Hidan and Kakuzu stood on a rock, gazing into the darkness, wondering when something unusual might emerge from the river.
Suddenly, Hidan turned his head in a particular direction.
"It's here."
Kakuzu quickly followed his gaze and saw a bizarre giant bird rapidly flying toward them in the clear night sky.
The bird's wings flapped rhythmically, but healthy eyes could not fully grasp their form, and a sound mind could not retain the image of this creature. In the moonlight, Kakuzu noticed that this bird had characteristics of a crow, mole, vulture, ant, vampire bat, or even a decaying human corpse, yet none of these could adequately describe it.
Its membranous wings, large enough to let faint moonlight pass through, flapped with each stroke, enlarging in Kakuzu's vision.
How ugly...
"What is that thing?"
He usually kept his emotions in check and appeared very composed, but ever since meeting Hidan, he found himself repeatedly losing control in fleeting moments.
First, it was Hidan's strange black tendrils from his ninjutsu, and now this bizarre giant bird appearing out of nowhere in the night sky.
The cultist had surprised Kakuzu too many times with things he'd never seen or even heard of.
"That isn't just any thing."
"That is a Byakhee."
"The lord granted it to me as my mount! Isn't she beautiful?"
Under the moonlight, Hidan's eyes gleamed with admiration, clearly infatuated with the Byakhee.
But to Kakuzu, it was clear—this man was out of his mind. A normal person wouldn't even want to look at such a creature twice.
The Byakhee quickly flew overhead, flapping its wings a few more times before landing steadily on the ground.
Up close, he confirmed just how complex and imaginative this creature was. It had a vulture's giant beak, with parts of its body exposing grayish-white bone, black crow feathers on its back, webbed feet, bat-like membranous wings, a mole's pelt on its chest, and insect-like segmented limbs reminiscent of an ant.
Fortunately, Kakuzu had mentally prepared himself for the hybrid monstrosity that the Byakhee was, so he was less shocked than before. However, upon further thought, he realized that this Byakhee resembled the target of their current bounty mission—the Mi-Go.
If the creature was worth 80 million ryo, how much could the Byakhee be worth?
"Could this thing sell for a lot of money?"
Kakuzu carelessly voiced his thoughts aloud but was immediately met with strong opposition from Hidan.
"This was a gift from the lord!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Hidan stepped in front of the Byakhee. The creature tilted its head and spat at Kakuzu with disdain.
"Haha, good job, Fu!"
Pleased with Hidan's praise, the Byakhee—now affectionately called Fu—joyfully flapped its wings twice. It seemed the creature was smarter than Kakuzu had initially thought.
"Tch."
Kakuzu temporarily shelved his idea of selling Hidan's pet and asked, "What does this thing have to do with our mission?"
"Of course, we're riding her to the mission location—where we'll find the Mi-Go."
Kakuzu nodded. It seemed Hidan was reliable sometimes. Riding this bird was certainly faster than walking.
"Let's get moving, then."
With that, he placed a hand on Byakhee's back. But as soon as his fingertips touched the black feathers, he felt a bone-chilling cold radiate from them.
Ssss...
Seeing Kakuzu recoil as if electrocuted, Hidan laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Fu isn't just any mount."
"She is a void steed. Of course, she's freezing cold when she first lands."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You didn't ask, and you were so eager to get on."
After waiting a while, the Byakhee's body returned to a normal temperature. Hidan climbed onto her back first, followed by Kakuzu. The bird's back was wide enough for one person to sit comfortably, and just barely wide enough for two.
Once they were both seated, Hidan patted Fu's long, mole-fur-covered neck. With that, the creature slowly flapped its wings, rising into the sky.
The towering mountains below quickly shrank into needle-like cones, and the entire world seemed to be beneath their feet. The moon above appeared larger and brighter than Kakuzu had ever seen in his years of life.
"So this is what flying feels like?"
In the shinobi world, not many people could achieve true flight with their own abilities. One of the known person capable of it was the Third Tsuchikage.
Compared to his flight, other so-called flying shinobi, including the Sora ninjas from long ago, could only glide at low altitudes. Flying, therefore, was considered a rare and valuable ability among shinobi.
Though this flight was aided by the Byakhee and not achieved by the ninjas themselves, it was still impressive—like Deidara's clay birds, but with true height.
Flight had strategic significance because it allowed one to rise out of the range of most weapons and ninjutsu, while also enabling various aerial strikes. The Byakhee had both of these capabilities.
And Hidan had mentioned void travel, though Kakuzu didn't know what that meant—it sounded impressive.
At the Byakhee's incredible speed, they soon left the land behind, flying over an endless ocean.
Looking back at the shrinking land, Kakuzu, holding a map of the shinobi world, asked, "Why are we flying there?"
Hidan, uncharacteristically patient, explained, "To hunt the Mi-Go, we have to go there."
"The lord said our world doesn't have the Mi-Go. They're in another world. We have to find the gate to the New World."
"New World?"
Kakuzu was doubtful, as he'd never heard of such a thing in all his years. But the possibility wasn't entirely out of the question. No one in the shinobi world really cared about what lay in the sea.
Having lived so long, the idea of exploring beyond the sea felt like an exciting prospect.
As the dawn light scattered over the ocean, the giant bird flew through the sky. After hours of flight, Hidan suddenly gripped his scythe tighter. "Hold on tight. We're going down!"
"What—" Before Kakuzu could finish, the byakhee plunged into the dark waters. The sudden dive caught him off guard, his grip instinctively tightening on the creature.
