"Are you Haru of Yugakure?" Shinji, having caught his breath, turned to the still-crouched woman and asked.
"Yes, I am. Are you… Konoha ninja?" Haru only recovered her senses after hearing Shinji's voice.
"Mm, let's leave this place first, or else more monsters will come later." Shinji nodded, looking into the thick fog. He sensed a group of monsters approaching from there.
"Okay." Haru nodded and tried to get up, but found her legs numb. She couldn't help but look at Shinji.
"Yushu, you take her." Shinji turned around, speaking as he did so.
"Yes, Captain." Yushu, wearing a protective mask, appeared beside Haru, helped her up, and quickly left.
No sooner had Shinji and his team left than about ten monsters arrived at the location. Their ears and noses twitched incessantly, trying to find traces of Shinji and his team.
—
Inside a hidden cave entrance, Shinji watched as Muta and Koto used rocks to block the entrance. Only then did he use Fire Release to light the pile of firewood in front of him.
In the firelight, Haru gradually calmed down. She saw Shinji and his team looking at her and blinked.
"Are you an elder of Yugakure?" Shinji asked.
It wasn't that he wanted to ask again unnecessarily. It was just that this woman, though older than him, was only in her early twenties.
And she could become an elder of a village?
It didn't make sense for a small ninja village to be so weak, did it?
Perhaps guessing Shinji's thoughts, Haru nodded and said, "Yes, but I inherited my mother's position."
"The position of elder of Yugakure is hereditary, but one also needs to master the skills of the previous elder to be eligible."
Her words indicated to Shinji that she hadn't become an elder merely by relying on her family's legacy.
Shinji rubbed his chin, disregarding her implied meaning, and asked, "Can you explain in detail what happened with these monsters and Yugakure?"
Understanding these monsters first was entirely because Shinji felt that if these things continued like this and if their numbers were vast, honestly, the Ninja World might truly face an existential crisis.
"The monsters we just encountered should actually be called Blood Beasts. They are failed experiments created by an ancient cult in Yugakure."
"They are all low-level cultists and some tourists who came to Yugakure, captured and experimented on."
As expected.
Shinji lowered his gaze, saying nothing. It was pretty much what he had thought.
When he dealt with those Blood Beasts, there were one or two whose foreheads still bore the Yugakure forehead protector.
"What kind of experiment?" Yushu asked.
As a Medical Ninja, she understood the terrifying nature of these monsters even better.
"Immortality." Haru's face darkened as she spoke.
At these words, even Muta and Koto, who were on alert at the cave entrance, couldn't help but turn to look.
What was called immortality, at its core, overturned the common sense of ninja.
Shinji came and knelt in front of Haru, asking, "Has it ever succeeded?"
Haru remained silent for a long time after hearing this, then shook her head and said, "I don't know."
"Elder of Yugakure, I hope you understand that Konoha sending a team in entails risks."
Shinji said unceremoniously, "Saying 'I don't know' now can lead us to cancel this mission directly."
This woman was treating favors as a cure-all.
"No! If you leave, Yugakure will be finished!" Upon hearing Shinji's words, Haru quickly looked up and cried out in disbelief.
Shinji said as he stood up, "Firstly, whether Yugakure exists or not is not Konoha's concern."
"We came out of a previous generation's favor, that is, your mother's friendship, plus humanitarianism."
"Furthermore, if you want us to continue this mission, you must clearly explain what has happened within your village."
"I need to be responsible for the lives of my team members."
Upon hearing this, Muta and the others looked at Shinji.
The mission to Yugakure definitely had a vested interest.
As for their lives...
At the end of the day, if they could complete this mission and gain benefits in return, it was within an acceptable range and this was reality.
Haru was speechless for a long time. When Shinji was almost impatient, she spoke, "I'll tell you…"
—
After a lengthy narration, Shinji and his team understood what had happened in Yugakure.
The leader of this ancient cult was a Chunin named Takase, who, having lost the opportunity to become an elder of Yugakure, was discontent.
In his frustration, this Chunin, Takase, stumbled upon ancient texts by chance. He then secretly developed a cult, using some ninjas within Yugakure who also disdained Yugakure's pacifist ideals.
This cult had a resounding name: the Orthodox Cult.
Shinji was speechless. So, what one lacks, one desires even more?
The doctrine of this cult was to create extreme pain, perform sacrifices to appease a so-called evil god, and thereby obtain 'blessings.'
And the reason Haru had sent a plea for help to Konoha was that Takase seemed to have made a breakthrough recently.
He wanted to take advantage of Yugakure's unique festival, the Hot Spring Festival, to attract more tourists. With this, he planned to carry out a large-scale blood sacrifice, preparing to become the evil god's earthly agent.
"Truly insane…" Shinji shook his head.
According to Haru's account, many villagers and tourists in Yugakure had already lost their lives.
And the reason Yugakure was searching for Haru was actually because the higher-ups had been crippled by this cult.
The higher-ups were assassinated or intimidated into submission, while the lower-level ninjas who wanted to resist were 'converted.'
Meaning, brainwashed or sacrificed.
Now, the peace of the entire Land of Hot Water was merely a facade, intended to attract people to the upcoming Hot Spring Festival.
Shinji stood up, ignoring Haru's pleading gaze. He said slowly, "Now that it's clear, we will vote on whether to proceed with the specific mission. Of course, you all will return first."
The mission risk was too great, so he could only let his teammates return while he continued to execute it. At the same time, he also needed to send a request for aid to Hiruzen, to have him send people over.
"Captain, please don't say such things." Muta was the first to speak.
"Although this is our first mission as a team, I hope captain can truly acknowledge me as a team member."
Koto said with a smile, expressing his stance, "That's right, captain. And if I dared to abandon you and go back, I estimate the clan head would kill me."
Yushu said without even raising her head, "Captain, I am not a weak woman."
Shinji shook his head helplessly and said, "Alright then."
"Regarding the risks of this mission, based on the current situation assessment, I will report the detailed situation to the village via communication shortly."
"The specific mission level change will be decided by Hokage-sama."
"I will now exercise the on-site commander's discretionary power. The mission objective is changed to stopping this cult's blood sacrifice operation."
"The battlefield will be confined to Yugakure, to avoid expanding its influence to the Land of Fire border."
"This objective is the highest priority, understood?"
"Understood, captain." The three stood straight and responded.