In Hibari's previous life, theocracy was a long-abandoned concept, a relic of history. Even the Pope of the Catholic Church only held a minuscule amount of real power, largely serving as a 'honorary' figurehead.
He was the Pope when people respected him, but if they didn't, he was just an ordinary person.
However, in this world, there was still great potential for it because the environment was perfect for theocracy to thrive. First, the nations were still in a 'feudal era,' with relatively closed-off minds. The fact that the Jashin cult could wreak such havoc was indirect proof that the general public was still in a primitive state of thought and easily manipulated.
On the other hand, this world was constantly in turmoil, and with turmoil came tragedy, and with tragedy came a void in people's hearts. This void could lead to many changes. People with ideas and abilities, like Madara and Obito, would begin to exert their influence to change the world according to their own ideologies.
But such 'visionaries' were a minority, or rather, an extreme minority. Most people didn't have that talent or drive. These were Hibari's targets. A void in your heart? No problem, join a religion! Our broad doctrines can always fill that void!
Therefore, the ground for developing followers was vast and fertile. As long as the strategy was right, there would be no major problems.
And even though this was Hibari's first time establishing a religious organization, he had a good idea of how to do it. After all, in his previous life, this kind of thing had been 'dissected' countless times, and even just by hearing about it, he knew many of the key points.
First and foremost, to gain a large number of followers, the doctrine absolutely could not be an 'evil' one. The Jashin cult's approach was a dead end. Hibari had never heard of any evil cult becoming a prominent religious organization. No matter how large an evil cult became, its ultimate fate was either complete destruction, becoming a 'historical footnote,' or living like rats, hiding and barely sustaining themselves with a few half-dead followers, self-hypnotizing.
Thus, Hibari knew that evil cults were a lost cause and not worth pursuing. The name of the cult could be a little dark, but its actions absolutely could not be anti-human.
Overall, the needs of the cult had to be divided into two levels: material needs and spiritual needs. Material needs were simple. When ordinary people couldn't get enough to eat or had no jobs, the cult could set up soup kitchens to feed and care for them. That would satisfy a material need. If they could also help them find jobs, that would be even better.
Doing this once or twice might not have much of an effect, but if it became a regular charitable activity, it could definitely attract a large number of ordinary people to become followers.
As for the wealthier class, such as rich merchants, politicians, high-ranking officials, and even the Daimyo, satisfying their material needs would be a bit more difficult. But Hibari now had a 'trump card.' The Jashin cult wasn't a total loss; at least the 'immortality' jutsu was very effective at fooling people.
Their other desires could be satisfied by coming up with some clever deceptions. But the truly difficult part was that once people acquired a lot of material possessions, they wanted to enjoy them for a long time. Longevity, or rather, immortality, was the eternal pursuit of humanity.
Hibari could satisfy this, too. 'If you believe in our Necro Cult and become a devout follower, putting the cult first in everything you do and listening to our every word, then you can receive the blessing of the 'Necro God' or some other god after we approve of you, and you can become an immortal being.'
This was very appealing. By working together, the needs of every social class could be met.
With this approach, wouldn't the cult be easy to grow?
As for the other aspect, the spiritual needs, not everyone was greedy for material things. This world was not short of 'martyrs' who sought spiritual fulfillment. What these people wanted from the cult was not 'immortality,' wealth, power, or daily sustenance; they pursued spiritual satisfaction.
This was a bit more troublesome. Hibari had to find a group of 'charlatans' to do some serious research and create a 'code' or a 'bible.' This book had to cover all aspects. No matter what a person sought in the spiritual world, they had to be able to find a relevant factor in this 'bible.'
Although this would be troublesome to create, it was solvable and of the utmost importance, as it would be the foundation of the cult. By spending a lot of money to hire professional 'charlatans' to do this, they could create a complete and clear system within three to five years.
In general, these things had to be taken one step at a time. The most difficult step was the first one. As long as the first step was solid, and he didn't screw it up, spending a few years to systematically, scientifically, and perfectly create the prototype of the 'Necro Cult,' the speed of development would only get faster and faster.
Evangelism always spreads faster the more followers there are, doesn't it? It's a snowball effect. As long as the initial snowball is solid enough, it will get bigger and bigger!
Hibari wasn't joking when he said he wouldn't be returning to the Land of Fire anytime soon. He had already been in the Land of Hot Water for about a month and had no intention of returning yet.
