Chapter 40: Religion and Hell Hounds
A middle-aged man wearing ill-fitting, ornate robes stood on high ground, waving his arms, the bone necklace around his neck clattering.
"Just fast for three days! Empty the 'human scent' from your bodies, and those hounds won't be able to smell us!"
The fat priest roared with a flushed face: "Hunger is a gift from God! It is the only way to become one with nature!"
Below the altar, hundreds of villagers knelt on the ground. They were skin and bones, their eye sockets sunken, looking like skeletons draped in human skin, yet they used the last of their strength to shout fanatically:
"Praise the High Priest! Praise God!"
On a nearby treetop, Yahiko watched this absurd scene and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Starving people until they're just bone—there really isn't much meat left for the dogs to eat." Yahiko took a bite of the apple in his hand, his eyes mocking. "From a certain perspective, the logic is flawless."
The three did not hide their presence; their black robe with red clouds were particularly eye-catching among the gray, despondent crowd.
"Heretics!"
The High Priest turned abruptly and rushed over with several gaunt guards holding wooden sticks. He had intended to berate them, but when he saw Deva Path Pain's cold, lifeless Rinnegan, his throat felt as if it were being squeezed.
His instinct as a long-time fraud made his spine tingle. The High Priest forced himself to puff out his chest and said with bluster, "Lost sheep, Hell Hounds roam this place. If you do not believe in my holy religion, there is only the path of death!"
"Stop acting. We're here for the dogs."
Yahiko casually tossed away the apple core, interrupting his preaching. "Lead the way to the Hell Hounds' nest."
Looking for dogs? It was more like looking for death!
The High Priest was stunned for a moment. His murky eyes darted around, a flicker of sinister joy crossing them.
There wasn't enough food here anyway. Since these three fat sheep had come to die, he might as well use those beasts' mouths to deal with them. He might even be able to scavenge those expensive-looking robes.
"Since you insist on atonement..." The High Priest immediately put on a compassionate face and turned to point the way. "God will forgive your foolishness. Follow me; that is a land of sin."
Yahiko's lips curled slightly, but he didn't expose him.
Having a guide was better than wandering aimlessly through the deep mountains and old forests.
Deep in the canyon, the air was nauseatingly thick.
The further they went, the deeper the claw marks on the tree trunks became—scars left by sharp claws tearing through hardwood. The air was thick with the stench of fermenting carrion.
"It's just ahead."
The High Priest stopped before a gloomy cave and pointed into the pitch-black opening. His voice was very low, clearly showing his own fear. "The Lord says, as long as your heart is sincere..."
"Roar—!!"
A foul wind hit their faces—the smell of death!
Before they could even blink, three streaks of black lightning shot out from the bushes. They were three Hell Hounds, as large as calves, with thick saliva hanging from their fangs and bloodthirsty red light flashing in their compound eyes.
"Ah!!"
No miracle occurred.
Before the High Priest could even take a step back, a Hell Hound pounced on him from the side, its massive jaws snapping shut.
Crack!
It was the crisp sound of cervical vertebrae being crushed.
Blood gushed out like a high-pressure water gun, instantly staining his ridiculous, ornate robes red.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
The High Priest's eyes bulged as his hands weakly clawed at the Hell Hound's tough fur. His throat had been torn out, and a large amount of blood foam flooded his windpipe, making a sound like a broken bellows in his dying gasps.
"Hmph."
A cold snort rang out.
No one saw the movement, but Animal Path Pain had already appeared beside the corpse like a ghost. The black chakra rod in his hand was driven through the Hell Hound's skull at an extremely precise and violent angle, pinning it straight into the ground!
Pfft!
Brains splattered. The Hell Hound that was still biting died instantly without even letting out a whimper.
But the High Priest was beyond saving.
As his blood drained, his body was rapidly growing cold.
Yahiko walked slowly to him, looking down at the charlatan.
He had expected to hear curses or pleas for mercy, but in the final moments of his life, the High Priest's eyes were terrifyingly clear.
He tremblingly reached out a blood-stained hand and firmly grabbed Yahiko's trouser leg.
There was no fear of death, only a sense of relief from laying down a heavy burden, and a plea so humble it was in the dust.
"Save... the villagers..."
Blood foam bubbled from the High Priest's mouth as he intermittently squeezed out his final words: "I lied to them... but only this way... would they not run around and go to their deaths..."
"Please... in the next life, I will serve you like an ox or a horse to repay you..."
His pupils dilated, and his arm fell limply.
The middle-aged man who had survived through deception was dead. He died with his eyes open, tears still hanging from the corners.
In this hellish, chaotic world, even deception was for the sake of letting people linger on for a few more days.
Yahiko looked at the corpse and remained silent for a second.
"Though his methods were lowly, he was a pitiful man."
He looked up toward the deep interior of the canyon.
The smell of blood from just now had completely set the place off.
Rumble, rumble—
The ground began to tremble as if thousands of horses were galloping.
From the depths of that gloomy cave, countless pairs of crimson eyes lit up. Then, hundreds of Hell Hounds surged out like a black tide! They jostled and roared, carrying a violent aura that threatened to consume everything, coming at them in an overwhelming swarm!
Facing this beast tide that was enough to drive a small ninja village to despair, Yahiko smiled.
He pulled several specially made kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
On the handle of each Kunai was engraved a technique formula that had once struck terror into the Ninja World.
"Just right. I'll test a new move on you."
Yahiko spun the Kunai lightly on his fingertips, watching the surging black wave. A flicker of predator-like excitement flashed in his eyes.
"Well then, let's have a true feast of slaughter."
Whoosh!
The Kunai turned into afterimages, shooting into the pack of beasts.
An Orange Flash was about to tear through the darkness.
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