Chapter 45: Tango in the Meadow

Shin was traveling from oneplace to the next, from the land of hot springs to the land of Rivers, visiting every brothel he came across, making occasional appearances as the fat Kage-killer and eating entire restaurants dry and buffets to bankruptcy. During this time, he also stopped various robbers and rogue ninjas as his usual self just because head nothing to do.

Of Course, he could just speed run the whole world but he was just too lazy and doing some good ol' detective work never hurt anyone, well except for the countless crocks he beat up trying to get information. And enjoying some nice peaceful time in the nature with Pineapple was a nice change of pace.

Now after nearly 2 weeks of travel, he had finally found the toad sage, in the bosom of a rather chubby woman but that didn't matter. After a short conversation and dining out that Tsunade had also greed, the man quickly agreed to stop by. Now Shin was free and on his way home, NOT!

Turns out the man wanted Shin to send a report back to the Hokage and Shin turned up at the perfect time so they sat at an inn and talked while eating the local delicacies.

"Akatsuki? I've heard of them. They are a mercenary group right?." Shin commented casually while eating some chicken soup with only a few pieces of chicken. While the old sannin had an assortment of dishes in front of him.

"Hooh, I'm surprised that you know them, they aren't exactly high profile." JIraiya praised.

Shin instead just shrugged, "I've been a hunter for 5 years. I know half the underworld in the land of fire, it's a part of the job you know." Jiraiya nodded, he had heard of the boy's reputation. "The black cat of Konoha" if it crosses your path, bad luck will follow you and if the black cat follows you, death is the only release you would get. Shin was notorious for going deep into enemy territory to get his marks; once he chased a rogue ninja through 3 countries and nearly destroyed 2 major crime families just to find information on the guy.

"That's right, but they aren't some run of the mill mercenary group; they are made up entirely of s-rank rogue ninjas, their leader is a mystery and they take any task as long as it pays well." He paused to drink some wine before continuing, "There are even rumors that the recent death of the Daimyo's 3rd son was their doing. I guess that's the reason he wants the sannin to return so badly."

Shin nodded, just a week ago the news of Daimyo's son's sudden death spread through the country and there were all sorts of rumors,as per usual but nothing could be verified. Even what Jiraiya just told him was just hearsay, nonetheless, the threat could not be ignored.

"Still, what can a few s-rank ninjas do except for causing some trouble, the moment they make a mistake, they would be annihilated. They are hardly worth the trouble." Shin simply waved the sannin off, naturally he knew the threat the Akatsuki represented but that didn't mean he would just give away his meta knowledge willy nilly.

Jiraiya sighed as he spoke up, "You're right but they aren't a small group. They move in groups of two and there are at least 4 groups. That's at least 8 s-rank ninjas; that's enough firepower to take down a small country." Looking at Shin's solemn expression Jiraiya nodded and continued, "That's not all, Itachi is a current member of the group and Oruchimaru was a former member. Just think about it, if someone could make someone like them work under them, they would be a far bigger threat."

Shin nodded, "So, have you tried to track them down? We might be able to get more information about this mystery leader if we captured one of them right?"

Jiraiya laughed at Shin's proposition, "Hahahhaaha, come on kid. You think tracking an s-rank ninja rouge is easy? You make me laugh! Hahahahha"

Looking at the old man in front of him, Shin sighed, "Haaaa, you're right, it's not easy. Took me a whole month to track down two of the legendary sannin." Shin spoke with glee as the older man choked on water.

"Hey! You just got lucky, kid! I tell you, I've been trying to track them down for years now and I haven't even seen their shadow! You think you can do better than me kid? Dream on!" The old man's expression was a mixture of embarrassment and defiance. Shin had tracked down 2 of the most powerful ninjas in the land of fire unjust one month. While one might argue that Tsunade wasn't really hiding, Jiraiya was deep undercover so this was actually quite an achievement.

Shin just smiled as a black cat walked into the inn and jumped on their table, dropping a piece of paper onto Shin's hand and he started to pet her while reading. Shin smirked as he looked up at Jiraiya who suddenly felt uncomfortable as he started to speak while holding up the closed piece of paper in front of him, "Or maybe you are just bad at it."

