Chapter 30: Chapter 29 : Jashin Cult Destroyed??
Yugakure had been peaceful for so long that it had forgotten the harsh reality of war.
The number of ninjas was small, and strong fighters were even rarer.
Only the village leader and a few others had strength on the level of a Jōnin.
Hidan had once been a ninja of this village. But because he hated its peaceful ideals, he slaughtered everyone around him and defected to the cult of Jashin.
The cult's main base wasn't far from Yugakure, but the villagers were powerless to stop them. They could only watch helplessly as their people were brutally murdered.
At this moment—
Inside the Yugakure Leader's Mansion, several young shinobi voiced their anger.
"Someone else was killed again! This year alone, more than a hundred people have died at the hands of the Jashin cult! Lord Leader, are you really going to just sit and do nothing?"
The village leader, an elderly man with a long, white beard, looked worried. He tugged at his goat-like beard and remained silent.
Unable to bear it any longer, the young shinobi shouted in frustration:
"If that's the case, then we'll go destroy the Jashin cult ourselves!"
They turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The village leader let out a deep sigh and stopped them. His eyes slowly filled with resolve.
"You are still young. You're the future of this village. No matter what, I can't let you throw your lives away."
"If someone has to risk their life, then let it be this old man and his brittle bones."
A village elder standing nearby quickly objected:
"Leader, you know very well—the people of the Jashin cult can't be killed! Especially Hidan, the one who defected from our village. He's a demon among demons!"
But the village leader had already made up his mind.
"Even so, I can no longer stand by and let the Jashin cult destroy the Land of Hot Water!"
"Don't worry, Elder. I won't throw my life away meaninglessly. Over the years, the village has saved up some money. I plan to hire the Akatsuki to deal with the Jashin cult."
"Akatsuki?"
The elder and several young ninja from the Yugakure looked at each other in surprise.
"That's a mercenary group that's been making a name for itself in the surrounding nations lately," the village leader said through gritted teeth.
"They say no matter how difficult the mission, as long as you pay the price, there's nothing they can't do."
"Even if it's probably exaggerated, I have no choice but to take the gamble!"
"Alright, then let's go with that!"
Everyone in the Yugakure nodded in agreement.
Just then—
They suddenly noticed a blazing red light rising from the distant horizon.
"Is something on fire?"
"That's the direction of the Jashin Cult!" a young ninja shouted.
The village leader and elder's expressions changed instantly.
Something must have happened to the Jashin Cult.
They weren't sure what exactly.
But for the safety of the village, they had no choice but to check it out.
The village leader gave a command: "The elder and I will go take a look. The rest of you stay in the village and be on standby."
The two of them used Body Flicker Technique to travel quickly.
Over ten minutes later—
They stood in front of what used to be the Jashin Cult's headquarters, now reduced to a raging sea of fire, staring in shock.
The elder swallowed hard. "L-Leader, has the Jashin Cult been wiped out?"
The village leader still couldn't believe his eyes. After a long pause, he finally suppressed his inner shock and said:
"It seems so. Maybe the cult killed too many people and finally caught the attention of other powers in the shinobi world."
"In any case, this is an incredible stroke of luck for both our village and the Land of Hot Water!"
The elder immediately shouted excitedly, spitting as he laughed, "Hahaha! Evil finally got what it deserved! The heavens have eyes after all!"
The leader of Yugakure also thanked the heavens for justice. At the same time, he was extremely curious about which hero had wiped out the Jashin Cult.
Unfortunately, after searching the surrounding area for a long time, they couldn't find a single clue.
In the end, all he could do was bow deeply in the direction the hero had vanished.
…
It wasn't that Uchiha Raizen deliberately wanted to be an unsung hero.
The main reason was that he hadn't actually eliminated every member of the Jashin Cult.
He had left behind the most dangerous one — Hidan.
Using the Five-Direction Dragon Binding Curse Seal, Raizen had forcefully subdued Hidan and made him his underling, and there were many reasons behind this decision.
First, the challenges he faced now — and those he would face in the future — were only going to grow.
The higher-ups of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan, and even the Akatsuki Organization he just offended — none of them were easy to deal with.
Even if he perfected the Azure Dragon Curse Seal to its peak, there was no guarantee he could solve everything on his own.
That's why he needed allies — ones who were strong and loyal enough to trust.
And an immortal like Hidan was undoubtedly a good choice.
Second...
He was heading to the Land of Water tomorrow with Inori to meet up with his sister.
That country had long been ruled under the terrifying "Bloody Mist" policy.
The situation there was unclear, and behind it all was Uchiha Obito, the man who had manipulated the Fourth Mizukage.
There was no telling what kind of danger they might encounter.
At that time, Hidan would make for the perfect front-line fighter.
In short...
Uchiha Raizen had long-term plans and decided to secretly cultivate his own influence behind the scenes.
Back at the inn.
Inori, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma were already asleep.
Raizen didn't bother them. He lay down on the bed and rested for the night, easing the exhaustion of the past few days.
As for Hidan, he was naturally left outside the city.
Raizen wasn't worried about him running away. With the Five-Element Dragon Binding Seal placed on him, Hidan had no freedom of movement.
The next morning.
Asuma, who looked much more refreshed, said:
"Let's head back to the village and report the mission. The intel on the Akatsuki needs to be submitted to the higher-ups as soon as possible."
Inori stood beside Raizen and said:
"Mr. Asuma, Raizen-kun and I want to stay a few more days in the Land of Hot Water."
"Huh?" Asuma looked confused.
Kurenai explained, "Inori told me last night that she wants to experience the water park here with Raizen-kun."
"What?" Asuma looked even more confused.
"Let's go already. It's the same whether we return to the village now or later," Kurenai urged him.
A bewildered Asuma was dragged away.
Halfway back, he finally snapped out of it.
"Wait a minute—! A ninja's most important duty is to complete missions. How can we indulge in leisure like this?"
Kurenai looked at him like he was a block of wood and sighed.
"You really don't understand how women think at all. Inori is usually busy with work in the Intelligence Division. Raizen-kun is from the Uchiha clan. It's rare for them to get time off together. Wanting to go on a date or take a vacation is totally normal, isn't it? Even as ninjas, we need time to rest and relax. Missions aren't everything in life, Asuma."
After that lecture, Asuma lowered his head in embarrassment.
Well, he really didn't understand women at all.
Asuma and Kurenai walked a while in silence before Asuma stammered awkwardly, "Uh, Kurenai… how about we stay in the capital of the Land of Hot Water for a few more days? You know… just the two of us?"
If Asuma had asked earlier, Kurenai might have said yes. But now, her mood had already changed, and they were far from the city.
"Forget it. Let's head back to the village," Kurenai said, picking up her pace.
Asuma opened his mouth to say something, but stayed quiet, visibly disappointed.
Meanwhile—
With two fewer people in the group, Inori was clearly more relaxed.
Like a lark, she bounced around happily and skipped up to stand in front of Uchiha Raizen. She sniffed the air with her little nose and asked curiously, "Raizen-kun, did you go out last night?"
Uchiha Raizen didn't bother hiding anything and nodded.
"That's right. I destroyed an evil organization."
"Eh?" Inori's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration and curiosity.
"What kind of evil organization was it? Why didn't you take me along? I really wanted to see you fight for justice and punish the wicked like a true hero!"
Uchiha Raizen chuckled softly.
"That place was too filthy for your eyes. But I left one person alive. I'll take you to see them."
The two of them left the capital of the Land of Hot Water.
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