On the border of the Land of Hot Water, a cold, biting rain hammered the scorched earth and the buried remains of kunai and shuriken, creating a monotonous, irritating "pat-pat" sound.
The air was filled with a thick, nauseating stench. The smell of blood, rotting corpses, and pungent gunpowder intertwined to create a pervasive odor of death that the rain couldn't wash away.
This used to be a bustling trade route in the Land of Hot Water, but now it had become a meat grinder piled high with bodies. Layer upon layer of corpses lay on the muddy ground. Besides ninja dressed in the styles of the Cloud and Leaf Villages, there were many who were just ordinary people from the Land of Hot Water. Their bodies were grotesquely twisted; some were blown to pieces, a bloody mess, others were impaled by sharp weapons, their eyes wide open in death, and some were as pale and shriveled as if their blood had been drained.
The rain washed away the congealed clots of dark red blood, forming winding, stream-like rivulets of blood that flowed into low-lying areas, creating pools of blood that were a terrifying sight to behold. A few scrawny wild dogs hovered in the distance, whimpering with hunger, but they didn't dare approach this death-shrouded area.
But a small figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield. Wrapped in a tattered, barely-covering single garment, he crawled cautiously among the corpses and wreckage. From his mud-caked face, you could barely make out that he was only twelve or thirteen years old. His bloodshot eyes, a result of hunger and fear, glittered.
"Military rations, medicine, food... Where is it, where is it?" he murmured unconsciously.
He knew this place was dangerous, full of traps like explosive tags, and that he could die at any moment. But he had no choice. His father, a merchant, was caught in the crossfire between the Leaf and Cloud Villages a few months ago, and even his bones couldn't be found. Now, only he, his mother who was suffering from a high fever, and his five-year-old sister were left.
His experience was not unique. The Land of Hot Water, once a prosperous place known for its hot springs and commerce, was now ravaged by the back-and-forth war between the two great ninja villages. The tragedy that once happened in the Land of Rain was now happening here. Towns were destroyed, farmlands lay fallow, and people were displaced and homeless.
The most obvious difference between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rain was that the latter had Hanzo and the Village Hidden in the Rain to stand up for it, while the Village Hidden in Hot Water had long been known as "the village that forgot war." Both the leader of the Hidden Hot Water Village and the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water chose to cover their ears and close their eyes, refusing to hear or see, praying that the Leaf and Cloud Villages would leave soon.
The boy, risking his life to loot corpses on the battlefield, was just one of many people who had run out of options. His family had been without food for days. His mother was getting sicker, and his sister didn't even have the strength to cry. He had no choice but to take a chance and come to this hellish battlefield in the hope of finding some food, medicine, or something valuable.
The boy trembled as he approached a relatively intact corpse of a Cloud Village ninja. Suppressing his fear and the churning in his stomach, he carefully used a stick to open the ninja's pouch and search through it.
But just then.
"Hey."
A calm voice, without warning, sounded from behind him. The boy's body instantly froze, his blood seeming to turn to ice. He didn't even dare to turn his head. He just stiffly raised his hands, his voice trembling with fear. "P-please spare me! Sir! I-I'm not a ninja. I haven't taken anything. I'll go now, I'll..."
He thought he had run into a ninja who had come to clean up the battlefield. However, the expected reprimand or attack never came. Instead, a long, black loaf of bread appeared in his peripheral vision, and the familiar, long-forgotten scent of baking bread wafted into his nostrils.
The recipe for this kind of black bread was quite simple, using only four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. No sugar, no oil, no wheat flour. It was too hard to swallow and had to be soaked in water to soften. Its only advantage was that it was filling and easy to preserve.
Gulp!
The boy's mouth involuntarily watered, and his dry throat instinctively swallowed. He cautiously turned his head, glancing behind him. What he saw was not the fierce ninja he had imagined, but a young man in ordinary cloth clothes with a strangely comforting and friendly smile on his face. Rain had plastered his hair to his forehead, and his old-fashioned round glasses were wet with mist, making him look a little disheveled. The only thing that seemed a little strange to the boy was a uniquely shaped necklace around his neck with an iron plate that had an outer circle and an inner triangle.
