He instantly took in the scene before him.
"You—"
Before he could finish, Ino used the Mind Body Switch Technique. His body froze, completely taken over by her jutsu, while her real body slumped to the ground.
The bounty station owner was just a civilian. There was no way he could resist a ninja technique, and he was immediately subdued. Still using his body, Ino snapped,
"Why aren't you on duty? What are you doing inside?"
Shikamaru didn't respond. He quickly lifted Asuma's lifeless body onto his back.
At that moment, Chōji, having heard the commotion, rushed into the bounty station. As soon as he arrived, he grasped the situation instantly—Shikamaru had already briefed him on what to do in a scenario like this.
Chōji crept toward the body-controlled owner while the latter, under Ino's control, walked toward him in tandem.
The coordination between them was seamless. Together, they took control of the bounty station owner and managed to bring out Asuma's body safely—along with a hostage.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio fled for a long stretch with Asuma's body and the captured bounty station owner. Only when they were certain no one was chasing them did they finally stop.
They gently laid down Asuma's corpse, along with the bound hostage.
Ino and Chōji knelt beside their fallen teacher, tears streaking their faces, hearts consumed with grief. But Shikamaru knew this wasn't the time to wallow in sorrow.
This was the perfect moment to track Akatsuki—and the best opportunity to avenge Asuma.
He walked up to the unconscious bounty station owner, pulled out a waterskin, and without hesitation poured cold water onto the man's head.
The owner was tightly bound to a large tree. The sudden chill shocked him back to consciousness.
As soon as he realized the situation he was in, panic overwhelmed him. He began to tremble uncontrollably.
His eyes flew open, and he stared at Shikamaru's grim, killing-intent-laden expression, begging in a hoarse voice,
"Please don't kill me! I'll give you whatever you want—money, anything! Just spare my life, I beg you!"
Even while pleading for his life, he darted his eyes around, frantically assessing the situation.
He caught sight of the three shinobi wearing Leaf headbands and the cold corpse lying nearby. His face turned even paler, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"You're here for your comrade's body, right? Take it. We don't need it. We only needed to confirm the death. Even if you hadn't shown up, we would've returned the body to Konoha. Please don't kill me."
He begged loudly. He knew very well that even if these three Konoha shinobi killed him to retrieve their comrade's remains, they'd face no consequences. He, on the other hand, would be dead for good.
Shikamaru stared at the trembling man with cold, steely eyes. His voice was calm, yet carried a terrifying weight.
"From here on out, I ask the questions. You answer."
He flicked his wrist—cold steel flashed through the air.
A kunai whistled past and stabbed into the ground a single inch from the man's crotch with a dull thud.
The bounty station owner let out a strangled gasp, his face going ghost white. His entire body shivered uncontrollably.
"As long as you answer my questions honestly, I promise not to kill you."
Completely terrified, the man nodded frantically like a bobblehead, showing absolute obedience.
"I want to know everything about the two who just made a trade with you. Their names, backgrounds, abilities—tell me everything you know."
Shikamaru gripped the kunai in his hand tightly. The killing intent rolling off him wasn't directed at this sniveling coward, but at those two elusive Akatsuki members.
Still, the intensity was more than enough to scare the man out of his wits. Trembling, he blurted out, "Those two are definitely with Akatsuki. One's named Hidan, the other's Kakuzu. I don't know much about Hidan—just that he's Kakuzu's new partner, and apparently, he's a follower of some evil god cult."
Shikamaru immediately caught onto something important and pressed further.
"You're saying Kakuzu goes through a lot of partners?"
"Yes! Yes!" the man nodded vigorously. "He's known for killing his teammates and cashing in on their bounties. He's a regular customer here. According to our records, he's been taking bounty jobs since fifty years ago. Our headquarters estimates he's over seventy."
Shikamaru's gaze turned icy. He picked up another kunai and made a shallow cut across the man's arm. Blood oozed out, staining his sleeve.
"Ahhh!" the man let out a bloodcurdling scream, his face draining of all color.
Shikamaru bore down on him, voice sharp and accusing.
"You dare lie to us? He doesn't look seventy."
"I'm telling the truth!" the man wailed. "Maybe he uses some kind of jutsu to keep himself young!"
Shikamaru's expression remained unreadable, but his suspicions were only further confirmed. The move was just a test—and it seemed this guy really didn't know any more on that front.
"Keep talking."
...
"Kakuzu's obsessed with money. Every mission he takes is for a payout..."
The man rambled on, offering bits and pieces of unimportant details.
But when he saw Shikamaru's murderous aura hadn't faded in the slightest, he gritted his teeth and said,
"I know two critical pieces of intel. If I tell you, will you let me live? Otherwise, you'll never find them."
He was gambling everything on his last bargaining chip.
"Talk."
Shikamaru pulled out a kunai and cut the ropes binding him, showing a bit of good faith. He wasn't worried about the man running—after all, there were three shinobi here. No way a civilian was getting away.
"Kakuzu often delivers corpses without hearts. HQ suspects that his method of prolonging life involves using hearts."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"And... and, I just sold them a piece of intel. A tailed beast was spotted around Mount Katsuragi. They're headed that way right now."
Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. The Six-Tails had appeared—meaning team Dusk could be facing off against Akatsuki at any moment. He had to get this intel to Naruto and the others now.
"You're free to go."
The bounty station owner didn't dare hesitate. Terrified that they might change their minds, he turned and bolted, not looking back once.
Shikamaru had gotten what he came for. He turned to Chōji and Ino.
"We need to get this intel to Naruto's team immediately."
Both nodded. They understood the urgency all too well.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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