Kakashi immediately realized that Sasori was coming for him—and of the four enemies, Sasori was without doubt the most dangerous.
In a flash, Kakashi leapt backward and shouted, "Protect Watanabe Yuta! I'll draw him away!"
Guy reacted instantly, grabbing Watanabe Yuta and dodging aside, while Kakashi sprinted east through the trees.
"Huh? Trying to run?"
Sasori's tail struck empty air, missing its target. He laughed coldly and pursued. "Then let's see how long you can last!"
At that moment, the atmosphere on the battlefield tightened like a bowstring ready to snap. Both sides were seconds away from an all-out fight.
Deidara grinned, eyes gleaming with excitement. "How about we each kill one of these Konoha losers and then blow up that Watanabe brat? Art is an explosion!"
Kakuzu crossed his arms. "You three handle it. I'll stay out of it unless things go wrong."
"What could possibly go wrong?" Hidan sneered, dragging his blood-soaked scythe across the ground with a screech. "Let me sacrifice them all to Lord Jashin! Hahahaha!"
Guy set Watanabe down carefully, then dashed straight toward Hidan.
Though Hidan relied on his cursed immortality, he was still a skilled taijutsu fighter. But no one could rival Might Guy in hand-to-hand combat. Still, Kirito knew the danger—Hidan's curse was what made him terrifying.
Deidara and Hidan launched their assaults simultaneously. Kirito stayed calm amid the chaos.
He wasn't worried about Kakashi; the Copy Ninja had faced every kind of opponent and lived to tell the tale. Even Sasori would find him difficult to handle.
Among the remaining three—Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara—Kirito judged Hidan's curse to be the deadliest threat. But if Anko figured out his ability, she might be able to counter it.
The worst-case scenario was simple: all of Akatsuki's attackers die here—but at the cost of Guy's life through the Eighth Gate.
No, I can't let that happen.
He thought fast. The mission's goal was to earn some money, not die in a hopeless battle. There was no reason to fight to the death.
Kirito opened the system's control panel and summoned Crazy Diamond.
Deidara ignored him completely, focusing on Anko instead. "Hahaha! Art is the beauty of a single moment—explode!"
He tossed several explosive clay grasshoppers toward her.
Seeing the incoming projectiles, Anko quickly formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared forward, incinerating every clay bug before they reached her. She glanced at Kirito. "Protect Watanabe Yuta!"
"Got it!" Kirito replied, pulling the terrified boy behind him.
Anko rushed forward, engaging Deidara to draw him away. Watching her charge ahead despite her injuries filled Kirito with admiration—he almost wanted to marry her on the spot.
As Anko pressed her attack, Deidara sneered. "Detonating Clay—Centipede!"
Two clay centipedes scuttled across the ground toward the twin snakes Anko had summoned. Deidara leapt onto a giant clay bird and took to the sky, his laughter echoing through the trees.
"Your jutsu reeks of Orochimaru's style. Disgusting! I'll bury you here!"
The centipedes exploded on impact, shattering the snakes and blasting the ground apart.
"Damn it!" Anko growled, glaring up at him before attacking again.
Meanwhile, Guy and Hidan clashed fiercely. Within moments, Guy gauged his opponent's power—and found it lacking.
But seeing Anko struggling, Guy clenched his fists and roared, "Eight Inner Gates Technique—Fourth Gate: Open!"
His chakra flared like an inferno. His speed and strength multiplied severalfold. He charged and drove his fist straight through Hidan's chest!
But Hidan didn't flinch—he laughed.
"Hahaha!"
That deranged grin made Guy's instincts scream. He leapt back—but too late. Hidan's scythe scraped his cheek, drawing blood.
Hidan's expression twisted with ecstasy as he licked the blood from his blade.
Instantly, his wounds closed. He drew a strange circle on the ground in Guy's blood and stepped into it.
His skin turned black with white bone markings as he raised his spear. "It's over."
"Aaahhh—!"
Guy screamed, clutching his stomach as if stabbed. Kakuzu turned his head and smirked—Hidan's ritual was complete.
Hidan drove the black spear through his own abdomen. Guy dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his mouth.
"Guy!" Anko's scream broke her focus.
Deidara laughed from above, spitting out a massive lump of clay. "C2 Dragon! Drink in the art of explosion!"
A giant clay dragon descended, detonating as it struck the ground.
The blast engulfed everything nearby. Guy couldn't move. Anko tried to shield herself but lost an arm in the explosion.
"Ahhh!" Anko fell to one knee, sweat pouring from her pale face.
"Guy! Anko!" Kakashi, still battling Sasori, heard the screams and tried to turn back.
Sasori's puppet armor opened, launching hundreds of senbon. "Do you still have time to worry about others? Your opponent is me! Feiruko—Thousand Needle Assault!"
Metal needles rained toward him, forcing Kakashi to block.
In the clearing, Kirito now stood alone.
"Watanabe, stay behind me," he said, voice calm but firm.
The situation hadn't completely spiraled out of control yet—or so he thought. When he glanced back, Watanabe Yuta had already stumbled several meters away, trying to flee.
Anko's and Guy's injuries made his blood run cold.
"Hmph, trying to run?" Deidara smirked, tossing a small clay bird toward the fleeing Yuta.
"Boom!"
The bird detonated midair, and Yuta's body was blown apart instantly.
Kirito froze. His mind went blank.
Anko, clutching her bleeding shoulder, shouted desperately, "Kirito! Run!"
But he didn't move.
Hidan approached with a grin, dragging his scythe behind him. "Hahaha! What's wrong? Too scared to move?"
Just as the blade swung down, a towering, radiant stand appeared behind Kirito—Crazy Diamond.
Kirito slowly raised his head, meeting Hidan's crazed eyes. "Why didn't you just take the ransom and stop?"
Hidan eyed the two-meter-tall, humanoid figure glowing behind Kirito. Something felt wrong, but his arrogance didn't waver. "You bluffing brat."
"Dora dora dora dora dora dora dora!"
With Kirito's shout, Crazy Diamond unleashed a flurry of rapid punches, hammering Hidan into the ground with overwhelming force.
Then, in an instant, Kirito dashed to the shattered remains of Watanabe Yuta's body. Crazy Diamond's fists blurred again—this time striking the air in front of the corpse, the energy flowing into it.
"Restore… everything!"
The Stand's power surged, repairing what was broken as light surrounded the body.
End of the chapter.