Hidan: Kagune Smelled Amazing!

"Damn it, I'll kill—"

Before Hidan could finish, Kikuchi Miura raised a foot and stomped down hard.

The tremendous force slammed Hidan's face into the ground. Blood burst out instantly, and the impact even created a small crater in the earth, perfectly embedding Hidan's head within it.

Now, he could not even open his mouth.

With his body already bound by Kikuchi Miura's water currents, he appeared to have completely lost the ability to move.

"That should do it."

"So this so-called God Child was nothing special after all."

Kikuchi Miura clapped his hands together, an involuntary smile appearing on his face.

As a Jashin Cult follower, easily defeating the God Child seemed to give Kikuchi Miura an immense sense of satisfaction.

He slowly turned around, one foot still planted on Hidan's head, and looked directly at the calm, bespectacled figure.

"You're next, Kamizuki Simu."

Seeing Kikuchi Miura deal with Hidan so easily, Simu lightly applauded and praised, "As expected of Senior Miura. Your ninjutsu chaining was absolutely flawless."

"You first used Water Release Ninjutsu and Kibaku Fuda to disrupt Hidan, making him think he had an opening. Then you used the Kibaku Fuda as cover to cast the Water Clone Technique and hide your real body."

"When Hidan launched his surprise attack and thought he had succeeded, you used the last remaining Chakra in the Water Clone to cast the Water Prison Technique, binding Hidan and his Immortal Body. Then you finally appeared and easily took Hidan's head."

"That level of exquisite coordination truly opened my eyes."

Simu meant every word, because this was also his first time seeing someone use ninjutsu with such precision to achieve the effect of easily defeating an enemy.

In a sense, Kikuchi Miura had opened the door to ninja combat for Simu as well.

Rather than being pleased by Simu's praise, Kikuchi Miura suddenly revealed a terrifying fury, saying with obvious displeasure, "You people are clearly just rookies, yet you act so high and mighty!"

"I'd like to see exactly what gives you the right to receive Lord Jashin's favor!"

Simu maintained his polite smile. "If I'm not mistaken, Senior Miura, you don't have much Chakra left, do you?"

Those words instantly turned the anger on Kikuchi Miura's face into a gloom as dark as storm clouds.

Simu was indeed right. Hidan's unexpected performance had consumed more than half of his Chakra.

Holding his Ninja Blade, he sneered. "Even if I have little Chakra left, it's still more than enough to deal with a rookie like you."

"Oh? Then I'll look forward to Senior Miura's performance."

Simu said with a faint smile, seemingly not taking the senior before him seriously at all.

This undoubtedly enraged Kikuchi Miura once more. He swiftly mobilized the Chakra within his body, gathering it through countless meridians beneath his feet before unleashing it in a violent burst.

Body Flicker Technique!

Kikuchi Miura vanished from where he stood, and the Chakra erupting from beneath his feet left a slight depression in the ground.

Faced with such an attack, Simu stood still without moving.

In the blink of an eye, Kikuchi Miura appeared before him.

Did he really fail to react?

A flicker of delight flashed through Kikuchi Miura's eyes.

He had originally thought Simu would be a more troublesome enemy than Hidan, but unexpectedly, this guy could not even react to his Body Flicker Technique.

And unlike Hidan, he did not have an Immortal Body. As long as Kikuchi Miura seriously wounded him, he could take him down with ease!

This time, he would prove that the so-called God Child was nothing more than a stepping stone for him!

"Die!"

The Ninja Blade in his hand tore through the air with a piercing shriek. Its sharp edge descended, aimed directly at Simu's arm!

Yet the instant his figure appeared, a sharp whistle through the air followed close behind.

"When—"

Kikuchi Miura's body stiffened for an instant, alarm bells ringing wildly in his mind.

From years of experience, he could tell that if he insisted on attacking Simu, he might be able to sever Simu's arm and render him incapable of fighting.

But he would likewise be pierced through the body by the attack coming from behind him, perhaps even through a vital point!

He made his decision almost instantly: abandon the attack!

He quickly turned around and swung his Ninja Blade with all his strength. The pale blade flashed past just as a pitch-black spear slammed into it.

The tremendous force nearly knocked the Ninja Blade out of his hand, and dazzling sparks burst from the collision between the spear and blade.

