After taking over the snake uncle's foundation, Sasuke came to surrender on his own initiative.

Chapter 249: Mineral Vein Defense Battle

The fluorescent stone of the chakra vein glowed with a faint blue light in the night, and the crisp sound of mineral collision came from deep in the vein.

This is the "source of power" of the Sound Village. The high-purity chakra contained within the mineral vein not only powers the Ototake's systems but also serves as a reinforcement for Sasuke's Mangekyō and Kimimaro's Bone Blade. Neji stood atop the sentry tower at the mine's entrance. His Byakugan's True Vision, like a golden net, took in every movement within a ten-mile radius. His fingertips occasionally brushed across his palm, where the warm chakra of the Eight Trigrams Binding Palm still lingered—the fusion of Sasuke's fire, Kimimaro's bone, and Shiro's ice, condensing into the power of his "comrades."

"Lord Neji, the chakra fluctuations on the third layer of the vein are a bit strange." Karin's voice came from the communicator with a hint of urgency, "It seems like something is consuming the energy of the ore at a very fast speed!"

Neji's pupils suddenly constricted, his true vision instantly focused on the depths of the vein. Three dark figures crouched over the fluorescent stone at the vein's core. One, cloaked in a black cloak, was wrapping strange black threads around the ore, sighing with satisfaction from beneath his cloak with each gulp of chakra absorbed. Another, a towering figure, carried a massive sickle, its grooves gleaming dark red, evidently freshly stained with blood. The outermost figure clung to the rock wall, his body blending seamlessly into the shadows of the vein, only the occasional flicker of his Byakugan iris catching his chakra—it was Zetsu, along with Hidan and Kakuzu of the Akatsuki!

"Sasuke, Kimimaro, get to the core of the mine immediately!" Neji grabbed the ninja tool bag at his waist and jumped off the watchtower, locking onto Hidan's chakra trajectory with his Byakugan. "Hidan's spells require blood, don't get scratched by his sickle! Kakuzu's heart is hidden throughout his body, watch out for his earth and lightning jutsu combinations!"

Sasuke snorted coldly over the communicator: "Got it, don't lose your Byakugan." Then there was the sharp sound of Kimimaro's bone blade being unsheathed, "My bone blade can pierce Kakuzu's earth escape technique. Do you need me to clear the way?"

"No need." Neji's figure rushed through the meridians, chakra overflowing from his palms, leaving a pale golden Bagua mark on the ground. "You guys flank us from both sides, I'll contain the front. Karin, you set up a sensory barrier at the entrance of the vein, don't let Zetsu's clone get around!"

When Neji arrived at the core of the mine, Hidan was cutting his palm with a sickle, dripping blood on the ground of the mine, and drawing a strange spell circle: "Hahaha, the chakra in this mine is enough for me to sacrifice to the evil god!" Black mist rose from the spell circle, and the fluorescent stone in the mine darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye. The originally abundant chakra was being drawn away by the evil god's spell.

"Stop!" Neji suddenly launched a Baguazhang strike, golden chakra carrying a sharp gust of wind, striking Hidan's back. But Hidan didn't dodge, swinging his scythe backhand. The blood grooves on the blade grazed Neji's shoulder armor, leaving a trail of blood—the blood of the mine guard, already smeared on Hidan's blade.

"I've got you!" Hidan's eyes lit up with a scarlet light, and the curse circle suddenly erupted. Neji felt a tearing pain in his shoulder, as if he had been chopped by an invisible sickle. "This is the power of the evil god! As long as I get my hands on your blood, I can make you suffer the same injuries as me!"

Neji groaned, but didn't retreat. His Byakugan clearly saw that Hidan's chakra had formed a closed loop within the curse circle. If this loop were broken, the curse would be ineffective. But just as he was about to strike, Kakuzu suddenly burst out from the ground, his earth jutsu technique—a fist wrapped in a spear of earth—and with the crackle of lightning, it smashed into Neji's chest. "Don't ignore me, brat!"

"Look out!" Kimimaro's bone blade shot from the left, accurately blocking Neji. The Hyuga clan's bone spikes collided with the earth spear, sparking sparks everywhere, but Kakuzu's fist suddenly split into three tentacles with lightning release, entwining Kimimaro's bone blade. "Oh? Hyuga clan brat, your bones are quite tough."

Sasuke's Amaterasu erupted at this moment, and black flames fell behind Kakuzu like a waterfall, completely blocking his escape route. "Your opponent is me." The Mangekyō Sharingan glowed golden, and Sasuke could clearly see the five hearts beating inside Kakuzu's body. "Don't even think about replacing your heart. My fire can burn your soul."

Kakuzu's expression finally changed. He jerked his fist back, and with a sudden burst of earth escape technique, a great river of mud exploded across the ground, attempting to extinguish Amaterasu's flames with mud. However, Sasuke's fire spread along the mud, entangling Kakuzu's legs instead. Black flames burned on his trouser legs, emitting a burning smell.

