Hidan's Fervor

Little Stone Village.

This is a small village on the very edge of the Shinobi World.

There was no Ninjutsu, no ninjas, and no chaos.

Yes, there is only a group of simple villagers who work at sunrise and rest at sunset.

This atmosphere was completely shattered a day earlier.

Everywhere was littered with rubble and thick smoke. The villagers, who had once lived happy lives, now lay silently on the cold ground.

Crimson blood flowed from beneath them, gathering into a small river that flowed towards the unknown distance.

Amidst the corpses stood a man in a monk's robe, coldly observing everything around him.

Suddenly, he gently raised his head and looked at something in front of him.

The space in front of him distorted in an instant, and another figure emerged from the distortion.

"It failed?"

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki looked indifferently at the defeated Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gripped the plow tightly in his hand, remaining silent for a long while.

"As expected, I didn't have high hopes anyway."

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki scoffed, looking at him with disdain, "With your personality, you're incapable of great things."

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly raised his head.

"So close! I was so close to killing him!"

At this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression suddenly turned ferocious.

"I didn't lose to Uchiha Kei, but rather..."

"I was defeated by my former self!"

In the past, he had infiltrated Konoha countless times, only to discover that his past self and the Uchiha Clan had always protected Uchiha Kei with extreme care.

Once he takes action, his identity is likely to be exposed.

The price of revealing his identity is that he will be utterly disgraced, both in the past and in the future!

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was too lazy to waste words with him, so he reached out and the plow flew into his hand.

"Give me another chance! I'll go back to when he was younger, and I'm sure I can kill him!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was filled with resentment.

"No."

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki tucked the plow into his robes and looked at him with disdain.

"We don't need you anymore."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes showed confusion.

"I have a better helper to help me regain control of the Shinobi World!"

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki gazed into the distance in another direction from the village.

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but look over as well.

There sat a person dressed in Akatsuki Organization, holding a gleaming Ninja Blade, his smile extremely arrogant.

"Hidan!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was greatly surprised.

He had some understanding of Hidan.

The Akatsuki Organization member, while not the strongest, possessed the most unpredictable and troublesome abilities.

Hidan pulled his Ninja Blade from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, and swaggered over.

"Yo, the Third Hokage Hokage... oh wait, I mean..."

Hidan leaned close to Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, revealing a mocking smile.

"It should be said that... Sarutobi Hiruzen, the greatest missing-nin of Konoha!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face immediately turned ashen.

"Him? Heh, Isshiki, your new partner isn't all that impressive."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him with disdain.

Hidan's strength is indeed strange, but that's about it.

Knowing his abilities, I want to defeat him...

It's not difficult.

"Click--"

Before Ōtsutsuki Isshiki could speak, Hidan had already raised his Ninja Blade and Sarutobi Hiruzen with wide, sweeping strokes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted coldly, moved aside lightly, and easily dodged Hidan's Ninja Blade.

Halfway through the operation, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized that he...

I can't move at all!

Hidan smirked, his blade swirling slightly, an intensely sharp Blade Intent emanating from its surface.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils suddenly contracted.

This...

Is that Uchiha Kei's Blade Intent?!?

No!

It's not just about Blade Intent!

Even if it's Blade Intent, with his Kage Level Chakra, he could completely suppress Blade Intent.

Even if it couldn't be suppressed, it shouldn't have come to this...

I can't move!

"Sizzle--"

A horrific wound appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest.

Crimson blood gushed out immediately.

"Vulnerable."

Hidan sneered and calmly sheathed his sword.

That sharp, Blade Intent also dissipated at the same time.

Sarutobi Hiruzen staggered back two steps, staring in disbelief at the wound on his chest.

He could sense that if Hidan wanted to, that last slash could have easily cleaved him in two!

That kind of Blade Intent that's sharp to the extreme...

No, no, no.

It can no longer be called Blade Intent.

It should be...

What Uchiha Kei said...

The advancement of Blade Intent, the Will of the Sword!

"You... how do you possess the Will of the Sword!"

Before Uchiha Kei, the strongest swordsman in the Shinobi World was Mifune from the Iron Country.

Mifune's swordsmanship focuses more on speed of strikes and lacks other power.

Only Uchiha Kei could materialize Blade Intent and the Will of the Sword, making them like sword energy or aura.

Hidan's swordsmanship just now wasn't Mifune's; it was closer to Uchiha Kei!

"Heh, don't think only Uchiha Kei and his students know how to wield knives."

Hidan wiped his Ninja Blade with satisfaction.

"In this world, there exist omnipotent gods!"

Hidan's eyes instantly turned fanatical, and he knelt down in a bizarre posture.

"My swordsmanship was taught to me by the Evil God! The Evil God is the strongest deity!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hidan with suspicion and uncertainty.

Evil God?

A god who doesn't exist in the Shinobi World?

"Alright."

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki interrupted their conversation, glancing at the wound on Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest.

"If you still want revenge, you can continue to follow me."

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki pointed to Hidan, who was devoutly worshipping.

"Follow his instructions."

Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to refuse.

But now, the only one who can help him take revenge and regain his former glory is Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Refusing means he will completely give up on revenge.

"Good!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth and agreed.

"The people of this village have all been sacrificed to the Evil God. Let's go to the next village."

Hidan shouldered his Ninja Blade again and looked at Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki nodded and walked straight out of the village.

In the entire village, besides the corpses scattered everywhere, only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained.

The entire village was wiped out, just to be sacrificed to Evil God?

Sarutobi Hiruzen deeply.

He no longer cared about killing.

What he cared about was, what could the Evil God bestow upon Hidan by killing so many people?

Hidan said that his Will of the Sword was taught by Evil God.

If he also worships Evil God, wouldn't that...

Can one also possess power like the Will of the Sword?

The more Sarutobi Hiruzen thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.

A surge of heat rose from his chest.