The next day, Shin and Jiraiya observed an armed escort surrounding a large wooden litter that was vibrantly decorated with gold and flowery paints and held up by nearly a dozen men. They stood on a nearby hill so they could have a better vantage point and see any attackers before they could make a move.

"Are you sure your information can be trusted? I'm telling you kid, these guys are pros." Jiraiya spoke while sitting around in the grass and writing on a booklet. Shin didn't mind him and kept looking around, without a single shred of doubt.

"Found them, seriously… They aren't even trying to hide." Jiraiya perked up at Shin's words and looked in the direction where this escort was headed. There in the distance, they could clearly see two figures in black cloaks with red clouds. Verifying the assailants, the duo sped towards them but since they were quite a distance away, they could not make it before the fighting started.

"Meow >w<" the cat smelled blood in air so Shin decided to speed up, "I'll go on ahead, you cut off their escape." Lightning crackled as disappeared a flash. 'I'd heard he was fast but this reminds me of Raikage's chakra mode.'< p>

Shin had in fact incorporated the Raikage's jutsu into his own technique. It Was still incomplete but Shin had plans to visit the Lei and work on this technique. The panda had a strangely high affinity with lightning. But for now, this was good enough for this level of fight.

By the time SHin got close, he could see a man wielding a strange red scythe bearing down towards a guard that stood in front of the litter, trying to defend its occupants with his life.

Shin jumped over the others as he punched the air and lightning shot towards the attacker. The scythe wielding madman jumped back and avoided the attack. The guard was happy to be alive but that didn't stop his caution against Shin. Shin didn't care so he simply unsheathed his Chokuto and stood between the attackers and the guards. Shin observed his targets as he waited for Jiraiya to catch up.

[Name: Hidan

Level: 115

Title: Follower of Lord Jashin/ Mad man/ Immortal Butcher/ Traitor of Yugakure

Notice: Target has an unnatural biological constitution that allows for a high level of regeneration.]

[Name: Kakuzu

Level: 135(+40)

Title: Bounty Hunter/ Traitor of Takigakure

Notice: Target has five life cores.]

Shin looked at them and then at his level:

[Name: The Overlord of Chaos (Shin Hirano)

Level: 118(+50)(+65)(+120)

Title: Chunin of Konoha/ Other worlder/ Disciple of the Grandmaster/ The Black Cat of Konoha/ The Cat Demon of Konoha

Age: 13

Stats:

Strength: 100

Vitality: 110

Agility: 105

Sense: 139

Chakra: 130(+720)

Control: 125(-15)

......…

Chi: 330(-1)

Chi Control:320]

'Well, this is going to be a boring fight… still, One has to keep appearances.' Shin simply observed the two immortals as they did the same, cautious of this newcomer. It was Kakuzu that broke the silence, "The black cat of Konoha, real name: Shin Hirano. Threat level: A-rank. Bounty: 15 million from Kumo. 5 million from Kiri, withdrawn. Known for kenjutsu and lightning style jutsu. Inherited and improved "Lightning Style Kenjutsu" of the deceased Fujio Hatake." Hearing the Shin was from Konoha, the guards seemed a bit relieved but knowing that he was most likely alone, the relife didn't last long.

Shin smiled, "Kakuzu and Hidan. S-rank rogue ninjas and members of the mercenary group Akatsuki. Nice to meet you two." The two were slightly surprised at Shin revealing their identity but it didn't bother them. They were aware of Shin's identity so it made sense that as a hunter, Shin would be aware of them as well. 

Hidan seemed unimpressed as he spoke with a threatening smile, "Hey brat, how about you let us finish our job and we can take our time killing you later alright?"

Shin remained impassive as he felt Jiraiya closing in, he just needed to wait but he would not get his wish so easily as Kakuzu spoke up, "Stop wasting time and just kill him." Hidan "tsk"ed at the man's words but still got ready to attack; he dropped his scythe to the ground and ran up at Shin with great speed, the scythe carving up the ground behind him. Shin couldn't dodge as he had to defend the litter behind him so he went forward to meet up. 

