In the laboratory, the Death God's lingering chill slowly dissipated.
Naruto lowered his head and examined the pitch-black, comma-shaped rune on the back of his left hand. It had already fallen dormant and melded into his skin, yet it radiated an unfamiliar coldness.
It existed on his body, yet remained separate from it.
Did this count as a curse too?
Naruto's thoughts raced. This was authority—a gateway for accessing the rules of "death." Faced with absolute threat and profit, that self-proclaimed god had ultimately made the choice most aligned with its instinct for "survival."
It probably believed leaving this mark was a warning, or perhaps surveillance. But to Naruto, it was simply a more convenient "back door." The next time they had "business" dealings, they could even skip the ritual of summoning it with a mask.
Everything could be traded. Gods were no exception.
His attention shifted to the body on the lab table, which had completely lost its source of power. The madness and faith in Hidan's eyes had utterly shattered, leaving behind only endless emptiness. His so-called "immortal body" was now a thing of the past.
"His biological activity is dropping rapidly, but his cellular repair capability remains at 13.4 percent," a researcher reported. "With the Chaos God Mark gone, the supply of that foreign energy has been cut off. His body is returning to the realm of ordinary mortals."
"Continue observing him and record all data." Naruto raised a hand and issued his order. "I want the entire process of how this foreign energy altered a native organism, from beginning to end. He is now a valuable living specimen of Konoha."
With that, he turned and left the laboratory.
Far away in Sunagakure, the war had entered its fiercest stage.
Sasori's Performance of a Hundred Puppets had