Seiki temporarily pushed his thoughts aside and walked toward where Asuma stood.
Twelve circular platforms were evenly arranged around the Blood Pool. Each platform, just like the pendants of the Divine Church, bore a triangular symbol at its center.
Seated atop each triangle was a child, about two or three years old.
However, judging from the scene itself, it seemed that only the child in front of Asuma was still alive.
"Damn it! The Divine Church actually used children for experiments!"
"It should be called the Church of the Evil God instead! Didn't you hear the Bishop's curse before he died?"
"Whatever name it takes, an evil church like this shouldn't exist at all!"
"Seiki, can this kid still be saved?"
Seiki stepped forward, suddenly struck by a powerful sense of déjà vu.
This kid looked exactly like a young Hidan!
At that thought, Seiki couldn't help but glance at Asuma.
"What are you looking at me for?" Asuma asked, confused.
"Nothing," Seiki replied calmly as he placed his right hand on Hidan's belly.
A warm glow radiated forth, and in the next moment, Hidan slowly opened his eyes.
"You must be my servants."
Everyone twitched blankly—had this little punk completely lost his mind?
"Servants, kneel down humbly before… Ow!"
Asuma instantly gave the boy a forehead flick.
"Kid, are you awake yet?"
Hidan's aloof demeanor crumbled instantly as he panicked. "Despicable bastard! Do you even know who I am? I'm Lord Hidan, chosen by the Evil God… Oww!"
Annoyed by his ranting, Asuma reflexively flicked Hidan's forehead again.
When those nearby started giving him strange looks—as if he were some kind of pervert—Asuma chuckled awkwardly. "Haha, old habits die hard."
Blushing with shame, Hidan shouted, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you! I'll use the worst punishment from the Evil God Church—cutting you to pieces slowly!"
Mizuki, standing nearby, said coldly, "This kid has been deeply brainwashed by the Evil God Church. Keeping him alive is nothing but trouble. Why don't we kill him now?"
Hidan sneered, "Go ahead if you have the guts!"
Asuma frowned. "Isn't that going too far? After all, he's just a child."
Mizuki ignored him and turned to face Seiki.
As for Hidan… This guy could become a fantastic research subject. Smiling cheerfully, Seiki said, "Let's bring him back. The Hokage can use the Will of Fire to enlighten him!"
Asuma's eyes lit up. "Right! He won't get food until he memorizes The Extension and Expansion of the Will of Fire in full!"
Kurenai covered her mouth in surprise. "The collection… wasn't there only one book originally? The Extension and Expansion of the Will of Fire?"
Asuma let out a heavy sigh. "That's true. But after realizing how profoundly the Will of Fire shaped Seiki's growth, Lord Third was inspired. Over these past couple of years, he's continuously written more 'masterpieces.' Now, the Will of Fire series has grown into a complete set of ten volumes!"
Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively shuddered. Then they exchanged pitying glances toward the still-blathering Hidan.
The poor kid probably doesn't even know what kind of hell awaits him ahead!
...
Back at the camp, after reporting the mission outcome.
Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth. "An Immortal Body? What an enviable ability!"
Seeing this, Seiki couldn't help but pity Hidan's future—he'd barely dodged one hunter, only to land right on Orochimaru's radar.
Jiraiya's face turned grim. "Thankfully this Church of the Evil God was eliminated early. If Raikage had obtained such immortality, we would've been in real danger!"
Minato remained thoughtful. "So… do these so-called evil gods actually exist? Kushina's clan also possesses the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—a jutsu that summons the Shinigami."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Heh, I remember hearing something like that over at Mount Myoboku—an idea that gods are just made up in people's minds. Once enough folks believe in them, that fake power starts feeling real!"
"But when you mix humans' messy emotions into that belief, the gods born from it usually turn out evil. So sages rose up, fought 'em off, and locked them away for good."
Orochimaru smirked disdainfully. "Sounds more interesting than your third-rate novels!"
Jiraiya's face darkened. "Third-rate? At least mine are second-rate!"
Orochimaru sighed with a helpless smile. "Fine, fine. Second-rate novelist."
As the conversation strayed further off-topic, Minato quickly interjected. "Lord Orochimaru, Master Jiraiya—here's intelligence from our undercover agents. Mist Village seems to be making moves."
Now serious, Orochimaru commented, "After watching us fight Cloud Village for so long, Mist has finally decided to get involved too?"
Jiraiya said gravely, "It might not necessarily target us directly. The Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage killed each other during the last war—there's deep hatred between Mist and Rock."
Orochimaru gazed calmly. "Hatreds? Every village's got its share. But interests—that's where the real constants lie. Regardless, prepare for war with Mist Village."
Jiraiya nodded. It was indeed time.
"Minato, Seiki—you two have worked hard lately. If fighting breaks out on the front lines, try to rush there as soon as possible for reinforcement."
"Yes sir!"
...
At night.
Seiki was organizing some materials obtained from the Church of the Evil God. Though he had no intention of conducting those disgusting human experiments himself, referencing the information wasn't a problem.
[Washing the entire body in blood—even replacing every drop within—to sever the bond between body and soul, then using jutsu to solidify the soul, defying death itself!]
Reading this far, Seiki shook his head slightly. "Sounds beautiful in theory, but in reality, it's already half-dead. This kind of immortality holds little appeal to me."
"What's truly fascinating is this supposed 'jutsu'—becoming a vessel for an evil god. You imagine yourself as the deity, then begin to worship that image obsessively, slowly letting those thoughts reshape and empower your own soul!"
It might sound weird coming out of a Western fantasy novel, but in this world, something like a spirit god isn't completely impossible.
After all, even Kaguya Otsutsuki giving birth to the Sage of Six Paths was due to people's blessings. It was clear that abstract consciousness could be transformed into real power.
Jiraiya's words had also led him to speculate. Perhaps the sages, gods, and demons were originally the native forces of this world, only later defeated by the Otsutsuki from outer space.
Still, in Seiki's view, whether these forces were truly useless remained up for debate.
"The Goddess of the Hare, the Sage of Six Paths—their strength far surpasses that of the Otsutsuki Clan. They may have absorbed the indigenous powers of this world!"
In Seiki's opinion, even regressed abilities like the Sharingan and Wood Release could suppress tailed beasts. This suggested the Otsutsuki must possess mature technology for controlling the Ten-Tails. Simply becoming its jinchuriki shouldn't grant such overwhelming power over members of the Otsutsuki Clan.
Moreover, in the original story, Kaguya's drastic personality change bore a strange resemblance to what Jiraiya described as divine corruption.
Even the legend of Kaguya being blessed by mortals before childbirth supported this idea—it proved she had indeed absorbed others' faith.
"Alternatively, perhaps there's something unique about this world that made the God Tree's fruit much more powerful than other Chakra Fruits. But maybe the powers from other systems within the God Tree's fruit were what corrupted Kaguya."
Staring at the documents before him, Seiki's expression shifted between hope and unease. "Still, if this theory is correct, it reveals how dangerous this system really is. If even Kaguya Otsutsuki couldn't escape its influence, then my current abilities are still too weak!"
"Whether this theory holds up or not, I'd better stay away from divine powers for now!"
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