Though his palm was somewhat numb, he had at least successfully blocked that fatal strike.

Kikuchi Miura had just breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he saw the black spear, which had been sent flying through the air by the collision, suddenly change direction.

Under the sunlight, several thin strands reflecting golden light came into view, connected to the end of the black spear.

"Still—"

"Not over yet!"

Not far away, Hidan, whose head had been stomped into the ground, suddenly grinned.

From the severed wound at his neck, countless threads shot out from flesh and blood, eventually connecting to the end of the black spear!

Damn it!

Kikuchi Miura's face instantly turned ashen.

Pulled by those threads, the black spear that had just been knocked aside came crashing down once again like divine punishment.

Because of his hurried strike just now, Kikuchi Miura had yet to regain his balance when the next attack arrived right after it.

Left with no choice, he could only dodge to one side.

Unfortunately, Hidan was no fool. Seeing his movement, he immediately used the threads to adjust the black spear's attack path.

Though Kikuchi Miura reacted at once and dodged with all his might, the black spear still barely grazed his cheek.

That was close.

He was about to pull himself together, but a string of blood droplets rapidly appeared on his face.

The black spear, having landed a hit, was swiftly reeled back by the spider silk. Hidan likewise used the Parasitic Spider's ability, successfully spitting out threads to stitch his head back onto his body.

"Heh heh heh! I'm back!"

The body with its head restored erupted with immense power, shattering the water currents binding its surface.

Hidan rose to his feet and opened his hand. The bloodstained black spear finally returned to his grasp.

A sickly madness surfaced on Hidan's face. He extended his tongue and licked the spear, then said in intoxicated delight:

"Next comes Lord Jashin's—"

"Sacrificial ritual!"

As his words fell, his body rapidly began to change.

His originally pale skin instantly turned black, while grim white stripes began to emerge across his body, making him appear mysterious and dangerous.

Seeing this, Kikuchi Miura realized something. He touched the wound on his face, which was still seeping blood, his hand trembling slightly.

He understood better than anyone what it meant for Hidan to obtain his blood.

Was he going to die?

No!

"As long as I interrupt his ritual, there's still a chance!"

Kikuchi Miura's gaze suddenly hardened. His hands rapidly formed seals as a large amount of Chakra gathered in his mouth once more.

But while he was forming seals, Hidan had already cleanly sliced open his own abdomen.

A great deal of blood spilled freely across the ground, and he used his foot to draw it into the Jashin Cult symbol of an outer circle enclosing a triangle.

Kikuchi Miura watched with his eyes nearly splitting apart, the speed of his hand seals increasing without pause.

Faster! Even faster!

"Water Release: Water Wave."

At the instant his seals were complete, just one moment before the water burst forth, Hidan raised his spear and stabbed it through his own mouth!

The wound that appeared out of nowhere pierced through Kikuchi Miura's mouth.

The Chakra he had painstakingly gathered also completely scattered with the appearance of the wound.

"No!"

Despair filled Kikuchi Miura's eyes.

As for Hidan, he was grinning widely, wearing a bizarre smile.

The black spear passed from left to right, piercing through his cheek, his mouth, and then the other cheek. It looked painful just to watch.

But Hidan clearly reveled in it.

He slowly pulled out the spear and looked at Kikuchi Miura with a taunting gaze.

"Senior Miura, where do you think the next attack should aim?"

Hidan raised the spear and let its sharp tip roam across the surface of his body—over his heart, then his head, then his abdomen.

"Why?"

"Why are you the ones who receive Lord Jashin's favor?!"

Under the pressure of death, Kikuchi Miura finally broke.

He swung his Ninja Blade and charged at Hidan without regard for anything else.

Hidan merely watched this ritual he had carefully prepared for Lord Jashin with a strange laugh. He slowly spread his arms, allowing Kikuchi Miura's Ninja Blade to pierce through his heart.

"Lord Jashin, did you see that?"

Hidan spread his arms wide, his whole body forming a giant cross. He raised his head, wearing a devout and intoxicated smile.

Kikuchi Miura's Ninja Blade pierced straight through his heart.

"Ah~"

Hidan let out a blissful moan.

Kikuchi Miura, still holding the Ninja Blade, trembled violently all over as a massive gash appeared in his heart.

