"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" Jashin Cult jonin took two steps back, anger and humiliation flashing in his eyes. He waved a hand sharply. "Everyone, get them!"
"They're just a bunch of brats!"
At his command, the cult followers charged forward in a frenzy.
The jonin himself stayed behind, quickly forming hand seals.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Seeing this, Seisui calmly drew his blade, pressing off the ground with his toes—and vanished from sight.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind the cultists.
He didn't even glance back. Slowly, he slid the sword back into its sheath.
As the blade clicked into place—shhk—blood erupted from the cultists' necks in crimson arcs.
"I told you," Seisui said softly, turning around, "before me, you are like mayflies before the heavens."
He spoke as though describing something utterly trivial.
Meanwhile, Jashin Cult jonin hiding beneath the ground, having used the Headhunter Jutsu, stared upward in horror.
"Damn it! That brat's supposed to be a chunin?!"
The Headhunter Jutsu allowed him to sink beneath the earth and drag others into it, leaving only their heads exposed—but now, he realized his advantage meant nothing.
When I get out of here, I'll skin you alive! he swore inwardly.
But he'd never get the chance.
Among the slain followers were five who had been tasked to deliver reports. Seisui had cut them down in a single stroke—leaving the jonin completely isolated.
There would be no escape.
Glancing at the ground, Seisui clasped his hands together. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"
This was a technique derived from Jiraiya's Water Prison Jutsu, which Seisui had modified himself. It wasn't an offensive or defensive jutsu; it simply converted his water-nature chakra into mist.
Originally, he had used it to pair with Water Guillotine for decapitation strikes.
But after mastering Sage Mode, Seisui could freely manipulate chakra to form water vapor at will, condensing it from the air into a far wider and thicker mist.
Now, it was the perfect choice.
Like the Water Guillotine, as long as his enemy was inside the mist, Seisui could turn it into water currents that bound their movements.
"Damn brat!" The cult jonin sensed danger. Realizing he had no choice but to go all in, he growled, "Then come down here!"
Hands shot up from the ground, reaching to drag Seisui under—
—but he suddenly felt something wet and cold around his wrists.
"What—what is this?" He frowned, struggling to pull free, but his arms wouldn't budge.
"Still not coming out?" Seisui looked down with a faint smirk. "Then die down there."
As he spoke, the thin mist around him thickened in an instant, droplets forming and seeping into the soil, saturating it completely.
Uchiha Haru frowned slightly. "Isn't this… kind of troublesome?"
"It is," Seisui admitted thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Takes too long."
"I'll do it," Haru said. "Let's finish up so we can rest."
"Alright." Seisui nodded and stepped aside.
Haru glanced at the pair of hands protruding from the earth, drew his sword, and coated it with lightning.
The dark blade crackled with blue-violet electricity, dazzling Seisui for a moment.
"This is…"
"I'm channeling Chidori through my sword," Haru explained as he plunged it into the ground between the trapped arms. "It paralyzes enemies and increases cutting power. Chidori works well with the Sharingan."
As blood seeped up through the wet soil, Seisui stroked his chin, not surprised that Haru could imbue his sword with lightning—
—but rather because that sight, the electrified blade, felt strangely familiar.
Where have I seen that before…?
Minato approached, watching the water and blood mix. "Should we report this to Hokage-sama? I remember this mission was already taken before us, and that team never came back."
Seisui nodded after a pause. "Contact Jiraiya-sensei through a toad. He'll know what to do."
"Got it." Minato summoned a communication toad.
Meanwhile, Seisui grabbed the cult jonin's wrists and hauled him bodily out of the ground.
Haru had deliberately avoided striking a vital point, knowing Seisui wanted this man alive. The blade had pierced only the shoulder.
Not far away, deep within the forest, the High Priest of Jashin Cult sat solemnly upon his dais, flanked by his two guardians and dozens of robed followers.
"Why hasn't Jinzo returned yet?"
"It's just four chunin!"
"Has he betrayed us?"
"The ritual's about to begin! If he doesn't return, he'll miss it entirely!"
"Silence." The High Priest's voice was calm and cold, cutting through the noise.
"We'll wait a little longer. If Jinzo doesn't return soon, we'll begin the ceremony without him."
"Yes!" the crowd answered in unison.
"High Priest," murmured the Left Guardian, leaning close, "what if Jinzo defected? If he revealed Lord Jashin's existence—"
The High Priest shook his head. "Jinzo's loyalty is absolute. He wouldn't betray Lord Jashin. Most likely, something unexpected happened. After the ceremony, take a team to investigate."
"Yes." The Left Guardian bowed.
Jinzo—the very man Seisui had just captured—was one of the cult's three jonin, alongside the Left and Right Guardians.
As for the High Priest himself, no one truly knew his strength.
Back at the scene, Seisui stared coldly at the captured Jinzo.
"Speak. Why are you capturing shinobi for your ritual?"
"Heh… You think I'd tell you?" Jinzo sneered through bloodied lips, pale but still defiant.
"Lord Jashin is beyond your imagination!"
"Not afraid of dying, huh?" Seisui raised a brow.
"Death only brings us closer to Lord Jashin's paradise!" Jinzo snarled—and suddenly swung his fist toward his own head.
"You'll get nothing from me! Praise Lord Jashi—"
Before he could finish, his eyes locked with Seisui's—
—and the crimson tomoe of a Mangekyo Sharingan spun to life.
Jinzo froze instantly, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Kushina gasped, pointing at Seisui in shock. "Th-that's… that's a Sharingan?!"
Seisui smacked his forehead. Right—he'd forgotten Kushina was standing right beside him.
But it didn't matter.
"Yeah," he said casually. "It just… awakened on its own."
The explanation was so offhand that no one could even argue against it. Whether they believed him or not was their problem.
If they doubted him, they could always test it themselves.
If they believed him—good. Let them find their own reasons.
Brushing off Kushina's disbelief, Seisui turned his attention back to Jinzo.
He wasn't skilled in genjutsu, but the Sharingan carried its own form of hypnosis—and his Mangekyo took that ability to the extreme.
As long as someone met his gaze… they would fall completely under his control.
It was the unique ability of his Mangekyo—a perfect compensation for his lack of illusionary talent.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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