A Temporary End

And Shinichi was not slow in the slightest.

At the same instant Maruboshi Kosuke finished his hand seals and unleashed his technique, Shinichi himself shot forward like a black wind skimming the ground, following close behind the surging torrent of water as he raced toward the enemies scattered in disarray ahead.

During their hasty journey here, the two had already briefly discussed several emergency tactics. That extremely quick hand signal Shinichi had just made meant one thing: clear the field.

Though Maruboshi Kosuke did not understand why Shinichi had made such a judgment the moment they met, his trust in this outstanding junior left him without a moment's hesitation. He chose the broadest-coverage Water Release ninjutsu he knew—the Great Waterfall Technique.

Thud! Thud!

The dull sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out in succession. Shinichi was the first to catch up to two cultists who had been knocked flat by the water current and had yet to fully scramble to their feet.

His movements were concise and ruthless. The katana in his hand precisely pierced one man's heart. With a twist of his wrist, he smoothly pulled it free, then drove it into the other's chest at nearly the same angle.

Yet the two cultists, their hearts pierced, only stiffened slightly, as if they could not feel the pain or weakness that a fatal wound should bring.

With a roar, they lunged at Shinichi.

Shinichi's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of cold understanding passing through his eyes.

He retreated half a step, and at the same time flicked his wrist. The katana in his palm transformed into a frigid arc of light.

Rip!

Two heads flew up with a sound. The headless bodies staggered two steps before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud, completely still.

By then, Maruboshi Kosuke had already ghosted to his side. Shinichi spoke quickly: "Senior, these people's bodies are strange. Their vital points seem different from normal. Try to sever their heads or completely destroy their body structure to render them immobile."

The moment he had seen that blood-red pattern—a circle enclosing a triangle—alarms had rung in Shinichi's mind. He associated it with the Jashin cult to which the future Hidan belonged, and guessed that these cultists might possess some similar but weaker form of unconventional vitality.

He could not explain directly, so he used this tactic of striking first and engaging at close range to verify things in the most straightforward way and pass the key information to his experienced companion.

Now it seemed these cultists did indeed possess some ability to bypass certain fatal injuries, but decapitation still worked.

He figured that the later Hidan, who truly possessed an "immortal body," was a one-in-ten-thousand exception. Hidan must be what they called the Saint Son.

Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes sharpened. He replied in a low voice: "Good. I understand."

The battle ended quickly, even abruptly.

This group of black-robed cultists had completely misjudged their opponent's strength. First, they were caught off guard and heavily struck by Maruboshi Kosuke's wide-ranging Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, throwing their formation into chaos.

Then, the divine grace constitution they relied on—the ability to ignore certain fatal wounds—lost its edge against two opponents who were already on guard and targeting vital points.

Most of the cultists never had a chance to regroup. They were harvested one by one under the torrential water and precise, lethal strikes.

Among them, the strongest was Elder Takahashi, roughly at the level of a Special Jonin. Unfortunately for him, he was up against the Eternal Genin, Maruboshi Kosuke.

A mere Special Jonin was naturally no match for an Eternal Genin.

Especially one from Konoha.

Sensing the terrifying power of the opponent's Water Release, Elder Takahashi attempted to counter with Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, hoping to exploit the elemental advantage and turn the tide.

But Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet—inherited from the Second Hokage—tore the Earth Dragon to shreds in an instant. The remaining force of the water dragon slammed into him and crushed him utterly.

This Water Dragon Bullet also seemed to have the effect of absorbing chakra. After being struck, Elder Takahashi was not only severely wounded but quickly weakened, losing all ability to resist.

"Y-you...!" Kurokawa Yasumasa sat slumped in the mud, his trembling finger pointing at the two approaching figures. The dignity of a city lord was gone from his face, replaced only by boundless terror and disbelief.

He wanted to say something more—perhaps a threat, perhaps a plea for mercy.

But Shinichi did not give him the chance to continue. The boy's eyes were calm and unruffled. His figure flickered, appearing behind Kurokawa in an instant. A clean, precise hand chop struck the side of his neck.

Kurokawa Yasumasa's eyes rolled back. His words cut off abruptly as he collapsed to the ground. Shinichi casually took out a rope and bound him securely.

"I've already sent word of the situation here via messenger hawk to the nearest Konoha intelligence outpost. They'll relay the report to the Third Hokage in the village by phone and fax as soon as possible." Maruboshi Kosuke walked over, his voice steady.

"We need to wait here for the Third Hokage's further instructions... The cleanup afterward will probably be quite troublesome. Still, I didn't expect the city lord himself to show up. That saves us a fair bit of follow-up work."

He glanced at the unconscious Kurokawa Yasumasa, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Whatever negotiations and communications took place between the village and the Land of Fire's official authorities, a day later the messenger hawk returned, bearing clear orders from the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The instructions were concise and straightforward: The two were to proceed immediately to Nakimi Castle, hand over the captured former city lord Kurokawa Yasumasa to the city's Security Office for temporary detention pending further disposition, and complete the necessary handover with the interim new city lord, who would arrive in three days.

After that, they were to escort the captured Elder Takahashi and set out at once to return to Konohagakure.

Three days later, amid the formal and courteous farewells of the new city lord and the unending, heartfelt gratitude of the people who had recovered their children, the two set out on the road back to Konoha.

The road stretched beneath their feet, gradually leaving that border town behind.

After walking some distance, Shinichi suddenly stopped. He turned around and silently gazed at Nakimi Castle, now a blurred outline in the distance.

The morning light traced the calm lines of his profile, revealing no visible emotion. Only his eyes reflected the distant sky, deep and unfathomable.

Seeing this, Maruboshi Kosuke let out a soft sigh. Walking beside him, he raised a hand and placed it on the boy's shoulder: "Shinichi, you've done well. Don't overthink it."

Maruboshi Kosuke knew what the boy was thinking. Through separate interrogations of Elder Takahashi and Kurokawa Yasumasa afterward, they had found the secret location where the imprisoned children were held and rescued a portion of them in time.

However, another portion of the children had already been secretly transferred before they arrived in Nakimachi—sent into the Land of Hot Water, the headquarters of the so-called Holy Divine Church.

This matter now involved a foreign nation. The follow-up would inevitably require complex diplomatic negotiations between Konoha and the Land of Fire's officials on one side, and the Land of Hot Water on the other.

"I understand, Senior. I'm fine." Shinichi shook his head, a calm smile appearing on his face.

He once again cast his gaze toward the distant sky in the direction of the Land of Hot Water, taking a long, deep look, then withdrew his sight and spoke no more.

But Maruboshi Kosuke knew that the seemingly calm youth beside him had already made some unknown resolve deep within his heart.

At this moment, Maruboshi Kosuke understood more and more why the Third Hokage had called this child "the heir to the Will of Fire."

Exceptional talent, meticulous thinking, decisive action—these were all secondary. What mattered was the gentle exterior of the youth before him.

Beneath it beat a pure heart, brimming with a strong sense of responsibility and profound empathy!