"Are you hungry?"
Yakushi Kabuto smiled at the boy in front of him, holding the black bread with its inviting aroma closer, almost touching the boy's nose. "Do you want to eat this?"
The boy's heart pounded wildly. The immense temptation and his innate fear fought a fierce battle within him. Finally, he extended his trembling hand, grabbing the bread almost as if he were snatching it, and clutched it tightly to his chest as if afraid it would fly away.
"Th-thank you, sir..."
His trembling voice was still filled with caution, but the rough texture and the aroma of the bread almost brought tears to his eyes. He tentatively asked, "What do you... want me to do?"
"Do you want to never go hungry again?"
Yakushi Kabuto slowly squatted down to be at eye level with the boy. His smiling eyes looked straight at him. "Do you want someone to be able to protect you and your family?"
A flicker of longing flashed in the boy's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a deeper wariness.
"If you want to, then join us."
Yakushi Kabuto's voice seemed to carry a strange power of persuasion. He smiled. "Believe in my Lord and join our faith. We have plenty of food, and we have many companions like you who have no home."
"A f-faith?" the boy repeated, stunned and confused.
"Yes, a faith," Yakushi Kabuto nodded, his smile unchanged. "But some people on the outside like to call us 'the Jashin Cult.'"
The Jashin Cult?!
These three words made the boy's body tremble violently, and the bread in his hand almost fell into the bloody puddle. The ninja from the Hidden Hot Water Village and the elders of the Land of Hot Water had told him countless stories about the "Jashin Cult." In their stories, the Jashin cultists were madmen who sacrificed living people and ate their flesh and blood. They were terrifying beings that even the great ninja of the Hidden Hot Water Village feared!
"You... I..."
Thinking of the rumors about the Jashin Cult, countless bloody and terrifying images flashed in the boy's mind, and his face turned ashen. He looked in terror at the bespectacled young man in front of him, instinctively putting one hand on the ground behind him, ready to retreat and run.
But the man's gentle smile, the life-saving black bread in his arms, and his sincere tone... Why was all of this so different from the murderous, fierce-looking Jashin cultists he had heard about since he was a child?
Weren't the Jashin cultists supposed to be madmen? Weren't they supposed to snatch children to rip out their hearts and livers? Why was this man...
"Do you still believe the lies from the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water and the leader of the Hidden Hot Water Village?"
Yakushi Kabuto saw the boy's fear and naturally shook his head and sighed. "They also said they would protect us. If they had really done that, why would you and I be here?"
"If you don't believe me, then come with me and see what we're really like."
With that, without waiting for the boy's answer, Yakushi Kabuto stood up and walked away.
"..."
The boy watched the retreating figure, and the immense fear and his will to survive fought fiercely in his heart. Finally, the desire for his family and himself to live overcame his fear, and the faint hope of "never being hungry again" triumphed over everything.
He trembled as he got up. Like he was being pulled by an invisible string, he cautiously followed behind Yakushi Kabuto, one step at a time, leaving this bloody field of corpses.
Yakushi Kabuto led him through the forest to the top of a high hill. Although it was far from the battlefield, the view was open, and he could clearly see the area below. He saw the brightly lit and heavily guarded Cloud Village camp to the north and the Leaf Village camp to the south, which also gave off a deadly aura.
On the hill, hundreds of people had already gathered. They wore black clothes of a uniform style, standing silently in the wind and rain like a flock of crows. They held identical scythes and stared fixedly at the Leaf and Cloud Village camps. In the depths of their hundreds of eyes, a bone-chilling hatred and a powerful longing burned.
At the very front of the crowd, on the edge of the cliff, stood a figure who wasn't very tall. His gray hair was particularly noticeable in the night, and a small, decorative scythe hung from his wrist. He stood with his back to Yakushi Kabuto and the boy, as if he hadn't noticed their arrival. He was focused on the blood-soaked land below, as if he were admiring a masterpiece painted with death.