Sakumo and the other Anbu members had already returned to Konohagakure after helping him clean up the Jashin cult. Hibari, however, stayed in the Land of Hot Water under the pretense that the Mitsumine Group's 'post-war reconstruction of the Land of Hot Water' required his 'on-site guidance,' secretly planning his Necro Cult.
After a month of construction, the once dilapidated small town in the Land of Hot Water hadn't been completed yet, but it was bustling with life everywhere. At the very least, it no longer had the dead, listless feeling of being ravaged by the Jashin cult and war.
Now, there were no refugees in this small town. Even if a few came wandering in, they would be quickly absorbed into the town's construction team. They had enough to eat, enough to drink, and were getting paid.
After hearing that the town was being built for them and that they could stay and live there once it was completed, they were all working passionately. No one wanted to delay the project; everyone wanted to build this beautiful home as soon as possible!
This small town now had a new name, which Hibari had named 'Undercity.'
Hibari was currently sitting on the edge of the as-yet-unfinished massive stone city gate of the Undercity. His butt was on a piece of cut, heavy stone material used for building the city wall. He was fanning himself constantly with a tattered fan, his body covered in dusty grime, completely losing the air of a young master from the Senju clan. He looked just like a common laborer at a construction site.
"I have to say, the climate of the Land of Hot Water is hard to describe. In winter, it's incredibly mild; I'd love to just move here. But it's only just Spring, and it's already so hot..." Hibari complained as he fanned himself with the tattered fan.
Standing beside him was Shikajin Nara, who had just arrived at the Undercity. After about a month of negotiations and such, he had completed the mission given to him by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had successfully won over the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water and started the aid plan according to Konoha's wishes.
Before he left, he specifically came here to see what Hibari was up to. When he arrived, he was shocked to see Hibari helping the workers move huge stones and build the city walls together. He was utterly amazed.
He never would have thought that a young master from such a prominent family like Hibari would be able to humble himself and get along so well with these workers, who were originally just refugees.
"Hahaha, the terrain of the Land of Hot Water is very complex. Most of it is on volcanic mountain ranges, and there are many hot springs. Winter is fine, but the other seasons are indeed very hot and humid..." Shikajin said with a laugh.
"Sigh, I chose this place myself, so I have to bear with it..." Hibari sighed helplessly.
He then looked at Shikajin and asked, "Shikajin-san, why did you come here? Just to say goodbye?"
Shikajin said grumpily, "Do you think I want to come to this backwater? The Third Hokage-sama saw that the other Anbu members had all returned, and you were still holed up in the Land of Hot Water, so he was a little curious about what you were up to. He sent me to ask and to see if you needed any help here. If you do, the Third Hokage-sama said to just ask the village."
Hibari smiled at this, then waved his hand and said, "I said before I left that I probably won't be able to return to the Land of Fire for a while. Tell the Third Hokage not to worry about me. If there are any missions that require my personal attention, just send them over. If not, I'll probably be living here for a while longer. As for what I'm up to... I'm just doing good deeds.
"Can't you see I'm helping the people of the Land of Hot Water build a new, beautiful home? I feel like I've found a new purpose in life through this labor. I didn't understand before, but now I do—what it means for a working person to be glorious. Seeing a town built brick by brick with my own hands... the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment... tsk tsk, you wouldn't understand, coming from a wealthy family!"
Hearing Hibari's words, Shikajin couldn't help but smile, thinking, "Our Nara family is indeed a prominent family, but we're still far behind the Senju clan. How can you have the nerve to call me a child from a wealthy family?"
Shikajin smiled and shook his head, saying, "When I was serving the Second Hokage-sama, he once told me something: 'Whenever Hibari starts saying high-sounding words, he's definitely hiding his own agenda.' I didn't believe it back then, but now I think about it, the Second Hokage-sama saw you very clearly. As soon as I came here, I kept hearing people call you 'High Priest' and mention things like the 'Necro Cult.' Tell me, what's going on here?"
Hibari grinned, revealing an embarrassed smile. He said, "What's this about a hidden agenda? I just saw that everyone was so traumatized by the war, and their hearts had a void. The Jashin cult that we eliminated took advantage of that void and caused a lot of tragedies. To prevent that from happening again, I figured I might as well create a legitimate religion myself to help everyone fill that void in their hearts, so they don't get taken advantage of again."
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Undercity is the capital city of the Forsaken undead of the Horde in World of Warcraft.
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