Rinto Escapes During the Sacrifice

The Heretics' secret base.

Just like the sacrifices over the past half year, large numbers of ragged, terrified children were driven into the massive cavern where the altar stood.

Messenger Ineyū stood in the same spot as last time, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the altar, imagining how many more "knights" this sacrifice might produce.

Suddenly, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.

If Rinto's immortal body were combined with Haruto's Forbidden Jutsu: Blood Binding, he could obtain a powerful strategic weapon.

Then, as long as he collected the blood of powerful people on the battlefield, he could effortlessly control those so-called experts.

Would his ambition to rule the world still be far off?

With that thought, Ineyū waved at Old Man in White Coat in the distance.

"Messenger, what are your orders?" The old man rubbed his hands together and hurried over obsequiously.

"Where's the immortal one?" Ineyū's gaze swept through the crowd.

"Uh..." The old man froze, then said with a pained expression,

"My lord, for something as important as a sacrifice, shouldn't we leave that monster who only knows how to cause trouble out of it?"

As the leader of the immortal-body research experiments, the old man understood Rinto even better than Rinto understood himself. In his eyes, the boy was useless aside from wasting food.

During a simple poison test, the brat neither coughed up blood nor died from the poison. He even shouted for more, making it impossible to tell the difference between poison and Ration Pills. It nearly drove the old man mad.

Most importantly!

A sacrifice was a solemn occasion for killing people. If some grinning fool yelling for food got mixed in, Lord Jashin would probably be angered to death on the spot.

Seeing the old man evade the issue, Ineyū's face immediately darkened. All he wanted to know now was whether the immortal one might become the ultimate weapon—one that was both immortal and wielded Forbidden Jutsu: Blood Binding—by participating in the sacrifice.

"If I tell you to go, then go. What's with all the nonsense?"

Seeing that the Messenger was displeased, the old man lowered his already bowed head even further.

"Yes, Messenger."

As he spoke, he beckoned to someone behind him and called over a Cultist.

"Bring the immortal one here!"

"Yes!" The Cultist turned and left.

Meanwhile, in the deserted prison block, Rinto sat muttering to himself in a dark corner.

"If I'm going to make a run for it, I can't bring unnecessary things with me."

As he spoke, his sharp nails tore open the skin on his forearm. Hissing through clenched teeth, he pulled a square iron block from between the bloody flesh and casually tossed it to the floor.

The block landed with a heavy clang that echoed through the hollow corridor.

Then, in one go, he endured the intense ripping pain and tore open the skin on his left arm, left leg, right leg, and abdomen in turn, removing seven or eight more pieces of Weighted Gear from his flesh.

Looking at the bloodstained Weighted Gear on the ground, Rinto blinked reluctantly and muttered,

"If carrying you around weren't so inconvenient, I would never abandon you."

After saying that, he slowly rose to his feet, bounced lightly twice, and clenched his fists until they crackled. A smile curled across his lips.

With a push of his feet, Rinto passed through the large hole in the prison wall and appeared in the next cell in an instant.

Feeling the immense power contained in his arms, Rinto smiled.

If his estimate was right, he could now handle a Genin like Jin-kun through sheer strength and speed alone. If he launched a sneak attack, his speed would let him take one out first, then calmly finish the other.

As for Chunin, Rinto might not be able to defeat one, but with speed comparable to the Body Flicker Technique, escaping would not be a problem.

"Time to run!"

Taking out a key, he tried it in one room after another.

With a soft click, Rinto immediately beamed.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the darkness beyond the door.

"Immortal one, are you trying to escape?"

"Who?" Rinto jolted in fright and immediately looked up.

A guard dressed in ninja attire stepped out of the darkness, staring at the sneaking Rinto with an amused look in his eyes.

Rinto instantly recognized him. He was a guard from Old Man in White Coat's laboratory, named Zhu Kangping.

Zhu Kangping's gaze moved back and forth between the key and Rinto's young face. Slowly extending his hand, he said teasingly, "Hand over the key. Stop trying these useless little tricks!"

Rinto sheepishly extended his hand and placed the key in Zhu Kangping's palm. Then he looked behind the man, and his expression suddenly turned anxious.

"Uh, hello, Messenger Ineyū!"

With that, he hurriedly stood straight and bowed.

Rinto's sudden action startled Zhu Kangping. After all, Ineyū held tremendous authority among the Cultists. Normally, only Old Man in White Coat, who managed this underground secret base, was qualified to speak to him.

Zhu Kangping hurriedly adjusted his posture and turned around.

