"All you have to do is help spread the doctrine?"
Kojima Sakae was somewhat incredulous; this income was higher than what he could earn working a regular job.
No wonder people are willing to join the church; it's so profitable!
"Yes, our church is a voluntary gathering of believers. If you don't want to continue, you can leave at any time; that's your freedom."
"Is... is this real?" Kojima Sakae's heart pounded with excitement.
God knows he was on the verge of collapse from the hardships of life, constantly hitting roadblocks, when unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better and he stumbled upon an opportunity on the street.
Kojima Sakae turned and glanced at the company that had just kicked him out, then nodded.
A smile crept across the man in black's lips as he saw this. He specifically targeted these desperate lambs, people who, because of their despair for the world, harbored darkness within them and were easily lured.
He took out a new Jashin Cult from his person and personally put it on the new member.
"From now on, you are a member of the Jashin Cult. My name is Doru."
" Kojima Sakae."
"Welcome to the team. Please join me in spreading the word. I'll show you the process. Oh, and you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Let me take you to eat first."
Faced with his colleague's thoughtfulness and warmth, Kojima Sakae's initial worries instantly turned into gratitude.
"Finally... I've found my people."
After the two figures disappeared around the corner, a short-haired man dressed as a ninja with a 'fire' flag around his waist emerged from his hiding place.
"Hmph, they specifically target those who have nowhere else to turn? The Jashin Cult... how truly wicked."
In this cruel Shinobi World, there are hardly any good people. Turning points in fate often bring not opportunities, but even bigger traps.
Kazuma arranged for Xingyu to monitor the Jashin Cult. Hoshisame kept watch for several days and discovered that the Jashin Cult was very well-organized and had several temporary strongholds.
"I heard today is the day new members are inducted into the cult; that guy hiding in the shadows should finally show up."
Night fell quickly in the underground cavern of the western suburbs, at the temporary headquarters of the Jashin Cult.
Hoshisame, dressed in a black robe and wearing the red necklace that all the followers wore around her neck, slipped in with her head down.
The recruitment drive during this period has brought many new faces, and some members don't even know each other.
In the center of the cave was a huge, upside-down stalactite, with a pool of water below it, water dripping into the pool.
The crowd stood in a fan shape in the hall, looking at the people who were bound and kneeling around the pool, who were said to be today's sacrifices.
At this moment, two masked people walked in front of the crowd.
Do you know the true identities of these people?
The crowd shook their heads, and many of the newly joined believers were completely bewildered; they had simply been told to attend a sermon gathering.
They had no idea what was going to happen next.
Aoki Tsuki said, "They are all intelligence agents sent by other forces to try to infiltrate. By the grace of the Jashin, we just want to preach peacefully."
But these people are targeting us. What do you think we should do about them?
"Kill these heretics..."
"Offer them as sacrifices to the Lord Jashin..."
The official members of the Jashin Cult immediately erupted in anger, their lawlessness being their very nature.
Butsushura's lips twitched. He arrested the suspicious intelligence personnel that Xiao had identified during the expansion process and handed them over to the Jashin Cult for sacrifice.
Not a single bit is wasted.
In this way, there's no need to separately capture bandits and villains; advanced tactics often only require a simple left-hand-to-right-hand maneuver.
If there weren't so many people here, he would have immediately taken out his notebook and started writing down this point.
However, what Aoki Tsuki said next made Butsushura exclaim in admiration.
"Then we'll do as you say and hand them over to the Lord Jashin for punishment."
Butsushura felt the other person's gaze fall on him and knew it was time to show his worth, so he spoke:
"New members, come forward. Each of you receive an offering. You... yes, you, what are you waiting for? Are you a spy?"
"No, I'm not a spy!" Kojima Sakae shook his head violently in fright.
"Since you're not a spy, then come and participate in the sacrificial ceremony. Don't waste everyone's time."
"Hi..."
Kojima Sakae felt he had been deceived. This wasn't a church dedicated to saving people from suffering; it was clearly a pyramid scheme.
Someone patted him on the shoulder; it was Doru, the person who introduced him to the church.
The other party reassured them, "Don't be afraid, these are all bad people. Even if we don't kill them, others will kill them."
Only by killing them can we prevent more people from being killed by those behind them.
puff...
"Ah... ah..."
At this point, some people had already started to make their move. Of course, the first person to make a move was actually a senior follower whom Butsushura had arranged in advance; he was not a newcomer at all.
Once someone takes the lead, the rest becomes much easier; this is known as the herd mentality.
Hoshisame remained hidden among the crowd, silently observing everything. Not knowing the extent of their strength, she did not act rashly.
"Phew... Phew... I'm... sorry..."
