Brother, Do You Want to Join the Jashin Cult?
On the road leading toward the Land of Hot Water, a lone traveler wearing a straw hat and carrying a cloth bag walked quietly along the desolate path.
The surroundings were silent, broken only by the faint sound of footsteps.
Suddenly, a man with slicked-back silver hair stepped forward and blocked the traveler's way. He carried a red three-bladed scythe slung casually over his shoulder, its surface faintly reflecting the sunlight.
"Brother," the man asked in a relaxed, almost cheerful tone,
"do you want to join the cult of the Evil God, Jashin?"
The traveler froze.
Faced with such an absurd and baffling question, he could only stare blankly. In his eyes, this stranger was nothing more than a madman. Without responding, he tried to sidestep him, intending to leave as quickly as possible and put as much distance between himself and this lunatic as he could.
However, just as he moved past, a sharp sound of air being torn apart rang out from behind him.
In the next instant, a searing pain exploded from his waist.
Lowering his head in disbelief, he saw blood spilling out as his body trembled violently.
He had been slashed.
Damn it
I really ran into a crazy person!
There was no need to think further. The attacker could only be the strange man standing behind him.
"W-What?!"
"Bastard, what the hell are you trying to do?!"
The traveler's voice was filled with terror and confusion, but the only response he received was unrestrained, hysterical laughter.
The silver-haired man stuck out his tongue in a grotesque manner, slowly licking the blood from the edge of his scythe. His eyes shone with fanatic satisfaction, as though he had just enjoyed the most delightful feast.
Terrified, the traveler dropped his bag, clutched his bleeding wound, and fled down the road as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Those who refuse the blessings of the Jashin cult"
"Will be punished by the great Lord Jashin!"
The silver-haired man muttered to himself, completely unconcerned with his victim's escape. Using the spilled blood, he calmly drew a circle on the ground, inscribing within it a distinct equilateral triangle.
At that moment, an even more horrifying change occurred.
Black and white curse markings rapidly spread across his body, covering his skin in an eerie pattern that made him look inhuman and terrifying.
Standing within the blood-red ritual circle, the man raised his weapon, pointed it directly at his own heart, and stared calmly in the direction the traveler had fled.
"Pfft!"
A sharp, piercing sound echoed across the quiet road.
The man had driven the blade straight through his own chest.
Was he committing suicide?
No.
Despite his heart being pierced, his expression did not change at all. He showed no signs of death, pain, or weakness. Instead, his fanatical smile only deepened, as if such an act were completely normal to him.
"How… how is this possible…?"
At the same moment, the fleeing traveler suddenly stumbled.
An unbearable pain erupted in his chest, and blood burst outward violently.
His vision blurred, his body grew cold, and his legs finally gave out beneath him.
With eyes filled with disbelief and confusion, he collapsed and died where he stood.
"Tsk."
"Another heretic who refuses to believe in Lord Jashin."
The silver-haired man withdrew the blade from his chest, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Clearly, he was dissatisfied that he had failed to recruit a new believer.
Before leaving, he casually nailed the corpse to a nearby tree along the roadside, treating the body as nothing more than decoration.
Not long after, three figures appeared at the scene and stopped beneath the hanging corpse.
"Not for money."
"Not for revenge."
"Just because he wanted to kill… so he killed."
Kakuzu frowned slightly as he observed the victim's wide-open eyes and spoke with clear displeasure.
"It seems the person we're recruiting is a complete lunatic."
"This matches the intelligence," Konan said calmly. "It should be the work of Hidan, a fanatic believer of Jashin."
"The blood hasn't dried yet. He can't have gone far."
"We'll split up and search."
Having long grown accustomed to life and death, Konan's expression remained cold and emotionless as she analyzed the situation rationally.
After speaking, she chose a direction and departed without hesitation.
Kakuzu and Uchiha Yi also moved off in different directions.
After separating from his teammates, Uchiha Yi walked at an unhurried pace. He wasn't particularly concerned about locating Hidan and simply let events unfold naturally.
Joining Akatsuki had been nothing more than a necessary choice.
With the Uchiha clan destroyed, there was no longer any place for him in the ninja world.
More importantly, he intended to use Akatsuki's power to carry out his revenge and through that, awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, the exact method remained unclear.
Konoha now appeared like a withered flower, seemingly fragile and easy to crush.
But appearances were deceptive.
Even if Uchiha Madara were resurrected at his peak, conquering Konoha would still be far from simple.
Because of this, Uchiha Yi would never allow himself to become arrogant just because he possessed powerful abilities.
That path would only lead to destruction.
So… how should revenge truly be carried out?
"Help!"
"Is anyone there?! Please, save me!"
Suddenly, a girl's desperate cries echoed from the distance, interrupting his thoughts.
Moments later, Uchiha Yi spotted a slender young woman leaning weakly against a tree. Her legs were injured, the wounds resembling deep scratches, as if caused by a wild animal.
"Ah handsome brother," she said pitifully upon seeing him.
"Can you help me? I… I really want to know what it feels like to go to the toilet again…"
…What kind of absurd line was that?
Uchiha Yi's expression instantly turned alert.
That strangely familiar sentence immediately reminded him of White Zetsu.
There was no way such a coincidence could happen naturally.
If White Zetsu was here, then
Obito must be nearby.
What an annoying shadow.
The thought flashed through his mind in less than a second before Uchiha Yi's eyes turned cold.
Without hesitation, he released Amaterasu, black flames surging toward the "girl."
"Ow! Handsome brother, why did you suddenly set me on fire?!"
White Zetsu, exposed and burning, cried out in confusion, seemingly unaware of what he had done wrong.
"Idiot."
Uchiha Yi spoke coldly.
For someone like White Zetsu, whose intelligence was notoriously low, such poor acting was almost expected.
Hidden nearby, Uchiha Obito finally revealed himself as space twisted and distorted.
"A Fei, why aren't you doing your mission?"
"Why are you here trying to interfere with me?"
Uchiha Yi's gaze sharpened as he spoke.
He hadn't expected Obito's fixation to be so intense that he would personally come to provoke him.
"Ahahaha!"
"Senior Ah Huo, this is all a huge misunderstanding!"
"I was just helping an old lady cross the road, but she somehow got lost!"
"I just happened to see Senior Ah Huo here and wanted to ask for directions!"
Obito scratched his head awkwardly, his masked face filled with exaggerated embarrassment.
"Heh."
Uchiha Yi let out a cold laugh.
Even while lying blatantly, Obito never hesitated.
Although Uchiha Yi currently had no way to deal with Obito's Kamui, Obito likewise had no understanding of Uchiha Yi's true abilities.
Since neither could easily harm the other
He might as well make things difficult for Obito and stop him from watching his every move.
Soon, Uchiha Yi formed a plan in his mind.
A very good one.