The Land of Rain.
Gloomy clouds shrouded the country as always, and a misty drizzle washed over everything without a moment's pause.
Hidan's silver slicked-back hair had become limp under the moisture of the rain. However, due to his decent looks, it instead granted him a certain messy beauty.
Currently, he was squatting on a rock, chewing on a blade of grass. "I say, you bastard Simu, why on earth are we building this damn thing in this godforsaken place?!" he asked discontentedly.
Following his gaze, Simu was seen commanding a dense swarm of Black Beetles in front of him.
They acted as Simu's most flexible limbs, capable of transforming into various shapes according to his thoughts at any moment. They took the delivered timber and other materials, assembling them into a somewhat strange building.
As the last piece of wood fell into place, Simu pushed up his glasses and clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"That should just about do it."
Before him, a white church shaped like a square pyramid appeared on the edge of this small town. This building was filled with an aura completely different from this world.
The entire structure had been dyed white by Simu. Its minimalist lines struck a sharp contrast against the visual senses of the observers.
"If we want to spread the greatness of Lord Jashin to the world, how can we do so without creating a temple for him?"
Simu pushed open the doors. The interior was quite spacious. Facing the entrance was a holy statue that was neither joyful nor sad—it didn't even have facial features.
The entire church was decorated quite simply. Aside from the statue and the chairs arranged on both sides, there was nothing else.
Hidan followed closely behind.
"You mean to say you built this church in this backwater town just to spread faith in Lord Jashin?"
Simu nodded. "Exactly."
The confusion on Hidan's face deepened.
"If you want to spread the faith, wouldn't it be easier to just start killing people?"
In Hidan's view, nothing could spread faith more effectively than fear. As long as enough people were killed, some would naturally turn to Lord Jashin out of the terror of death.
Of course, Hidan didn't actually care if anyone believed in Lord Jashin. His primary concern was how to hunt high-quality sacrifices to offer to the deity.
Simu took off his glasses and wiped them gently.
"While spreading fear can indeed increase the harvest of faith for Lord Jashin, it is far from enough. To be a true evil god, merely creating fear is insufficient."
Hearing Simu's cryptic words, Hidan only felt his head throbbing.
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want. Just tell me, when can I start killing people?"
"No rush. The time will come."
Simu ground himself a cup of coffee. On a rainy day like this, accompanied by the rising steam, tasting the bitterness and aroma of coffee was truly the best choice.
He and Hidan had arrived at this border town in the Land of Rain about a week ago. Relying on the hard work of the Black Beetles, it had taken only a few days to complete the construction of the church.
As for the white paint used for the exterior, it was bartered from the local residents in exchange for various prey.
Once the church was finished, many residents watched the place surreptitiously. After all, two outsiders suddenly appearing and building such a peculiar church would make anyone curious.
This was especially true after Simu displayed his ability to control the Black Beetles. The residents became certain that these two young men in black trench coats were not people they could afford to provoke.
The ability Simu displayed reminded them of a specific group of people: ninjas.
The Land of Rain was situated at the junction of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire. Every time war broke out between these three nations, the Land of Rain became a battlefield for ninjas to tear each other apart.
The rampage of ninjas was like a hurricane, heartlessly sweeping away their meager food, wealth, and even their lives.
In the past, Lord Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village would stand up to protect his citizens and lead troops against the great nations. However, ever since the Second Shinobi World War when the Hidden Rain Village surrendered to the Leaf, the entire Land of Rain had effectively become a colony.
Combined with the constant rain and limited food production, the Land of Rain was in dire straits. Bandits and rebel armies were everywhere.
Under these circumstances, the citizens had long ago learned one thing: never challenge ninjas, or only death would await you. Consequently, Simu and Hidan faced almost no obstacles while building the church.
Hidan squatted at the church entrance out of sheer boredom. He rested his chin in his hands, staring at the hazy curtain of rain outside. "No believers are coming."
He then suggested a "good" way to recruit followers to Simu: "How about I rush out right now and send everyone who refuses to believe in Lord Jashin to go meet him?"
Simu rolled his eyes. "Were you a tank in your past life? Every time you open your mouth, it's about killing."
Hidan was confused. "What's a 'T'?"
Simu didn't bother explaining to the guy. He flashed a mysterious smile and said calmly, "Don't worry. Before long, the world will feel the radiance of Lord Jashin."
"Tch, more of that cryptic talk."
Without Simu's permission, Hidan could only sit back down cross-legged. Resting his chin in his hands, he began studying a colony of ants that had been forced to move from the corner of the church.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out from the town.
A light flashed across Simu's lenses as he smiled slightly. "It's time."
Hidan immediately perked up and rushed to the church door to watch the commotion. The curtain of rain suddenly seemed to stagnate as a plume of thick smoke surged from the distance.
"Is it an enemy?"
Without a word, Hidan used his Koukaku to condense the Three-bladed blood scythe and licked his lips.
"Finally, I can kill again."
The dust rising through the rain grew closer. Amidst the noisy shouts of the residents, one could vaguely hear things like "Jugo has gone berserk again" and "That damn brat."
Under Hidan's expectant gaze, a figure lunged out from the smoke and dust. With a single punch, he collapsed an entire wall!
Such power made Hidan's eyes light up. An excited expression appeared on his face.
"That's it! Only a sacrifice like this is worthy of being offered by me to Lord Jashin!"
As the figure approached, Hidan finally saw the person clearly.
"What? It's just a brat."
Hidan frowned, feeling somewhat disappointed.
The person before them was about 1.5 meters tall with orange hair. Strange black markings were racing wildly across his body. Half of his face had turned grey, his eyes had gone pitch black, and his orange pupils radiated a violent aura.
"Heh..."