The instant he pierced Hidan's heart, his own heart was pierced as well.

A large amount of blood poured from his mouth. Filled with intense unwillingness, Kikuchi Miura finally collapsed before Hidan.

The enemy had been dealt with.

As though all his strength had been drained away, Hidan fell to his knees limply, even reluctant to pull the Ninja Blade from his heart.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to savor the smell of blood lingering in the air, his expression incomparably pleased.

This bizarre sight left the residents hiding in the darkness dumbfounded.

When he opened his eyes again, he immediately met Simu's half-smiling face.

"What are you looking at?"

Hidan raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of guilt.

With his hands in his pockets, Simu smiled faintly. "Nothing. I just think you've become pretty skilled at using the [Parasitic Spider]."

Hidan immediately panicked, springing up from the ground to explain, "I didn't! I haven't!"

Simu smiled and casually waved a hand. "I know. I understand."

Hidan grabbed Simu, who was about to turn and leave, and said anxiously, "Damn it, Simu, I really haven't been secretly practicing [Parasitic Spider]."

Simu turned his head and said seriously, "I believe you."

Then he added, "Really."

"Ahhh! I'm going to kill you, damn it, Simu!"

Only after the two had left did the residents hiding in the shadows dare to come forward.

Looking at the blood all over the ground and the streets and houses destroyed by the water currents, they exchanged lingeringly fearful looks and let out sighs of relief, their hearts full of relief.

As for anger?

That did not exist.

Nor did they dare let it exist.

In this era, ordinary people had very few choices when facing ninjas who wielded such formidable power.

When two groups of ninjas fought, those who suffered the most casualties were often not the two sides themselves, but the villages, towns, and ordinary people unfortunate enough to become caught in the battlefield.

They did not even dare entertain thoughts of revenge, because they lacked the ability. They could only passively accept whatever fate arranged for them.

The only thing they could do was pray—pray that misfortune would not descend upon them.

After all, what could they do even if they gave everything for revenge?

Ninjas wielded terrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth and toppling mountains and seas.

Forget terrifyingly powerful ninjutsu. Even a single Kibaku Fuda or Kunai was enough to completely snuff out their hopes!

And what did they have?

Forget scrolls for learning ninjutsu—they did not even know how to extract Chakra, or even what Chakra was!

"Caw, caw, caw, caw."

A dense chorus of cries shattered the solemn atmosphere.

At some point, a huge flock of crows had begun circling above the village.

Their wings beat as black feathers covered the sunlight like dark clouds, and a trace of crimson flashed through their pitch-black eyes.

"Caw, caw, caw, caw."

The ominous cries continued. Then, all at once, hundreds of crows—or rather, Ravens—plunged from the sky together.

"Get out of the way!"

Faced with such a strange scene, the residents hurriedly scattered in every direction.

The Ravens covered the three corpses. Amid their frenzied pecking, the three bodies vanished in only three minutes, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood.

That blood happened to form the Jashin Cult symbol of an outer circle enclosing a triangle, like Jashin's Eye projected from another world, firmly engraving itself into everyone's minds.

The Ravens flew onward with the flesh and blood they had devoured, only reaching the Jashin Cult headquarters by evening.

They landed densely upon the Shrine, vomiting the flesh and blood they had consumed back into the Blood Pool.

Simu controlled his body and sorted the flesh and blood from the three corpses.

The two ordinary Jashin Cult followers were not particularly valuable for research. What Simu valued most was Senior Miura, who had been able to skillfully use several types of Water Release Ninjutsu.

As a transmigrator, Simu was extremely curious about this world's power system.

Now that he finally had Kikuchi Miura as research material, how could he possibly pass up the chance to analyze him properly?

"Gene [Water Release Ninja] is being analyzed."

"Current progress: 1%."

Using the flesh and blood Raven had brought back, Simu analyzed Kikuchi Miura's genes and restored his body.

The former would make it easier for Simu to replicate bodies with the talent to learn Water Release Ninjutsu in the future, or to integrate these genes into other races and create new ones.

The latter would help Simu understand a ninja's physical structure and deduce the principles and methods behind ninjutsu, which would greatly aid his research into the [Chakra-Ninjutsu] power system.