"Eat slowly. No one's going to take it from you." Keiko reminded the child wolfing down his food, casually adding a chicken leg to his bowl.
Keiko did not dare underestimate how to deal with members of the Cult of Jashin. Hidan had relied on a single cursed technique: Jashin Ritual: Death by Blood.
It could be said that he had consecutively killed two Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii and Kaede, as well as two first-rate experts, Chiriku and Asuma Sarutobi, despite the difference in their levels. Without understanding its secrets, it was extremely easy to fall victim to it. The problem was that the thing could not be killed no matter what, making it truly difficult to handle.
However, the Hot Spring Shadow had been so courteous, providing hot springs and meals, and the price offered was not low. As the Kazekage of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, refusing would be beneath his dignity. So he agreed and carefully inquired about the intelligence.
There were not actually many members of the Cult of Jashin—just over a hundred. Fewer than ten had reached Jonin level. The truly troublesome ones were the three so-called "immortals."
That was all the useful information there was. Keiko immediately formulated a battle plan. The entire operation emphasized speed, giving the enemy no time to react. Keiko would launch the first wave of attacks, followed by Rasa. The moment they encountered an immortal, Rasa would seal him with Gold Dust Seal without another word, not giving him time to perform any cursed ritual. Pakura and the other ninjas would block the exits, striving to let no one escape.
The operation went smoothly. Aside from the three sealed by Rasa, they also rescued a child. All the other Cult of Jashin followers were killed, and they seized a three-bladed scythe, a telescopic spear, and the scroll from the mouth of Jashin's stone statue. They also found more than twenty million in cash.
That was right—the rescued child was Hidan in his youth. Clearly, the Cult of Jashin's leader had been mass-producing "immortals." Unfortunately, the success rate was low. After killing countless people, he had only produced three.
The leader was unwilling to let his followers be sacrificed in vain any longer, so he began abducting children from the village. Once the experiments succeeded, he would brainwash and train them into followers.
After Keiko and Rasa swept through most of the cultists like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves, Rasa noticed while cleaning up the battlefield that the tied-up child was still alive. He had merely fainted from fright. Keiko pulled the dagger from the child's chest and fell into thought. Then he said, "Bandage him. Take him back."
After settling everything, Keiko opened the seized scroll. Four large characters written in blood stood out upon it: "Death by Blood." At a glance, he was quite surprised. This so-called cursed technique seemed to have gone beyond the scope of ninjutsu, somewhat like the divine possession invoked by the Reaper Death Seal.
The first half of the scroll explained how, through a series of pretentious religious rituals and bloody sacrificial rites, a person could be turned into a "messenger of god"—in other words, an immortal. Of course, it also mentioned that the success rate was extremely low, less than one in a hundred. The latter half detailed the hand seals and ritual for receiving the cursed technique.
After reading the scroll, Keiko looked at the child still stuffing his face and sank into thought. What if I poached Akatsuki's talent?
When he had read the manga before, he had felt that Hidan's combat strength had been severely nerfed. There was actually a great deal of potential left untapped. Take the simplest example: if Hidan knew the Eight Gates, wouldn't he take off on the spot? He could completely ignore the technique's side effects. Even Six Paths Madara would tremble at the sight of him! If he trained him properly and kept him at his side, he would be a guaranteed lifesaver!
With that thought, Keiko smiled and gently poured a cup of hot tea for Hidan, who had finished eating and was burping contentedly. One hand lightly patted the child's back.
"Little brother, I can see that you have exceptional talent. Are you interested in learning ninjutsu from me?"
"Thank you so much for lending us your aid this time, Lord Kazekage. Hidden Hot Spring Village will never forget such kindness."
"Ah, Lord Hot Spring Shadow, you are too polite. Sunagakure and Hidden Hot Spring Village are neighbors and friends. Such a small matter is not worth mentioning."