The next second, an intense pain shot up from his spine. He immediately lost all feeling in the body below his neck.

At the same time, the immortal brat's amused laughter reached his ears.

"Didn't your Ninja School teacher teach you not to expose your back to the enemy?"

With a dull thud, Zhu Kangping crashed heavily to the ground. His eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at Rinto.

"Why? Why are you running away? Why betray Lord Jashin? How dare you!"

"How dare I?" Rinto asked back. Then he covered his mouth and burst into wild laughter, laughing until tears and snot ran down his face.

After a long while, the laughter he had suppressed for so long finally faded. Rinto wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Over the past half year, you gave me exactly 34,551 cuts. You burned me thirteen times, electrocuted me five times, starved me for two months and four days straight, and made me drink six bottles of Blood-Sealing Poison.

"But! I forgive you!"

As he spoke, a mocking cold smile suddenly tugged at Rinto's lips.

"Lord Jashin? Heh heh. Then have your Lord Jashin come save you!"

His tone was full of ridicule and contempt.

At those words, Zhu Kangping—who had not shown anger even after being crippled from the waist down—turned red around the eyes. Like a mad dog, he roared at Rinto.

"Shut up, you damned monster! How dare you question and insult Lord Jashin!"

Before he could finish, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Then he twisted his head desperately, staring at Rinto's feet like a starving wolf.

"You blasphemous monster, just wait! I will be the one to punish you! To punish you, my teeth are enough! I'll bite you into pieces!"

"I'll be waiting." Rinto picked up Zhu Kangping's Ninja Pouch, rose to his feet, and looked calmly into the depths of the corridor.

"But I need to leave now."

"Excuse me, Mr. Zhu Kang. I have a date with my beloved horizon."

As he spoke, Rinto paused. His black eyes were filled with joy.

"With freedom!"

The moment his words fell, Rinto ignored Zhu Kangping's roars, walked into the darkness, and vanished without a trace.

At the other end of the corridor, Rinto circled through other cells, bypassed Zhu Kangping, and strode off in another direction.

Over at the altar, everything was ready. Ineyū stared at the corridor where no one had appeared for so long, and a shadow gradually crept into his heart.

"Where is your man?" Ineyū coldly asked Old Man in White Coat beside him.

The old man was staring fervently at the altar. Hearing Ineyū's question, he froze, then replied with a flattering smile, "Messenger, perhaps they were delayed on the way. You know how it is—that monster brat is the most disobedient!"

After speaking, he casually summoned a Cultist. "Jin, go hurry them along. Don't let Zhu Kangping and that monster brat delay the sacrifice."

"Yes, my lord." Jin bowed respectfully and rushed toward Rinto's cell.

After some time, the gloom in Ineyū's heart grew heavier, and Old Man in White Coat beside him also began to worry.

In the corridor, Jin, dressed as a ninja, suddenly rushed out. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his face was filled with panic.

"My lord, Mr. Zhu Kang is badly injured. Rinto—the immortal monster—is gone!"

"What?!" Ineyū blurted out. His scarred face suddenly turned incomparably grim.

Although Rinto was useless in Old Man in White Coat's eyes, Ineyū believed that if properly trained, Rinto would become an excellent blade that feared neither death nor pain.

Beside him, Old Man in White Coat's expression suddenly became extremely strange. His anger mingled with delight, and he looked as though he wanted to laugh but dared not.

He finally ran away. Wonderful. I gave him so many chances, and this time he finally took one!

What the old man did not know was that Rinto had not failed to escape before because he had not noticed weaknesses in the defenses. He had simply worried that he was too weak and would be captured again before getting far.

After all, who knew whether those weaknesses had been deliberately left there by Ineyū?

Now, with the sacrifice underway, even if they wanted to pursue him, they had no chance.

Ineyū had thought of that as well.

If he abandoned the sacrifice now to pursue Rinto, Lord Jashin would undoubtedly be displeased.

But if he continued the sacrifice and temporarily gave up pursuing Rinto, the brat would get far away.

This time, Rinto had won.

That little brat who always acted so devout had brazenly humiliated the great Messenger!

Seeing the sidelong glances of doubt from his subordinates, a powerful sense of humiliation surged into Ineyū's heart. For someone who had long held a high position, it made him feel wave after wave of shame.

Desperately suppressing his towering rage, he ground his teeth until they creaked and forced out each word.

"Prepare the sacrifice!"

