The Secret of Hidan's Technique (Part One)

Three months later, Ye Wuji was on the road to Rose Street in the Land of Hot Springs. During those three months, he had mainly been studying the Hero Water he'd obtained from Takigakure, along with the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear. Sure enough, the scroll from Takigakure explained how to take Hero Water safely to increase one's chakra. It also stated that the amount each person could take varied depending on their body.

It also said that people with especially strong bodies or highly active cells could take a little more Hero Water. Seeing that, Ye Wuji smiled with delight. His body wasn't as formidable as that of pure Taijutsu specialists like Lee or Guy, but he had the cell-activation medical techniques he'd learned from Shennong. If he researched them thoroughly, he could become someone with a huge amount of chakra. He might not match a Tailed Beast, but he'd at least have more chakra than most other ninja.

Over the past three months, Ye Wuji's research had made some progress. He had also tested the water on a few animals in the forest, and it hadn't caused any adverse effects. So Ye Wuji had taken some Hero Water himself. Since it was his first time, though he'd already tested it on animals, he'd only taken a tiny amount. When he felt his chakra increase, he was overjoyed.

The reason Ye Wuji was going to Rose Street tonight was that he wanted to study the A-rank ninjutsu Rasengan. After trying many times without making any headway, he finally remembered how Jiraiya had taught Naruto the Rasengan in the original story. So he'd come out to buy a large number of water balloons, then return home and practice.

There was another reason, too: Ye Wuji still felt a little uneasy about Hidan, and wanted to see how he was doing.

When he reached Rose Street, Ye Wuji went straight to the hot spring inn where he'd eaten last time. From the conversation between the innkeeper and Hidan's group, it seemed Hidan was related to the owner somehow.

At the inn, Ye Wuji found the entrance shut, with a seal posted across it. Looking closely, he saw that it was a notice from the security office under the Daimyo Mansion.

Ye Wuji went into a flower shop nearby and asked the middle-aged woman, "Excuse me, what happened to that inn? Why is it closed? Where's the owner?"

"Which one are you asking about, young man?" the woman asked.

"The hot spring inn next door—the one with the seal on it," Ye Wuji replied.

"Old Man Gu's place? Are you related to him?" the woman asked casually, showing no particular reaction. Perhaps that was because Ye Wuji was a child.

"No. The old gentleman looked after me last time, so I came to thank him. I didn't expect to find a seal on the place. I remember he was a good man. Why did the security office seal it up?" Ye Wuji made up an excuse.

"That's right. Old Man Gu was a good man. He spent his whole life doing good deeds. I heard he lost all his family in the war when he was young, then opened that shop here and lived alone. Later, he started taking in orphans who'd lost their families on the battlefield. He did that for decades. This time, though, he took in a bunch of troublemakers. It's true what they say: good people never get what they deserve." The woman spoke sadly.

"How could a good person not get what he deserved? Could you tell me what happened? I came here looking for a relative last time, and he helped me a lot. Someone as kind as him must have good things coming to him," Ye Wuji asked, sounding surprised.

"Ah, all right, I'll tell you. For years, ever since he was young, Old Man Gu would go out and take in orphans who'd lost their families in the war. Once those children grew up, he'd send them away, then go and take in more. He'd done that several times. Even after leaving, some of the orphans still came back to visit him. But this time, the three orphans he took in—Hidan, Da Ye, and Nakano—ended up bringing him to ruin.

"Those three had joined some cult and were causing trouble every day, spreading their cult's teachings. Old Man Gu often tried to stop them. About a week ago, they argued again over the cult, and Old Man Gu tried to teach them a lesson. But those three killed him instead.

"I heard the scene was bizarre. There was blood everywhere. Once a murder had been reported, the security office came and caught all three of them on the spot. Even then, Hidan kept shouting about punishment and how Jashin had descended. He said this was what happened to people who disrespected Jashin, and that anyone else who did so would be punished by Jashin, too.

"The security office here never paid much attention to that Jashin Cult. Apart from those kids, it didn't have any members, and they were only causing a bit of trouble. But no one expected Old Man Gu to end up dead. After that, the security office disbanded the Jashin Cult and arrested all the kids. It looks like they'll be locked up for a while.

