I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!

Chapter 218: Chapter 218



The appearance of the holographic figure caused the battle, on the verge of breaking out, to come to a sudden halt.

"Leader?"

"Boss?"

Seeing the multicolored projection appear beside them, Kakuzu and Hidan were both surprised and thrilled.

Though they didn't understand why Pain had suddenly projected himself, it was undoubtedly good news for them-at the very least, it might mean reinforcements.

Compared to Kakuzu, who could hold out until help arrived, Hidan eagerly shouted:

"Boss! Someone's trying to take the Five-Tails Jinchuriki! Hurry up and... huh?"

Halfway through his words, Hidan noticed something was off.

His eyes widened as he scrutinized the figure beside him.

The face, the attire-this didn't look like his boss, Pain, at all!

Meanwhile, Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Zankai bowed respectfully, greeting him:

"Lord Gensou!"

"Hey, hey? Who's this Lord Gensou? Isn't the hologram supposed to be the boss's technique? Where's my big boss?" Hidan's excitement plummeted, and he complained bitterly.

Using the "Ring of Zero" taken from Pain, Gensou's projection looked at Hidan with a hint of interest:n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"The undying body of a Jashin cultist... quite valuable for dissection and research." Hidan was unsettled by the scientific gleam in Gensou's eyes, and stammered nervously: "Hey! Listen to yourself-don't you have any morals? People shouldn't be so twisted!"

"What about my boss? I miss my wise and mighty leader. Where did he go?"

"He's dead," Gensou replied nonchalantly.

Hidan: "...That useless boss! To think he got killed-what was the point of him!"

On the other side...

When Kakuzu realized that the projection beside him wasn't the familiar Pain, he immediately guessed the outcome.

As he saw the face of the hologram, distant memories resurfaced in his mind. "Gensou..."

A figure he once looked up to as unreachable had reappeared before him.

The sad irony was that nothing had changed.

The insurmountable gap from before remained, perhaps even greater now.

"I heard you've also survived since the Warring States era and fought Hashirama Senju. Did you ever see me back then?" Gensou asked Kakuzu, his eyes cold.

Kakuzu took a deep breath. "I only caught a glimpse of you from afar. As for Hashirama, he spared me, which is the only reason I survived."

With others, Kakuzu might have embellished, claiming he escaped unscathed after a fierce battle with Hashirama.

But standing before him was someone who rivaled Hashirama in the Warring States era, someone who knew that time all too well. Lying would only invite humiliation.

"At least you have some self-awareness," Gensou replied indifferently.

Times change; things that seem absurd in one era can become normalized, even praised, in another.

Take Seimei, for instance-a mere craftsman in the Warring States period. Yet his self- aggrandizing words left an indelible mark on his descendants, who later truly believed that the resurrected Seimei could conquer the shinobi world.

Kakuzu claiming he "escaped from Hashirama unharmed" was already pushing it.

After all, Hashirama was gone, and few from the Warring States era were still alive. In time, Kakuzu could have claimed he fought Hashirama to a standstill.

Given another hundred years, after all witnesses were long gone, he could even claim he defeated Hashirama.

History is like a doll to be dressed up, and the longer one lives, the more control one has over

it.

Gensou glanced at Kakuzu, who had one life left, and at the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, named Han, still in Kakuzu's grasp, quickly assessing the situation.

He didn't waste words and offered a direct choice:

"Pain is dead. I now lead the Akatsuki. Will you submit, or die?"

Hearing this, Kakuzu calmly released the Five-Tails Jinchuriki and said, "I choose to submit."

Akatsuki members were all S-rank missing-nin from the major shinobi villages. Loyalty to Pain wasn't something even Pain expected, let alone the members themselves.

Years ago, Pain had initiated the battle, forcing Kakuzu to join the Akatsuki after a humiliating defeat.

If Pain had been replaced by someone even stronger, it was only logical.

Especially since the new leader of the Akatsuki was Gensou, a legend from Kakuzu's time.

Kakuzu understood well how formidable Gensou was back then.

Becoming his subordinate didn't bother him much-as long as he could still make money.

Kakuzu decisively aligned himself with Gensou's camp.

On the other side, Hidan watched in dismay. "Kakuzu! After all the trust the boss put in you! I thought you, with your thick eyebrows, were reliable. How could you just turn to another so quickly? Are you worthy of the boss?"

"I am," Kakuzu replied sincerely.

Before joining the Akatsuki, every cent he earned was his.

After joining, he had to give up a portion.

For someone as obsessed with money as him, he believed he had repaid Pain well enough.

Hidan was stunned to see Kakuzu surrender with such ease.

He opened his mouth to say something.

Meanwhile, Gensou's other projection spoke up: "From the way you're talking, it sounds like you're prepared to show your loyalty to Pain?"

"Me? Hahaha!!"

Hidan laughed loudly, then straightened his face and said,

"Of course...not! Dear new boss, I just didn't expect Kakuzu to surrender before me. Although

I was a step behind, don't worry, dear new boss. My loyalty to you will be much higher than to that useless former boss!"

Like Kakuzu, Hidan was adaptable-after all, it didn't matter much whom he followed.

Besides, with his head and body in their possession, while he couldn't die, hanging by his

head like this was uncomfortable.

After making his declaration, Hidan eagerly looked up at Izumi and said:

"That fierce-uh, I mean, that lovely lady~~~ we're all allies now, so please stop hanging my head up. Let me reunite with my body."

Izumi listened to him without expression, then looked at Gensou, waiting for his instructions.

Gensou glanced at Hidan and said, "Since you've joined, you should show a spirit of self- sacrifice. Hidan, your next task is to assist the organization in scientific research."

Without looking at Hidan's horrified face, Gensou turned to Izumi and instructed, "Keep him like that to avoid having to dismember him again later."

"Yes!" Izumi nodded.

"Wait..." Hidan tried to protest.

Izumi pulled out two scrolls and stuffed them into Hidan's mouth.

The world fell silent; the situation was resolved, and the mission completed.

Gensou's projection disappeared.

Now, only two remain.

(End of Chapter)

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