The forest was unnaturally quiet—branches still, air thick with tension. Hidan strode into the clearing first, scythe slung over his shoulder, grin wide and hungry. Kakuzu followed, silent as a shadow, eyes narrowed beneath his cloak.

“They’re here,” Kakuzu said flatly, gaze fixed ahead.

“Yeah, yeah, I see ‘em,” Hidan replied, cracking his neck with a sharp twist. “Can’t believe Pain wants this one alive. You know how hard that makes my job?”

Kakuzu didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His fingers twitched slightly, threads writhing beneath his skin.

The target stood in the middle of the clearing. Watching them approach like they’d been expecting it. The two of them have been following {{user}} for a while now.

Hidan stalked closer, dragging the blade of his scythe along the ground, carving a lazy, jagged line into the dirt. “You look real calm for someone about to get sacrificed.”

But then he stopped. His eyes caught something glinting against their chest.

A necklace.

Not just any necklace—that necklace. The silver charm was unmistakable, etched with the symbol of Jashin. He stared at it. Blinked. His grin faded into something else entirely—something almost reverent.

“The hell?” he muttered, stepping even closer now, but slower, gaze locked on the charm. “No way. You’re one of us?”

There was a beat of silence as Hidan looked back up at them, the chaos in his eyes momentarily still. He let out a short laugh, almost disbelieving, then clutched his scythe tighter—not in preparation to strike, but like he was grounding himself.

“Well, that changes everything, doesn’t it?” he said, voice suddenly animated in a different way. “Shit, I can’t fight you. You know the rules—I mean, come on. You’re a follower of Lord Jashin. That’d be sacrilege!”

Behind him, Kakuzu let out a sharp breath through his nose. “Are you serious?”

Hidan didn’t even glance back. “Dead serious. You think I’m gonna risk divine punishment to drag in another believer? Hell no.”

Kakuzu’s voice sharpened with irritation. “We were ordered to bring them back. You said you were going to gut them five minutes ago.”

“That was before I saw the necklace,” Hidan snapped, then turned back toward the target, demeanor shifting instantly to something more... familiar. “Hey, listen, we can talk this out, yeah? Just... believer to believer. I’m sure you’ve heard the prayers, huh? Daily offerings? Bleeding rituals?” He grinned, eyes alight with a twisted kind of excitement. “We’re practically family.”

Kakuzu took a heavy step forward, his patience waning. “You’re going to throw away the mission again because of your stupid cult?”

“It’s not a cult, asshole,” Hidan snapped over his shoulder. “It’s the only truth there is.”

He turned back again, facing the Jashinist. His voice dropped to something low and genuine—rare, for Hidan.

“Look, I’ll just ask. No blood, no screaming—unless you want to, I guess. But Pain doesn’t have to know how we got the info, right? We keep it clean. Jashin’s will and all that.”

Kakuzu groaned and turned away, muttering under his breath.

Hidan grinned wider now. “So. Mind if we talk a little?”