Hidan and Kakuzu's teamwork caught Naruto completely off guard.
They answered every question!
Especially anything related to the Akatsuki organization.
Even if they didn't know much, their attitude was sincere and straightforward.
Hidan spoke freely, completely lacking any awareness of being a prisoner:"My relationship with Akatsuki is anything but harmonious."
"That organization is all about making money and picking fights along the way—it goes completely against my beliefs!"
"I despise people like Kakuzu the most."
The man covered in black stitches beside him ground his teeth, clearly wanting to snap back, but with a Nine-Tails sitting on his head, all he could do was swallow his frustration, carefully turning his head to the side and pretending not to hear anything.
"Do you know about the god I worship? Now that's interesting—" Hidan leaned in as he spoke.
Before he could finish—
"Hadō #1: Shō (Thrust)!"
A blast of energy slammed into his face, knocking out several teeth and mixing blood with spittle as it hit the ground.
"Now's not the time for that kind of talk," Naruto said calmly. "You say what I ask you to say."
Clutching his face, Hidan howled, "Damn it, that hurts!"
"If you don't want to hear it, fine, I'll just stick to the organization stuff."
"There are nine main members in Akatsuki, I think. I'm not sure of the exact number."
"As for their identities..."
"I only know one—Uchiha Itachi."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Hidan immediately raised his hand: "I swear, this is all true!"
"Every time we had meetings, we didn't meet in person. We used a jutsu called the 'Projection Technique' to upload our thoughts into some unknown space. I could barely see what the others looked like."
Naruto nodded.
Hidan scratched his head and continued:"As for the leader of the organization, he's supposedly really powerful, but I've never met him in person—just saw his projection during meetings."
"He has the legendary Rinnegan."
"He calls himself a 'god,' but he's probably just a really strong ninja like you."
"He's nowhere close to the power of the true god I worship—"
Another blast of energy hit.
Right as he tried to change the subject again, it hit the other side of his face, making both sides match perfectly.
Kakuzu chuckled.
Naruto turned to look at him.
He instantly shut up and turned his head, trying to act indifferent: "What I know is about the same as what that loudmouth just said."
"What he said is all true," Naruto pointed at Hidan. "But what you said is a lie."
"You clearly know more."
Kakuzu froze, his body tensing up.
"I have the ability to tell truth from lies," Naruto said calmly. "Now speak honestly."
Kakuzu lowered his head and fell silent, lips tightly shut, not saying a word.
"Naruto," Karin tugged on his sleeve.
He turned toward her.
The red-haired girl gave him a subtle look.
He followed her to the side.
"Something doesn't feel right," she whispered, eyes locked on the two prisoners. "You've probably already noticed, haven't you?"
"They're trying too hard," Naruto smiled at her.
Karin nodded.
It seemed like the Akatsuki had too much confidence in themselves. They sent two guys with some unusual jutsu, hoping to use their abilities to capture Naruto.
But if you looked deeper...
The two didn't seem all that surprised to have been captured by Naruto.
And they were more than happy to spill details about Akatsuki.
Naruto barely even interrogated them.
Just like that, they revealed that Akatsuki's base was in the Hidden Rain Village.
The weirdest part was—it was always Hidan doing the talking.
And he didn't seem to know much at all.
At least...
The two of them already knew that Akatsuki was led by a man named "Uchiha Madara," and that they were likely collecting Tailed Beasts in order to awaken the Ten-Tails.
Hidan knew none of this.
The only useful piece of info he provided was that the leader of Akatsuki had the Rinnegan.
"They're probably bait," Naruto looked at the two men. "The goal is to tell me where the organization is and lure me in."
"They'll set up traps there and gather enough manpower to try to capture me."
Karin frowned, worried. "So what are you going to do, Naruto?"
"Are you really going to the Hidden Rain Village?"
Her instincts told her that was a terrible idea.
"I'm just wondering—what kind of idiot do they take me for?" Naruto said softly. "Do they really think I'd charge in just because I've got a bit of power?"
Kurama (Yang Nine-Tails) jumped onto Naruto's shoulder:"But come on—it's just Rain Village."
"Can it really be stronger than the Hidden Cloud?"
