"That's where the Cult of Jashin is?"
Hiding behind a clump of trees, Minato stared at the cave ahead in disbelief.
"No matter how you look at it, that cave screams deserted wasteland. No one's been there in years."
"Minato, it's obvious you didn't study properly back in school," Seisui said, shooting him a sidelong glance, his tone full of worldly wisdom. "You need to approach all things in life with a humble, inquisitive attitude."
Not only Minato—both Uchiha Haru and Uzumaki Kushina fell silent as well.
Wasn't Minato's school performance way better than Seisui's?
He had enrolled at six and graduated in half a year.
How much could Seisui have actually learned in that time?
Kushina glanced from Seisui to Minato and Haru, her mind full of quiet doubt.
The four of them lay hidden among the trees, while Jinzo—the cult's guard captain—was tied up on the ground, motionless.
Seisui hadn't killed him yet, preferring to keep him alive for questioning later.
No harm in using him a bit more. Killing him can wait.
Meanwhile, deep within the cave, the atmosphere was heavy. A dozen captured ninjas were lined up before the cult's high priest.
"Please! Spare me! I can join you!"
A chunin from a small village knelt, begging.
"I worship Lord Jashin too!"
"Let me join! I'll serve faithfully!"
The man knocked his head against the ground repeatedly, desperate.
"Kojiro, what the hell are you doing?!" his companion shouted in disbelief.
"How could you become like this?!"
"Have you forgotten the grace of our leader?!"
"I just want to live!" Kojiro's bloodshot eyes twisted with madness. "Forget villages, forget shinobi! Nothing compares to Lord Jashin!"
"You—!"
Before his comrade could finish, someone struck him unconscious.
The high priest looked down at Kojiro and, for the first time, smiled faintly.
"You wish to join us?"
"Yes, yes! I want to join you!" Kojiro babbled frantically.
"Very well. Then I'll grant you the chance. You'll be the first in the ritual."
"If you can pass Lord Jashin's test, you'll be one of us."
"Yes!" Kojiro's face lit with joy.
"I'll definitely pass Lord Jashin's test!"
He kowtowed again and again, unaware that being first in the ritual meant he'd also be first to die.
Around them, the others stirred. Despair turned into faint hope—perhaps they, too, might survive.
But a few still saw clearly.
"We're not getting out of this alive," a ninja from the Kumogakure murmured to a Konoha ninja beside him.
"Yeah." The Konoha ninja nodded.
"My name's Kamizuki Ichiko. Konoha chunin. Guess it's good to make a friend before the end."
There was no fear in her eyes, only quiet resolve.
A ninja lives and dies by the blade—she'd accepted that from the start.
She only regretted one thing: her three genin students.
Her first mission as a team leader… and she'd gotten them killed.
"I'm Fushimi Sosuke, Cloud chunin," the man replied with a wry grin. "My first mission as well. Didn't think it'd be my last."
The cultists didn't even bother to stop their talk. They'd seen this countless times.
"The ritual begins now," the high priest declared coldly. "Bring everyone inside."
At that, two robed followers turned and walked toward the cave entrance.
Outside, Seisui frowned, watching the cave's shadowed mouth.
"So this really is their base?"
"Should we just rush in?" Kushina whispered from beside him, eyes sharp. "We can kill them all in one go!"
"Good idea," Haru nodded, gripping her fan tightly.
"You two are idiots, huh?" Seisui said flatly, glancing at them. "When it comes to creepy cults and weird rituals, better to be careful."
"Who knows what kind of thing this 'Jashin' is supposed to be?"
Minato nodded in agreement. "Seisui's right. We should be cautious."
He pointed at the still-bound Jinzo nearby. "He said the ritual wouldn't start for a while yet."
Seisui gave Minato a rare thumbs-up.
If this were a normal enemy base, he'd have charged in long ago.
But this was different—this was the Cult of Jashin.
And in the world of shinobi, death gods, Jashins, and kings of hell actually existed.
Who knows what could happen if that "Jashin" suddenly showed up and chopped me in half?
Sure, Seisui was strong—terrifyingly so, compared to normal shinobi.
But compared to ancient beings like death gods? He had no confidence at all.
Just one blessing from this so-called god had made Hidan immortal.
That alone says enough.
While he was lost in thought, Minato nudged him with his elbow.
"Hey. Look—over there."
Seisui frowned and looked up. Two robed figures had emerged from the cave, scanning the surroundings before shouting:
"The ritual begins! Everyone, return!"
Moments later, three or four more figures crawled out of hiding—some had transformed into rocks or plants, others had buried themselves under dirt.
"So that's how the other cultists disguised themselves?" Seisui asked.
Minato shook his head.
Seisui waited, thinking Minato was about to analyze their technique—
"I have no idea," Minato said simply.
They'd graduated too early to learn advanced camouflage techniques.
And under Jiraiya's training, they'd mostly relied on brute force—never stealth.
Kushina chimed in proudly, "That's right. Yamanaka-sensei taught us how to blend in with the environment using Transformation Jutsu and nearby objects."
"That way, missions go more smoothly."
"I can do it too," she added, her tone eager—almost asking for praise.
Seisui gave her a long look, then turned to Minato.
"Minato, aren't you going to compliment Kushina?"
Minato flushed red and leaned closer to her, mumbling something.
As for Seisui—he couldn't care less about camouflage.
Me? Hide? Please.
Just one swing of his blade, and everything in front of him was gone.
This was a mecha world now—stealth was optional!
"The ritual's starting. Should we move?" Haru asked, glancing toward the cave.
"Yeah. Time to act."
Seisui stood, clapped his hands, and an instant later—poof!—a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"You go rescue the captured shinobi."
The clone looked at Haru and grinned. "Hey, long time no see." Then he turned to Seisui and scowled. "Why me?"
"Because you're my clone?"
"Nope. Not doing it. That's a death trap!"
"I'm a model citizen of the new era—I don't kill people!" The clone dropped to the ground dramatically. "Just treat me like a failed clone."
You little bastard…
Thanks to the "Naruto" template from the start, his Clone Technique had a fifty-fifty success rate.
Thankfully, Shadow Clones didn't count.
Haru stared at the pouting, butt-in-the-air clone for a moment.
"…Your clone has… a lot of personality."
Shadow clones always reflected their creator's subconscious—but magnified.
If you were goofy, your clone would be goofier.
And this one… was extremely Seisui.
"Are you going or not?" Seisui growled.
"Nope! I'm a good boy. I don't kill."
"What if I forge you a royal seal next time?"
"Deal!" The clone instantly stood up straight. "And I want custom imperial robes—black, with dragon patterns!"
Seisui: "…"
"Fine."
"Then I'm off!" The clone snatched Seisui's katana and started walking off, but paused to turn back.
"Make sure it's made of jade! And carve 'Mandated by Heaven—may it last forever and prosper!' under it. Without those eight characters, it's not complete. If you forget, I'm not helping next time!"
Seisui sighed and nodded.
Those eight words—so many emperors in history had gone mad chasing them.
Of course, he wasn't any different.
"What's a royal seal?" Haru asked, puzzled. She didn't understand why the clone had gotten so excited.
Seisui smiled faintly. "Remember my 'Unified Empire' theory I told you about?"
Haru nodded, and Minato leaned in, also nodding.
Kushina, who hadn't been there for that discussion, blinked in confusion.
"The royal seal—also called the Imperial Jade Seal—is the emblem of an emperor's legitimacy. Whoever holds it is the rightful ruler."
"And those eight words?" Minato asked curiously.
"They mean: 'Heaven grants the mandate; may the realm endure and flourish.'"
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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