Inside the underground chamber of Tenshu Castle—
Hidan curled up in the corner of his cage, guarding three grains of spoiled rice.
This was his last hope.
Every time the daimyō brought in a bit of food, he would secretly save a few grains.
During the long, torturous days of imprisonment, he survived on those grains alone.
He still had something to eat.
He still had hope.
He hadn't gone mad.
He hadn't broken down.
All because of those few grains of rice.
The last companion before him had already been dragged away and sacrificed.
The next time the daimyō came—
it would be his turn to die.
Hidan was only eight years old.
He didn't want to die.
Crack!
A sudden sound of earth breaking shattered the silence of the underground chamber.
Hidan immediately shifted his body, letting the dim light of the two candles before the idol fall upon the ground beneath him.
A strange plant had pushed its way up through the stone floor.
On its stem grew two red leaves.
The leaves quickly began to rotate, forming a small horn-like shape.
From within that horn, faint sounds could be heard.
Hidan quickly dropped to the ground and pressed his ear against it.
There really was a voice.
"You stand before a false god.
"A clown that walks the shinobi world.
"He has deceived the Evil God's gaze for a short time, attempting to replace it.
"Join the true Evil God.
"Kill your enemy.
"Offer blood and pain as prayer.
"And receive the Evil God's blessing.
"The true Blood Arbiter ritual is…"
Hidan listened once—
and felt a deep chill run through him.
He understood.
The idol behind him—the one that looked like blood-glass—
was actually a false god?
Hidan had been imprisoned for over a month.
Under that constant pressure, his mind had matured far beyond his age.
He immediately realized—
this might be his only chance to survive.
As if confirming that thought, the red leaves changed again—
transforming into a sharp wooden spike about a dozen centimeters long.
It was sharp enough to cut flesh.
For several days afterward, red flowers continued to grow from beneath the ground.
Inside them was sweet nectar, slowly restoring his strength.
Day after day, Hidan used the spike to cut open his own arm, letting what little blood he had drip onto the floor of the cage.
Finally—
he completed a ritual formation.
An outer circle with a triangle inside it.
All that remained—
was to wait.
To wait for the daimyō to arrive.
In Hidan's eyes, there was only hatred.
A hatred carved into his very bones.
He stared unblinkingly at the underground chamber entrance.
Then—
at last—
the stone door opened.
Two figures entered.
The footsteps were familiar.
The soft, expensive boots stepping down the stairs.
The daimyō.
And his only surviving youngest son.
Hidan quickly lowered himself onto the red flower.
Soon—
blood began to seep from it.
This was the Evil God's blood.
As long as he consumed the Evil God's blood—
and then made an offering—
he would receive the Evil God's favor.
Hidan lay on the ground, greedily sucking up the blood.
In the darkness, a thin wooden tube quietly withdrew back into Yako's body.
Just now—
he had fed his own blood to Hidan.
With this, Hidan would consume part of Yako's blood—
and then perform a sacrifice to Yako—
generating Blood Arbiter faith power for him.
Under the dim candlelight, the daimyō's twisted face came into view.
After a brief prayer before the idol, he turned and walked toward the cages.
He dragged Hidan out like a sick dog and hauled him toward the idol.
Hidan's face scraped across the floor.
He ignored the pain.
He twisted his head—
and glanced at the idol.
False god!
That was a false god!
The one he believed in—
was the true god.
The true Evil God!
Just like before, the daimyō prepared his son, then grabbed Hidan's hair, yanking his head backward.
His knee pressed into Hidan's back, exposing his throat.
And at that moment—
the wooden spike hidden in Hidan's sleeve fell into his hand.
With everything he had—
he thrust it backward.
The sharp spike pierced into the daimyō's calf.
The daimyō cried out in pain and stumbled backward.
Hidan yanked the spike free and scrambled toward the cage.
The daimyō struggled to his feet and chased after him—
only to suddenly trip.
From the cracks in the floor, wooden vines had inexplicably grown out, wrapping tightly around his ankle.
By the time he hacked them apart and got up again—
Hidan had already reached the cage.
