Chapter 167: Sincerity Is Required to See God!
Kenichi glanced at Hidan, then at the so called high priest. Did this cult require its members to stay shirtless?
If that were true, and it applied to both men and women, then he really would have to consider joining.
Kenichi smiled, though he knew that was unlikely. Hidan did not show any strange emotions beyond contempt for life and fanatical reverence for this so called god.
So it was definitely not some terrifying custom like an Unveiled Assembly. It was probably just Hidan's habit, or a requirement these people imposed on him, or maybe the church demanded that men dress like this.
If it was that last one, Kenichi was not interested at all.
"Oh?" The old man laughed loudly. "Anyone who wishes to join our Church of God is our brother."
Kenichi noticed the old man's smile grow even friendlier the moment he spotted the ninja tools on him.
"Do you have any scriptures or lecture notes I can read?" Kenichi asked with a polite smile. Honestly, he had no intention of believing in anything. He simply wanted to understand what this god was.
God was always a synonym for power. Omniscience and omnipotence were words people threw at gods without hesitation. But how strong a god truly was still needed to be measured.
The Naruto world clearly had beings that could be called gods. Otherwise, how could Hidan possess such an ability?
Kenichi's sealing scroll even contained Shinigami masks, things tied to souls and death. He still remembered what the Shinigami looked like, though that thing seemed a bit ridiculous.
It was like a huge, bizarre summoning creature. It dared to drag out the First Hokage's soul, sure, but what about the Sage of Six Paths? Or Kaguya?
Even if you gave it ten lives, it would not dare.
And those so called evil gods and death gods never showed any intention of appearing later. The Pure Land was directly tied to the Sage of Six Paths. It was hard to say he was not watching right now.
With that thought, Kenichi could not help glancing around.
He did not see the Sage of Six Paths, but he did see something even stranger.
The room was nearly bare, with only a few simple pieces of furniture. The high priest reached into his pants, pulled out a thick book, and held it out to Kenichi.
Kenichi stared at the book. It looked like it still carried the warmth of the old man's body. He kept a kind smile on his face.
"Never mind. It's such a thick book, and it would be difficult for me to grasp the true meaning of god's teachings." Kenichi's smile did not change. "High Priest, would you mind explaining it to me instead?"
He was not taking that book. Not in his entire life. Who knew where the old man had stored it? The man did not look like he had anywhere else to hide something that big, which made Kenichi seriously suspect that if he tested it, the E. coli count would be impressive.
"Of course, no problem." The high priest nodded solemnly and began explaining in a smooth, broadcast style. "Our god was born in…"
Hidan stood to the side, completely absorbed, eyes shining like he was listening to scripture at a festival.
Kenichi glanced at him and thought, This unlucky kid has been thoroughly brainwashed. A perfectly good ninja turned into a monster in the future.
At least right now, there still seemed to be hope. In the future, Hidan would be beyond saving.
The old man's explanation went on for a long time, but Kenichi quickly summarized it with the skill of someone who had once been a class representative.
Five words.
This god is awesome.
To expand on it, according to the high priest, their god was born before humans existed. Then this god brought chakra into the world and accepted the Sage of Six Paths as a disciple.
Later, god became tired. He handed his divine position to the Sage of Six Paths, told him to take care of the world, and then left to save the world, eliminate crises, and do all sorts of heroic things.
Kenichi listened with a knowing smile. This kind of story was painfully familiar.
"Then may I ask," Kenichi said gently, "if god is so powerful, why does everyone call him the Sage of Six Paths instead of god?"
This sort of tale might still fool a few people, but it was low grade. People were not stupid. Without miracles, who would believe something so outrageous?
Most people were pragmatic. If faith brought them no tangible benefit, many would not believe at all.
Of course, this world had not experienced something like the Black Death, so fewer people had their worldview shattered into clinging desperation.
"Because god went to save the world!" Hidan snapped, anger flaring like it was personal. "That's why the Sage of Six Paths gets all the fame. That guy is despicable! He doesn't even know how to properly worship god!"
