When Uchiha Ci heard Hidan mention this name, his eyes flickered slightly.
He only knew a little about the Evil God Cult. It was a mysterious organization roaming the Land of Yu, worshipping a deity called the "Evil God." The powerful members within the organization relied on unique blood curses and ritual secrets to possess the terrifying ability of "killing at first sight."
In the original story, due to a fear of war, Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village) did nothing and remained isolated, even earning the nickname "the village that forgot the war." This conflicted with Hidan's idea of saving the Land of Yu through forceful measures. Gradually, he became dissatisfied with Takigakure and began paying attention to the emerging religion, the "Evil God Cult," in the Land of Yu.
Uchiha Ci just hadn't expected that Hidan, who wasn't even a genin yet, had already started noticing this organization at this time.
Hidan's face darkened as he spoke:
"Let me tell you this, Ci! Listen—"
"The Land of Yu is hopeless! This country has been dragged into the war among the Five Great Nations. Do you know what that means?"
The expression on Hidan's face gradually turned grim, and he stated in a deep voice:
"I've seen too many ninjas in the Land of Yu. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha—ninjas wearing these major villages' forehead protectors are wreaking havoc on this land. They don't care about the lives of the civilians in the Land of Yu. When they meet, it's a fight to the death, unleashing large-scale ninjutsu indiscriminately."
"Have you ever had such an experience? Walking on the road, only to suddenly see a nearby village submerged by floods, swallowed by ravines cracked open by earthquakes, or destroyed by lightning falling from the sky."
"Then, my sensei, a jonin from Takigakure, grabbed me by the shoulders and told me—"
"'Hidan, get out of here quickly. We'll be safe once we reach Takigakure.'"
"I remember the fear on his face, his forehead covered in sweat. There was clearly anger in his eyes, but he looked away, not daring to meet my gaze."
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but take a deep breath upon hearing this.
In the room, Hidan sat on a chair. The bright sunlight streamed through the large hole in the wall and shone on him, but it seemed as if it were completely swallowed by his body—like a black hole.
Hidan's expression was dark and terrifying, anger looming on his face. The skin at the corners of his eyes was stretched taut, as if about to burst. He widened his eyes, looked at Uchiha Ci, and said with a low laugh:
"I asked my sensei, 'Why don't you save them? With your abilities, sensei, can you do it? Can you defeat those chunin who are massacring civilians? Can you kill them, erase all traces of them, and then escape?'"
"'Kill them—why don't you kill them? Why?'"
"Do you know how my sensei answered me?" Hidan fell silent for a moment, then raised his head and asked Uchiha Ci.
Uchiha Ci slowly exhaled and sighed:
"Probably something like, 'Hidan, don't cause trouble. We're not their opponents,' right?"
The stark contrast reminded him of Uchiha Setsuna's words when facing the powerful enemy from Kumogakure, willing to go to self-destructive lengths to avenge him—for the sake of a genin, he wouldn't hesitate to hunt down an entire clan!
It was also the first time Uchiha Ci felt the Uchiha's "clan love" and how intense it could be.
Hidan shook his head and said with a disappointed smile:
"But my sensei said—"
"'Those people have nothing to do with us, so don't meddle in their business.'"
"Listen,"
"He actually said—'those people have nothing to do with us'?"
"That sensei's hometown is that village. We left the village this time to bring his wife back to the village."
"He actually said those people have nothing to do with us?!!!"
Hidan's emotions intensified, and he couldn't help but snatch the apple from Uchiha Ci's hand. He threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces.
Uchiha Ci: ? ? ?
Are you kidding me? That was my apple!
Uchiha Ci shook his head and sighed. Although he had already expected how messed up this world was, hearing about such tragedies firsthand was still hard to accept.
"This world is so messed up, but what does what you said have to do with the Evil God Cult?"
Hidan nodded and took out a pamphlet from the pocket behind him. He slapped it into Uchiha Ci's hands, his face filled with sincerity and excitement:
"Ci, look at this. Look at this teaching!"
"The declining Land of Yu has finally seen its dawn!"
"Its name is—"
"The Cult of the Evil God!"
The smile on Hidan's face gradually became abnormal:
"Kill! Kill! Kill everything around you!"
"Stand up to kill, squat down to kill, tie people to a stable to kill, pour horse dung over their heads and then cut them down to kill, cuff their hands, kick people into a pot of boiling oil to kill—everything, everything!"
"Ninjas, civilians, nobles, daimyo—"
"Kill them all!"
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"
"Let this country welcome a purge!"
"Set the table, dye the flowers with blood, beat the heads of tens of thousands of sentient beings, and begin the ceremony!"
"Then—"
"Welcome the Evil God!"
"When the god descends, all believers who worship him will suffer eternal pain!"
"Erase all sin!"
"The reborn Land of Yu will become the sixth great nation in the ninja world under the embrace of the Evil God!"
"And will forever have peace!"
As the words fell, Hidan stood in the blazing beam of light, spreading his arms wide and looking directly at the sun with a fanatical expression—as if he saw a light more dazzling than the sun itself!
Uchiha Ci swallowed hard, looking at Hidan in astonishment. He couldn't help but ask loudly:
"Have you joined the Evil God Cult?"
Hidan suddenly shook his head in frustration.
"Not yet."
"However, they should be arriving soon—"
Hidan laughed loudly, slapped Uchiha Ci on the shoulder, and said very sincerely:
"Ci, help me. Joining the Evil God Cult requires sacrifices!"
"It's not enough that I sacrifice myself—I need you!"
"Come to the cross with me and become a believer in God!"
"By then,"
"We will stand side by side at the top of this country and let the Land of Yu—"
"Be forever great!"
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but sweat a little on his forehead, looking at Hidan in shock.
No subtitles popped up before his eyes—which meant this kid had sincerely invited him to be a sacrifice, probably thinking it was a great thing!
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but flush with excitement.
For Hidan, becoming a sacrifice was certainly a good thing. As a result, he could obtain the "immortal body" that transcended the horror of death and master various secret spells and techniques from the Evil God's scriptures.
From then on, he would be promoted within the evil cult, become a general manager, become CEO, marry two sisters (the Bloody March Scythe and the Black Spear), and reach the pinnacle of life!
Just thinking about it made him a little excited.
But Uchiha Ci hesitated. He wasn't so sure.
"Huh?"
Uchiha Ci was stunned for a moment, as if he saw a broad road laid out before him—specially designed for insurance fraud!
Angels sang and fairies scattered flowers, just waiting for him to take a step forward.
This was a good thing for him!
Faced with such a notorious cult and villainous force as the Evil God Cult, as a fierce man descended from heaven, Uchiha Ci—who loved peace and justice and vowed to lead the ninja world to a better future—how could he ignore it?
Uchiha Ci looked excited and immediately jumped out of bed. He tightly grasped the evil propaganda pamphlet of the Evil God Cult and firmly held Hidan's hands.
"Hidan, good brother! Good!"
"Then let's go to the Evil God Cult together!"
"We all have a bright future!"