Clear Out and Bury the Sins

Maintaining their Sensory Ninjutsu as they moved forward, they quickly hid in the bushes and looked towards the cave entrance. If nothing unexpected happened, this was the hidden stronghold of the Jashin Cult.

"There's no security force outside, and their behavior doesn't seem like that of ninjas," Shuichi thought to himself after clearing the surrounding area.

Perhaps because the Land of Hot Springs has been at peace for a long time, or perhaps because the Jashin Cult didn't expect that a top expert from Konoha would interfere, there were no sentries at this stronghold.

After considering for a while, Shuichi decided to first find out the situation inside the base. If he could annihilate them by force, it wouldn't be difficult.

However, if there are survivors or people with relevant information, indiscriminate killing is not a good option, and at least the targets should be properly identified before taking action.

"Ninja Technique· Super Beast Imitation Drawing!"

A large number of black mice and snakes leaped out of the Scroll. The agile animals quickly scattered, with only a few cautiously probing into the hole ahead.

Most of the others began searching for gaps and openings in the rocks of the mountain, as the other side likely still had an escape route. Since they were going to make a move, they couldn't let anyone escape.

With Shuichi eyes closed and one finger pressed to the ground, Xiu Yi said, "The chakra fluctuations aren't intense, but the quantity is considerable, around 20 people."

"What a pity, it seems the Jashin Cult has other strongholds. After clearing this place out, we won't have time to deal with them anymore..."

Given the rather dark worldview of the Shinobi World, it's likely that the Five Great Ninja Villages will continue to tolerate troublemakers who can't stand being left alone.

As long as small factions that pose no threat to them are preserved, internal conflicts within these small countries will not cease, and insecure employers will continue to pour money into the large ninja villages.

Therefore, ordinary ninjas wouldn't interfere in the affairs of Jashin Cults; they'd probably even be hoping for things to escalate.

It's only because Shuichi other two still have a conscience that they would undertake such a thankless and unpaid task; calling them true pacifists wouldn't be an exaggeration.

After a long while, the ink creatures returned one after another. Shuichi, after gathering the information, said to Itachi and Red, "There's another entrance on the other side of the hill about 500 meters away at the 2 o'clock position. Go there and wait. We'll make our move together in 5 minutes."

"I will initiate a large-scale operation as a signal; your main responsibility is to intercept any potential escapees."

"The core members of the Jashin Cult have obvious characteristics. If you see any thugs with a circle and triangle pattern on their bodies, kill them immediately. Be careful of any abnormalities in their bodies."

After listening to the order, the two left. Shuichi took out a round stopwatch and pressed it. With 10 seconds left, he stood up, holding a fist-sized stone in his hand, and walked forward.

"Call!"

In a few strides, he reached the cave entrance, arched his body like a bow, and hurled the stone at the wooden gate with great force. The stone, carrying a tremendous impact, smashed open the wooden door, and several Ink Bird wrapped in clay followed closely behind.

"Who goes there?" Someone inside the cave noticed the gate had been breached and immediately looked towards the source of the sound. They saw a strange unidentified flying object hurtling towards them. "This is..."

"Boom!"

Violent explosions erupted from three corners in succession, causing the ground inside the cave to shake violently and sending debris flying.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a man whose body was mostly blown apart tried to struggle to his feet.

Before he could even roar, a straight beam of light pierced through the smoke and penetrated his brain, then slashed downwards, cutting him in two like tofu. "Lightning Blade!"

Shuichi frowned slightly as soon as he entered. The cave was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench of blood and corpses; an ordinary person would probably vomit immediately upon smelling it.

This was far worse than what the Ink Monster had observed, and it was a mystery why these perverts were able to stay here for so long.

Shuichi continued to advance without stopping, his lightning blade slicing left and right like a laser sword, eliminating the Jashin Cult members who had survived the explosion.

Once it quieted down, he turned into a room further inside.

What happened?

Several vicious-looking men with bloodied faces and bloodshot eyes stared in astonishment at the doorway. The Konoha Forehead Protector on the newcomers' heads were particularly eye-catching.

Upon discovering that the guards outside were silent, they instantly panicked and scattered, completely unlike their previous ruthlessness.

"Bang bang bang..."

Shuichi, expressionless, pulled out his Twin Pistols, selected the most powerful flat-nosed bullets, and raised his hand to fire at the men one by one.

With each gunshot, a person's head exploded like a watermelon, making the already terrifying situation even more extreme.

"Call!"

He had seen his share of storms and waves, but this was the first time he had ever witnessed such an extremely hostile scene towards humans.

Human bodies were laid out on several simple, mottled stone platforms, dark, dried blood mixed with moss.

With his exceptional eyesight, he could even see internal organs. One or two people were still alive, but they were all in the final moments of their lives.

There were many more people hanging from the walls like sacks. In the corner of the room was a large pit filled with corpses and dismembered limbs, making it look like a "garbage dump."

"Teacher!"

"Shuichi-kun..."

Not long after, Yūhi Kurenai and Itachi arrived from another direction. They were also shocked by the horrific scene. Both of them, who had experience with killing, felt extremely uncomfortable, which shows how perverse the Human Experimentation conducted by the Jashin Cult were.

Red, covering her nose, walked over to Shuichi, who was conducting an inspection. "When we came in, we only encountered four enemies. After dealing with them, we weren't stopped on our way. Are there any survivors here now?"

"I'd say there are, less than ten people, probably all from the missing caravan," Shuichi low voice. "But living like this is worse than being dead..."

Hong was taken aback. "What?"

"Their brains have been fundamentally damaged, and no amount of Medical Ninjutsu can save them."

Simply put, they are in a vegetative state. The Jashin Cult simply keeps them alive like the living dead, possibly for the purpose of facilitating experimental research.

Upon hearing Shuichi's words, both Kurenai and Itachi fell silent. There were indeed living people present, but they didn't know what to do in this situation.

Rescuing a person who's been bedridden for life in a vegetative state? Even if these people still have relatives, they'd probably see them as a burden. Given the ugliness of human nature, they might secretly curse the Konoha Ninja for meddling.

"Let's give them a quick death!" Shuichi quickly made up his mind. He had only ever killed enemies on the battlefield before, and he never imagined that he would one day be helping others find peace.

Being a ninja for a long time can make one increasingly numb to life, which is not a good sign.

Shuichi reached out and pressed down on the back of each person's head, causing their souls to ascend to heaven as quickly as possible.

Kurenai is already his girlfriend and he can't bear to let her do it. Itachi is just a child, and Shuichi will have to pay attention to his mental health after this experience, so he has to do it himself.

Faced with corpses strewn everywhere, the Konoha Squad had no desire to stay any longer.

After quickly clearing out the Human Experimentation data of the Jashin Cult, Shuichi used his clone to pile all the corpses together, poured flammable material on them, and set them on fire.

After waiting outside the cave for several hours, they used Explosion Release to completely destroy the interior of the small mountain, burying countless sins deep within forever. In a somewhat silent atmosphere, the three began their return to Konoha...