Chapter 28: Communion and Outcry
The Infiltration Plan
Tsukasa's plan was simple:
Stand up, blend in, infiltrate, cause chaos, and get carried out in a body bag.
Facing such evil, there was no need for hesitation or mercy.
All he needed was a clever disguise to trick the cultists into leading him to their headquarters.
Then, at the perfect moment, Tsukasa would reveal himself.
With a dramatic cry of "Stop right there! I'm with Konoha!" hundreds of blade-wielding cultists would descend upon him.
Before being cut down, he could even show off his Sharingan and bark: "What, you want to dance too?"
Fulfilling his dream of going out in a blaze of glory while achieving his ultimate goal—what could be more perfect?
The mere thought filled Tsukasa with excitement, his eyes practically glowing as if he'd discovered a new world.
His enthusiasm was even brighter than Hidan's standing beside him!
Even Hidan was taken aback.
He stared at Tsukasa, somewhat bewildered. Just moments ago, he'd been preparing to convince him further.
After all, this was a sacrifice to the great Lord Jashin. Success would mean becoming a devoted follower walking the earth. Failure meant death on the altar.
Hidan had already approached several people about this, but they'd all refused to cooperate. He could only shake his head and sigh at their inability to recognize such an opportunity, give them a swift kick, then let them go.
Finally, he'd read about "repaying favors" in a book, exclaiming "I've learned something!" and immediately recruited Tsukasa to test the technique.
This is the power of knowledge!
Hidan suddenly felt his scalp itch and couldn't help scratching it.
His eyes widened slightly as a terrifying thought occurred to him.
Tsukasa was being so cooperative—could he be trying to steal Lord Jashin's favor from him?
At this realization, Hidan's gaze toward Tsukasa subconsciously grew guarded.
Just then—
"Everyone, come out!"
A cold voice boomed from outside the door.
Hidan's body trembled at the sound. Like someone about to attend a job interview, he straightened his collar and walked out with a radiant expression.
If there had been a mirror available, he would have spent considerable time grooming himself.
Tsukasa narrowed his eyes slightly, stuffed the scroll containing the S-rank forbidden technique into his leg wrappings, and followed him outside.
The Gathering
Refugees emerged in small groups from various corners of the shabby village, gradually converging on the flat ground in the center.
However, what surprised Tsukasa was that this group of people appeared to be in far better condition than typical refugees.
While not necessarily healthy-looking, at least he saw no pale, starving individuals among them.
This was clearly abnormal.
Due to the ongoing war, the Land of Hot Water maintained only fragmented order, with just a few noble estates able to afford shinobi protection.
While this location wasn't far from Yugakure, the capital of the Land of Hot Water, it clearly fell outside the protection of the village's ninja. Logically, these villagers shouldn't have such comfortable living conditions.
Three men dressed in high-collared, form-fitting black robes with leather scripture cases strapped to their forearms stood in the center of the crowd.
At their feet sat two large barrels.
The leader had straight black hair, sunken eyes, and a deep, expressionless gaze. He glanced around, then tilted his head slightly toward his subordinates.
"Begin," he said indifferently.
The two men nodded and immediately opened the barrels.
Inside, bowl after bowl of cooked meat filled the containers.
The sight of the steaming meat excited the villagers tremendously.
The two Jashin cultists didn't hesitate, immediately carrying portions of meat to distribute among the crowd.
Even the unfamiliar Tsukasa received a bowl—quite a generous portion.
The cult leader pulled several handwritten scriptures from his case, faced the crowd, and raised his hand slightly.
Sudden silence fell over the gathering.
Clutching the scriptures, the Jashin leader coughed twice and recited aloud:
"The reason a god is divine."
"Before discussing this matter, I wish to address how the leadership of the Land of Hot Water falls short of divinity."
"First, the nobles guilty of pride. Then, the Yugakure shinobi guilty of sloth. Then, the Kumogakure guilty of wrath. And then..."
The cult leader eloquently recited nearly a thousand words, detailing the supposed sins of the five great nations, the nobles of the Land of Hot Water, and the Yugakure shinobi. The content was quite inflammatory, even including details about the personal life of the Hot Water Daimyo.
The scriptural recitation made Tsukasa drowsy, but Hidan and the villagers beside him were filled with passion, completely absorbed. They seemed ready to march on Yugakure and overthrow the Daimyo overnight.
After a lengthy pause, the cult leader, feeling parched, coughed twice.
A nearby subordinate immediately brought water. The leader took a sip, casually returned the cup, then placed his hands behind his back and spoke coldly:
"Bring forward the offering, and communion may begin."
The villagers, overjoyed, prostrated themselves with their foreheads touching the ground, chanting respectfully:
"Thank you, Divine Messenger."
The Horrific Truth
Immediately, a woman stood up, her face brimming with excitement and enthusiasm, and hurried forward leading a little girl.
"Yuko, go! Follow the masters of the Jashin Cult."
"That way, our family will have endless meat."
The little girl, Yuko, stood frozen. As she was being pulled away, about to be handed over to the cultists, her eyes suddenly widened and she clutched the woman's kimono sleeve.
"No, no, no!"
Her face went pale as death, eyes wide with terror.
"Mother, no!"
"Save me, save me!"
"I don't want to be eaten! I don't want to die! Mother, Mother, look at me!"
At that moment, the woman's mask slipped.
Her face filled with terror, tears welling in her eyes. She tugged at her sleeve frantically, almost hysterically shouting:
"Let go! Yuko, let go!"
"What are you trying to do?!"
"Are you going to get our whole family killed?!"
Yuko gripped the woman's sleeve tightly, refusing to release it. Her face was filled with fear as she trembled and spoke:
"Mother, Mother, can't you see?"
"You really can't see?"
"In the bowl—in the bowl—there's my brother! There's my brother!"
"Mother!"
Suddenly, the cult leader's expression changed drastically upon hearing Yuko mention her brother.
He immediately drew a sharp, jet-black spear from within his black robe's sleeve.
This was a unique weapon of the Jashin Cult—normally about twenty centimeters long and concealable within a sleeve. When extended, it stretched to 120 centimeters. Its tip and edges were razor-sharp, typically used as a concealed weapon or for the cult's ritualistic self-harm practices.
The cult leader's expression turned grim. He stepped forward and viciously thrust the spear toward the little girl Yuko's back.
Tsukasa, witnessing this scene and hearing those words, glanced grimly at the bowl of meat in his hands.
His expression grew heavy, and without hesitation, he abandoned all his plans!
All thoughts of infiltrating the Jashin headquarters, of strategic attacks, of showing off, of achieving his goals—everything was forgotten in that instant.
Rage ignited in his heart and spread throughout his body.
His eyes instantly turned crimson red!
Tsukasa slammed the bowl of meat to the ground!
He leaped forward with righteous fury!
"STOP!"
End of Chapter 28
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