Chapter 26: Restless Thoughts, The Curtain Rises!
With a creak, Hidan pulled the door shut behind him.
The room fell silent once more.
Uchiha Ci stared at the scroll in his hands, a weight sinking heavily in his chest.
He should've died deep within the volcano—yet here he was, alive, breathing.
And now, in his hands, lay a scroll containing an S-rank forbidden jutsu.
He didn't feel lucky.
To be alive and breathing fresh air again...
To see sunlight piercing through the cracks in the wall...
To feel its burning warmth sear across the markings on his hand—inch by inch.
All of this was because— The Uchiha Great Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, chose to burn himself away at the very end, Opening a path for him to survive.
However—
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!"
Uchiha Ci clenched the bedsheet tightly, his face showing none of the relief of surviving catastrophe.
Instead— His entire expression twisted in fear.
Lowering his head, his scarlet Sharingan eyes widened, lips trembling, teeth chattering, even his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
The tomoe in his eyes spun madly.
His heart pumped furiously against his ribs, thundering like war drums.
In his mind, one name pressed down on him like boulders stacking one after another—Uchiha Setsuna.
The weight was suffocating.
Uchiha Ci was always painfully self-aware.
He knew he was just an ordinary man— He laughed when happy, cried when sad, grew discouraged when he failed, and felt rage when humiliated.
He had the emotions of a normal human being.
If someone truly treated him like Karin treated Sasuke—willing to give her life for him—
Could he really stab them without hesitation like Sasuke did in his revenge days?
Or cut down his loved ones like that "filial son" Itachi?
That wasn't solving problems—that was a sick way of venting anger.
So— He had always done his best to avoid contact with people from the original story, to avoid deep entanglements with anyone in this world.
But now…
At that moment—
A folded piece of paper slipped out from between the scroll's pages, landing in Uchiha Ci's palm.
One line of writing made him freeze on the spot:
"You just deliver it. I'll handle the rest. Also—I'm not dead."
Uchiha Ci: "..."
He blinked a few times, scratched his head—
And finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Then his face twisted again as he quickly rolled the scroll shut, cursing under his breath:
"Damn it, old geezer—if you weren't dead, you could've said so earlier! Why hide it so tight?"
"Had me spiraling into all kinds of nonsense thoughts... get lost, get lost, all of it, get out of my head!"
Uchiha Ci raised his hand and waved frantically at the air, as if shooing away something dirty.
After all, Uchiha Setsuna was one of the few surviving elite jōnin of the Uchiha from the Warring States era. Of course he would know Izanagi, the forbidden jutsu that rewrites reality itself to escape death.
Ci had just panicked, forgetting that little fact in the heat of emotion.
Just then—
The door creaked open again.
Hidan entered with a tall man in tow—just in time to see Uchiha Ci waving his hands wildly at the air.
To him, it looked like Ci was miming sword techniques, slicing at invisible enemies with "whoosh whoosh" gestures.
Hidan couldn't help but snicker. "Yo, didn't expect that, huh? You've got some spirit after all!"
"Nice, keep it up! Hahaha."
"I've never gone through that kind of phase myself, but I've read about it in books. Don't be shy, I get it, I get it."
Uchiha Ci's face stayed blank.
He thought grimly: You? Never been through that phase?
With how you keep saying "this great lord" every other sentence, you clearly never grew out of it!
Still, under their gazes, Ci awkwardly looked away, coughed, and muttered,
"There was… a fly."
At that, the tall doctor behind Hidan lifted his head slightly and said flatly,
"That's impossible. I sprayed insect repellent around here."
[Shennong looks at you with disdain.]
Uchiha Ci's face turned red instantly—but when he noticed the floating text in front of him, he blinked in confusion again.
"Oh, right—let me introduce you." Hidan stepped aside and gestured proudly at the doctor. "This is Doctor Shennong, a wandering physician traveling across the ninja world."
"If it weren't for him, you would've bled out and died already."
Ci lifted his gaze, a faint glint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
That name… and that look.
A brown hood covering his head, revealing ash-gray hair, and a light yellow coat draped over his tall frame—
That was none other than Shennong, the leader of the Sky Ninja Village!
The man who would one day pilot an airborne fortress across the ninja world—what was he doing here, in the Land of Hot Water?
And why was he with Hidan?
Shennong's calm eyes glanced over Ci, as though appraising a slab of worthless meat.
After a brief pause, he said coolly,
"I've treated your wounds. Make sure to drink plenty of hot water. That's all."
Without another word, Shennong shook his head, seemingly disinterested, and turned to leave.
Ci didn't stop him.
They had no connection, no conflict—and Shennong didn't fit into any of Ci's plans for a noble death.
So, just as Shennong showed no interest in an insignificant Uchiha— Ci showed none toward him either.
Even knowing Shennong could open all Eight Gates without dying and could crush him like an insect— Ci had no intention of provoking him.
There's a difference between faking death and committing suicide— Especially when the other side hasn't shown open hostility.
That's why Ci sought the battlefield— Because once you step onto it, the lines are clear. Enemy and ally. Life and death. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Doctor Shennong is a noble man," Hidan said sincerely, watching the doctor's back as he left. "He doesn't even charge for his treatments."
Then he turned back and tossed an apple to Ci.
Ci didn't answer. His eyes deepened as he gave Hidan a sidelong look, clicking his tongue softly.
Noble?
Not necessarily.
If he had to guess, there was only one reason Shennong would be hanging around Hidan—
The Jashinist rituals.
That man's forbidden technique, "Physical Rebirth," allowed him to open all Eight Gates without dying. And the Jashin faith—boasting true immortality of the flesh— Perhaps there was a connection between the two.
Then Hidan plopped down casually beside the bed, grinning broadly.
"Ci, I didn't save your life so you could just lie here."
"Since Doctor Shennong says you're fine, you're coming with me to help with something."
Ci tilted his head, genuinely baffled by Hidan's audacity.
"How do you say things like that with such confidence? And why should I help you?"
"The fact that I haven't stabbed you yet should already count as my mercy. And you expect a wandering ninja to run errands for you?"
Hidan didn't seem the least bit offended. He just chuckled, scratching his cheek.
"I read about this too! I think it's called... repaying kindness with kindness? You're a good person, so you'll definitely help the great Lord Hidan!"
Ci rolled his eyes.
Yeah, he took back what he said earlier—this "clever" Hidan really was brainless.
Shaking his head, Ci smirked faintly and said,
"Fine, let's hear it first. And just so we're clear, if it's not life-threatening, I'm not interested."
Hidan's eyes darkened slightly. The grin faded.
"You... know about the Jashin Cult?"