"Who's there?"
The sudden sound of breathing made the Jashin Cult Leader turn warily, pointing the ghastly white skull in his hand straight toward the invisible Jiraiya.
Blood-red humanoids crawled out of the Blood Pool, their thick, mudlike bodies riddled with severed human limbs. They looked grotesque and revolting.
I've been spotted!
Jiraiya watched the illusion around him disappear and instantly pulled back.
But a blood-red barrier rose across the path he had taken, cutting off his escape.
Frowning, Jiraiya released his Transparent Release and threw a Kunai to test it.
The barrier seemed alive. Like a creature feeding, it swallowed the tip of the Kunai, then consumed the rest bit by bit.
I can't touch that thing!
Wary, Jiraiya retreated half a step and turned to face the vicious gaze of the Jashin Cult Leader.
"You're the one who let my sacrifices escape?"
The Cult Leader rasped out the question, baring his stark white teeth in a grin.
Looks like someone got here first and rescued the villagers?
Jiraiya was being blamed for something he hadn't done, but he couldn't be bothered to reply. He simply analyzed the information in the man's words.
He flipped his hand, and three sharp Shuriken gleamed coldly in his palm.
With a flick of his wrist, they traced three arcs through the air and collided.
With a clink, the Shuriken multiplied into more than a dozen shadow copies, all aimed straight at the Jashin Cult Leader.
"Hmph. A damned ninja..."
The Cult Leader pulled back, raising a wall of blood before him. The Shuriken and their shadow copies sank straight into it, suffering the same fate as the Kunai.
"Since you're here, become my nourishment... argh!"
He screamed and pulled a Kunai from his back. While the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique had distracted