"Is that the leader of the Jashin... Cult?"
Noticing the reverence in the eyes of the others as they looked at the figure, the boy felt his heart pound, almost jumping out of his throat. He didn't look tall or imposing. In fact, he looked... ordinary? But the lingering, cold aura made the boy instinctively afraid.
Just then, Yakushi Kabuto walked forward, stopped behind the figure, and bowed his head slightly. His voice and expression were respectful. "Lord Cult Leader."
The gray-haired figure seemed to wake up from a trance.
"Oh, you're back, Kabuto?" Hidan asked with a grin, looking at Yakushi Kabuto. "How's the information gathering coming along?"
Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his rain-slicked round glasses. The lenses hid the light flickering in the depths of his eyes, and the gentle, harmless smile remained on his face. "Reporting to you, Lord Cult Leader."
"The negotiations between the Cloud and Leaf have failed again. There is a widespread weariness of war on both sides, and the Leaf Village will likely launch an all-out offensive tomorrow morning. The Cloud Village seems to have the same idea."
Hearing this, Hidan's eyes lit up. He licked his lips as if he could already see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and a look of morbid ecstasy appeared on his face. He suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked at Yakushi Kabuto, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Should we help the Leaf by killing the Cloud again like last time?"
Yakushi Kabuto's smile didn't change. He bowed slightly, his tone humble. "You are the Cult Leader. All actions are naturally for you to decide."
"Fine, fine," Hidan said with a pout. "For your sake, I'll try not to attack the Leaf ninjas." He emphasized the word "try" and a cunning, cruel glint flashed in his eyes. If they weren't smart and ran into my scythe, well, then it wouldn't be my fault! Heh, heh, heh...
"Your wisdom is beyond words, Lord Cult Leader!"
Yakushi Kabuto unhesitatingly took a step back, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head deeply. His voice suddenly rose, filled with reverence. "Your decision will guide us toward 'rebirth'!"
As Yakushi Kabuto knelt, the hundreds of silent Jashin cultists on the hill also knelt in unison, their heads bowed low.
"Your wisdom is beyond words, Lord Cult Leader!!"
Hundreds of voices merged into a fanatical torrent that broke through the rain and echoed in the sky!
"This..."
Seeing this scene, the boy was stunned for a moment before he instinctively knelt down as well.
Hidan glanced at Yakushi Kabuto with an indifferent expression. He knew this guy was calculating and didn't genuinely believe in the great Jashin Lord. However, to complete the mission given by the Jashin Lord, to recruit more followers, to strengthen the Jashin cult, and to spread the glory of the Jashin Lord across the ninja world, he needed Yakushi Kabuto's help.
Hidan wasn't really stupid; he was just too lazy to think too much. If a problem could be solved with a fight, he didn't bother to use his brain. He knew his "specialty" was killing people. As for building a cult, managing followers, and gathering intelligence... just thinking about these tedious, complicated things gave him a headache.
So before he met Yakushi Kabuto, he had made a mess of the Jashin cult and had to apologize to the Jashin Lord every day. Later, when he met this sneaky, bespectacled guy, he could tell right away that he had bad intentions. He originally wanted to use his scythe to kill this rat. But at that moment, "Scythe God of the Four" — the divine weapon bestowed by the Jashin Lord — stopped him, guiding him to spare Yakushi Kabuto's life and even let him join the cult.
It turned out that the will of the Jashin Lord was absolutely correct. Although Yakushi Kabuto was cunning, under his management, the Jashin cult was growing stronger and stronger.
And as the cult leader, what Hidan had to do was... naturally, to show the blessings of a god. Hidan's eyes fell on the trembling boy hiding behind Yakushi Kabuto, clutching the black bread tightly.
"Come here."
