Chapter 27: Jashin Ritual, A Bright Future!
The Jashin Cult
When Tsukasa heard Hidan mention that name, his eyes flickered slightly.
He knew only the basics about the Jashin Cult—a mysterious organization wandering throughout the Land of Hot Water, worshipping a deity called "Jashin."
The powerful members of this organization could rely on unique blood curse techniques and ritual secrets to possess the terrifying ability of "curse technique: death controlling possessed blood."
In the original timeline, due to fear of war, Yugakure did nothing and lived peacefully in isolation, even earning the name "the village that forgot war."
This conflicted with Hidan's idea of saving the Land of Hot Water through forceful means. He gradually became dissatisfied with Yugakure, so he began paying attention to the emerging religion in his country—the Jashin Cult.
But Tsukasa hadn't expected that during this period, Hidan—who wasn't even genin-level—had already begun investigating this organization.
At this moment, Hidan's expression darkened as he spoke:
"Let me tell you something, Tsukasa!"
"Listen carefully—"
"The Land of Hot Water is hopeless!"
"This country has been caught up in the wars between the five great nations. Do you understand what that means?"
Hidan's face grew increasingly grim as he continued in a heavy voice:
"I've seen too many foreign shinobi in the Land of Hot Water."
"From Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Konohagakure—ninja wearing forehead protectors from these major powers are wreaking havoc across our land. They don't care about the lives of Hot Water civilians at all. When they encounter each other, they fight to the death and unleash large-scale jutsu indiscriminately."
"Have you ever experienced this? You're walking down a road when suddenly a nearby village gets flooded, swallowed by earthquake fissures, or destroyed by lightning from above."
"Then my sensei—a Yugakure jonin—grabbed my shoulder and told me:"
"'Hidan, we need to leave immediately. We'll be safe once we reach Yugakure.'"
"I remember his terrified expression, sweat streaming down his forehead, his eyes clearly filled with rage, yet he turned away, refusing to look back."
Hearing this, Tsukasa couldn't help but take a deep breath.
In the room, Hidan sat in his chair with bright sunlight filtering through the large hole in the wall, illuminating him—yet the light seemed completely absorbed by his presence.
Like a black hole.
Hidan's expression was dark and terrifying, anger etched across his features. The skin around his eyes seemed stretched to the breaking point as he stared at Tsukasa with wide eyes and a bitter laugh.
"I asked my sensei: 'Why didn't you save them?'"
"'With your abilities, Sensei, you could have done something, right? You could have defeated those chunin massacring civilians, right? You could have eliminated them, covered your tracks, and escaped, right?'"
"'Kill them! Why didn't you kill them?'"
"'Why?'"
"Do you know what Sensei answered?" Hidan fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Tsukasa.
Tsukasa slowly exhaled and sighed: "Probably something like 'Hidan, don't cause trouble—we're no match for them,' right?"
The stark contrast reminded him of Uchiha Setsuna's desperate declaration of vengeance against Kumogakure to avenge a single clan member.
For one genin, they'd risked the entire clan's resources to eliminate the threat!
It was Tsukasa's first direct experience with the pathological intensity of Uchiha love—the so-called "Clan of Love."
Hidan shook his head with a dejected chuckle.
"But my sensei said—"
"'Those people have nothing to do with us. Don't interfere in others' affairs.'"
"Listen to this—"
"He actually said 'those people have nothing to do with us.'"
"My sensei's hometown was in that village. We'd gone there to bring his wife back to safety."
"He actually said those people had nothing to do with us?!"
Hidan's temper flared as he violently snatched the apple from Tsukasa's hand and smashed it against the floor.
Tsukasa thought: Hey, that was my apple!
He shook his head and sighed. Although he'd anticipated how messed up this world could be, hearing about such tragedy was still difficult to accept.
"This world is screwed up, but what does any of this have to do with the Jashin Cult?"
The Doctrine of Destruction
Hidan nodded and pulled out a pamphlet from his waist pouch, placing it in Tsukasa's hands with sincere excitement:
"Tsukasa, look at this."
"Look at this doctrine!"
"The declining Land of Hot Water has finally found its salvation!"
"Its name is—the Jashin Cult!"
The smile on Hidan's face gradually became fanatical:
"Kill! Kill! Eliminate everything corrupt around you!"
"Standing or crouching, in battle or in ceremony—purge them all!"
"Shinobi, civilians, nobles, daimyo—"
"Kill them all!"
"Let this country undergo complete purification!"
"Pave the roads with their bodies, water the earth with their blood, use the heads of millions to build monuments, and begin the ritual!"
"Then—welcome Lord Jashin!"
"When our god descends, all believers will transcend mortal suffering!"
"All sins will be cleansed!"
"The new Land of Hot Water will become the sixth great nation under Jashin's protection!"
"And find eternal peace!"
As he spoke, Hidan stood in the blazing sunlight, arms spread wide, face filled with religious fervor as he stared directly into the sun—as if seeing a light more brilliant than the sun itself!
Tsukasa swallowed nervously, staring at Hidan in astonishment, and asked in a trembling voice:
"Have you already joined the Jashin Cult?"
Hidan suddenly shook his head with visible frustration:
"Not yet."
"But they should arrive soon—"
Hidan laughed heartily, slapping Tsukasa on the shoulder with complete sincerity:
"Tsukasa, help me!"
"Joining the Jashin Cult requires a sacrifice!"
"Sacrificing myself alone isn't enough—I need you!"
"Walk to the altar with me and become believers of our god!"
"Then we'll stand together at the pinnacle of this nation and make the Land of Hot Water—"
"Forever glorious!"
An Unexpected Opportunity
Tsukasa felt sweat beading on his forehead as he stared at Hidan in shock.
No system notifications appeared, which meant this guy was genuinely inviting him to be a sacrifice—and probably thought it was the greatest honor imaginable!
Tsukasa couldn't help but feel conflicted.
For Hidan, being a sacrifice would certainly be beneficial. He'd gain "immortality" that transcended death, master the mystical techniques of Jashin's forbidden arts, and rise within the cult hierarchy—promotion, power, ultimate weapons, reaching the pinnacle of existence!
The thought was somewhat exciting.
But for Tsukasa...
"Wait..."
Tsukasa was stunned as he suddenly saw a clear path laid out before him—perfectly designed for his goals!
This could actually work perfectly for him too!
How could Tsukasa—a man of justice and peace, someone determined to guide the shinobi world toward a brighter future—stand by and watch the notorious Jashin Cult spread its villainous influence unopposed?
Tsukasa's face filled with excitement as he leaped from the bed, clutching the Jashin Cult pamphlet and firmly grasping Hidan's hands.
"Hidan, my friend! Yes!"
"Let's go to the Jashin Cult together!"
"We both have such bright futures ahead!"
End of Chapter 27