The Land of Waves.
They don't have their own ninja village; it's been occupied by an evil merchant named Gato, who runs a maritime trade and is a famous and wealthy man.
They secretly employ ninjas to smuggle contraband and control maritime transportation in the Land of Waves.
For island nations, controlling maritime lifelines means controlling the country's wealth, politics, and people—everything.
At the mountaintop villa, Gato was kneeling in his living room, trembling with fear.
Because he encountered Jashin Cult even more sinister than himself, a group of men in black robes forcibly occupied his home and threw all his guards out.
Click...
The cigar cutter cut off the cap of the cigar, snapped his fingers to light it, and took a puff.
It tastes delicious.
These wicked businessmen really know how to enjoy life. They don't possess any power, yet they can control the Shinobi World with money. The world shouldn't be like this.
' Madara, maybe you're right!'
"I heard you're very rich. I wonder how much you're willing to spend to buy your life?"
"My lord, you may take whatever you desire, just don't kill me," Gato replied in a panic.
"You're not being honest, are you?" Aoki Tsuki used a cigar cutter to loop around Gato's index finger, slowly applying pressure. "I've got my eye on this, can I take it too?"
"Ah... it's broken... spare me, let's talk this out."
"Trying to treat us like bandits who rob and plunder? This is an insult to the Jashin, a grave sin that cannot be forgiven even with an apology."
We only accept donations from believers.
Gato quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I have always been a follower of the Jashin. Please allow me to express my feelings."
"Yes, I'm glad you think that way. It's good that your merchant ships are frequently seen passing by the ports of the Land of Hot Water."
I heard you're a wicked businessman; looks like you're destined to be associated with our Jashin Cult.
"I... I'm willing to join; it would be my honor."
Gato looked unwilling, but he was powerless against the odds. If he dared to resist, he would be sacrificed on the spot.
"Since you are a follower of this religion, stand up and speak."
Aoki Tsuki waved his hand, signaling Gato to stand up, before saying, "You've been hiring Kirigakure, the rogue Zabuza Momochi?"
Gato, confused, had no choice but to confess.
"Yes, I'm in the shipping business. I often encounter pirates, and occasionally I need strong ninjas to escort my goods."
"Go back and tell him that from now on, your goods can only be escorted by members of the Jashin Cult, and he's not allowed to take on any missions unless he joins the Jashin Cult as well."
"Hi!"
Gato immediately guessed that the person in front of him was trying to Zabuza to join the Jashin Cult.
He was dragged Zabuza that bastard Zabuza, that damned guy!
One week later, in the forest cabin.
" Zabuza! Something terrible has happened! Mr. Gato has refused to entrust us with escorting the goods!"
"What?!" Zabuza shock; the long-term meal ticket he had finally found had run into trouble.
" Gato Company is now affiliated with the Jashin Cult and only accepts escorts from members of the Jashin Cult. He said that if we want to continue doing missions, we'd better join the Jashin Cult as well."
It's not just his company; shipping companies in the surrounding waters are all like this.
"Damn it! It's that guy again..."
Zabuza furious. He thought the matter was over, but he never expected that even hiding in this remote little country, he couldn't escape the oppression of the Jashin Cult.
"What do we do now? Maybe we should leave this place," Bai suggested.
"No, any further in is Konoha -controlled territory. We can't survive there. This is the safest place we can get."
Zabuza inquired and learned that there was also Jashin Cult in the Land of Fire.
"Let's go to the Land of Hot Water. I want to see what that guy is up to."
"Hi."
Three days later, the two arrived at the Land of Hot Water by boat.
Compared to the impoverished Land of Waves, this place, as a maritime transportation hub in the ninja world, is infinitely more prosperous.
Having just arrived, I don't know who to address.
After some investigation, they discovered a newly built arena on a small island next to the Land of Hot Water. They found that you could earn a lot of money by fighting there.
Zabuza was very excited. This was much easier than the hard work he did doing assassinations to earn money, so he immediately signed up.
There was no other way; if they couldn't get any money, he and Bai would have to beg on the streets.
Zabuza, wielding the Kubikiribōchō, possesses formidable strength, sweeping aside all opponents and advancing through the ranks to become a gold medalist, earning an appearance fee of 1 million taels.
The prerequisite is that a service contract must be signed with the arena.
"What?! This arena is also controlled by the Jashin Cult?!"
Zabuza had just signed the document, was informed of this news and immediately flew into a rage.
Oyashiro En nodded and explained, " The Jashin Cult is the local tyrant of the Land of Hot Water. If you want to survive here, you can't completely get rid of them."
I had no choice but to cooperate with them. Don't worry about the details.
"So, I'm a member of the Jashin Cult now?"
"More than that, you're an elite member with a signed contract, receiving a guaranteed monthly salary. Putting everything else aside, the Jashin Cult offers the best benefits I've ever seen."
Can you really let go of it?!
The Jashin Cult is notorious in the Shinobi World, but they have no choice but to survive.
Having signed the contract, Zabuza received a private villa and several servants, transforming himself from a wandering rogue ninja into a top-tier enforcer.
Aoki Tsuki was secretly pleased upon receiving this news.