"It may be a small matter to Lord Kazekage, but to Hidden Hot Spring Village, it is a matter of survival. Please, allow me to properly entertain you this time."
"No, no, thank you very much for Lord Hot Spring Shadow's hospitality. But we must still proceed to Konoha to conclude the alliance treaty. We have lingered here too long and cannot delay any further."
"Ah, the alliance comes first, of course. But Lord Kazekage, how should these three be dealt with?" The Hot Spring Shadow pointed worriedly at the three people tied up like slaughtered pigs. They were clearly the three "immortals."
"These people were originally rogue ninja from Hidden Hot Spring Village. Naturally, Lord Hot Spring Shadow may deal with them however he wishes."
"Lord Kazekage misunderstands..." The Hot Spring Shadow lowered his voice. "These people cannot be killed by blades or burned by fire. They have also been brainwashed by the Cult of Jashin for years, and their evil beliefs are deeply rooted. They cannot be reformed. I truly do not know how to deal with them. I hope Lord Kazekage can instruct me." A group of Hidden Hot Spring ninja escorted the three bound captives forward.
"This? Easy." Keiko called Pakura over and whispered a few words into her ear.
"Magnet Release: Shield Excavation Technique!"
A massive mass of Iron Sand rose into the air and transformed into a huge cylindrical block of iron. It drilled furiously into the ground, and before long, a deep pit more than thirty feet deep appeared.
With a glance from Keiko, Rasa delivered three brutal kicks to the three immortals. The three instantly fell into the pit, wriggling like insects. Their mouths were gagged, so they could only make muffled whimpering sounds.
"These cultists harmed children and committed every evil imaginable. They deserve this punishment! Bury them!" Keiko pointed at the pit and gave the order.
Naturally, there were ninja accompanying them skilled in Earth Release to handle the task. Before long, the pit was filled in completely flat.
"Magnet Release: Iron Lion!" "Scorch Release: Iron Smelting!"
Keiko condensed a gigantic black iron lion in the air, while Pakura manipulated a Scorch Release fireball and roasted the iron lion relentlessly. Before long, the iron lion had been heated red-hot.
"Bang!" Before long, the Iron Sand comprising the lion had melted into a single solid mass, sealing the mouth of the pit under Keiko's control.
"This iron lion weighs a thousand pounds. As long as no one moves it, no matter whether they are immortal or indestructible, they will not be able to stir up any trouble!"
The Hot Spring Shadow naturally thanked Keiko profusely and presented him with many gifts. Keiko accepted them all with a smile before bidding farewell.
"What do you think of this young man?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his back to the two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in the prime of his life. He was tall and robust, his gaze deep and sharp, puffing on his pipe as though his mind were also operating at high speed.
"A very outstanding young man." Mitokado Homura's words were brief.
"We assessed the entire situation from his perspective and ran through the possibilities. Every decision and judgment he made was the optimal solution for the circumstances," Utatane Koharu said.
"Oh, hehe. Not simple at all. No wonder even Danzo fell into his hands." Hiruzen turned around and tapped his pipe.
"We unanimously believe that forming an alliance with Sunagakure is beneficial to us now."
"Mm. Explain in detail."
"With an alliance with Sunagakure, once we withdraw our army from the Land of Rain, we can avoid fighting on both northern and southern fronts. Konoha will no longer need to worry about pressure from the west. We only need to defend against Hidden Mist to the east and Hidden Cloud to the northeast, greatly reducing our overall defensive pressure. Furthermore, according to the latest intelligence, Hidden Stone Village has fully entered the Land of Rain and has already clashed with Danzo on a small scale."
"Ōnoki is a lunatic!" Hiruzen slammed his fist angrily onto the table.
"Order Torifu Akimichi and Renga Hyuga to lead reinforcements out as soon as possible. If we do not make him suffer this time, he will never learn his lesson. As for that young man..." Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down in his office chair.
"Hold a grand welcoming ceremony for him!"
Before you continue