The arrogant brat's eyes were red. With a snap, he threw all the firewood in his hand to the ground.
He rushed forward in a few steps and grabbed Uchiha Ci by the collar.
Hidan's eyes were filled with tears, and he was sniffing hard. He looked like a defeated dog, yet his eyes burned with raging anger!
He grabbed Uchiha Ci's collar and roared loudly:
"Do you know what you've done!?"
"Didn't we agree to join the Evil God Cult together?"
"Didn't we agree we both had a bright future?"
"Why... why did you have to trample on my dreams? Why crush my will into the dirt, making it worthless!"
Hidan's voice broke into a sob:
"Why... why!"
"Tell me, why is this?!"
"I thought we were friends!"
The cold early spring wind blew across their faces. The faint light reflected the mist.
In front of the bonfire, coals crackled and popped.
Hidan lowered his head, like someone squatting at home after failing to find a job for the first time in his life—dejected, summarizing the reasons for failure, only to find the cause was his friend, who was supposed to hang himself with a rope, suddenly turned around and killed the rope merchant with a knife instead.
For Hidan, deeply disappointed by the inaction of Yugakure (The Village Hidden in Hot Water) and longing to join the Evil God Cult to restore the glory of the Land of Hot Water (Yu no Kuni),
This felt like a thunderbolt from the blue.
Uchiha Ci took a deep breath and gently patted Hidan's hand, the one clutching his collar.
Counting this time, this was the second time Hidan had saved him.
He could understand Hidan's feelings perfectly.
It was very similar to when he, Ci, had tried to blow himself up to kill the three Kumogakure ninja not long ago, only to end up with some inexplicable scroll, getting pressed down and thoroughly beaten by Suo Nan, losing everything—life and property included.
The same unmet desire, the same profound despair.
Back then, Uchiha Ci had been ready to kill Molloy.
Imagine: you put on a suit and tie, prepared for over half a year, and went to a job interview full of confidence, only to find everyone from the company had been arrested in an anti-pornography sweep.
You return home full of disappointment, and your mother throws you a toilet brush, telling you to clean the toilet.
You walk into the bathroom and find the toilet has expanded fifty times, become as big as a football field, and is filled with filth.
The gap between ideal and reality couldn't be more disappointing.
The current Land of Hot Water was precisely that football field filled with filth.
But now, the arrogant brat Hidan—with no Kekkei Genkai, no powerful ninjutsu, no money or influence—
Didn't even have a toilet brush.
Uchiha Ci looked directly at Hidan, exhaled deeply, and asked seriously,
"Hidan, do you truly wish to join the Evil God Cult?"
"Your dream, your will—"
"Is it to become the next 'demigod' and restore the Land of Hot Water, or is it truly to believe in that bullshit Evil God?"
When Hidan heard this, it was like a slap to the head. He immediately flared up and shouted:
"What do you know?!"
"Ci—or should I say, Uchiha Ci! You're a ninja from a major clan in a major village from a great nation! What could you possibly understand!?"
"The Land of Hot Water is sandwiched between great nations! We have nothing!"
"No sovereignty, no hope, no power!"
"So... so we can only rely on the Evil God!"
"Pray for Him to come and sweep everything away!"
"Only this way can we save the hopeless Land of Hot Water!"
Uchiha Ci's eyes gradually sharpened. He asked in a deep voice:
"So, all you want is a future where the Land of Hot Water is saved! Just power strong enough to save the Land of Hot Water!"
"This is the 'Evil God' you need!"
"Am I right?"
Hidan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and sneered:
"Are you going to be like my Jōnin-sensei now and try to reason with me?"
His gaze turned cold as he looked at Uchiha Ci, saying with a sneer:
"Uchiha Ci, your words sound so noble!"
"Only a ninja from a great nation, a major village, or a prestigious clan like you can spout such beautiful words!"
"Beautiful future, formidable power—such inspiring talk!"
"But who will give it to me?"
"If I don't pray and beg like a dog, who will grant me power?"
A fierce light flashed in Uchiha Ci's eyes. He suddenly shot his hand out, pressing two fingers against the brat's nostrils in front of him, and delivered a hard shoulder slam.
Hidan never expected Uchiha Ci to suddenly attack.
Caught off guard, he was slammed onto his back on the ground.
Lying on his back,
He looked up at Uchiha Ci from this angle.
Uchiha Ci closed and then opened his eyes. His scarlet Sharingan suddenly ignited.
He leaned down, straddling Hidan on the delicate green grass, staring straight at him.
Immediately after,
Uchiha Ci's eyes were firm, his tone resolute, as he shouted deeply:
"I'll give it to you!"
"You want power? I can be your power!"
"You want a future? I can create that future with my own hands!"
"Since you feel desperate, helpless, crying, and deeply feeling powerless and incapable, you feel like you can't do it; you just can't!"
"Then you might as well stand behind me!"
"You stay right behind, watch closely, and let me take up your will and fulfill the dream you desire!"
Uchiha Ci raised his hand, forming sword fingers, and struck Hidan's forehead hard.
He shouted in the firmest tone:
"Let me be your Evil God!"
Uchiha Ci's voice was loud and clear, striking Hidan's ears like a tolling bell!
Hidan's eyes glazed over, as if these words had torn open a deep wound and shattered his defenses.
Then,
Unknowingly, a line of clear tears quietly slid down, dripping from his chin onto the damp earth.
In the Land of Hot Water,
No one had ever,
Acknowledged his will and his dream in such a firm tone as Uchiha Ci did, affirming they were right!
Everyone would only tell Hidan:
Run away. Those we can't defeat, those who have nothing to do with us... we can become dogs for Lord Evil God.
But this man, he denied everything!
And he even arrogantly declared he would take Hidan's dream for himself—Hidan, who had been arrogant since childhood!
Uchiha Ci's words...
He was simply a madman, arrogant beyond limit!
Hidan opened his mouth, swallowed a mouthful of saliva mixed with tears, and stared blankly at Uchiha Ci.
He looked at the black tomoe slowly rotating within those scarlet eyes.
Those tomoe seemed formed from the strongest will in the world!
Under these breathtaking eyes,
He suddenly felt his throat go dry and his scalp grow numb and itchy.
All the negative words he could think of seemed extremely pale at this moment.
In the end, he could only ask, as if his defenses had completely crumbled:
"Why?"
"You're just a Genin! An Uchiha with only one Tomoe in his Sharingan! Just cannon fodder in the Third Great Ninja War raging across the world!"
"Why do you have the audacity to say such things?!"
Uchiha Ci frowned slightly, glancing somewhat guiltily at a line on his status panel.
[Employee: Uchiha Ci.]
[Insurance Status: Unclaimed.]
Then he coughed twice.
And spoke righteously—