"Hidan and the other two were supposed to be sentenced to death, but I heard they escaped from prison and killed quite a few soldiers. So now the security office is hunting all three of them." The woman rambled on a bit, but Ye Wuji got the whole story.

"I see. Those three are monsters. They even killed the man who raised them," Ye Wuji said indignantly.

"You can't say that. I'd known Hidan and the other two since they were little, and they were all good kids. Sometimes they even came over to help me. Da Ye and Nakano especially—they were strong, but they never bullied anyone. The Jashin Cult is to blame. Ever since it appeared, it's corrupted so many good kids. Hidan most of all—he used to be such a sweet child." After Ye Wuji spoke, the woman loudly cursed the Jashin Cult. Then she went on to berate the security office for not arresting its members sooner and allowing this to happen.

"That's true. A cult like that is detestable," Ye Wuji agreed, joining her in cursing it. Then he said goodbye to the woman and prepared to leave.

Just as Ye Wuji was about to leave the flower shop, the woman behind the counter called out, "Hey, kid! You're from out of town, right? There's an old temple to the south, outside the town. Whatever you do, don't go there. You might not know about it, but kids like you are always wandering around. It'd be bad if you stumbled in there by accident. Understand? I heard that place was where that Jashin Cult started. There was nothing like it in the Land of Hot Springs before."

"Got it. Thanks, ma'am." Ye Wuji turned and waved in gratitude.

Ye Wuji glanced at the hot spring inn again. From what the woman had said, the innkeeper had died there.

To confirm what had happened, Ye Wuji cautiously checked his surroundings. Once he saw that no one was watching, he quickly slipped in through a window. The scattered tables and chairs in the lobby barely caught his attention. He was immediately drawn to a circle with a triangle inside it. The symbol had darkened, but it looked very much like the ritual Hidan used to activate his ability.

"So Hidan has already awakened his power, and he used this inn's owner to complete his first ritual. I can't believe the first time he used it was on the old man who raised him. If I'd known, I should've tried to see if I could kill him last time," Ye Wuji thought.

Ye Wuji regretted it now. Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have died. If this was what happened to people who did good deeds, who would ever want to do good?

It was like in Ye Wuji's old world, where someone would help an elderly person who'd fallen, only to be falsely accused in return. Over time, fewer and fewer people were willing to help. Even those who wanted to do good would first look for a witness or some other way to prove they were helping, afraid someone would deliberately frame them.

And even when the people who set others up were exposed, they hardly ever paid any price—at most, they got a trivial punishment. Compared with the harm they'd done, it was far too lenient. People who exploited others' kindness to extort them shouldn't be punished at all. They should simply be killed. There was no need to talk about whether their crimes were serious enough to warrant death. People like that deserved to die.

It reminded Ye Wuji of a line he'd once read by an author: "Murderers and arsonists get pardoned and rewarded—how are good people supposed to live?" Ye Wuji remembered those words clearly. That was right. If people were allowed to act like that, how were good people supposed to live? Killing people like them would be letting them off lightly.

After confirming that it was Hidan's ability, Ye Wuji left the inn. Hidan had already escaped the Land of Hot Springs, and Ye Wuji had no idea where he'd gone. There wasn't much he could do for now. But we'll meet again sooner or later, Ye Wuji thought.

Ye Wuji bought every water balloon on Rose Street—about four hundred in all. The shopkeeper who sold toy water balloons even searched his storeroom before managing to find that many. Since Ye Wuji was buying so many, the shopkeeper gave him a very good price.

Ye Wuji packed the four hundred water balloons into a bundle and prepared to head back. He also asked the shopkeeper to order some rubber balls for him—two hundred to start with. Ye Wuji wasn't sure how many he'd eventually need, so he decided to order that many for now. The shopkeeper only had a little over twenty in stock, since hardly anyone bought rubber balls.

In the end, Ye Wuji thought it over and bought those twenty-odd rubber balls as well. He'd need them sooner or later anyway. Carrying all those things, he bought a few other daily necessities and prepared to return to Angkor Fortress.