Hidan's voice was not loud, but it had an undeniable, commanding tone that clearly reached the boy's ears. The boy's body stiffened, and immense fear immediately seized him. He looked to Yakushi Kabuto for help, but Yakushi Kabuto just smiled and nodded at him, his eyes filled with encouragement.
Under the gaze of hundreds of fanatical eyes, the boy felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into a frozen wilderness. He stood up stiffly. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and every step was incredibly difficult. He could clearly feel those eyes on him—some were friendly, some were curious, some were scrutinizing, but most were filled with envy and jealousy, as if he were about to receive some great blessing.
Finally, like a walking corpse, he reached Hidan, his knees giving way as he involuntarily knelt down, his head bowed deeply, not daring to meet those eyes.
"Look up," Hidan's voice rang out again. "Open your mouth."
Like a puppet on a string, the boy instinctively raised his head, his mind blank, and his mouth opened on its own. Hidan raised his right hand, and the miniature "Scythe God of the Four" that had been hanging from his wrist slid into his palm. He lightly drew it across his palm.
Shhh!
With a subtle sound of skin being cut, a wound appeared on Hidan's palm, and bright red blood immediately gushed out! However, strangely, the gushing blood did not have a strong bloody smell. Instead, it gave off an indescribably sweet, syrupy aroma that wafted into the boy's nostrils.
Hidan slowly moved his bleeding hand over the boy's open mouth. The boy's pupils shrank, and his body instinctively wanted to retreat in fear and close his mouth, but the strange, sweet fragrance seemed to carry a fatal magic that instantly disintegrated his will.
Drip... drip...
The vivid crimson blood dripped down, one drop at a time.
The first drop of blood landed on the boy's tongue, and his throat involuntarily rolled.
Gulp!
In an instant, a deep sweetness and satisfaction, accompanied by a warm current, surged through his entire body, like a long-parched desert receiving a downpour. The burning emptiness in his stomach was gradually replaced by a feeling of fullness, and his weak limbs, a result of malnutrition, seemed to have been injected with new vitality!
The bone-chilling coldness of the rain was dispelled, and his body became warm and comfortable. A few small cuts on his arms scabbed over and disappeared at a visible speed, revealing completely intact skin! Even the sallow, long-term hunger-induced complexion regained a hint of a healthy rosy glow!
"What... what is this?!"
Feeling the abundant strength and warmth in his body, the boy's eyes were filled with unbelievable shock. This scene was clearly witnessed by all the cultists. The envy and jealousy in their eyes turned into fanaticism, and they trembled with excitement.
A miracle! The Lord Cult Leader is the Son of God!
Looking at his fanatical followers, Hidan withdrew his hand with satisfaction. The wound on his palm healed at a visible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint red mark.
This was, of course, a "miracle," a power bestowed by the great Jashin Lord, the power of "Scythe God of the Four." As one of the first people to receive this weapon, Hidan had been feeding it with souls for some time, causing the "Scythe God of the Four" to undergo a transformation. "Size change" was just the most basic ability of this weapon. It also gave him a powerful self-healing ability that didn't require hand signs, an ability that added to his original "immortality." By absorbing the blood of others with this blade, he could speed up his self-healing. If he absorbed enough blood, he could even regenerate severed limbs. He could also feed the blood to others to strengthen their bodies and heal their wounds.
Hidan could feel that the "Scythe God of the Four" bestowed by the Jashin Lord had not yet reached its full power. As long as he continued to praise the name of the Jashin Lord, as long as he made more people believe in the Jashin Lord, and as long as he could offer the souls of more powerful individuals...
With this thought, Hidan looked at the dazed boy and asked, "What's your name?"
The boy suddenly came back to his senses, looked up at Hidan's face, and pursed his crimson lips. "Lord Cult Leader, my name is Nora."
"Nora, from now on, you are a follower of the cult and our companion," Hidan said with a grin. "If you have family, you can bring them here. Everyone will get food, and if they are sick or injured, they can come to me."