Since the Jashin Cult had no income, he came up with a plan and found Oyashiro En to cooperate in reopening the fighting casino in the Land of Hot Water.
As a maritime trade center, this place sees a constant stream of tourists and merchants, and the box office revenue is enough to support the daily operations of the Jashin Cult.
Oyashiro En had experience, and the Jashin Cult had funds and strength, so the two sides hit it off immediately.
On this day, Zabuza were invited to the headquarters of the Jashin Cult.
"It really was you!" Zabuza already guessed that it was Aoki Tsuki was behind it all.
"Hahaha... Brother Zabuza, I never expected to meet you again. We have quite a connection."
What exactly is your purpose?
"I recognized your strength. The Jashin Cult lacks a powerful fighter like you to maintain its reputation; I alone cannot shoulder the burden."
From now on, you'll be in charge of security at the arena. That's all.
Aoki Tsuki then gave a general overview of the framework and current state of the Jashin Cult. The cult members are mainly responsible for proselytizing, and occasionally people will ask them to do tasks.
Only when the lower-level followers are truly unable to handle the situation will these elite members be sent to intervene.
After Zabuza defected from Kirigakure, he had basically no contact with other forces and knew little about the Shinobi World world.
This affected his judgment.
After hesitating for a moment, he nodded in agreement. In his mind, the reason why Aoki Tsuki recruited him was because he was interested in his assassination skills.
This was his livelihood, so he didn't object to it, treating it simply as an employment relationship.
"Oh, by the way, I can tell you some good news for free, about Kirigakure."
"Is it about the Fourth Mizukage? I already know."
Although Zabuza defected from Kirigakure, he still couldn't let go of the village and paid close attention to intelligence in this area.
"That's right, the Fourth Mizukage is indeed dead. The Kirigakure is now under the management of Genji, and the policy of the Bloody Mist has ended."
Don't worry about it. If you ever decide you don't want to work here anymore, just let me know. I won't force you to stay.
Zabuza here today to check out the Jashin Cult, and found it wasn't as mysterious as he thought; it was just an ordinary religion, which put his mind at ease.
I stayed for a while and then left.
"Mr. Zabuza, this Jashin Cult doesn't seem to be as evil as the rumors say," Haku asked curiously.
"As a ninja, don't be fooled by appearances; be wary of lies."
"I've got it."
"There's nowhere better to go for now, so let's stay in the Land of Hot Water for a while."
Having been a defector from Kirigakure for so long, no Hunter-nin Unit had come looking for him, Zabuza beginning to believe that the village's policies had truly changed.
It's truly infuriating that Demon of the Hidden Mist has been reduced to a henchman for a cult.
"They've left?" Kikuno Momo came over with tea, ready to serve the two of them.
"Let's go. This guy used to be in the Kirigakure Assassination Unit. He's cautious and very suspicious. We'll wait until he's been using the name of the Jashin Cult for a while."
It won't be easy to break free.
Once a ninja is labeled, there's no way to erase that label.
"Are you trying to recruit him into Akatsuki?"
The current Jashin Cult can be seen as an outer organization of Akatsuki, ostensibly responsible for spreading Jashin Cult, but actually also serving as an intelligence-gathering unit.
The intelligence gathered here, along with the Akatsuki's intelligence network, will eventually be integrated, and Kikuno Momo is now in full control.
A cult and a terrorist organization colluded.
Aoki Tsuki shook his head. "He's different from other rogue ninjas. This guy assassinated the Mizukage and was forced into exile in order to change the terrible state of Kirigakure."
He still loves his village and would never join us in overthrowing the Five Great Nations.
"That's a real pity. According to intelligence, this guy is a top-notch assassin."
"It won't affect anything. If there are suitable missions within Akatsuki, we can just have him carry them out in the name of the Jashin Cult."
For now, we should focus on making him feel a sense of belonging, providing him with the best benefits, freedom, and rights.
We can corrupt him with sweet words and eventually make him work for us.
"Fine, you're as despicable as ever."
"Hahaha... You probably don't know, but the core members of Akatsuki are either mentally unstable or serial killers."
"I'm the only normal person here, and the pressure is immense working in a terrorist organization, which is why I have to keep getting stronger."
She started hinting at the Uchiha inheritance again, but Kikuno Momo wasn't falling for it.
"I know you're a good person. Don't worry, I'll do my best to support you. By the way, I recently learned a massage technique."
"Really? I have a headache, come and help me relieve it."
"How's the pressure?" Kikuno Momo asked as she pressed.
"Very good, very good. Actually, my back is a little sore. Could you give me a massage while you're at it?"
"All right..."
Kikuno Momo sensed something was wrong; she had only intended to show goodwill and take the opportunity to get closer to Kikuno Momo.
Sure enough, Aoki Tsuki began to make demands.
"Sister Mimoto, I've heard that there are actually many techniques involved in massage, including foot massage, shoulder massage, ear cleaning, and essential oil back massage, etc."
Just the back massage alone has subdivisions like manual massage and aggressive massage, I want to try them all... Ouch, that hurts...
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, my technique is clumsy, did I hurt you?"
"Never mind, my back is better now, you can just massage my shoulders."