"Leader! Leader, come out!"
Pain, in the cave, heard the voices from outside, opened his closed eyelids, and frowned.
'Didn't I tell them not to disturb me?'
'Why is it still so noisy?'
"Konan, what's going on outside?"
Hearing Pain's voice, Konan flew in, her face full of apology.
"Nagato, it's Hidan. The Jashin Cult is under attack by the Konoha's Uchiha Peacekeeping Force. He's here to ask for your help."
'Uchiha Peacekeeping Force?'
Though the constitutional name Uchiha Peacekeeping Force was unfamiliar to him, he harboured deep hatred for the name Konoha.
Nagato gritted his teeth slightly.
Yahiko's body was destroyed. In that battle against Namikaze Mirai, he gathered all of the Six Paths Pain's chakra into the Tendo Pain's body, intending to use Tendo's power to finish off Mirai.
But he hadn't expected Mirai to be stronger than he ever imagined. In the clash, he was at a disadvantage, and Yahiko's body went missing.
After that battle, Konan searched the battlefield for remains of Yahiko's body but found nothing.
Yahiko's body was just destroyed like that.
Nagato was seething with hatred.
He, Yahiko, and Konan had lived together since childhood, enduring the malice of others, and gradually found their footing in the cruel Land of Rain.
He hadn't expected Yahiko's body to be destroyed like this.
The current Pain's body was one he had searched for a long time, finding a corpse that was seventy to eighty percent similar to Yahiko's appearance.
Even so, it couldn't get rid of the hatred in his heart.
"Nagato, should we help Hidan?"
Sensing the hatred emanating from Nagato, Konan cautiously asked.
"No."
Nagato's answer was very direct.
Hatred was hatred, but he still had his rationality.
Getting into another conflict with Konoha just for Hidan was clearly not a worthwhile trade.
Even after having transplanted Hashirama cells, his development of the Rinnegan was not something that could be achieved overnight. It required a long period of accumulation to digest this increase in power.
When the time was right, he would definitely make Mirai pay in kind.
But not now.
"That guy named Hidan, I remember he was quite disrespectful when we first recruited him, wasn't he?"
Nagato snorted coldly.
He still clearly remembered Hidan calling him a 'rice thief' over and over again when he was recruited.
He showed no respect for him, their leader.
"Alright, I understand."
Knowing Nagato's intent, Konan nodded and left.
Outside, Hidan was still shouting loudly.
"Leader! Leader! The Jashin Cult needs you!
"Lead—"
His shouts abruptly stopped as Konan walked out, looking at him coldly.
"Did the Leader agree to help? This time, we must make those Konoha bastards pay."
"Hidan, go back! The Leader won't get involved in such a minor matter."
Konan's cold voice made the smile on his face freeze.
'The Leader refused?'
And here he was, begging for so long outside!
"Damn it! Leader, you're so heartless! Jashin-sama will curse you!"
'Jashin's curse?'
Nagato, in the cave, heard Hidan's curses and let out a contemptuous sneer.
There was only one god in this world: Pain.
How could a false god like Jashin curse him, the true god?
Hidan walked away indignantly.
If the Leader wouldn't help, then he would go support the Jashin Cult himself.
"You guys who disrespect Jashin, Jashin-sama will curse all of you!"
But what Hidan didn't know was that just as he was about to set off, the Jashin Cult was currently facing a catastrophic disaster.
…
"Fire Style ∙ Majestic Destroyer Flames!"
Shisui spewed forth a massive torrent of flames from his mouth. The flames, imbued with terrifying heat, instantly transformed into a sea of fire upon emission, engulfing the Jashin cultists in front of him.
Miserable wails emanated from the cultists writhing in the sea of fire.
"Jashin-sama will curse you!"
"May you all die horrible deaths!"
The flames gradually receded, leaving behind only a pile of ashes.
"Why do these cultists all say the same thing before they die?"
An Uchiha ninja voiced his confusion.
"Jashin-sama will curse you" — they had heard that phrase countless times by now.
"Cultists' thought processes are always different from normal people's, but their thinking patterns are very homogeneous amongst their own kind."
Shisui shrugged, not particularly bothered by it.
Gazing at the dark cave entrance ahead, Shisui said in a deep voice.
"Ahead should be the Jashin Cult's main base. Let's finish them off in one fell swoop, root and branch!"
"Charge! For the peace of the ninja world!"
A large group of Uchiha ninja, clad in blue uniforms, charged forward with bloodshot eyes, roaring.
The civilians of the Land of Hot Springs, witnessing this scene from a distance, felt their scalps tingle and their hairs stand on end.
Too brutal!
They used to think the Jashin Cult was brutal enough, with their sacrifices of young kids and heinous human experiments!
Yet, because the Land of Hot Springs had no ninja villages, the Jashin Cult ran rampant.
Once someone was targeted by them, death was a luxury.
Now, this group of Uchiha ninjas, shouting things like "peace", and charged forward, unleashing a brutal slaughter upon the Jashin Cult.
The Jashin cultists, who had committed countless evils in their daily lives, were utterly defenseless against these red-eyed demons.