Nora's body trembled involuntarily, and a morbid flush rose on his face. He bowed his head deeply, his voice filled with excitement. "Thank you! Thank you, Lord Cult Leader!"
Hidan looked at the assembled Jashin cultists, and his voice suddenly became loud and rousing. "Tell our new companion!"
"Who! Made you displaced and homeless! Who made you scavenge among corpses like wild dogs?!"
"The ninja!" The hundreds of followers roared in unison, their voices filled with hatred that made the eardrums vibrate.
"Who!" Hidan's eyes swept across the faces of the followers, and his voice became even more impassioned. "Took away your loved ones, your homes, everything you owned?!"
"The ninja!!"
The followers' roars became even more violent, and their eyes were bloodshot with anger. Many of their bodies trembled slightly, as if they were roaring out the pent-up resentment in their hearts!
"And who!" Hidan suddenly spread his arms wide, his voice filled with fanaticism. "Gave you the power to resist these arrogant ninja and reclaim everything you lost?!"
"Our Lord!!"
This time, the response was like a tsunami, filled with unparalleled fanaticism and faith.
"That's right!" Hidan's lips curled into a crazy arc. "It's our 'Lord'! The great 'Lord'!"
With that, he slowly raised his newly healed hand and, with an extremely solemn and devout gesture, lightly drew a perfect triangle on his forehead and shoulders. His movements were meticulous and filled with a sacred sense of ritual.
"Praise my Lord," Hidan's voice became low, but with a chilling devotion and fanaticism, like a devout follower's whisper. "Death is rebirth. Return to the embrace of my Lord."
The hundreds of followers raised their right hands in unison, also drawing the perfect triangle on their bodies.
"Praise my Lord! Death is rebirth. Return to the embrace of my Lord!"
Their voices were perfectly synchronized. They bowed their heads deeply, like the humblest of lambs, and chanted their prayers in unison.
"Only the Lord is with me in this barren and desperate land..."
"The Lord bestows his abundant grace upon me. I offer my faith to the Lord..."
The prayer started low and then gradually rose, becoming more and more fanatical and devout.
Yakushi Kabuto also bowed his head deeply and whispered devoutly, but his eyes behind his glasses were completely calm. To keep the orphanage going, to protect Sister Nonou and the children, he had chosen to become a Leaf Village spy and had been lurking in various ninja nations for several years. Now, his reason for joining Hidan's Jashin cult was to use its power to help the Leaf Village defeat the Cloud Village in the Land of Hot Water. This was the final order he had received from the leader of the Root organization.
However, he hadn't expected Hidan to have such an uncanny ability, and the speed at which the Jashin cult was growing was a bit more than he had anticipated.
"..."
He thought of the countless human tragedies he had witnessed in the Land of Hot Water recently. Yakushi Kabuto slowly closed his eyes to calm the turbulence in his heart. The reason why the small, insignificant Jashin cult had grown so rapidly was precisely because the war had ravaged and brought so much suffering to the Land of Hot Water. The followers who joined the Jashin cult were once just ordinary civilians. Did they really stay here because they believed in some "Lord"?
No.
Yakushi Kabuto, who had witnessed the rapid growth of the Jashin cult firsthand, knew that these people joined the "cult" not because of some vague "Lord." It was because only here could they live like human beings, not like vultures and wild dogs scavenging among rotting corpses! Only here could they gain power instead of living in constant fear of being accidentally killed by a ninja's jutsu!
Countless people with nowhere left to go were absorbed into the cult. After witnessing Hidan's abilities and gaining power, they developed faith. The Jashin cult grew like a fungus feeding on rotting flesh.
"I can't leave now even if I wanted to," Yakushi Kabuto sighed to himself. At least if he stayed here, he could make sure Hidan and the Jashin cult wouldn't attack the Leaf Village. If he left, that madman would probably attack both the Leaf and the Cloud at the same time.
He could only hope that the war between the Cloud and the Leaf would end soon and that the Leaf Village would then have the time to deal with the overgrown Jashin cult.