Neji seized this brief moment, his palms pulsing with chakra. He recalled the key to the "Binding Palm" technique, as taught by Ototake-sama—it wasn't simply about fusing the chakra of one's companions, but rather sensing their intentions, allowing their powers to resonate. His Byakugan scanned Sasuke's Amaterasu flame, sensing the fiery heat of protection; Kimimaro's bone blade, sensing the tenacity of trust; and Karin's rapid breathing over the communicator, sensing the warmth of worry.

"Eight Trigrams Binding Palm!" A trio of gold, black, and white light erupted from Neji's palm. The gold was his own Eight Trigrams chakra, the black was Sasuke's Amaterasu fire, and the white was Kimimaro's bone blade chill. The three chakra colors formed a swirling vortex that slammed into Hidan's curse circle.

The moment Hidan's curse circle came into contact with this force, it shattered like glass. The pain in Neji's shoulder suddenly disappeared, and Hidan was thrown back by the vortex's impact, crashing into the fluorescent stone of the mine. He spat out a mouthful of blood. "What kind of move is this? How can it possibly destroy the evil god's curse!"

"Because your curse only has the power of hatred." Neji's voice was firm, and his "Eight Trigrams Bonding Palm" was condensed again, this time flying towards Kakuzu, "And our power comes from the bond between our companions!"

Kakuzu's lightning tentacles suddenly erupted, attempting to block the blow, but the three-colored chakra, as if alive, bypassed them and struck directly at his heart, the most vulnerable part of his body. "Puff!" Kakuzu spat out a mouthful of black blood, his lightning chakra instantly disrupted, and the earth spear's defense vanished.

"Now!" Sasuke's Amaterasu suddenly shrank and turned into a sharp sword, piercing Kakuzu's chest. The black flames instantly devoured his five hearts. "It's over."

Seeing this, Hidan struggled to get up, but found his limbs pinned to the ground by Kimimaro's bone blades. The bone spurs of the Hyuga clan pierced his joints, preventing him from casting spells. "You cheated! You used the power of your companions! This isn't fair!"

"Fair?" Neji walked up to Hidan, his eyes gleaming coldly. "Why didn't you talk about fairness when you massacred innocent villagers and sacrificed their blood to the evil god?" He concentrated chakra in his palm again, and this time, the "Binding Palm" was filled with a hint of Bai's icy coldness - that was the support Bai had just sent through the communicator. He and Zabuza were restraining Zetsu's clone, but they still used chakra to help Neji strengthen his moves. "This palm is for those you sacrificed!"

The tricolor chakra struck Hidan again, but this time it didn't explode. Instead, it transformed into fine threads of light that penetrated his meridians. Hidan's body suddenly froze. He could feel the Evil God's chakra within him being purified by this power. His once immortal body actually began to show signs of aging. "No! My immortal body! Lord Evil God!"

Zetsu's screams were heard from deep within the mine. Haku's ice escape finally froze his clone, and Zabuza's beheading sword split the last shadow apart. "Ningji! Zetsu's real body has escaped. He took away some of Hidan's chakra. He must be going back to report to Nagato!"

Neji nodded, but didn't chase. He watched Hidan's lifeless body fade, then glanced at Sasuke and Kimimaro beside him. Sasuke's Amaterasu had subsided, but a subtle smile lingered on his lips. Kimimaro's bone blade was slowly retracting, and his pale face lost its usual coldness, instead displaying a hint of reassurance.

Karin rushed into the mine at this moment. Her perception network quickly swept over the three people, and her eyes instantly turned red: "Lord Neji! Does your shoulder still hurt? Did Lord Sasuke's fire burn you? Is Lord Kimimaro's bone okay?"

"It's okay." Neji's voice softened. He raised his hand and let Karin check his wound. "Thanks to you, the mine is safe."

Sasuke turned his head away and quietly stuffed a bottle of healing potion into Karin's hand: "Give it to Neji. He just took Hidan's curse head-on." Kimimaro also took out a piece of Hyuga clan bone crystal from his arms and handed it to Neji: "This will strengthen your chakra. Next time you use the Binding Palm, you won't be so tired."

Neji looked at the crystal in his hand, then at the potion Sasuke handed him, and suddenly smiled. The "caged bird" curse seal remained on his forehead, but it no longer felt constrained—for he knew he was no longer the Hyuga branch, trapped by fate. Instead, he was a member of the "family" of Otogakure, with companions, bonds, and something worth protecting with his life.

The vein's fluorescent stones then lit up again, casting a faint blue light on the three men, stretching their shadows. Neji clenched his chakra, sensing the remaining strength of his companions, his heart utterly resolute: the next time they faced the Akatsuki, no matter how many Nagato sent, they would prevail—for their power was unmatched by even the curses of the evil gods and the immortality of their bodies; it was the bond of companionship.

A bell rang from the distant Otogakure, signaling the mission was complete.

Ningci, Sasuke, and Kimimaro supported each other and followed Karin to the exit of the mine. The sound of footsteps echoed in the mine.