In the underground plaza, Hayato Dōgō looked at the two boys pinned to the crosses with cold indifference. As the Jashin Bishop and a former Jonin of the Steam Village, he began weaving signs. The massive "Circle-within-a-Triangle" ritual array lit up, and the blood pool began to churn like wine in a shaken glass.
Hidan looked at the silent, tortured figures on the surrounding crosses. Even his new "Big Bro," Ren Uchiha, seemed to have closed his eyes in despair. Panicking, Hidan gripped the iron nail in his palm. He pulled with all his might, but his bloody fingers kept slipping.
"Does it not hurt?" Hayato asked suddenly.
"Of course it hurts, you bastard!" Hidan roared, veins popping on his forehead.
"Then it is not enough," Hayato sneered. "You must treat this pain as a blessing. Only then will Jashin grant you his eternal favor and make you... the Holy Son!"
"Holy Son? Only a freak would enjoy this!" Hidan spat, pointing at Ren. "You better let us go. My friend here has the 'Red Eye Disease' (Sharingan), and he's a monster! When he opens his eyes, he's going to slice you with a forty-meter blade!"
Hayato frowned. "You... an Uchiha's ally? Where is your pride as a Hot Spring ninja?"
Hidan laughed bitterly. "Pride? Does this country or this village even know the meaning of that word?"
Hayato grew irritated. He had given Hidan the Jashin Manual, expecting him to see that only Jashin could fulfill his ideals. But Hidan hissed, "I don't care about your god anymore! Look at these people... if this is how you get power, how are you any different from the Great Nations? I'll save the Land of Hot Springs my own way!"
With a gutteral roar, Hidan ripped his hands through the nails. He collapsed into the blood pool, gasping in agony, then crawled toward Ren's cross. Hayato was stunned. In just one day, an Uchiha had managed to "brainwash" his disciple more effectively than months of cult indoctrination.
"Save this country?" Hayato laughed coldly. "The Five Great Nations will crush this place the moment war starts. You think this brat can change that?"
"I don't have the answers!" Hidan stood up, his bloody fists trembling. "But I know this: if we have to bow our heads to survive, I'd rather bow to someone who actually has a plan! This guy says he'll unify the ninja world. I'm betting everything on him!"
Hidan stood in front of Ren, shielding him. "Until he opens his eyes, I'm his bodyguard!"
Hayato snorted. "A brave mistake. That boy is at his limit." He slammed his palms onto the floor. The ritual reached its peak. Black and white skeletal markings crawled up Hidan's skin—the mark of the Shiji Hyōketsu.
Hayato stepped into the blood, drawing a black spear. He didn't want peace; he wanted to create a monster that would curse the world. He used chakra threads to seize control of Hidan's limbs.
Hidan watched in horror as his own body, moved like a puppet, took a sample of Ren's blood with the spear and brought it to his lips. A crimson light flared. The curse was active.
"Stop! Let me go!" Hidan screamed. He watched his own hand slowly turn the black spear toward his own stomach.
Hayato's face flushed with a manic glow. "Don't worry, Hidan. I'm an expert. He won't die easily... at least, not until your pain earns you immortality. But if he does die? Well, that's just his bad luck."