Chapter 345

"Why aren't you dead either?"

Outside the inn, on the beach.

After performing his special ritual, Hidan looked at Orochimaru, who was completely unharmed, and was left even more confused.

What on earth was happening today? This was already the third person, and his curse seemed to have lost its potency—no one had died.

Standing in front of Hidan, Orochimaru smiled faintly, raising his sleeve as he said calmly, "Because... the blood you just licked wasn't mine."

As he spoke, a small white snake slipped out of Orochimaru's sleeve and fell onto the sand. It twisted and squirmed for a moment before finally going still.

At that moment, Hidan realized what had happened and immediately cursed, "You bastard! How dare you offer something like that to Lord Jashin! I'll kill you!"

Facing Hidan, who was charging at him furiously, Orochimaru effortlessly dodged while saying, "It's pointless. As long as I know the condition for activating your strange curse, you'll never get my blood again. Just give up."

Meanwhile, at the inn's entrance, Konan, who had already landed, frowned and asked Minato and Huang Quan, "Did you see what happened?"

"It was because a snake died, and then they started fighting," Huang Quan answered, leaving Konan and Minato speechless. Of course, it wasn't entirely Huang Quan's fault. He wasn't interested in Hidan, so he hadn't been paying attention.

Minato spoke up appropriately, "It seems to be related to blood. During his previous fights with you and Huang Quan, he emphasized the word 'blood.' During his fight with Orochimaru just now, Lord Orochimaru deliberately allowed him to obtain the snake's blood.

"After licking the blood, Hidan entered some kind of ritual and stabbed himself in the heart, but the result was that the snake died. So, it seems that his ritual allows him to transfer any damage he inflicts on himself to the one whose blood he has licked."

"I see," Konan nodded.

"Minato, it's about time to prepare dinner."

Hearing Shinji call from inside the inn, Minato quickly turned and replied, "Right away, Mr. Anri."

...

Seeing Hidan wrapped tightly by a snake as thick as a man's thigh, unable to move, Konan looked down coldly at him and asked indifferently, "So what do you think now? Will you join Akatsuki and work for us, or will you be dealt with here?"

"Alright, alright, I'll join," Hidan replied impatiently, knowing he was beaten. Then he added, "But let me make it clear—I don't care about this Akatsuki nonsense. I will never stop my missionary work. My mission is to spread the teachings of Lord Jashin."

"I don't know what you mean by Lord Jashin, but even to fulfill your mission, you should join Akatsuki."

Hidan frowned, looking displeased and puzzled.

"Because Akatsuki is a group involved in all sorts of killings, such as assassinations and wars."

...

Late at night, Konan found herself annoyed for some reason, looking at the brightly lit inn and listening to the laughter of the children coming from inside.

Here she was, in the middle of the night, painstakingly bringing Hidan, Huang Quan, and Orochimaru back to report in, while over there, Shinji was comfortably enjoying himself in the hot spring inn.

"Angel, why don't we stay the night and leave in the morning?" Huang Quan suggested in a fawning tone.

"Leave again?"

Smelling the delicious aroma of food, Hidan, who was just about to enter the inn, paused and pointed at it, "Isn't this place the headquarters of that Akatsuki? Isn't that blue-haired guy your leader?"

"No, at most, he's just our collaborator," Orochimaru replied in his hoarse voice. After licking his lips, he looked through the door at the three young ones preparing to eat in the dining hall.

As someone with a love for talent, Orochimaru couldn't help but notice the children's exceptional potential. The youngest red-haired girl, with the highest chakra reserves, was undoubtedly from the Uzumaki clan.

The black-haired boy, who always wore a gentle expression, had earlier used his abilities to chill a drink for Angolamanue. He was probably a descendant of the Yuki clan from the Land of Water.

As for the white-haired boy, his every move was sharp and precise, with no wasted effort. Although Orochimaru couldn't determine which clan he was from, he was certainly not ordinary.

"Such... potential—"

Before he could finish his thought, Orochimaru felt an overwhelming mental pressure, like a mountain bearing down on him. His voice caught in his throat, and cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

Just one glance had made Orochimaru feel fear.

This was absolutely not an opponent any human could resist!

From that single glance from Shinji in the inn, Orochimaru reached a conclusion, and he quickly bowed in apology.

"My apologies. I've always had a passion for talent and meant no offense to you."

"You may have some longevity, but remember—there are people you cannot covet."

"Understood."

