to keep a low profile, and Hidan didn't want unnecessary trouble.
Once the ransom was handed over, Anko pulled the gag from Yuta's mouth, cut the ropes binding him, and lifted him up. "We're done. Let's go!"
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted from the nearby forest!
Kirito and Anko froze in alarm—the blast came from the direction where Kakashi and Guy were hiding!
A few minutes earlier, the two had been relieved to see the hostage safely recovered. But just as Kakashi was about to lower his forehead protector, his instincts screamed—
"Guy! Retreat!"
Guy reacted instantly, and both bolted toward Anko's position.
Overhead, a giant clay bird flapped its wings, scattering white feathers of explosive clay.
"Hahahaha!" a wild laugh echoed from above.
Kakuzu turned toward the sound and saw two familiar figures—Deidara and Sasori.
At the same time, two figures burst from the smoke of the explosion, landing on either side of the forest clearing, blocking all possible escape routes.
"Hahaha! Trying to run?"
Deidara leapt gracefully from his clay bird, landing to the left of the Konoha group. Sasori descended beside him, landing to the right.
In an instant, Kirito and the others were surrounded.
When Kirito saw the newcomers, his stomach dropped. Deidara and Sasori… this just went from bad to impossible!
All he'd wanted was a quiet life, maybe running a ramen stall someday. But clearly, fate had other ideas—no transmigrator ever got to live in peace.
Now, there was no turning back.
Kirito, Kakashi, Guy, and Anko stood back-to-back, shielding Yuta in the center.
Yuta trembled. "F-four of us… can we even make it out alive?"
Anko pulled out a kunai, her tone sharp. "Don't lose focus. These four are no ordinary opponents. We fight to survive."
"Hmph." Hidan rested his blood-red scythe across his shoulder, the chains clinking ominously. "You think you'll fight your way out? My scythe won't allow it."
Kakuzu glared at Deidara and Sasori. "Why are you two here?"
Deidara flicked his blonde bangs aside and smirked. "You and Hidan went silent for half a month. We came to check. And guess what? While we were searching, two Konoha shinobi decided to ambush us with explosive tags. Hah! Quite the warm welcome, un."
Hidan growled and raised his scythe toward Deidara. "You two just love meddling, don't you?"
"What was that?" Deidara spread his hands, ready to attack.
Tension crackled in the air. Akatsuki members were powerful, but cooperation was… not their strong suit.
Seeing things escalate, both Kakuzu and Sasori spoke at once.
Kakuzu: "Hidan."
Sasori: "Deidara."
The two hotheads glared at each other, then backed down with cold snorts.
Hidan muttered, "Whatever. My job's done anyway."
Sasori's hoarse, mechanical voice echoed. "Kill them all. Leave no witnesses."
His gaze shifted to Kakashi. "Hatake Kakashi… son of the White Fang, aren't you?"
Kakashi raised his kunai, frowning. "And who are you?"
Sasori's voice was calm but chilling. "I am Sasori. Today, I'll see for myself what the son of Konoha's White Fang can do."
The name made Kakashi freeze for a split second.
Kirito's eyes widened. Of course… Sasori's parents were killed by Kakashi's father—the White Fang of Konoha!
Sasori lifted his arm, the air filling with the hiss of metal. "Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan—take care of the rest. Kakashi is mine."
As he spoke, a long, segmented iron tail unfurled from the hole in his puppet body, gleaming under the dim forest light.
"Back Tail Spike!"
The tail shot forward like lightning, aimed straight at Kakashi!
End of the chapter.