In a hidden base somewhere deep in the mountains around the Land of Rivers, numerous mysterious figures in black robes bustled about, silver pendants shaped like a triangle inside a circle hanging from their necks.
"Akagi Shinji, Hidan, begin today's Taijutsu sparring once your blood has been drawn."
"Yes, Lord Takihata."
Thump! Thump!
In a spacious, relatively well-lit chamber, two figures fought a fierce Taijutsu bout in the surrounding firelight. The sound of fists striking flesh had barely stopped since they began.
Whenever one was knocked to the ground, he immediately lunged back at the other.
And the same went for his opponent!
As the fight dragged on and their stamina drained, both boys' movements gradually lost any semblance of technique, until it became more of a contest of willpower.
A punch from one, a kick from the other-all that mattered was who would fail to get back up first.
It was fair to say that the fight was neither spectacular nor impressive!
The two boys looked fourteen or fifteen, and neither was particularly skilled at Taijutsu. Their technique still left much to be desired.
But judging solely by their strength, resilience, and other physical attributes, their bodies had already far surpassed the standard for others their age.
So although there was little worth praising about the fight, the black-robed figures watching them never stopped taking notes.
After all, this was no Taijutsu class, merely part of the research that required daily observation.
"All right, that's enough for today. Rest for an hour, then begin your Jujutsu studies."
The speaker was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties. Unlike the others in black robes, he wore a dark red robe and a constant, kindly smile, making him look like a friendly uncle from the countryside.
Yet this seemingly benevolent, approachable man had single-handedly founded the Jashin Cult. With "endless slaughter" as its doctrine, he secretly expanded its influence while plundering and massacring the people in the surrounding areas.
Before anyone realized it, the Jashin Cult's very existence had become taboo in the Land of Rivers and elsewhere!
The two boys, both poised to smash their raised fists into the other's face, finally stopped. Their fists were only a few centimeters from each other's right cheeks.
"Tch, you got lucky this time. Otherwise, my punch would've smashed your head open first!"
The boy with gray hair, purplish-red eyes, and slicked-back hair glared resentfully and started grumbling. He wore his Yugakure rogue ninja forehead protector around his neck.
If not for his ragged breathing, bruised face, and dirt-covered body, those words might actually have carried some menace and credibility!
The other boy withdrew his fist as well. He was about the same height, with short, pointed tufts of brown hair, fair skin, and a somewhat stern face.
Yet despite his seemingly frail appearance, he had fought as if he had no regard for his own life.
His sheer recklessness was enough to make one's heart skip a beat!
Anyone who got to know him a little better would also discover that this handsome, seemingly delicate boy was nothing like the gentle, refined person his appearance suggested.
Quite the opposite-he was a bastard with a rotten personality!
Sure enough, the moment his opponent started putting on a tough front again, he drawled, "With those soft, honey-soaked bread rolls you call fists? If you were trying to sweeten me to death, then I have to admit, you succeeded, Hidan."
"Akagi! Shinji! You bastard, I'll kill you!"
Hidan, who loved running his mouth but could never outtalk his opponent, instantly filled his eyes with murderous intent.
"How dare you describe my iron fists like that?! By Jashin,
you're dead today!" "Oh, sorry, I really shouldn't have said that... After all, compared to those sissies who only know how to pull hair and scratch faces, at least you don't cry for Mommy when you're getting beaten!"
Akagi Shinji refused to back down. He even pressed his head against Hidan's chest, shoving forward with every sentence and forcing Hidan back step by step as his eyes grew redder.
Then Akagi Shinji lifted his head again, revealing an expression that all but said, I gave you a chance, and you still couldn't do anything!
Hidan finally snapped!
"Die!"
With a shout, Hidan whipped a pitch-black short spear from inside his clothes and drove it straight through Akagi Shinji's heart as the others watched with faint resignation!
Squelch!!!
It hurt!
It fucking hurt!
Though this was not his first experience of dying, the pain of having his heart pierced remained stark and unbearable.
At the very moment Hidan pierced Shinji's heart with the black spear, Shinji cleanly and precisely drove the kunai in his hand into Hidan's neck, burying it to the hilt!
Clearly, Shinji had anticipated Hidan's move from the start. Rather than trying to dodge, he had struck to kill at the same time!
He was a man who was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to himself.
Thud...
Akagi Shinji and Hidan both toppled backward.
One had his heart pierced; the other had his throat stabbed.
For ordinary people, wounds that fatal meant almost certain death, even with immediate treatment.
Stranger still, none of the people around them showed the slightest intention of saving them.
They remained unmoved and cold-faced, their expressions unchanged even after watching the two kill each other.
Then, a moment later, Hidan's corpse suddenly raised a hand, gripped the kunai lodged in his neck, and yanked it out!
Squelch... Clang!
"Cough, cough, cough... Hah, hah... Urgh!" It hurts, it hurts, it hurts... It really fucking hurts, you bastard!
Cursing inwardly, Hidan got back to his feet. The kunai he casually tossed aside was drenched in blood.
Yet even after all that, he had not died. He was very much alive, and his wound was rapidly healing!
Meanwhile, three seconds after his death, Shinji regained consciousness too.
Under everyone's gaze, the supposedly dead Akagi Shinji suddenly opened his eyes and briskly climbed to his feet. He pulled the pitch-black short spear out of his heart and likewise tossed it aside.
Since heaven had inexplicably sent him to this terrifying ninja world, he had to do whatever it took to adapt, whether that meant killing or being killed!
Ptoo!
Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, Akagi Shinji, who had only just died, immediately spoke again. "That's it? Seriously? My grandma hit harder than you when she was alive!"
Hidan nearly ground his teeth to pieces, but there was nothing he could do!
After all, as survivors of that "ritual," they had both gained a form of [immortality]. It was undoubtedly a blessing from Lord Jashin!
In fact, this was far from the first time Hidan had killed Akagi Shinji in a fit of rage.
But Akagi Shinji seemed to be his nemesis. Hidan never came out ahead; either they killed each other, or Shinji killed him instead.
Even on the one occasion when his sneak attack succeeded, Akagi Shinji had taken savage revenge afterward.
Hidan truly never wanted to experience having his head cut off and buried deep underground again!
Back then, the entire Jashin Cult-hundreds of people-had spent three full days and nights playing "treasure hunt." Only after Cult Leader Takihata furiously issued an order did Shinji finally point beneath a certain tree...
From that day on, their feud was firmly cemented.
It had also given many members of the Jashin Cult a fresh understanding of just how terrifying this ill-tempered bastard Akagi Shinji was.
That was one reason Hidan had mostly stuck to trading insults earlier, only attacking after he had finally been pushed too far.
Otherwise, given Hidan's temperament, anyone else who dared stand in front of him and run their mouth would probably have been hacked to pieces long ago!
"Time to end this pointless little game, children. Since you still seem exceptionally energetic, your rest period is canceled. Go to Room Two immediately. The material is ready."
Cult Leader Takihata, who had enjoyed the farce without intervening, finally spoke.
In truth, it was precisely thanks to these two boys' insistence on avenging every slight that they had collected so much valuable experimental data in just one short month.
Knowing that further fighting would accomplish nothing, Hidan snorted coldly, turned, and walked away.
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