"You filthy wretch! Get over here and complete the sacred sacrifice!"
The wound on the daimyō's leg was already healing rapidly.
The Evil God's blessing granted not only immortality—
but terrifying regenerative ability.
No matter how severe the wound—
it would heal.
When the daimyō reached the cage—
he saw Hidan holding the wooden spike against his own throat.
He let out a mocking laugh.
"What? You think threatening suicide will stop me?"
The next instant—
Hidan drove the spike straight into his own throat.
The daimyō barely had time to think—
This brat's got guts… Now I'll have to find another sacrifice tonight—
When suddenly—
he froze.
His hand flew to his own throat.
A hole had appeared there.
Blood burst out in a violent spray.
The daimyō staggered, staring at the ground.
There—
beneath his feet—
was a ritual formation.
An outer circle.
A triangle within it.
How was this possible?
Had this child… learned the ritual just by watching?
No—
this wound—
this was the Evil God's technique—
Death Controlling Possessed Blood.
In the darkness of the stairway, Yako's eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
Blood swirled within his pupils.
A sacrifice.
Someone was offering a sacrifice to him.
His consciousness was instantly pulled from his body.
He appeared in an endless void.
Beneath his feet—
a shallow layer of pale gray water stretched out endlessly, lifeless and still.
Then—
two drops of blood fell from above.
They landed on Yako's head.
One from Hidan.
One from the daimyō.
Hidan was the believer.
The daimyō was the sacrifice.
The moment the blood touched him—
it transformed into a fountain.
A massive surge of blood erupted from Yako's body, cascading downward and covering him entirely.
From the outside—
he now resembled a statue of blood-glass.
At the same time—
a deep, primal thirst began to rise within him.
Yako's eyes turned crimson.
Sacrifice…
I need sacrifices…
I need blood…
A dangerous thought flashed through his mind.
If he gave in—
if he let this hunger consume him—
he would be devoured by the Evil God's instinctive craving for blood.
Immediately, he formed a wrathful Buddhist mudra.
The Threefold Wrathful King manifested.
On the left—
the Wrathful King.
On the right—
the Evil God.
The Wrathful King smiled in wrath, its brows furrowed, fangs bared—
suppressing the bloodlust rising within Yako's heart.
Slowly—
Yako regained clarity.
His consciousness separated from the blood-drenched Evil God form.
Control returned to him.
The translucent crimson Wrathful King…
and the blood-glass Evil God…
stood in solemn opposition.
This—
was Yako's divine realm.
The Wrathful King and the Evil God—
two completely different powers—
both transcending the limits of ordinary spiritual energy.
Both stepping into the domain of gods… or sages.
Yako heard Hidan's prayer.
"O great Evil God!
"I offer blood and pain as my prayer!
"May the Evil God reign in eternal glory!
"Grant me the power of a god!"
Hidan had sacrificed both the daimyō—
and himself.
A connection formed between him and the Blood Arbiter divine realm.
A fragment of Hidan's soul was permanently anchored there.
That—
was the secret to Hidan's immortality.
As long as the Blood Arbiter divine realm endured—
his soul would never perish.
Outside the cage, the daimyō collapsed heavily onto the ground, blood gushing from his throat.
He had made countless offerings to the Evil God.
He should have been immortal.
But this time—
the one who killed him—
was different.
He could feel it.
His blood was freezing.
Another divine power had invaded his body.
His immortality…
was being destroyed.
Within the daimyō's blood vessels—
the Evil God and Yako clashed.
Divine power surged violently.
At the critical moment—
a Wrathful King phantom appeared behind Hidan.
Hidan was favored by Yako.
While behind the daimyō—
the Evil God was already fading.
In the end—
Yako's Evil God form and the Wrathful King together crushed the daimyō—
and completed the sacrifice.
Hidan screamed,
"False god!
"The one you worship is a false god!
"The one I worship is the true Evil God!
"The false god's power has been defeated!"
After shouting several times—
Hidan's body finally gave out.
And he collapsed into unconsciousness.