Climbing Silver

With the other squads finding no sign of the Akatsuki at the bounty stations, Hidan turns expecting Kakuzu and instead meets Asuma, who wears the Twelve Guardian Ninja sash. As Asuma moves in, Hidan is pinned by Shikamaru's Shadow Sewing Technique, and Izumo and Kotetsu run him through his vital points, only to watch him shrug it off and boast of his immortality. Kakuzu then strikes from behind at Shikamaru, who dodges but must free Hidan to do so.

Recognizing Asuma as a wanted man, Kakuzu praises the catch, but Hidan waves him off, wanting the three attackers for his Jashin rites. He draws a diagram in his own blood and readies his triple-bladed scythe. Shikamaru recalls learning shōgi from Asuma and once beating him with the sacrificial Climbing Silver play, and asks whether his teacher means to make such a trade now. Asuma reassures him he has no intention of throwing his life away.

Fighting with chakra blades, Asuma weaves between Hidan and the reaching shadows, blocking a scythe swing aimed at his allies with the Fire Temple's ultimate Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder. Hidan still nicks Asuma's cheek, and when Asuma answers with a gunpowder-fueled Ash Pile Burning, the immortal calmly steps into his ritual circle and swallows the drop of Asuma's blood he has collected.

Shikamaru's team ambushes Hidan, only to learn he cannot be slain by piercing his vital organs. Kakuzu's intervention forces Shikamaru to release his shadow hold. Asuma engages Hidan directly with chakra blades and shields his teammates using the Fire Temple's Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder. After being cut, Asuma unleashes Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, but Hidan retreats to his blood diagram and ingests a sample of Asuma's blood.

The episode falls in the Akatsuki Suppression Mission arc and adapts two chapters. Its title refers to Climbing Silver, an actual sacrificial maneuver in the board game shōgi, echoing Shikamaru's memories of playing against Asuma.