Looking at the ashes scattering around them, these residents silently swallowed their saliva.
The Jashin Cult, this time, was probably completely doomed.
…
After passing through a narrow, crowded cave passage, a bright light pierced through, and the space ahead suddenly widened.
A massive hot spring lay in the very center of the cave, with misty steam swirling above it.
Shisui noticed a thin, middle-aged man in white robes kneeling before the hot spring, his cheeks sunken.
"That guy should be the leader of the Jashin Cult! Killing him will completely eradicate the Jashin Cult!"
An Uchiha panted heavily, his blood-red eyes filled with intense excitement.
Just as they were about to charge forward.
A sharp, piercing, maniacal scream rang out.
"You demons! Accept Jashin-sama's punishment!"
The Jashin Cult leader, kneeling before the hot spring, madly slashed his palm with a small blade. Crimson blood gushed out, floating on the hot spring and gradually spreading.
The blood loss did not frighten the Jashin Cult leader; on the contrary, his eyes now showed intense trembling and excitement.
He felt as if something was awakening within the hot spring before him.
The mist lingering above the hot spring, after being nourished by the blood, became ethereal and illusory. Vaguely, a strange projection emerged from the hot spring.
It was enveloped in a pitch-black robe, stood at least four or five meters tall, and had a uniquely shaped, massive, crimson scythe on its back.
Hidan's scythe was precisely a replica of it.
"Jashin-sama! You have finally appeared!"
The Jashin Cult leader, kneeling before the hot spring, raised his arms, gazing up at the deity he had longed for day and night with a trembling, maniacal expression.
'Jashin-sama has appeared; those demons who killed cultists and blasphemed Jashin would finally be judged.'
'The Jashin Cult's saved.'
The leader's heart was filled with excitement.
"Jashin-sama, someone has blasphemed you and killed your followers, please…"
His voice abruptly ceased. The leader, kneeling before the hot spring, suddenly felt a sharp pain from his abdomen, and his pupils trembled as they shifted downwards.
Unbeknownst to him, Jashin's scythe had already struck his abdomen.
"Ja-Jashin…"
Without the slightest mercy, the crimson scythe swiftly reaped, drawing out something akin to a soul.
Disbelief still lingered in the leader's eyes as his body collapsed, already cold.
"Killing even your own followers? You're truly an evil god."
Shisui's eyes gradually grew colder as he witnessed this scene.
"Raising followers, harming innocent civilians, Jashin, your actions have severely endangered the peace of the ninja world. As the Republic of Fire's Peacekeeping Force, we will uphold the ideals of peace and completely eliminate you!"
Stare…
Jashin's enormous eyes expressed confusion.
It didn't understand Shisui's meaning.
"Attack!"
The Uchiha in blue uniforms immediately formed hand signs.
"Fire Style ∙ Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style ∙ Fire Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
"Fire Style ∙ Majestic Demolisher Flame!"
The cave instantly turned into a sea of fire. The scorching flames passed through Jashin, striking the mountain wall behind it. Even the hot spring partially evaporated in the high temperature, its water level receding.
"Ineffective?"
Shisui gazed at Jashin in astonishment.
Jashin showed no signs of injury, still maintaining its original appearance, as if the previous attack had struck only air.
Shisui frowned.
This was the first time a Fire Style attack had failed since the start of this mission.
The Fire Style, which was remarkably effective against those cultists, had lost its effect when facing Jashin.
"Switch to other attacks!"
Paper Bombs, shuriken, Water Style, Lightning Style… various different attacks relentlessly bombarded Jashin.
They still passed through Jashin's body, as if that body were an illusion, causing no damage whatsoever.
If Shisui hadn't already activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he might have even thought he was under a genjutsu.
No one in this world could place him, with his Mangekyō activated, under a genjutsu.
As the wielder of the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, Shisui had that confidence.
Just then, Jashin attacked. Its scythe, over three meters long, swung, unleashing a crimson slash.
One Uchiha was too slow to dodge and was struck by the crimson attack. However, surprisingly, his body showed no visible wounds.
Just as everyone was puzzled.
"Ahhhh!!"
The Uchiha who had been hit by the attack suddenly clutched his head and fell to the ground, as if subjected to some immense stimulus, writhing in pain on the floor.
'Mental attack? Or rather a spiritual attack?'
A flash of insight sparked in Shisui's mind. He turned to look at Jashin, a hint of understanding dawning in his eyes.
'A spiritual body? An existence similar to a Yin Style spiritual construct?'
'No wonder our previous attacks had been ineffective.'
'The opponent had no physical form, so there's no possibility of being struck by a physical attack.'
The shuriken pattern of his Mangekyō began to spin, and a surge of ocular power slowly gathered. Since it was a spiritual construct, using the Mangekyō to deal with it would be perfect!
Just as he was about to attack.
"Hahaha!!! My eyes!"
Wild laughter erupted beside him.
Shisui looked over, only to see the Uchiha who had been struck by Jashin's attack and was wailing on the ground a second ago, now covering his face with one hand, letting out the standard Uchiha maniacal laugh.