Kenichi took a slow breath.
Good grief. The way these idiots mocked the Sage of Six Paths, if he were not already in the Pure Land, he would probably appear just to slap them twice.
The high priest, however, nodded along as if every word was sacred truth.
After that, Kenichi expressed his desire to join the church. The old man's joy was immediate and obvious.
Then, after a series of rituals and strange steps, Kenichi finally understood why the high priest lived in this building.
There was a large sacrificial site beneath it, and it seemed connected to other places. It was there that Kenichi finally saw what Hidan's so called evil god looked like.
Two snake heads crossed over the body of a cat. Behind it were bat wings, horse hooves, and a furry wolf tail.
A truly bizarre creature.
Yet the craftsmanship was unexpectedly exquisite. Even in Kenichi's previous life, it would have been considered realistic.
"High Priest," Kenichi asked, "can we communicate with the gods?"
He had already found the two missing members, and their condition was miserable.
It reminded him of the two useless police officers who followed him around when he played Resident Evil 4 back in his previous life.
Now that the mission was essentially complete, he could finally satisfy his own curiosity.
Kenichi was very interested in these gods. They clearly possessed some mysterious power, something far beyond ordinary ninja.
But for truly powerful shinobi, chakra and jutsu were everything. Otherwise, these so called gods would not have to live like rats in the dark.
If they had not dared cause trouble before because they feared Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths, then what about now?
Kaguya had been sealed. The Sage of Six Paths remained in the Pure Land.
So what were these gods afraid of?
"Of course you can," the high priest said solemnly. "But first you must have faith. Only with enough faith will god answer your prayers."
Kenichi raised an eyebrow. So it really was possible?
"I think my faith is very devout," Kenichi said, watching closely. He wanted to see what kind of being this god truly was.
"Is that so?" The high priest shook his head. "But I see no sincerity toward god from you."
His muscles were absurdly defined, even reflecting candlelight. It was a mystery how he managed that. Did he smear oil on his chest?
But what exactly counted as sincerity?
Kenichi paused, then thought of a possibility.
This cult was dirt poor. They lived like rats, hiding underground.
So was that it?
"Is this enough of a token of sincerity?" Kenichi pulled out 100,000 ryo from his sealing scroll and stuffed it into the high priest's hand.
"How can sincerity toward god be measured like that?" the high priest said solemnly. "You only need to focus on praying!"
Kenichi understood immediately.
It was not enough.
"Is this still not sincere?" Kenichi calmly produced another one million taels of silver.
He was not hurried, and he was not stingy. Every bill was marked with natural energy. If the high priest accepted it, Kenichi could trace where the money was hidden.
"Alas, child," the high priest sighed, looking utterly pained, "the gods do not value such dung."
"And this?" Kenichi took out thirty million taels.
"Child, your respect for god is truly great." The high priest's face transformed into a radiant smile. "God has issued a divine decree. I will lead you to receive god's baptism and hear god's blessing."
Hidan, standing to the side, looked completely at ease, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Kenichi glanced at him again and thought, This poor kid has been ruined.
Measuring sincerity with money? If so, someone like Gato would become a fanatic overnight. That made god feel cheap, like those indulgences sold to buy salvation.
But it did not matter. Kenichi only wanted to see this so called god.
As for the money, he was not worried. He could take it back anytime. Who knew, he might even profit from this. After all, horses did not get fat without grazing wild grass.
Yet when Kenichi entered the so called baptism area, he felt his intelligence had been openly insulted.
He did not see any god at all.
What he sensed was a small figure hiding on the special baptismal platform, secretly blowing air at him.
Then it mumbled something in a strange tone, soft and unclear. It did not sound like any language.
And just like that, the baptism ended.
Kenichi received a cheap necklace and officially became a member of the church.
"So here's the real question." Kenichi looked down at the necklace in his hand with clear disdain, though he still examined it carefully. "How did Hidan obtain the body of an immortal?"
It was an ordinary, low quality iron necklace.
He was annoyed.
These people would not even use silver.
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