Naruto and Karin both stared at him.
A perfect example of what not to do.
Kurama flared up, stomping a few times on Naruto's shoulder: "What? I'm not wrong, am I?"
"It's just a small country."
Naruto pinched its tail: "Yes, Rain is a small country, but..."
"Our enemy is Akatsuki."
"Hidan doesn't know much about that organization."
Kurama grumbled: "He's just an idiot."
It had gotten annoyed with Hidan's nonstop religious talk and left the mess for Yin Kurama to deal with.
"But Kakuzu isn't an idiot," Naruto looked over at the stitched-up man. "Yet he said nothing."
"So what?" Kurama asked, confused.
Naruto didn't answer.
Karin spoke instead:"There are only two possibilities. One, he's loyal."
"But he's already a rogue ninja. What's the point in being loyal now?"
"Which means it's probably the second option."
"He thinks the leader of Akatsuki is more dangerous than Naruto."
Kurama glanced at Naruto.
"How much do you know about the Rinnegan?" Naruto asked him.
Kurama shook his head: "Not much."
"But the rumor among humans is true—the Rinnegan was once the eye of the Sage of Six Paths."
"After that, I never saw anyone else with it."
"Not even Indra or Uchiha Madara."
Naruto caught a strange name: "Indra? Who's that?"
"One of the Sage's sons—Ashura's older brother," Kurama replied casually. "A very extreme person. Out of jealousy for the Sage's love for Ashura, he tried to kill his brother."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully: "So..."
"The Rinnegan is a power unique to the Sage?"
Kurama thought for a moment and nodded: "As far as I know, yes."
"Sage of Six Paths..." Karin repeated the name. "I didn't expect even Akatsuki would be tied to someone like him."
Naruto looked up.
The sky was clear—no clouds in sight.
He recalled the time back in Konoha when he'd faced the power of the Sage of Six Paths, or rather, the power he had left behind.
The technique known as "Truth-Seeking Orbs."
"Until we're sure of their abilities, their numbers, and what kinds of power they possess..." Naruto spoke softly.
"Rushing into the Hidden Rain would be foolish."
"Then..."
He clapped his hands together.
Summoning jutsu activated.
A puff of smoke—and a frog with goggles around its neck appeared.
"Oh! Naruto Uzumaki, huh? You hardly ever summon me."
"Got something you want me to tell Jiraiya?"
Naruto nodded: "I have two pieces of intel to share."
"Akatsuki's base is in the Hidden Rain Village."
"And its leader has the legendary Rinnegan."
The frog was stunned: "The Rain? That tiny village?"
"I got it. I'll report this to Jiraiya."
Naruto waved his hand: "And one more thing."
"Tell Konoha to share this info with the other villages that have Tailed Beasts."
The frog blinked:"You want to tell the other villages?"
Naruto grinned and nodded: "Yep. Just say the intel came from Naruto Uzumaki."
The frog turned serious: "Understood."
With a "poof," it disappeared.
"Will they even believe you?" Karin asked, frowning.
Naruto shook his head: "Probably only the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand will care."
"Then why tell them?" Karin still didn't get it.
Naruto looked at the red-cloud robe on Hidan's body:"Karin, did you ever wonder why they want to lure me to Rain?"
"They have home-field advantage," she answered immediately.
Then she paused to think.
All this time, they hadn't been able to learn much about Akatsuki.
Even after years of Jiraiya's investigation, they only had fragments.
So...
She spoke again:"This organization clearly doesn't want the Five Great Nations to pay too much attention to them."
"They'd rather stay in the shadows."
Naruto nodded and looked into the distance:"It's like a battle—you have to prevent your enemy from achieving their goal if you want to win."
"If they want me to go to the Land of Rain, then I won't."
"If they want to keep their existence secret, then I'll expose them."
Karin looked thoughtful.
"So you'll just leave them alone?" Kurama asked, baring his teeth.
Naruto shook his head: "Of course not."
"We've got two perfect test subjects here."
"We'll camp outside the Land of Rain and focus on our own plans."
"If they want to challenge me—let them come out."
"Otherwise, stay hidden forever."
Kurama grinned and nodded.
(End of Chapter)