Chapter 200: Best Use of Hidan

Crack–crack–

The overwhelming chakra caused the surrounding rubble to continuously quake and fracture. One by one, dark-red tails emerged. Although you could still roughly see a human shape, the eyes had turned completely white.

A gale surged across the ground, instantly drying any remaining puddles, kicking up countless bits of gravel and dust into the sky.

So it's just a dark-red Tailed Beast shroud, halfway transformed? Link thought.

Not hesitating further, he charged. A Tailed Beast Ball would be a nightmare—while his Chakra Scalpel could, in theory, slice through chakra, it was still a big gamble against a sphere of condensed Tailed Beast chakra that could explode at any moment. If the man didn't fully transform and just spat out a quick Tailed Beast Ball… standing around waiting would be idiotic.

He's coming...

Utakata watched the kid hurtling toward him and not only didn't feel afraid, but actually met him in midair.

"—Hey!" His Tailed Beast shroud contained a highly corrosive liquid, and even a few splatters that dripped off made the ground sizzle white and sink in, soil already crumbling away.

Uchiha Fugaku, alert and ready, sprang forward to assist. Simultaneously, Momochi Zabuza and Haku moved in as well.

Seeing them take action, Baki simply began forming seals off to the side, preparing to cast a Wind Release: Net so he could momentarily hold the Jinchuriki in place and buy them some time.

I just love it when you charge in so confidently… Link grabbed out, molding a large swath of chakra in his palm. In an instant, he formed a Chakra Scalpel, an enormous translucent blade that slashed a semicircle in the air.

"Zing!"

The corrosive Tailed Beast shroud was severed right off in a chunk, baring the stunned face of Utakata underneath.

Because the blade was now extended further and Utakata' half-transformation was relatively small, even some of the Tailed Beast's chakra got sliced away.

Why isn't this blade being corroded?!

A thousand questions flashed through Utakata' mind as his body, still lunging forward, couldn't stop in midair. The Tailed Beast chakra flow within him was disrupted, so he could only grit his teeth and lash out with a clawed slash.

"Whoosh!" Blades flashed. One tail, two tails, three… all six were cleanly sliced off. Segments of the Tailed Beast shroud kept dropping on the ground.

Sizzle—

The corrosive liquid on those severed chunks of Tailed Beast chakra was still dissolving the ground, quickly sinking downward and turning the soil into something like sludge.

Utakata landed heavily, shock and disbelief scrawled across his face.

Using ninjutsu to break a Tailed Beast shroud, or suppressing it via sealing, both were things he understood. But to physically hack apart the Tailed Beast's power so effortlessly? Worse, he felt that blade skim inside his body too, forcibly slicing his own chakra.

What kind of ninja tool is that?!

His eyes stayed riveted on the Chakra Scalpel. Shadows were now pinning his limbs. He tried reaching out to Saiken, but only got a distasteful rejection from the beast.

Link stood before him, perched atop a mass of shadows. Looking down at the Jinchuriki within arm's reach, he said calmly, "Well then, are you getting the picture now?"

"You can slice through chakra," Utakata said, regaining his composure. "So earlier, you provoked me on purpose—goading me to use my Tailed Beast form."

By now, he saw no way of winning. If he hadn't closed in or tried partial Tailed Beast mode, and instead tried to rely on his large chakra supply and normal ninjutsu at a distance… well, there was no "what if" now.

"I lost," Utakata said flatly, dropping his head with a dark expression. Whatever fate awaited him—death or worse—he just accepted it. As a Jinchuriki, bearing lifelong torment and solitude, he was used to surrendering to fate.

Link, eyes on him, simply said, "Come with me. I need your power."

Surprise flashed across Utakata' face: hearing such words from a ten-ish-year-old was surreal. "And why should I?" he asked after a pause.

Link gave a gentle smile. "Because I'm stronger."

Strength was the reason, fist was power—so if you had the bigger fist, you had the final say.

Utakata said nothing at first, then quietly: "Even so, I'll never serve you."

He didn't fear death or whatever else, so what could possibly coerce him? Such was the nature of most Jinchuriki, who'd lived shut out from humanity—obeying only themselves and the meager comfort of survival. The sheer determination and refusal to give up was what made Naruto so special.

Link didn't reply further, only smiled. He had his shadows keep Utakata pinned, then turned to Baki, Zabuza, and Haku, nodding that they were free to roam—just as they'd all agreed beforehand.

Fugaku stepped forward, lowering his voice: "You took a risk, letting us only stand back. Let us handle it."

He truly feared something would happen to the boy. On one hand, he was developing fatherly concern. On the other, if Link died, he and his wife might never see Sasuke again if something happened in that unspoken arrangement.

"Fugaku-uncle," Link said, looking over calmly, "Only someone who hides behind others shouting orders can never gain followers."

Fugaku's lips parted. Those words made him think deeply. Then he let out a small sigh. Regardless of the boy's ambitions, that child had genuinely helped Sasuke so much—and so what if he was using people? Shinobi lived to be used.

He'd even come to appreciate being needed.

Soon enough, the shadows dragged over Kakuzu's corpse in its entirety—along with that dried-up mass of black threads forming his "masks." Link sealed them away in a scroll. Good thing he'd set out prepared to gather Tailed Beast chakra, bringing plenty of scrolls—some on his chest, and a giant one on his back.

As for Hidan's severed head? The man wore a permanent scowl, not the slightest sign of fear, teeth and tongue replaced by a bloody mess.

Link cast the beheaded man a polite glance. "I do quite admire your attitude. Don't worry, I'll bring your entire body back to the village. Once we've drained the intel from your head, you can supply us with all sorts of human experimentation.

"An immortal, indeed… Hidan the Immortal. No, from today forth, you're 'Mister D.'"

In truth, the simplest solution to Hidan was to drop him into the Underworld Swamp and be done with it. But that would be wasteful. An immortal body could endure experiments normal humans couldn't. Sure, for transplant-based experiments, the Jashin modifications might complicate it, but for destructive testing or further medical research, he was the perfect lab rat. Even as a living target dummy, he was invaluable. How could Link discard him so casually?

Sure enough, Hidan was born a prime "Type-D subject." So many ways to exploit him… Not killing him but carefully preserving him was best. If, one day, Link rose to the heights of Kage, Hidan would be the stepping stone under his feet. Everyone and everything should be put to good use.

~~~

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