Deep beneath the waves, a massive stone gate emerged from the gloom, its surface carved with unfamiliar symbols.
The byakhee shot through the luminescent portal. For a moment, everything went black. Then they burst upward, breaking through the surface of different waters under different skies.
"This is..."
"The New World!"
The sun slowly rose from the horizon, casting its light over the vast and boundless land below.
From the incredibly high altitude at which the Byakhee was flying, the mountains and plains of this land were fully visible, stretching out like a giant canvas. The diverse landscapes blended together like patches of color merging at the edges, creating a grand, breathtaking scene.
Neither Kakuzu nor Hidan had ever witnessed such a majestic sight in their lives.
"Whoa!"
Hidan, sitting in front, couldn't help but shout in excitement as he took in the view.
Though Kakuzu, sitting behind him, wasn't as exaggerated in his reaction, he too was deeply surprised.
While the two were marveling at the new world, the Byakhee approached the airspace near the coastline.
"Hey, Fu, fly a bit lower," Hidan called.
The Byakhee began a rapid descent.
It wasn't particularly suited for low-altitude flying, as the vacuum of outer space was its preferred environment. During long-distance flights, it typically maintained an altitude of over six kilometers, where the thin air allowed it to fly at speeds of 70 km/h. At that height, the temperature was well below freezing.
Luckily, both Kakuzu and Hidan were ninjas, and their bodies could withstand the cold far better than ordinary people. The freezing air of the previous night hadn't affected them too much.
However, for higher-altitude or longer-distance flights, they would need a different magical tool to survive.
As the Byakhee descended, the two of them finally felt the warmth that they had missed, their slightly stiff bodies relaxing in the more comfortable temperature. Now that they were flying lower, they could clearly see the scenery below.
Along the coastline, gray coastal buildings and piers made primarily of brown wood stretched out, showing signs of human civilization. It was undeniable: this land wasn't a wild, untamed place—it was inhabited by people.
With the Byakhee flying lower, its speed had decreased significantly, which allowed many people on the ground to spot it.
"Look! What is that?"
"Where?"
"Over there! That big bird!"
"I see it!"
"What kind of bird is that? It looks so ugly!"
"It looks like there are two people sitting on its back."
Kakuzu, flying overhead, noticed more and more people on the ground looking up at them. He turned to Hidan and said, "Hey, we're flying too low. People are spotting us."
"Let them see! We're not wanted criminals here," Hidan said smugly, looking down at the humans below, who seemed like ants. He was thoroughly enjoying being admired from above.
After Hidan's remark, Kakuzu thought for a moment and realized he was right. In the shinobi world, he might be a wanted rogue ninja from Taki, but here, he was a free man.
Or perhaps even more than that—a mysterious outsider in this world.
No one knew their background, nor did anyone know their abilities. Even if he unleashed a devastating jutsu here, no one would be able to trace it back to him. Once their mission was over, they would just fly away.
With this realization, Kakuzu no longer felt restricted.
After maintaining low-altitude flight for a while, the Byakhee finally began its descent, landing gently on the ground.
"Finally landed! Feels good!" Hidan jumped down, stretched a bit, then turned to the Byakhee. "You can go back now. Just remember to come pick us up later."
With a few flaps of its wings, it took off into the sky again.
"Hey, where's the Mi-Go?"
"The lord told me it's in that town over there," Hidan replied, pointing toward a town between the mountains and water.
The two walked toward the town, which was bustling with people. The streets were crowded, and vendors lined the sides, selling all sorts of goods.
The people here dressed simply, in clothes similar to those worn in remote villages of the Five Great Nations.
On either side of the town's streets stood buildings with a peculiar style, mostly constructed of wood, earth, and stone. The structures were square in design, reminiscent of medieval architecture, with stone statues and small fountains as decorative elements.
What shocked Kakuzu and Hidan the most was that the language spoken by the townspeople was completely understandable to them.
"Sophia, go get some wine from the tavern for me. I'm going to drink to my heart's content today!"
"Here are the farming tools my father made for your family. I've brought them over."
"Potatoes! Potatoes! Two copper coins each!"
The voices of the townspeople reached Kakuzu and Hidan's ears clearly and without mistake, leaving both of them momentarily dumbfounded.
Why was it that the people here spoke the same language as those in the shinobi world?
Could it be that the language of the shinobi world was actually a universal language?
"Hey, are you sure about this place? Why are the people here speaking our language?" Kakuzu asked.
He just shrugged and said, "What does it matter? It makes things easier for us."
They walked a bit farther, and Kakuzu's suspicion grew. "This town is so lively. How could there be a Mi-Go here?"
Finally, Hidan couldn't hold back anymore. He shouted in the middle of the street, "How should I know?"
The shout drew immediate attention from the surrounding townspeople. Their red-clouded, black cloaks were already eye-catching, and now, with Hidan yelling in the street, people began to slowly gather around them.
"Hey, your faces are unfamiliar."
"Your clothes are strange. Are you part of an assassination group?"
"Did the enemies of the Utopia send you to assassinate Hyde-sama?"
"Knights! There are suspicious individuals here!"
Before Kakuzu and Hidan had a chance to explain, the crowd closed in around them. In the distance, two knights in silver armor on horseback heard the commotion and started approaching.
"Hey, we've been discovered," Kakuzu said. "What now? Do we run or fight?"
Hidan's lips curled into a cruel, wicked smile as his hand slowly reached for the scythe hidden under his cloak.
Although offering these people as sacrifices would be ideal, he had no qualms about slaughtering them if that was what it took.
"Since we've been discovered... there's no other choice."