*Tzing!*

The sword and scythe started to clash midair at increasingly greater speeds, Shin was on the defensive as he couldn't let the man get his blood so he just defended. During their conflict a voice suddenly sounded from behind Hidan, "Move!"

A strange mask emerged from Kakuzu as it opened its mouth and a blast of fire shot towards Shin. Seeing as he could not dodge, Shin's hands weaved signs at blinding speeds before he slammed his hands onto the ground as a thick earth rose to protect him and the civilians behind him.

*BOOM!*

The wall cracked from the explosion but stood strong. Shin stopped supplying it chakra and instead weaved more hand seals and behind slamming his hands onto the wall. Earth spikes emerged in every direction away from him before shooting out at great speeds.

*Swish swish swish*

Jiraiya had at this point entered the effective battlefield and saw Shin's fight, mentally praising him, 'Since the wall blocked his vision, he used a wide range attack that didn't require him to aim. He's good.'

The wall fell down and a blooded Hidan was revealed, skewered by multiple spikes. "Not bad kid, you got one!" JIraiya praised but Shin shook his head, "No, he's still alive somehow."

Jiraiya looked at the still Hidan and rose his eyebrows, "What're you talking about kid? There's no way he's still alive, I mean look at him! He looks like a porcupine!"

Shin groaned, "No wonder it took you so long to find the Akatsuki, you're just not cut out for this stuff." he old sannin was offended and in his defense, any sane man would think the same as him, that was until they heard a steam from the "dead" man, "AAAaaaAAAaaa! You bastard! That hurts you know!"

The audience watched in horror as the impaled man slowly took out each spike from his body. "Now you've made me mad! And I want to kill when I am mad!" Hidan roared as he picked up his scythe and threw it at Shin.

Shin's body started to light up as lightning started to crackle all over him and he deflected the scythe away from him before rushing up to the mad man. Kakuzu took the opportunity to attack Shin with his fist by throwing it at him but Jiraiya sprang into action and blocked it, "Hey, don't leave me out of the fun."

Kakuzu reeled back his fist as he looked at Jiraiya intensely before speaking, "...Who are you?"

Jiraiya's mouth dropped to the ground as he yelled at the man, "You mean you know that kid but you don't know me!? Alright, I'm gonna beat you up just for that!" Jiraiya twirled his hair as they extended towards Kakuzu but the man just flickered away. "You're not getting away that easily!" Jiraiya pursed his lips and shot a jet of water that Kakuzu tried to dodge but Jiraiya's persistence led to a clean hit, throwing him towards the distant treeline. The old sannin looked at Shin for a moment before pursuing his target.

Shin was meanwhile engaged with Hidan who tried to keep Shin at a distance and used the rope attached to his scythe to attack Shin. Shin saw Jiraiya leave and decided to get serious, 'Assal any spectators?'

[None detected within the effective range of 4 km]

Shin smiled and decided to get serious, he activated his mangekyou to try and see if he could decipher the cause of Hidan's regeneration and to do that, he had to cause it. "Since you like pain so much, let me help you!"

Shin knocked away the scythe as lightning started to crackle around him and he disappeared in a flash of lightning.

*Crack!*

"AGahhh! You little bastard!" Shin reappeared, his sword going through Hidan's chest but Shin was far from done, lightning poured into the sword and through it,into the immortal as it started to fry him from the inside.

Hidan's scream echoed through the meadows as Shin withdrew it and beheaded the man in one swift motion. 'Honestly, immortality is the only thing he has going for him, apart from taijutsu.' Shin bent down and took out a scroll, unfurling it as it wrapped around the man's body and head, sealing them before storing them away.

*BOOM!*

Shin heard the distant explosion and decided to check up on the old pervert. With a crackle, he disappeared from the field and entered the forest. He followed the sound of fighting and finally when he reached them, he came upon a giant blue-ish toad wielding two large swords and stabbing one of them into another giant black creature that seemed to be made up entirely of hair. Shin also saw a giant red toad fighting two more such giant black creatures while Jiraiya kept another one and Kakuzu at bay.

