Flowing Red Scale

Seven days later, Shinji, who had only been released from solitary confinement that day, was enjoying his lunch.

Chicken curry was on the menu. It tasted pretty good, but more importantly, the portions were generous and there was plenty of meat, so he ate happily.

In all fairness, his time with the Jashin Cult since transmigrating had actually been pretty peaceful and fulfilling.

He trained hard every day, had his blood drawn, helped record experimental data... Ahem. Once he got used to all that, it really wasn't bad.

At any rate, he was probably living many times better than the war orphans and refugees who struggled on the brink of death at every moment.

At least his life was secure, and he didn't have to worry about food or clothing.

For a while, he'd even thought that spending the rest of his life freeloading like this might not be so bad.

After all, as long as he didn't go looking for death too recklessly, he could keep lying low like this forever.

Even if aliens really did come to attack the Shinobi World someday, Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke would be out front taking the brunt of it.

No matter how you looked at it, that wouldn't be my problem!

But after carefully recalling what he knew about the Jashin Cult, he could only give a soft sigh and admit that his idea might be a little unrealistic.

He didn't know when it would happen, but the Jashin Cult was definitely going to be wiped out eventually.

He vaguely remembered an episode of The Noncombustible Legend in which some idiot had picked up a bit of the Jashin Cult's legacy from who knew where, then deluded himself into thinking he could gain immortality too.

By then, the Jashin Cult had already been gone for a long time.

Shinji wasn't quite sure how the Jashin Cult had been destroyed. Those memories were too old. He only vaguely recalled seeing something online saying that Hidan had sacrificed everyone in the cult to Jashin.

That certainly sounded like something Hidan would do. If that day really came, Shinji would damn well lend a hand.

Then he'd be free to go wherever he pleased. That would be just as sweet.

If Cult Leader Takihata knew what this guy was thinking right now, he would probably grind his bones to dust and scatter the ashes on the spot!

After all the trouble of cultivating two immortals, both had turned out to be traitors. Wasn't that a little too much?

Clang!

Something clattered.

Shinji, who had been eating his curry and letting out an involuntary sigh, suddenly looked up.

Well, well. My walking source of freebies~

Hidan had kicked over a stool and was now glaring at him menacingly!

Clearly, the past few days of treatment, recuperation, and confinement had left Hidan very unhappy-and very angry!

Because of that pointless match where they'd been so perfectly "in sync," Cult Leader Takihata had locked them up separately. They'd also endured no fewer than ten lectures, out of fear that the two of them would cause even bigger trouble in the future.

It had also given them a chance to recover properly. After all, immortality didn't mean they couldn't get hurt, and the state they'd been in at the time had been hard to put into words.

Unfortunately, Hidan wouldn't be the same single-minded idiot if he didn't stir up trouble.

Sure enough, the moment he was released, he'd asked around everywhere and rushed over, eager to pick a fight with Shinji.

"Hey, eaten yet? Why not sit down and have some?"

Shinji greeted him while speeding up his eating, so he wouldn't go hungry once the fight started.

Good old Grandpa Yuan had taught him long ago not to waste food!

"You bastard, Shinji! Die!!!"

Hidan drew his pitch-black spear and charged at him through gritted teeth.

He didn't care if he got thrown back into solitary confinement!

His last defeat had simply been too humiliating!

But despite all that bluster, Hidan's expression suddenly changed the moment they exchanged blows!

By all rights, they should have been evenly matched. At least before their confinement, neither had managed to get the better of the other in any of their clashes.

This time, however, everything had changed completely!

Shinji effortlessly dodged every strike in Hidan's flurry of spear attacks.

He even had enough breathing room to duck his head between attacks and quickly shovel the remaining curry rice into his mouth. He wasn't taking Hidan's attacks seriously at all!

"Damn it!"

Hidan clenched his teeth hard and sped up his attacks again.

At that moment, Shinji, who had done nothing but dodge so far, finally raised his head.

Only then did Hidan notice that, at some point, a red, roughly X-shaped "scar" had appeared on Shinji's forehead, as though it had been stained with blood.

Blood Manipulation: Flowing Red Scale!

Thump!

Boom!

After setting down his plate, Shinji threw just one punch. Caught completely off guard, Hidan flew backward and slammed into the wall, embedding himself in it. Then his mouth opened involuntarily and he spewed a great mouthful of blood, while the pitch-black spear slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

How was this possible?!

Bracing his hands against the floor, Hidan stared in disbelief, unable to understand how Shinji had grown so much stronger after just a few days apart.

Had the Cult Leader secretly given this bastard special training while I wasn't around?

As though he could see Hidan's confusion, Shinji said calmly, "My Blood Manipulation lets me freely control even my body temperature, pulse, red blood cell count, and the components of my blood."

"All I did just now was accelerate my blood flow to strengthen my body, increasing my speed and power."

"In this state, you can't even touch the hem of my clothes."

After sliding down from the wall, Hidan refused to believe that just a few days could open up such a huge gap between them. Gritting his teeth, he quickly picked up the pitch-black spear from the floor and charged at Shinji again without a word.

Shinji shook his head. A few days ago, he really would have been in for a tough fight.

But after nearly dying from excessive blood loss and then quietly reflecting on the experience for several days, he had stumbled upon a way to strengthen himself.

It was exactly as he'd explained: accelerating his blood flow to reinforce his body and increase his speed and power.

The principle was somewhat similar to Luffy's Gear Second, though there were differences.

The price was serious damage to his own body. Frequent use could even shorten his lifespan.

Hidan had simply picked the wrong time to come looking for trouble!

Feeling the power coursing through him under Blood Manipulation: Flowing Red Scale, Shinji decided to give Hidan a memory he would never forget.

He tilted his head slightly, dodging Hidan's swiftly thrusting pitch-black spear, then threw a concealed, lightning-fast right punch straight into Hidan's abdomen.

Instantly, Hidan felt a burst of excruciating pain. His eyes bulged, and he doubled over with a retch.

Then Shinji's knee rapidly filled his vision...