Kojima Sakae's hands trembled as he spoke to the offerings, unable to bring himself to do it.
God knows he was just an unemployed, middle-aged man who couldn't find a job during the day, and who knew he'd be brought in to be beheaded at night.
At this moment, countless gazes converged on Kojima Sakae, under immense pressure.
Clang!
The knife was thrown aside, Kojima Sakae's legs went weak. He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Indeed, not everyone can break through their limits under pressure; some people will collapse and choose suicide.
"How kind!... Our Jashin Cult does not allow such kind people."
Thinking of this, Aoki Tsuki came up to Kojima Sakae and said, "I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to make you do something you don't like."
From now on, you'll be working as an outsider. Don't rush off when the meeting ends; there's a task for you.
"Thank you... thank you, sir. I'll do anything as long as you don't make me kill anyone else."
Upon hearing that he no longer needed to kill anyone, Kojima Sakae burst into tears of joy.
'Oh! Foolish fellow...'
Seeing this, Butsushura sighed inwardly, "If you don't kill, then wait to be killed by someone else."
The initiation ceremony for the new members ended quickly, and the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only Kojima Sakae waiting there trembling with fear.
Aoki Tsuki handed the other person a note and said, "Go to this place and keep an eye on things. Collect any clues related to Shisui Uchiha's death."
"I'm responsible for collecting and organizing this information. Are you capable of this job?"
"Yes, I can do it." Kojima Sakae nodded repeatedly.
"Heh... that's not an easy task. Good luck."
"Come with me."
Butsushura led Kojima Sakae away from the underground cave, which was a secret hideout where newcomers were led there by elders and blindfolded during the process.
Aoki Tsuki quickly gave chase; he had already spotted Hoshisame hiding in the crowd, which was expected.
The opponent's speed and Chakra reflexes were at the Jonin, but they couldn't escape his perception range.
They sped along and unexpectedly entered a courtyard of a daimyo's mansion.
"Wait... so many people, are they Guardian Ninja? And this Chakra... I feel like I've encountered it somewhere before..."
After entering the courtyard, Hoshisame went to Kazuma's room to report the intelligence she had gathered.
"Boss, I've found the Jashin Cult's stronghold. Those guys are a bunch of lunatics..."
Then, Hoshisame recounted what she had seen and heard.
Kazuma and asked, "Any leads on the mysterious person who released the information about Body Flicker Shisui? Is it possible that the Jashin Cult is behind this?"
"That's unclear for now. The leader of the Jashin Cult wears a mask and seems very mysterious."
"Continue monitoring. Konoha sent people today, and they paid their respects to the Daimyo this afternoon. It's estimated they'll begin their operation within the next couple of days."
"Boss, should we reveal the location of the Jashin Cult to them?"
Kazuma shook his head. "Don't underestimate Konoha's reconnaissance capabilities. It all depends on whether they want to or not. Right now, their most pressing concern is definitely not the Jashin Cult."
You mean...?
"If I'm not mistaken, their primary task is to find the guy who spread the false news of Shisui Uchiha's death."
Next, keep an eye on the Exchange.
As the daimyo's Guardian Ninja and local strongmen of Kyoto, no one knew the situation here better than them.
"Understood." After reporting the situation, Hoshisame left the courtyard and disappeared into the night.
On the other side, Asuma is playing shogi with Chiriku.
"You're very skilled in tactical maneuvering; I'm no match for you..." Chiriku said.
"Haha... I've loved playing this since I was a kid. By the way, you ninja monks must have a lot of free time. What do you usually do?"
"My main task is studying Buddhist scriptures. Chakra training is only for self-defense and is not my primary focus. In addition, I also have to handle religious ceremonies for believers, so I'm very busy."
"Well, it seems being a monk isn't so easy after all."
" Hoshisame has been nowhere to be seen these past few days. Could he be taking advantage of the situation to do something bad? Have you heard that rumor lately?"
"Yeah, I haven't been back to the village for a long time either. The relationship between the Uchiha and the village hasn't been good since that incident, but the people sent by the village have arrived today."
It's the Jonin Commander led by Hayama Shirakumo. He's highly skilled in Wind Release Ninjutsu, so I believe we'll see results soon."
"I hope so. I've already spoken to the others. If Kazuma tries to do something bad, we'll stop them together," Chiriku reminded them.
Asuma didn't refuse, nodding and saying, "I hope he behaves himself; I haven't had enough of this job yet."
If the Twelve Guardian Ninja turn against each other, it means their relationship will completely break down, and this newly formed organization will be forced to disband.
Regardless of which side ultimately prevails, neither the Daimyo nor Konoha will allow this organization to continue existing.