"Iori, what's so amusing?"
"My Sharingan has evolved!"
The Uchiha clansman named Iori's voice was filled with intense excitement.
Everyone immediately looked at his eyes. Sure enough, the Sharingan, which originally had only two-tomoe, now had three-tomoe.
It directly evolving from two-tomoe to three-tomoe!
"How did you do that, Iori!?"
Instantly, heavy breathing sounds came from all around, and countless Sharingan glowed with a blood-red light, filled with intense desire and fanaticism.
The Sharingan was the foundation of the Uchiha's power.
The more tomoe, the stronger the Sharingan's ocular power.
However, the evolution of the Sharingan was extremely difficult. Usually, it was only possible to evolve during moments of life-or-death, when emotions experienced drastic fluctuations or similar situations.
Now, an Uchiha suddenly, who hadn't endured much suffering, evolved right before their eyes to three-tomoe.
"After being attacked by Jashin, many chaotic and painful emotions suddenly appeared in my mind. After those emotions receded, I found that my Sharingan had evolved."
Stared at by so many clansmen with such expressions, Iori dared not delay and laid bare all his thoughts.
If he had been any slower, these clansmen, tempted by the evolution of Sharingan, might have done something terrifying.
'Getting attacked by Jashin caused his Sharingan's evolution?'
These Uchiha keenly grasped the main point.
'Could it be…'
Jashin, who was about to attack, suddenly felt countless pairs of fanatical eyes cast upon it, eyes containing a chilling madness.
Jashin felt a chill run down its spine.
Its intelligence was not high, only equivalent to that of a child, but even it now felt an unprecedented sense of crisis and fear.
As if it had been targeted by something terrifying.
"Charge!"
"Don't even think about it! Jashin's mine!"
The Uchiha charged towards Jashin like madmen, their crimson eyes overflowing with intense desire and excitement.
Shisui watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
There was really nothing to be done; the allure of Sharingan's evolution was simply too great for the Uchiha clan.
Being capable to easily evolve the Sharingan, Jashin had now become a coveted prize, fought over by everyone for their eyes.
Aside from Shisui, who had already awakened Mangekyō, no Uchiha clansmen could resist such a temptation.
In his helplessness, Shisui also vaguely guessed why Jashin could cause the Sharingan to evolve.
As a spiritual body, or a spiritual construct, Jashin's attacks were naturally aimed at the mind or soul, and the evolution of the Sharingan, coincidentally, required mental stimulation.
'A perfect match…'
Jashin's attacks became fodder for Sharingan's evolution.
"What an unlucky god, to appear and immediately be treated like this…"
Shisui looked with pity at Jashin, surrounded by the Uchiha. At this moment, Jashin had completely lost its noble appearance from when it had just been born.
Surrounded madly by a group of Uchiha, like a small white rabbit being torn apart, weak, helpless, trembling… it was simply too tragic…
Shisui glanced at the Jashin Cult leader, who had summoned Jashin and was now a cold corpse lying nearby.
"If you saw this happening after summoning Jashin, would you have regretted it?"
...
Republic of Fire.
Konoha, Hokage Office.
Mirai, who was working, received an item sent by Shisui from the Land of Hot Springs.
According to the description on the sealing scroll.
'An evil god called Jashin?'
"What did these Uchiha do? They even caught an evil god… and sealed it in a scroll?"
Even the well-informed Mirai was astonished by this scene.
Interest arose in his heart.
He also wanted to see what this so-called Jashin truly was.
He opened the scroll.
Bang!
As the white mist dissipated, Mirai looked at the object in his hand, once again falling into a state of bewilderment and surprise.
'A glass bottle?'
To be precise, it was a transparent bottle, about the thickness of a baby's arm, with sealing runes affixed to its mouth.
Inside the bottle, a mass of pitch-black mist was crashing against the bottle's walls. Vaguely, a blurred image of a figure carrying a scythe could be seen within the black mist.
"Is this Jashin?"
Mirai brought the glass bottle closer to his eyes, carefully observing the object within.
The black mist seemed to have noticed a target and crashed into him even more frantically, as if harbouring great hatred.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Several electric currents leaked from his fingertips.
The black mist in the bottle twitched under the stimulation of the electric currents, then indeed became much more docile, allowing Mirai to observe it, shrinking into a corner of the bottle and no longer moving.
"Tsk tsk…"
Mirai couldn't help but marvel.
'This tiny evil god had a remarkably peculiar structure.'
'It seems to have been born from numerous raw materials like desires, chakra, and spirit, evolving over for at least a thousand years.'
To call it a god might be an exaggeration, but its abilities were indeed quite peculiar. It had no physical form; its body existed in something between illusion and soul.
However, what surprised Mirai was how small this Jashin was.
According to his deductions, with such spirituality, it should at least be the size of an adult.
With this confusion, Mirai opened the letter that Shisui had also sent.
In the letter, Shisui's tone was evasive, as if he found it difficult to speak.
Through the other party's description, Mirai roughly understood what had happened.
"The Uchiha… ate Jashin?"
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
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✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
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✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]