Shin Flickered and snuck an attack onto one of the black creatures, aiming directly for the mask, causing it to disappear as Kakazu cursed, "That damn Hidan, I always told him not to underestimate the enemy." He flew backwards as the remaining two creatures started to merge and shot out massive amounts of lightning and fire from the masks.

Fire came for Shin as Lightning came for Jiraiya, Shin immediately weaved hand signs and a huge wall of water protected him and the red toad, causing massive amounts of steam to rise and flood the forest. "Thank you for protecting me, even though I'm clumsy." the toad tank Shin who just nodded as Shin continued his hand signs, gathering the water into a massive water dragon that started to attack the merged creatures, the massive pressure from the rushing water, damaging them but not enough to break the masks.

'Hm?' Shin felt movement so he flickered away, narrowly avoiding a falling Kakazu that punched the ground, kicking- rather punching up a dust cloud. Shin used this opportunity and slammed his hands onto the ground, raising the earth around the immortal and trapping him inside. Shin didn't continue however as lightning fell where he was standing, he was barely able to dodge the attack. 'Not being able to use full power makes battles kinda exciting.' an exciting smile bloomed behind his mask.

"Shin, we need to take care of the masks first!" Jiraiya yelled at him while shooting white needles made of hair at the creature that defended itself while shooting a fire blast at the blue-ish toad, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.

Kakuzu broke free from the earth prison and started to attack Shin but the red toad blocked him, sending him flying with his giant sasumata(pronged spear thingy), "Go on! I'll block him, even though I'm clumsy!"

Shin nodded and disappeared in a flash of lightning, arriving beside Jiraiya he spoke with a calm tone, "Wind or fire?" the old sannin replied with a smile, "Honestly, I'm more of an oil kinda guy." Shin nodded and the duo puffed their cheeks, Jiraiya spitting out massive amounts of oil as Shin spewed fire.

The oil and fire mixture spread through the forest, lighting everything on flames as the creature was submerged in a sea of flames. By the time they stopped, the whole forest was lit ablaze, the creature having disappeared in the fire.

The duo looked over at Gamaken who was keeping Kakuzu busy. The immortal feeling the death of his masks, decided to flee. Shin flickered, chasing him through the forest and catching up to him quickly and delivering a strike straight through his heart and letting lightning burn through his insides. Shin quickly sealed him the same way as Hidan and met up with Jiraiya.

The duo doused the fires before leaving the forest to check up on the escort, only to find them having fled. Catching up to them was easy and once letting them know of their attacker's demise, the group seemed to relax, "Thank you for saving us." the guard bowed in gratitude but Shin simply waved him off, "Don't worry about it. Besides, helping someone in need is common sense."

The guards seemed to be touched as their expressions became more intense with respect. Shin looked at the litter and asked with curiosity, "If I may ask, who is in there? The ninja that attacked you are no ordinary rogues; you are lucky that it was us that found you or else even a Jonin squad wouldn't have stopped them."

The Guard seemed conflicted as he bowed once more, "I'm sorry butI cannot say, even if you are our benefactors. I hope you can forgive me!" Shin calmed him down and offered to escort them to the next city which they were most happy to accept in fear of another attack. The duo of ninjas walked behind the escort as they covered in hushed tones, "It's a princess." Jiraiya revealed. Shin spoke with surprise, "I had suspected it to be someone highborn but the princess? But where are the royal guards?" Jiraiya cupped his chin as he spoke, "They are probably traveling in disguise. The prince just died a few days ago so the king probably summoned her from Nagoya Castle, the ancestral home of her mother's family, the Matsudaira clan."

"Still, with only this many guards?" Shin asked with skepticism but Jiraiya just shrugged it off, "They probably thought they could pass off as a normal escort but I guess someone really wanted them dead. Anyways, I'll inform the Hokage to send someone to escort them to the capital. Until then, I think it;s best that you stay with them. Two Akatsuki members just died, I might just be able to get something useful!" and with that, the old sannin disapparated -ahem, disappeared.

Actually the old sage's guess was spot on, as Shin would find out later on. Afterall the old man was a master at his craft, it was just that Shin was just a far quicker learner and far better equipped for such things.