Morning arrived quietly.
No one had died.
That alone was enough for most villagers to stop asking questions.
They had awakened to scorched earth, missing livestock, and splitting headaches.
Whatever happened during the night was clearly beyond them.
Better to accept bad luck than dig up something that might get them killed.
Shinji and Hidan packed their things at first light.
They intended to leave.
Then the old man returned.
He carried a simple lunch box in his hands.
Hidan opened the door.
Silence.
He stared.
The old man stared back.
Hidan's hair and eyebrows were completely gone.
His head was smooth.
Round.
Shiny.
Shinji broke first.
"…Pfft."
Then he lost control.
"HAHA—!"
Hidan turned slowly.
Veins pulsed on his forehead.
"You think this is funny?"
Shinji clutched his stomach.
"Sorry. I tried to hold it in."
That was a lie.
He had failed.
Spectacularly.
The old man hurriedly raised the lunch box.
"Breakfast. My daughter-in-law made it."
Hidan was ready to refuse.
Then the lid opened.
Golden-brown pork cutlets.
Perfectly crisp.
Still steaming.
Hidan's stomach betrayed him.
Growl.
"Tch. Don't think food makes us even."
He snatched the box anyway.
Hands first.
No chopsticks.
"Hot—!"
Crunch.
His eyes widened.
Silence followed.
Shinji leaned closer.
"Let me try one."
Hidan turned away instantly.
"Dream on."
He sprinted outside.
Shinji watched him go.
"…I'm harvesting your kidneys later."
Shinji looked back at the old man.
"You left last night. You knew something was wrong. Why come back?"
The old man shrugged.
"People are alive. That's enough."
He squinted and smiled.
"Strange thing though. All the animals went crazy. Broke their pens and ran."
"Big sow smashed into a tree and knocked itself out. I dragged it home."
Shinji stared.
Unbelievable luck.
"Call your friend," the old man said.
Shinji stepped outside.
"Hidan. Move."
Hidan returned, licking his fingers, and tossed the empty box back.
"You're lucky. Jashin-sama doesn't want old sacrifices right now."
The old man only smiled.
Shinji and Hidan left the village.
Several days later, they crossed through the Land of Fire and reached a coastal port.
From there, they boarded a small boat bound for the Land of Waves.
The boatman talked.
Shinji listened.
The Land of Waves was unstable.
Two major powers were fighting in the shadows.
One was Gato.
The other was the Mira Peng family.
Gato was rising fast.
Hiring missing-nin.
Assassins.
Mercenaries.
Crushing rivals through violence disguised as business.
Mira Peng had once dominated the country's shipping industry.
They had grown complacent.
Now they were bleeding.
But they were not finished.
About twenty days earlier, Mira Peng's youngest daughter had died in a terrorist attack meant for him.
He survived.
She did not.
Since then, he had abandoned restraint.
He was preparing a full counterattack.
Including reaching out to the Jashin Cult.
An alliance with monsters.
A desperate gamble.
Shinji watched waves slap against the hull.
So that was the situation.
A quiet boat slid into the Land of Waves' harbor.
Two figures stepped onto the pier.
Black cloaks.
Red clouds.
Executors of the Jashin Cult.
They had arrived.