Killing-we're professionals!

Just as Mira Peng was left with nothing but impotent rage, the saviors he had been waiting for finally arrived!

After bringing Shinji and Hidan in, the young man immediately left as though he had been granted a pardon.

"Did the Jashin Cult only send the two of you?"

To be honest, Mira Peng was somewhat disappointed.

Ever since he had unexpectedly made contact with the Jashin Cult, he had secretly provided considerable funding to these butchers and murderous lunatics.

He had hoped they would one day prove useful. He also had another little ambition in mind-after all, there would always be people willing to pay for the promise of immortality.

A little thought told him it was unlikely, but what if?

If it turned out to be real, that money would be enough to give him a head start.

Yet after he had spent so much money, the Jashin Cult had sent only this paltry pair to brush him off when he urgently needed help. Clearly, they did not take their financial backer seriously. How could his expression not sour?

Being underestimated yet again made Hidan's gaze turn decidedly dangerous.

Shinji, however, raised a hand and stopped Hidan from drawing his weapon. His expression unchanged, he said calmly, "Give me the list of targets for this mission, then find somewhere to get some sleep. By the time you open your eyes again, everything will be over."

Mira Peng gave Shinji a surprised look. Whether the young man truly had confidence or was simply a blindly arrogant fool, he had no reason to refuse.

Success would naturally be ideal. Even failure would bring the Jashin Cult's frenzied retaliation down on Gato, while all he had to invest was some information and a day's time. It was a deal worth making.

He immediately changed his attitude. "Get him a copy of all our information on Gato. And if you need my men to cooperate in any way, just say the word. As long as you can kill Gato, I'll double the payment I promised your Jashin Cult. You'll also have my personal friendship and gifts."

Shinji glanced over the information in his hand, then turned toward the exit. "No cooperation needed. Just remember to keep your men well away from the targets so they don't get in our way. Killing-we're professionals."

"Those two are far too arrogant!"

One of Mira Peng's subordinates could not help blurting it out.

"Go send two men to follow them. I want to know everything they do. Remember, don't get into a fight with them."

"Yes... where are you going, sir?"

"To find somewhere to sleep. Let's see what those two can actually do to back up that kind of talk."

So said Mira Peng, who had not slept for days.

"A bunch of trash dared to look down on the great Hidan! Why did you stop me back there? I'm going to sacrifice every last one of them to Lord Jashin!"

Even after they went outside, Hidan continued ranting, still thoroughly displeased.

"That Mira Peng fellow still has some value. Otherwise, the Cult Leader wouldn't have sent the two of us to help him. If you're not afraid of bringing down Lord Jashin's wrath, you can go back and kill him right now. I won't stop you."

"Tch. Lucky bastard."

After memorizing Gato's face from the portrait in his hand, Hidan casually tossed it away.

A second later, a burly man picked it up.

"Hey, you dropped this."

Hidan glanced at him, showed no inclination to speak, and turned away to keep walking.

"Wait. Are you looking for the man in this picture?" Rather than leaving, the burly man stepped into Shinji and Hidan's path.

Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly, but before he could speak, Hidan took an impatient step forward. "What the hell's it to you? Get lost!"

The smile the burly man had forced onto his face froze for an instant, but he still said helpfully, "You're here to join Lord Gato, aren't you? I know where Lord Gato is at this hour,

so I can take you there." "Huh? The great Hidan would go work for some piece of-mmph! Mmph! (Shinji, what are you doing? Let go!)"

"You're willing to take us there? Why? Is everyone in the Land of Waves as helpful as you?"

The burly man gave an honest-looking smile and scratched the back of his head. "Not really. Actually, plenty of people know Lord Gato has been recruiting help lately. If I take you there and you end up getting accepted, I'll receive a sizable referral fee."

Shinji studied the man carefully for a few moments before smiling back. "I see. Sorry for the trouble, then."

"No trouble at all, none at all. Follow me, you two."

The burly man hurried ahead to lead the way, occasionally probing them with roundabout questions, seemingly trying to learn where Shinji and Hidan had come from and how strong they were.

Shinji did not disappoint him. He said that he and his brother were both rogue ninja from Yugakure. During their travels, they had happened to hear there was a "big job" in the Land of Waves, so they had come to try their luck.

Along the way, at Shinji's signal, Hidan reluctantly tugged down his collar, revealing the Yugakure rogue ninja Forehead Protector tied beneath it.

Once the burly man saw that, he believed most of their story and grew even more enthusiastic.

Of course, when the pair bragged about how incredibly powerful they were, their claims went in one ear and out the other. The burly man did not take them seriously at all.

He had seen plenty of people like them, after all. Everyone knew perfectly well whether they actually had any real ability.

After winding through turn after turn for some time, the burly man gradually led Shinji and Hidan out of town and into a secluded patch of woods.

"Hey, where exactly are you taking us? This dump doesn't look like somewhere a rich man would live."

As it turned out, Hidan really was not that stupid. He had noticed something was wrong long ago, but Shinji had stopped him with a look, so he had held back until now.

Faced with Hidan's hostile questioning, the burly man showed no trace of panic. Instead, he smiled mysteriously. "That's where you're mistaken. Ever since the Gato Company went to war with the Mira Family, Lord Gato has been hiding out in several different places. I'm taking you to one of his hideouts."

"If we're lucky, we'll get to see Lord Gato himself. If not, that's fine too. There'll definitely be someone in charge there, so it'll make no difference."

Hidan raised an eyebrow, not believing a word of the man's nonsense.

Shinji, however, shook his head slightly, signaling Hidan not to act yet.

They continued on like that for another ten minutes or so, until a three-story wooden villa finally came into view.

"Halt! Private property ahead. Trespassers will be killed!"

At that sharp command, a dozen or so men immediately surrounded Shinji and the others.

"See? I wasn't lying, was I?"

The burly man first turned to give Shinji and Hidan a knowing look, then greeted the others warmly. "Brother Okamoto, it's me! Is Lord Gato inside?"