At his command, the cruel slaughter began. Ineyū watched with a grim face as vibrant lives were taken one after another, ruthlessly swearing in his heart:

You damned brat, you won't get away. Once I catch you, I'll slice you into strips of flesh one cut at a time, pound your bones into powder bit by bit, and make you understand that being unable to die is the most painful thing of all!

Elsewhere, after twisting and turning through countless routes, Rinto finally emerged from the Heretics' secret base.

Shielding his eyes with a hand, he slowly let his pupils adjust to the somewhat blinding light, then looked into the distance.

There, an endless forest gave off a lush green brimming with life, stretching all the way to the horizon. A sapphire river wound onward, merging with a sky as pure as a brilliant jewel. Wisps of white cloud drifted across the heavens, pure white and pure blue reflecting one another.

Taking a deep breath, Rinto no longer smelled the mold and dampness of the underground base. Instead, the air above ground was fresh, carrying the clean scent of grass and trees. A breeze brushed his face, bringing with it the faint fragrance of camellias.

Rinto gazed into the distance. Never before had he felt that the world above ground was so beautiful, nor that the freedom he had once taken for granted was so precious.

Gradually, a sincere smile that came from the depths of his heart replaced his habitual fake one.

"All right, enjoying life can wait. The most important thing right now is staying alive!"

Temporarily suppressing his excitement, Rinto felt how light his body had become without the Weighted Gear. He accelerated at full speed, turning into an afterimage as he shot toward the distance.

As the lush green trees on both sides flew past, a sense of exhilarating release rose within him. At the same time, he kept planning his next steps.

"Right now, I need to find somewhere populated and hide from their pursuit."

Although Old Man in White Coat wanted him as far away as possible, that was no reason for Rinto to lower his guard.

After all, there was still a Messenger in the underground base who rarely showed himself—Ineyū. That man was the true leader.

If Ineyū wanted him captured and brought back, the old man had no right to object!

So he had to find a populated place to hide. Only then would those lowly Cultists not dare conduct a large-scale search for him.

Besides, the Cultists all had bounties on their heads.

He had heard that while strapped to an experiment table and being electrocuted. Apparently, Ineyū's wanted poster was worth twenty million Ryo, and the remaining captains also had their own bounties.

At that thought, Rinto could not help muttering to himself.

"Once I get the chance, I'll report your illegal gathering to the Bounty Exchange and have Kakuzu wipe you all out in one go."

As he pondered, the woods ahead gradually thinned out. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and a muddy path appeared.

Rinto's heart leaped with joy.

Where there was a road, there were people. If he followed it, he would definitely find somewhere people lived. Then this little raindrop could blend into the vast ocean of humanity. Perfect.

After an unknown amount of time, night began to fall. Dark clouds blocked out the sun, and a fine drizzle continued to fall without pause.

At the end of his vision, a huge lake rippled continuously beneath the rain. In the middle of the lake stood a village with an incredibly strange architectural style.

Rinto looked as far as he could. The buildings were primarily made of black steel, wrapped in pipes of varying thicknesses. Every structure stabbed into the sky like an upright blade.

A straight bridge crossed the inland lake and connected both shores. At the other end of the bridge stood the village gate.

"This..."

Looking at the village ahead, Rinto froze as memories surged through his mind.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled. "Th-This can't be Amegakure, can it?"

Although the memories of Naruto in his mind were pitifully sparse, he still knew about Nagato, the great boss.

With one Almighty Push, he had shaved three layers off Konoha's land.

Even someone as powerful as Jiraiya had entered Amegakure alone only to be skewered like a kebab. What about me? Wouldn't I be turned into fish bait?

But on second thought, he relaxed. He was just a little homeless kid who was not even a Genin. How could he possibly qualify for that kind of big-shot treatment?

With that thought, Rinto's tense body relaxed. Following the crowds coming and going, he walked onto the bridge leading into the village.

Before long, it was Rinto's turn. Seeing that he was merely a drenched little brat with no apparent threat, the Rain Ninja guarding the gate impatiently waved him through.

Walking down the not particularly bustling streets, Rinto casually found an alley and slipped inside.

Hiding in the darkness, Rinto slumped against the wall, and his entire body relaxed.

Having experienced the freedom of the outside world, he never wanted to return to that sunless, sinister, cramped underground base.

He raised his head and watched the raindrops fall in a steady patter. A delighted smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Finally, finally free!"

"Is that so, Rinto-kun?"

Just as Rinto was overwhelmed with emotion, a teasing, hoarse voice sounded in the darkness, instantly making his scalp go numb.