Chapter 173
"Finally found it." Aburame Hatsuizumi adjusted her glasses, a slight smile curling the corners of her lips. Her long hair was tied into a single ponytail.
"Just when one swift swordsman leaves, another shows up?" Hidan scratched his head. Where the hell were these people coming from? Why did they all seem to have beef with him? Were they just gonna keep popping up to annoy the crap outta him?
Hatsuizumi remembered what Zixu had said: once hostility was confirmed, killing Hidan—or whoever was on the other side—was basic protocol. Find the target alive or drag back the corpse. If you don't rip the weeds out at the root, they'll sprout again come spring.
She didn't feel like wasting her breath on these two. A violet shadow appeared in her eyes as her petite frame rapidly transformed. Her shirt shrank into a cropped top, and her pants shortened into capris.
She snapped her fingers. The Insect armor wrapped around her, and she gripped Shigure at her waist. Various auras shimmered on the blade, and a swarm of bugs surged forward.
She ignored Guren, who was still carrying the crystallized Yukimaru on her back. In her opinion, this was a solo job.
Hatsuizumi slashed at Hidan. Sword energy formed from bugs, followed by the swarm itself, lunging at him.
Hidan didn't even dodge. He just stood there, waiting for her strike. His ritual was done; hitting him now meant damaging the Three-Tails. He was actually hoping she'd go hard.
Unfortunately for him, her sword didn't land on his body. It hit the carved symbol under his feet instead.
"Shit!" Hidan leapt back. With the curse seal broken, the damage link was gone. If he took another hit, he'd be eating all that pain himself—and he hated pain.
In the distance, the restrained Three-Tails sensed the loosening chakra and began struggling again, trying to break Tobi seal.