Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Under the full force of Kakuzu and Sasori, Hidan was defeated within a few exchanges.

During this time, he managed to obtain some of Kakuzu's blood, but before he could perform the sacrificial ritual, Sasori forcibly interrupted him.

His immortal body was firmly pressed to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

When facing elite Jonin-level enemies, Hidan's immortality could serve as a surprise tactic, but against shadow-level powerhouses, he could only be unilaterally crushed.

Unfortunately for him, Byakuya was aware of Hidan's intel.

Kakuzu and Sasori had immunity to the Evil God Cult's rituals, leaving Hidan lying helplessly on the ground in frustration.

Crouching in front of Hidan, Byakuya poked him with the hilt of his sword and said, "Hidan, it seems your immortal body isn't all that impressive, huh?"

Hidan glared fiercely at Byakuya, unwilling to back down. "You're only relying on your two subordinates. Without them, you're not my opponent at all."

Kakuzu and Sasori exchanged glances, silently agreeing that they were indeed the subordinates.

Hidan continued to boast, "Kid, if you have the guts, kill me! Otherwise, once I leave here, I'll do everything in my power to kill you."

Byakuya's expression grew serious as he said earnestly, "Are you really going to kill me? In that case, I'll just have to pour you into cement and sink you into the sea. I hope you can withstand hundreds of years of solitude and torment."

After saying this, Byakuya turned to Kakuzu and Sasori, looking for cement and sand, ready to bury Hidan alive.

Seeing this, Kakuzu and Sasori came to help, but their gazes remained fixed on Hidan.

Especially Sasori, who looked at Hidan with great interest.

Noticing Sasori's gaze, Byakuya said lightly, "Don't get your hopes up. Hidan's immortal body isn't invincible. As long as we seal his body in different places, what threat does he pose, even if he's still alive?"

Pausing for a moment, Byakuya continued, "Also, Sasori, don't you think his immortal body is not much different from your puppet body? The difference is that you're a puppet, while he's flesh and blood."

Sasori nodded in agreement but wondered how Byakuya knew about his plans to modify his body into a puppet.

At this moment, Kakuzu had gathered the necessary materials, and the three returned to Hidan's side, preparing to seal him in a cement pillar.

Seeing the cement pillar, Hidan still held his ground.

But when the cement was piled up to his chest, Hidan finally felt a sense of fear. He wasn't afraid of dying, but he dreaded dying alone in solitude, especially since his immortality wasn't genuine.

If he went without food for a few months, his immortal body could also starve to death from malnutrition.

"I was wrong! What do you want from me? As long as you don't sink me into the sea, I'm willing to do anything."

Upon hearing this, a smile crept onto Byakuya's lips, "Well then, welcome to the Akatsuki. However, before you join, you need to take us to meet the Evil God Cult."

"Do you want to meet the Evil Lord?"

Hidan was somewhat puzzled but agreed to Byakuya's terms, thinking that with the strength of the Evil Lord, he could definitely handle these troublesome ninjas.

In the reception hall of Yugakure, the Jonin from Konohagakure gathered together, and the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.

A few hours earlier, during the multi-party negotiations, they had successfully represented Konoha and Kumogakure, securing a temporary peace for the village.

However, they were not very satisfied with the outcome of the talks.

Before the war began, Yugakure was an ally of Konoha, providing raw materials and markets for the Land of Fire, and serving as a buffer zone between Konoha and Kumogakure, making it strategically significant.

However, after this round of negotiations, Konoha lost its ally in Yugakure and, along with it, the northeastern barrier.

Fortunately, Kumogakure also did not gain control over Yugakure, and Yugakure promised to remain neutral, refusing to take sides between Konoha and Kumogakure.

But this did not mean Konoha could rest easy in the northeast.

Kumogakure could still launch attacks on the Land of Fire through the narrow border, or even directly raid the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire.

Yugakure was not truly neutral; it had tilted towards Amegakure.

Because the leader of Amegakure was a disciple of Jiraiya, they posed no immediate threat to Konoha. However, Amegakure's actions this time proved that they were not without ambition.

While Amegakure and Konoha might be able to cooperate against Iwagakure and Kumogakure, once the village's interests were involved, Amegakure would not hesitate to stab Konoha in the back.

But this was an unavoidable situation.

Although Konoha still held the nominal title of the number one ninja village, it was essentially a hollow shell. The successive departures and betrayals of the Three Legendary Ninjas, along with the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, had severely impacted the village.

If things did not turn around soon, Konoha might not even be a match for Kumogakure, especially with Iwagakure and Kirigakure lurking behind.

After a long silence, Jiraiya spoke up to break the tension, "The talks with Kumogakure have concluded. We have finally secured this hard-won peace. I have already reported the results to Lord Third; it won't be long before we can return."

From his tone, it was clear that Jiraiya was not in a good mood.

It wasn't solely because Konoha had lost its interests in Yugakure, but rather because Orochimaru's defection from the village had dealt him a severe blow.

After all, with Orochimaru's departure, the once trio of legendary ninjas was now reduced to just him.

Shikaku also appeared downcast. Although the war with Kumogakure had ended, there would be another war without gunpowder waiting for them back in the village.

Despite Orochimaru's defection, the remnants of his followers still needed to be dealt with.

After addressing these remnants, the vacant positions would spark competition among the various ninja clans. While it wouldn't directly affect the Inuzuka, Nara, and Akimichi clans, it would still bring them unnecessary troubles.

In contrast to Jiraiya and Shikaku, Uchiha Fugaku was eager to return to the village.

Konoha hadn't gained much from this war, but the Uchiha clan had achieved great glory. The elimination of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the near equal showdown against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had turned Shisui into a prominent figure on the front lines.

Upon returning to the village, the clans that had sidelined the Uchiha would finally understand just how powerful they were.

With Shisui's support, Fugaku believed he could propose the candidacy for the Fifth Hokage at the next meeting of the upper ninjas, ultimately winning the election and reaching the pinnacle of his life.

Although Shisui found Fugaku's enthusiasm somewhat irritating, he couldn't help but entertain the thought of having an Uchiha as Hokage upon seeing the eager eyes of his clan members.

But then Shisui recalled Byakuya's words and began to worry again.

Would the Uchiha ultimately meet their demise because of his Mangekyō Sharingan? Should he heed Byakuya's advice and make preparations for the Uchiha?

The Hyuga clan's ninjas were equally excited.

In this war, the Hyuga clan had maximized the advantages of their Byakugan. The combination of the Byakugan's insight and their Gentle Fist style allowed them to defeat numerous Jonin from Kumogakure.

The accolades they received ranked just below those of the Uchiha clan.

As a result, ideas about participating in the Hokage election also sprouted in their minds. Although Hyuga Hizashi was from the branch family and didn't have the qualifications to become Hokage, he hoped his older brother, Hyuga Hiashi, could take the position.

After all, the Hyuga clan was one of the major clans in the village and had never had a Hokage.

Thus, at the same time, two major clans of Konoha began to entertain thoughts of running for Hokage. They both aimed to take a step forward during the time when Orochimaru's defection had left the Hokage's faction weakened.