Orochimaru bowed deeply. He was intrigued by what Shinji had said about longevity. If even the embodiment of humanity's evil said so, did it mean that Orochimaru could truly find the path to eternal life?

"Alright, we should head back."

Smelling the increasingly rich aroma of food, Konan was the first to turn around, heading straight towards the pitch-black sea.

"Seriously? We're traveling by water in the dead of night? Give me a break; I haven't even eaten today," Hidan complained.

"Less talking! Whatever the angel says goes!"

Huang Quan scolded, then gave a fawning smile towards Shinji, who was still in the inn's dining hall, "Big Bro, we won't bother you any longer."

Just then, Minato, dressed in a homemaker's apron, walked into the dining hall from the kitchen, carrying two carefully prepared dishes. Seeing his colleagues still at the door, he couldn't help but exchange pleasantries.

"It's already late. Would you like to stay and join us for dinner?"

"Oh! Thanks for the invitation!"

Without a second thought, Hidan responded and stepped inside, even finding a seat at the table for himself with a casual ease.

The sight left Minato speechless. Did this guy not understand that he was just being polite? Also... that was my usual seat. Where am I supposed to sit?

"And by the way, I don't eat vegetables."

Seeing Hidan make demands, Minato almost lost his composure, despite being generally well-mannered.

Whoosh! A bright golden sword suddenly appeared, pointing directly at Hidan's forehead. Sensing the overwhelming threat of death from the sword, Hidan swallowed hard.

"Well... actually, I suppose I can eat vegetables."

Minato: ...

Is this guy really lacking in intelligence?

...

In the end, the four of them, including Konan, stayed the night. It was already late, and it really wasn't ideal to travel by water in the dark—they could easily lose their way! After enjoying Minato's carefully prepared, delicious, and nutritious dishes, Konan convinced herself that she definitely wasn't staying just because the food smelled so good!

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've had a meal sitting down with everyone," Orochimaru said, licking his lips with his long tongue between bites, which made Karin cringe.

"Koro-sensei, is there something wrong with that guy?" she whispered.

"Don't mind him; it's just a habit," Shinji waved his hand dismissively. Orochimaru was just like that—he seemed like a creepy pervert when you first saw him, someone you wouldn't want near women. But once you got to know him...

You'd realize he was even worse than you thought.

His perversion had nothing to do with women. He'd rob graves without hesitation, and when he saw talented children, he'd try to mark them as his own—even literally.

"Ara, it seems I've caused a misunderstanding. Let me clarify, I'm not interested in little girls," Orochimaru said.

"Being interested in little boys is even worse, isn't it?"

Seeing Karin's frown deepen, with black lines practically appearing on her forehead, Orochimaru fell silent. In his heart, he lamented that no one truly understood him in this world.

Not his longtime comrades (Jiraiya, Tsunade), not his teacher (Hiruzen Sarutobi), and not even this young girl he'd just met.

...

Late at night, after a soak in the hot spring that truly relieved her fatigue, Konan found herself inexplicably standing in front of Shinji's room.

... And somehow, she even knocked.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Upon opening the door, she saw Shinji in his pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor, facing away from her. He was meticulously printing something using a strange-looking printing press. It was at that moment that Konan snapped back to reality.

Why had she come here? What was she even planning to say?

"Is there something you need?" Shinji asked as he sorted the printed materials without turning around. They were the new semester's textbooks for the three young ones who would soon start school.

Hearing this, Konan was at a loss for words, inwardly blaming herself for not even knowing why she was here.

"Could it be... that our last chat wasn't enough?"

Hearing this, Konan's cheeks turned red, and she mentally cursed. This man truly had no sense of shame!

"No, it's not that."

"If not, then why are you here?"

Seeing Shinji turn his head with an expression that seemed to say, "Isn't it obvious?" Konan's face grew even redder, and she cursed inwardly: Does this man only ever think of that? Can't I just come to see him?

"If there's nothing, then you can leave."

Shinji, now binding a few textbooks, waved his hand casually, showing no concern. This attitude brought an unnamed fire to Konan's heart.

Biting her lip, she clenched her fists, making up her mind. She needed to properly teach this man a lesson to vent the frustration he had caused her!

...

Shinji smiled faintly, leaning in to whisper in Konan's ear as she tried to stifle her voice, "Don't worry, this room is soundproof—no matter how loud you are, no one will hear."

"Bastard!"

"Oh? Really?"

"Wait... hold on, I've just received a summons from Pain. Let's pause for a moment..."