Chapter 19 — Killing Is Our Profession!
Just as Oshima was left with nothing but impotent rage, the saviors he had long awaited finally arrived!
After bringing Shinji and Hidan to him, the young man immediately left, feeling as if a great burden had been lifted.
"Is the entire Cult of the Evil God represented by just the two of you?"
Honestly, at this moment, Oshima felt a bit disappointed.
Ever since he had unexpectedly connected with the Cult of the Evil God, he had quietly funded these killers and murder maniacs. All in the hope that one day they would prove useful—and perhaps with a bit of personal speculation, since immortality and eternal life were always tempting enough to attract buyers.
He knew it was unlikely, but… what if it were true?
If it were real, the money he had spent would have bought him a strategic advantage.
Yet, after spending so much, when he was in dire need of help, the Cult of the Evil God sent only these tiny kittens to attend him. They clearly didn't take him, the moneyed benefactor, seriously. How could that not leave him embarrassed?
Being underestimated once more made Hidan's gaze extremely dangerous.
Shinji, however, merely raised a hand to restrain Hidan from drawing his weapon. With an expression utterly calm, he said, "Give me the mission's target list. Then find somewhere to rest. When you open your eyes again, it'll all be over."
Oshima looked at Shinji with a mix of surprise and curiosity. Whether this man was genuinely confident or blindly arrogant, he had no reason to refuse him.
Success would, of course, be ideal—but even if they failed, it would still bring the Cult of the Evil God's relentless revenge upon Gato, and all Oshima would have to pay was a little information and a day's time. That was a bargain worth making.
He immediately shifted his attitude. "Give them all the information we have on Gato. And if there's anything my people can do to assist, just ask. If you can take down Gato, I'll double the reward promised to your Cult, and you'll also gain my personal friendship and gifts."
Shinji glanced over the information in his hands and turned to walk out. "No need for assistance. Make sure your people keep their distance from the target to avoid interference. Killing is our profession."
"These two are way too arrogant!" Oshima's subordinates couldn't help but mutter.
"Send two people to follow them. I want to know exactly what they do. But remember, do not engage them in conflict."
"Yes… Sir, where are you going?"
"To find a place to rest. I want to see what these two are truly capable of, daring to speak so boldly."
Oshima hadn't slept in days as he said this.
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"A bunch of trash dared to underestimate Hidan! Why did you stop me earlier? I'll sacrifice them all to the Evil God myself!"
As he walked out, Hidan continued to mutter in anger.
"That Oshima guy has some value, otherwise our Lord wouldn't have sent just the two of us to assist him. If you're not afraid of the Evil God's wrath, you could go back and kill him now—I won't stop you."
"Tch, consider him lucky."
Hidan memorized the image of Gato in his hands, then casually tossed it aside.
The next moment, a burly man picked it up.
"Hey, you dropped this."
Hidan glanced at him, showing no intention of speaking, and turned back to continue forward.
"Wait, are you looking for the person in this picture?" The burly man blocked Shinji and Hidan's path instead of walking away.
Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly, but before he could respond, Hidan impatiently stepped forward. "None of your business. Move aside!"
The burly man's forced smile froze for a moment, but he still cheerfully said, "You're headed to join Lord Gato, right? I know where he is right now, and I can take you there."
"Hah? Hidan would go join a useless… uh-uh! (Shinji, what are you doing! Let go!)"
"You're willing to take us there? Why? Is everyone in the Land of Waves this helpful?"
The burly man scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Not exactly. A lot of people know that Lord Gato has been recruiting helpers lately. If I take you there and you manage to stay, I get a pretty decent referral fee."
Shinji studied the man seriously for several seconds, then smiled. "I see. Then we'll trouble you."
"No trouble at all. Follow me, you two."
The burly man hurriedly led the way, occasionally probing with questions to learn where Shinji and Hidan had come from and how strong they were.
Shinji obliged with the story: the two of them were rogue ninja from the Hidden Soup Village, wandering the lands. Along the way, they heard there were "big jobs" in the Land of Waves, so they came to try their luck.
At Shinji's signal, Hidan reluctantly tugged at his collar, revealing the Hidden Soup Village rogue headband beneath.
Seeing this, the burly man immediately believed most of their story and grew even more enthusiastic.
Of course, he ignored their bragging about their own prowess. He had seen too many like them; the truth of their abilities would reveal itself soon enough.
After winding through countless twists and turns, under the burly man's guidance, Shinji's group gradually left the town and entered a secluded forest.
"Hey, where exactly are you taking us? This place doesn't look like a rich man's residence."
Hidan had long noticed something was off, but Shinji's glance had kept him in check until now.
The burly man remained calm, smiling mysteriously. "You don't know? Ever since Gato Corporation went to war with the Oshima family, Lord Gato has hidden himself in multiple safe houses. I'm taking you to one of them."
"With luck, you'll meet Lord Gato directly. Without luck, there'll still be someone in charge there—same result."
Hidan raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving the man's story.
Shinji, however, shook his head slightly, signaling Hidan to hold back.
Another ten minutes of walking, and finally a three-story wooden villa appeared before them.
"Stop! Private property ahead! Intruders will be killed!"
At the sound of the warning, a dozen people immediately surrounded Shinji and his companion.
"See? Didn't lie to you," the burly man said, glancing at Shinji and Hidan with a knowing look before greeting warmly. "Okamoto-san, it's me. Is Lord Gato inside?"
(Note: Hidden Soup village is just a joke, don't take it too seriously.