Chapter 27: The Jashin Ritual, A Glorious Future!
When Hidan mentioned that name, Uchiha Ci's gaze flickered slightly.
The Cult of Jashin.
He only knew a little about it.
It was a mysterious organization wandering within the Land of Hot Water, one that worshipped a so-called "Evil God."
The powerful within this sect could wield unique blood curses and ritualistic secret arts, granting them terrifying "kill-on-sight" abilities.
In the original timeline, the Hidden Hot Water Village was known for its pacifism — avoiding conflict, isolating itself, and even earning the title "The Village That Forgot War."
But that mindset clashed with Hidan's belief in saving the Land of Hot Water through force. Disillusioned by his village's cowardice, he began to pay attention to a rising religion within the country — the Cult of Jashin.
What Ci hadn't expected was that, at this point in time, Hidan — who wasn't even a Genin yet — had already noticed this organization.
At that moment, Hidan's expression darkened as he said grimly,
"Let me tell you something, Ci. Listen carefully—"
"The Land of Hot Water… is already beyond saving!"
"This country has been dragged into the wars of the Five Great Nations. Do you even understand what that means?"
Hidan's face turned shadowy and cold, his tone low and harsh.
"I've seen too many ninja in the Land of Hot Water."
"From Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and even Konoha — these shinobi bearing the headbands of great nations rampage across this land. They don't care about the lives of Hot Water's civilians. Every encounter turns into a battle to the death. They unleash massive jutsu without restraint."
"Have you ever experienced that? Walking down a road, when suddenly — a nearby village is swallowed by a flood, split open by an earthquake, or obliterated by lightning from the sky?"
"And then… my teacher — a Jonin from Hot Water — grabbed my shoulder and said to me—"
'Hidan, hurry, we'll be safe once we reach the Hidden Hot Water Village.'
"I still remember his terrified face, sweat pouring down his forehead. His eyes were full of anger, yet he turned away, unable to meet my gaze."
Uchiha Ci took a deep breath.
The sunlight streamed through a hole in the wall, falling across Hidan's body. Yet it felt as though that light was being swallowed whole — like he himself was a black hole.
His expression was dark, grim, almost monstrous. Rage twisted his face, his eyes wide and trembling, the corners of his mouth pulled tight.
"I asked my teacher," Hidan said, voice low and trembling.
"Why aren't you saving them?"
"With your strength, you could, couldn't you? You could kill those Chunin slaughtering civilians, erase the traces, and escape afterward, couldn't you?"
"Then why not do it?"
"Why not kill them!?"
"Why!?"
He paused, then looked up at Ci, eyes bloodshot.
"You know what he said to me?"
Ci slowly exhaled, sighing.
"Probably something like—'Hidan, don't cause trouble, we can't win against them,' right?"
The contrast struck him sharply — reminding him of Uchiha Setsuna, who had faced the Cloud shinobi without hesitation, ready to explode himself just to avenge Ci.
For the sake of one Genin, he was willing to start a clan-wide manhunt.
That was when Ci first truly understood what it meant for the Uchiha to be "a clan of love" — their love so intense, it bordered on madness.
But Hidan only shook his head with a bitter smile.
"No… my teacher said—"
'Those people have nothing to do with us. Don't meddle.'
"Listen to that!" Hidan snarled.
"He said — those people have nothing to do with us!"
"My teacher's hometown was that very village! We left our village just to bring his wife back home!"
"And he dared to say those people had nothing to do with us?!"
Fury boiled over — Hidan grabbed the apple from Ci's hand and smashed it violently to the ground, pulp splattering everywhere.
Uchiha Ci blinked.
Seriously? That was my apple, you maniac!
He sighed helplessly. Even though he'd long expected the world of shinobi to be rotten, hearing it firsthand still left a bitter taste in his chest.
"This world is rotten, that's true. But what you're saying—what's it got to do with the Cult of Jashin?"
Hidan nodded gravely. From the pouch at his waist, he pulled out a small pamphlet and slapped it into Ci's hand with fiery conviction.
"Ci, look at this!"
"Read this creed!"
"The fallen Land of Hot Water has finally found its dawn!"
"Its name is—"
"The Cult of Jashin!"
A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Kill! Kill them all! Kill everything around you!"
"Stand up and kill, squat down and kill, tie a man to a stable and kill, drench him in horse dung and cut him down, bind his arms and kick him into boiling oil—kill, kill, kill!"
"Ninja, civilians, nobles, daimyō—"
"Kill them all!"
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"
"Let this nation be cleansed in blood!"
"Set the stage, paint the flowers red, build a mound of skulls from countless lives, and begin the grand ritual!"
"And then—"
"Welcome our god, Jashin!"
"When the deity descends, every believer will attain eternal agony!"
"All sins will be purged!"
"The reborn Land of Hot Water will, in the Evil God's embrace, rise as the Sixth Great Nation!"
"And it shall know peace—forever!"
As he finished, Hidan spread his arms wide under the searing sunlight, eyes gleaming with holy madness.
To him, this was salvation.
To Uchiha Ci, it was sheer lunacy.
Ci swallowed hard, staring at Hidan, voice trembling slightly.
"You've… already joined the Cult of Jashin?"
Hidan suddenly looked downcast and shook his head.
"Not yet."
"But they should be arriving soon—"
Bursting into laughter, he clapped a hand on Ci's shoulder, eyes shining with twisted sincerity.
"Ci, help me."
"To join the Cult of Jashin, I need a sacrifice!"
"I already offered myself, but that's not enough. I need you!"
"Come with me — let's walk the cross together and become the Evil God's faithful!"
"Then—"
"We'll stand atop this nation side by side, and make the Land of Hot Water—"
"Great forever!"
Ci's expression stiffened. Sweat trickled down his temple as he stared at Hidan in disbelief.
No subtitles appeared in his vision — which meant this guy was serious.
He truly believed this was a good thing!
Ci's face twitched.
To Hidan, becoming a sacrifice was a good thing — it would grant him immortality, mastery over Jashin's blood-curse techniques, a guaranteed climb up the cult's ranks…
A promotion, a raise, the title of Executive Priest, maybe even marriage to the twin sisters Crimson Crescent Scythe and Black Spear, and a glorious life at the top.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him giddy.
But Uchiha Ci…
"Wait…"
A spark flickered in his eyes — as if he suddenly saw a bright, paved highway leading straight toward a perfect insurance scam!
Angels sang, fairies scattered petals — all that was missing was him taking that one step forward.
This… could actually work for me too!
After all, the Cult of Jashin was an infamous dark organization.
And as a righteous man, a beacon of peace destined to lead the shinobi world toward a better future—
How could Uchiha Ci possibly stand idly by?
Eyes shining, he jumped down from the bed in one swift motion, gripping the Jashin pamphlet tightly as he seized Hidan's hands.
"Hidan, my good brother!"
"Perfect!"
"Let's join the Cult of Jashin together!"
"Our future will be bright!"