Restless Heart, The Curtain Rises!

With a creak, Hidan pulled the door shut.

Silence returned to the room.

Uchiha Ci looked at the scroll in his hand, his heart sinking uncontrollably.

He should have died inside the volcano, yet here he was, alive and lying in this bed.

And now, he had gained another scroll containing an S-Rank Forbidden Jutsu.

He did not think of this as good fortune.

Being able to breathe fresh air, to watch sunlight stream through holes in the wall, to feel that heart-searing warmth against his skin, inch by inch, scorching across the lines on the back of his hand—

it was because

Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna had chosen to burn himself away in the end, opening a path to survival for him.

And yet—

"Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!!"

Uchiha Ci clenched the bedsheets, with not the slightest joy of a narrow escape on his face.

Instead, there was nothing but fear!

He lowered his head, his crimson eyes wide open. His lips, teeth, even the skin on his face trembled.

The tomoe in his eyes spun madly, while blood surged through his heart as it pounded wildly in his chest like a war drum.

On the scales in his heart, one massive boulder after another named "Uchiha Setsuna" began to weigh down.

They were so heavy that he could barely breathe.

Uchiha Ci had a very clear understanding of himself.

He knew that he was just an ordinary man.

He laughed when he was happy, cried when he was upset, grew dejected when he failed, and became angry when humiliated.

He possessed all the emotions a normal person should have. If someone truly treated him the way Karin had been willing to give her life for Sasuke, could he really stab them with a blade like revenge-driven Sasuke?

Or was he supposed to be like that supremely filial Itachi, cutting down everyone without recognizing kin?

That was not solving a problem at all. It was a sick way of venting anger.

Therefore, he had always tried his utmost to avoid contact with the Original Work and with the people of this world.

But now—

At that moment, a sheet of paper tucked inside the opened scroll fell into Uchiha Ci's palm.

The line written on it made him freeze.

'Just go deliver it. Old Man will think of a way. Also, Old Man isn't dead.'

Uchiha Ci: "."

He blinked, then scratched his head.

At last, he sighed in relief.

Then his face twisted again. He snapped the scroll shut and cursed under his breath, "Fuck, Bastard Old Man. If you weren't dead, you should've said so sooner. Why hide it so damn well?"

"You had Bro over here thinking all sorts of nonsense. Begone, begone! All of it, get the hell out of here!"

Uchiha Ci quickly raised his hand and waved it wildly at the air, as if shooing away something filthy.

Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna was an old-school Jonin, the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan from the Warring States Period.

Izanagi—the false-death technique that forcibly rewrote any circumstances unfavorable to its user—

he definitely knew how to use it.

Uchiha Ci had simply been thrown into confusion by his concern and forgotten about that for a moment.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Hidan, who had entered with the Doctor, happened to see Uchiha Ci waving his hands around in the air.

He looked rather like he was using his fingers as a sword, swishing them about as though performing some kind of technique.

Hidan couldn't help snorting with laughter. "Yo, I didn't expect you to be this spirited."

"Not bad, keep going!"

"This Master never went through that phase, but I've read about it in books."

"You don't need to be embarrassed. I understand, I understand."

Uchiha Ci kept a blank face, thinking, The hell do you mean you never went through that phase?

You call yourself This Master all day long. You Birdman clearly never grew out of that phase!

But under the two men's gazes, Uchiha Ci turned his face aside somewhat awkwardly and coughed. "There was a fly just now."

At that moment, the tall Doctor behind Hidan slightly raised his eyes and said flatly, "That's impossible. I sprayed insect repellent around the area."

[Shennong looks down on you.]

Uchiha Ci's face instantly flushed red, but when his gaze swept over the subtitles appearing before him, he could not help freezing.

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Mister Shennong, a Doctor who travels the ninja world." Hidan stepped aside and pointed his thumb at the tall Doctor beside him. "If it weren't for him, you'd have died from excessive blood loss."

Uchiha Ci looked up, and an imperceptible trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

The tall Doctor Hidan called Mister Shennong wore a brown hood that revealed pale gray hair, along with a Pale Yellow medical coat.

That attire, and that name.

Wasn't this the Leader of Sky Ninja Village—Shennong?!

Why was this great BOSS, who flew around the ninja world in a Flying Aircraft Carrier, appearing in the Land of Hot Water at this time?

And beside Hidan, no less?

Shennong looked calmly at Uchiha Ci, as though he were looking at a worthless slab of pork.

After his gaze lingered on Ci for a moment, he said flatly, "I've treated all the injuries on your body. Drink more hot water. That's all."

After giving his instructions, Shennong shook his head. As though he had no interest in Uchiha Ci, he turned to leave.

Uchiha Ci watched him go without stopping him.

There was no connection between them, nor was there any conflict, and he did not fit Ci's goal of dying for a righteous cause.

So, just as Shennong had no interest in him, an Uchiha—

Even though Ci knew this was a Strong Person capable of opening the Eight Gates without dying, someone who could easily smack him into a Meat Patty, he had no interest in provoking him.

There was a difference between deliberately committing suicide and Insurance Fraud, especially when the other party had not displayed any actual hostility.

That was why Uchiha Ci had set his sights on the battlefield. Once both sides Stepped Onto the battlefield, their identities stood opposed and their goals conflicted, naturally dividing them into two distinct camps.

A fight to the death was perfectly normal.

"Mister Shennong is a noble Doctor. He doesn't even charge money for treating patients." Hidan watched Shennong leave with great respect in his eyes, then turned to Uchiha Ci.

As he spoke, he walked to the bedside, took out an apple, and tossed it to Uchiha Ci.

Uchiha Ci did not respond. He merely looked at Hidan with slightly deepened eyes and clicked his tongue.

Noble?

That was hardly certain.

After thinking for a moment, the only reason Uchiha Ci could imagine for Shennong coming to Hidan's side was the secret arts of the Evil God Cult.

After all, the forbidden technique on that man's body, known as "Body Reincarnation," allowed him to forcibly open all Eight Gates without dying. It might have some connection to the Evil God Cult's "immortal body" constitution.

At that moment, Hidan straddled a chair and spoke carelessly. "Ci, This Master didn't save your life so you could lie around here."

"Since Mister Shennong says you're fine, come with me and help me do something."

Uchiha Ci tilted his head, unable to help being astonished by his innocence. "How can you say something like that so righteously?"

"And why should I help you?"

"You should be grateful for my mercy that I haven't stabbed you yet, and you still want a Rogue Ninja to do something for you?"

Hidan did not care in the slightest. He grinned and said, "I read about this in a book. I think, I think it's called Taking Advantage of Kindness."

"You're a good person. You'll definitely help This Master!"

Uchiha Ci rolled his eyes, slightly speechless.

Fine. He took back what he said about this "clever" Hidan having a brain.

Shaking his head, Uchiha Ci curled his lips and said lightly:

"Go ahead and tell me—"

"And let me make this clear first: I won't take any job that isn't life-threatening."

Hidan's gaze sharpened. His smile faded as he asked solemnly:

"Do you know about the Evil God Cult?"

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