Chapter 314: Spear of Death, Mist Approaches
In the dilapidated underground chapel,
Hidan listened to Rōshi's muttering with a slightly tense look in his eyes. But the moment Rōshi turned his head and uttered the words about killing Uchiha Ci, a violent surge of killing intent erupted from Hidan's gaze.
Two days earlier, he should have been under Terumi Mei's so-called "imprisonment"—which was actually a form of protection.
However, after the second assassination attempt failed, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning flew into a rage and ordered a massive mobilization of Hidden Cloud ninja. Among them was even the young A, son of the Third Raikage.
One by one, the members of the Immortal Heretics fell before Hidan's eyes. Almost all of them were arrested and were about to be executed at the execution grounds. Desperate and with no options left, Hidan turned to anyone who might help. He asked a few veteran hot springs ninja to reach out for aid—from Konoha, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
His plea to Sunagakure inadvertently exposed his intel to Sasori.
His appeal to Konoha vanished into the void, receiving no response at all. (Minato didn't know Hidan and was busy contacting the Daimyō's son and Kirigakure.)
Only his letter to Kirigakure finally landed in Terumi Mei's hands.
But—
Before she could act, another force contacted Hidan first.
It was Iwagakure.
And the chips, the plan, and the future they offered sparked a glimmer of hope in Hidan—
A glimmer of hope that the Land of Hot Water might be spared from war!
That was why, just one day ago, with Iwagakure's assistance, Hidan mysteriously vanished from Kirigakure's custody.
Each side had their own needs.
Iwagakure needed Hidan's strength.
And Hidan needed the peace Iwagakure promised.
Gripping the pitch-black spear in his hand, Hidan remained silent for a moment. Even though the man before him had just declared his intent to kill Uchiha Ci—his sworn brother—Hidan repressed the urge to immediately strike him down and abandon this deal to seek out Uchiha Ci instead.
He was still a child, but he could no longer act like one.
Beyond his bond with Uchiha Ci, Hidan now bore the burden of an entire nation's future—the fate of the Land of Hot Water.
That heavy weight forced him to abandon all unrealistic fantasies and accept the reality before him.
If it were possible,
Hidan would have loved to trust Uchiha Ci unconditionally, just like he had in the underground halls of the Heretic God Cult—betting everything on him, hoping he'd lead the Land of Hot Water toward a brighter future.
But the reality Hidan had no choice but to face was—
After the flooding of the capital, the war between Iwagakure and Kirigakure on their soil intensified far beyond what they had ever experienced. They were forced to crawl and flee like dogs.
And Uchiha Ci—who had once made a solemn vow—had fled without even looking back.
No word. No letter.
Now,
Even though the real Uchiha Ci had come to the Land of Lightning and declared his intent to assassinate the Daimyō, Hidan had no way out. He could only shut his eyes in sorrow.
Uchiha Ci, you've come… too late!
At that thought, Hidan raised his head, straining to suppress the violent rage and killing intent on his face, and spoke in a heavy tone:
"Don't forget what you promised me."
At those words, Rōshi turned his head slightly, a sinister, eerie grin curling at his lips.
"Of course."
"The Land of Hot Water will find peace because of this. The sacrifice of every member of the Immortal Heretics will not be in vain. And the ones who inflicted cruelty upon you—Kirigakure and Kumogakure—will pay a terrible price."
"After all, you are our secret weapon—"
"You are the spear of death—meant to pierce the so-called strongest shield that A has flaunted his whole life!"
Rōshi locked eyes with Hidan, his bloodshot gaze swirling with madness, sleepless from the grief of watching Onoki die before him.
"Spear of Death!"
---
Meanwhile—
Having sealed the Eight-Tails' horn in a scroll provided by Orochimaru, and acquired the drift chart of Turtle Island, Uchiha Ci also raided Orochimaru's storage for supplies: clothing, ninja tools, food, soldier pills, and more.
Finally having eaten his fill, Uchiha Ci gave himself a decent makeover.
He trimmed his long, unruly hair—nearly reaching his waist—down to shoulder-length, short enough not to interfere in battle.
He wore a gray inner shirt and a short-sleeved black jacket with a stand-up collar. Around his waist was the same kind of purple rope belt Orochimaru wore, paired with loose lantern pants and black shinobi boots.
The only flaw—his clothes bore no Uchiha clan crest. Not eye-catching enough.
Stepping out of the hidden lab with his new look, donned in a black robe and straw hat, Uchiha Ci crossed the residential district of Yunming City, heading for Turtle Island.
Since Orochimaru seized control of Turtle Island, It had been drifting on the sea following a secret route unknown to the Hidden Cloud.
Yunming City was inland—still a good distance from the shore. So to reach the island, he had to first head to the coast.
Getting to the coast wasn't a problem—with Uchiha Ci's speed, it would take less than two hours.
But crossing the sea wasn't as easy.
With no end in sight, using Water Walking to cross the ocean just wasn't realistic.
To reach the drifting Turtle Island, he'd need to hire a boat.
But since Orochimaru had just taken over Turtle Island, the coastlines of the Land of Lightning were under tight surveillance. Losing the island meant losing their chance at a perfect Jinchuriki host.
Hidden Cloud was taking this very seriously.
They had seized control of all ships on the eastern coast, deploying fleets to scour the waters in search of the island.
In that situation, finding a boat to go to sea from the Land of Lightning was no easy task.
Orochimaru had seized the island by boarding it via land and used massive doses of genjutsu-infused pills to control the island turtle. So he couldn't help Ci board now—nor could he command the turtle from far away to swim ashore and pick him up.
While Uchiha Ci could use the Sharingan to hypnotize someone and commandeer a ship, doing so under tight inspections and ship monitoring wasn't ideal.
Compared to that option, seeking help from Terumi Mei was undoubtedly the better choice.
Soon, he returned to the vicinity of the abandoned Weng City—and happened to run into Terumi Mei, who was looking for him.
"Borrow a ship? You're heading out to sea?"
Terumi Mei looked at him in surprise—this guy had gone out for a stroll and returned decked out like he'd just mugged a noble. Her beautiful eyes darted around his face, surprised as she spoke.
"Getting you a ship isn't a problem."
"It's just..." She frowned.
"Something strange is going on at the eastern coast of the Land of Lightning. The area's under heavy Hidden Cloud surveillance. Every ship leaving or arriving is subject to inspection and questioning."
"To sail out, you'll have to depart from the docks in the Land of Frost."
"But..." Terumi Mei's face darkened.
"But what?" Uchiha Ci raised a brow, curious.
As heir to the Terumi clan—one of the three great families of the Hidden Mist—was even she troubled by something like this?
"Five days from now, another faction from Kirigakure attending the Five Great Nations Summit will also be arriving from that direction."
Terumi Mei furrowed her brows tightly and spoke with hesitation:
"Are you planning to depart today? Can't you wait just one more day?"
Uchiha Ci thought for a moment, then shook his head.
He still needed time to seal the Eight-Tails' horn, verify a few of his theories and abilities. Accounting for the round trip—
He'd need to be back in five days to give Akatsuki and the others a clear answer—and to take out the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning.
Time was tight.
"Alright then." Terumi Mei let out a breath, looked him in the eye, and said solemnly:
"In that case, you need to be careful to avoid certain people."
"The Mist's elite assassination unit—directly under the Third Mizukage!"
"Besides Hozuki Mangetsu, that squad includes some terrifying monsters."
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