"Ah, this..."
Rie Uzumaki's face turned as red as a ripe peach.
"If Miss Rie is unwilling..."
Before Simu could finish, Rie interrupted him.
"No! Since Lord Simu was the one who saved me... If it is Lord Simu, then it's not out of the question..."
Hidan immediately frowned upon hearing this. What kind of terrible lines are these!
Simu, however, showed no particular expression. He used his only remaining hand to conduct an examination of Rie Uzumaki's current physical condition. As his palm touched her skin, Rie's face grew even redder.
She stared at the indifferent yet handsome lines of Simu's face and became dazed. Even her breathing grew heavy, eventually turning into audible gasps.
"Miss Rie?"
"Miss Rie?"
Simu shook her slightly. She finally snapped out of her trance-like state.
"The examination is complete."
Simu looked at her fair hand, which was gripping his clothes tightly, and spoke calmly. Only then did Rie realize she had grabbed his sleeve. She quickly let go and apologized.
"I am terribly sorry, Lord Simu!"
Simu waved it off. "It's fine. According to my check, your body is temporarily stable. There is only some residual Natural Energy left, which will metabolize on its own over time."
"This recovery ability is truly... shocking."
He never expected that after such severe injuries and the invasion of Natural Energy, Rie Uzumaki's body could return to normal so quickly.
"This might be because my constitution is somewhat special."
After saying this, Rie's expression suddenly turned somber. For an ordinary person, possessing such a powerful constitution was often not a blessing.
"I wonder if Lord Simu has heard of... the Uzumaki Clan."
Simu raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. "I would like to hear more."
Rie Uzumaki nodded and began her story. "The Uzumaki Clan possesses a physical constitution far beyond that of normal people. We also mastered extremely powerful Sealing Jutsu and sensory ninjutsu."
"With these powers, the Uzumaki Clan successfully established the Land of Whirlpools with Hidden Eddy Village at its center during the end of the Warring States Period. We even signed a friendship treaty with the Hidden Leaf Village, the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."
Rie's eyes grew hollow as she sighed and continued.
"But the good times didn't last. Because our Sealing Jutsu and constitution were too powerful, and because our ally, the Hidden Leaf, was in decline, we were targeted. During the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed by a joint invasion from the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning."
She looked at Simu. "Lord Simu can probably guess what happened next."
Simu nodded. Once a nation is destroyed, the fate of a race with special powers is easy to predict. They would be hunted by various factions trying to force out their Sealing Jutsu secrets or, like Orochimaru, used for various experiments due to their unique bodies.
The atmosphere became heavy until Hidan clicked his tongue. He spoke in a carefree manner. "Since they were destroyed by the Land of Water and Land of Lightning, we should just find a chance to offer everyone from those two countries to Lord Jashin."
"Offer them all to Jashin?"
Rie Uzumaki was stunned. She had heard of the God of Shinobi, but who was this Jashin?
Hidan muttered grumpily, "Bastard Simu, I keep saying we should just slaughter a city to let the whole world know the prestige of Lord Jashin!"
Simu glanced at him. "Idiot."
While Simu also wanted to spread the name of the Jashin Religion to gain massive Reputation points, the timing wasn't right. He didn't understand this world deeply enough yet, and his knowledge of the military strength of the Five Great Shinobi Nations was only superficial.
Under these circumstances, if he followed Hidan's plan and openly slaughtered a city, what if he encountered a terrifying counterattack he couldn't handle? Even with the advantage of an Immortal Body and the ability to create clones, what if this world possessed power equivalent to a nuclear bomb?
If a strike like that hit the Jashin Religion headquarters, he would be looking at a 'Game Over' regardless of how many clones he had. Simu was already actively creating backups, mimicking Orochimaru's "many burrows for a cunning rabbit" strategy. However, he needed intelligence before taking major action. Otherwise, how would he be any different from Hidan?
Rie Uzumaki was completely baffled by their conversation. Slaughtering cities? Lord Jashin? These don't sound like 'good person' things at all!
But then again, Lord Simu is...
"What do you plan to do next?" Simu asked calmly. "Find a place to hide and live a quiet life?"
His question threw Rie back into a state of confusion. Yes, even though I've been rescued and no longer have to suffer painful experiments day and night... what will I do with my life now?
Hidan frowned, annoyed. "Is that even a question? Obviously, she should seek revenge!"
He raised his hands, a look of manic cruelty appearing in his eyes. "Revenge, killing, and then sacrificing all the enemies to Lord Jashin. What a beautiful thing!"
"Revenge..."
Rie gripped the hem of the trench coat, feeling Simu's lingering scent on the fabric.
"More than revenge... I want to follow Lord Simu."
"Hmm?"
Simu was a bit surprised. Has my charisma reached such a level?
Rie Uzumaki suddenly knelt on the ground and prostrated herself before Simu. She cried out loudly, "That's right! I want to stay by Lord Simu's side!"
Looking at the suddenly emotional girl, Simu frowned slightly. He didn't mind people joining him, but he didn't understand her behavior. Logically, even if he was her savior, she shouldn't be this... fervent.
Furthermore, shouldn't a normal person's psychological priority be revenge? Why would she put following him before her own vengeance? Was it a side effect of the residual Natural Energy in her body? Or had his own body undergone some special change?
Suppressing his doubts, Simu spoke. "If you want to follow me, your current strength is a bit lacking."
Disappointment immediately flashed across Rie's face. However, Simu's tone shifted. "But if Miss Rie is willing to become my experimental subject, it isn't impossible."
Rie looked up in surprise, staring intently at Simu's near-perfect face. That face was the single beam of light shining into her dark life! She didn't hesitate for a second.
"As long as I can stay by Lord Simu's side, I don't care if I become an experimental subject!"