31-35

Chapter 31: Three Against One, the Advantage Is Mine!

A clear shout echoed through the air.

The kunai in the girl’s hand extended with the wind, transforming into a 60-centimeter-long short blade.

This was a technique that condensed water flow into a rotating water blade, somewhat similar to the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju’s Water Release: Water Blade Slash.

In the next moment, she threw the water blade. With a loud clang, it collided with the black spear that had been hurled with great force.

The impact slightly altered the spear's trajectory, causing it to graze Uchiha Shinji’s face as it flew past.

Immediately following that:

*Water Release: Surface Cutter.*

The girl crouched down, her palm pressed against the ground while her feet stepped on two small splashes of water, reducing friction between her and the ground. She slid rapidly toward Uchiha Shinji below.

Then, in one swift motion, she caught the falling Uchiha Shinji in a princess carry.

Uchiha Shinji was momentarily stunned, catching a faint, sweet fragrance at the tip of his nose, reminiscent of hibiscus flowers growing by the sea.

Before he could regain his senses, the cult leader of the Evil God Sect narrowed his eyes coldly at the unexpected guest who had appeared before him. He flung two black spears from his hands and stamped his foot. Forming the "Snake" seal with his hands, it was evident he was about to activate a jutsu.

“What are you spacing out for? Get ready to run!”

The girl’s emerald-green eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced at the dazed Uchiha Shinji in her arms, furrowed her brows with some dissatisfaction, and decisively flung him aside. Uchiha Shinji almost fell flat on his face.

Without hesitation, she formed a series of hand seals:

*Ox → Snake → Ram.*

*Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique.*

A thick, white mist quickly spread and enveloped the entire village.

Uchiha Shinji felt a soft hand grab his own, and the girl’s bell-like voice sounded beside his ear.

“Let’s go!”

“Go?” Uchiha Shinji raised his head and looked at the hooded girl in front of him. A strand of reddish-brown hair escaped from her hood, dancing by her ear like a streak of sunset.

Quickly recovering his composure, Uchiha Shinji furrowed his brows and shook off her hand as he stood up.

“I can’t leave!”

Earlier, when he shielded the young girl, Yuuko, from the incoming black spear, his palm had been cut by it.

Now, his blood was left at that spot. If the Evil God Sect members retrieved the spear or dug up the blood from the ground, they could use it to activate the *Curse Jutsu: Death Division by Blood!*

At this moment, Uchiha Shinji couldn’t afford to gamble on whether they knew this core jutsu of the Evil God Sect.

If he fled now and was killed by it, it might even be deemed suicide.

And the 500 million ryo bounty would be gone!

From the moment he stepped forward to protect Yuuko, Uchiha Shinji had no intention of running away.

In the next instant, his eyes turned sharp, and his crimson Sharingan began to spin.

Quickly forming a series of hand seals, he slammed his palm onto the ground:

*Super Deathmatch Barrier!*

This jutsu, newly acquired from Moroi, was perfect for situations like this!

A pale red barrier instantly expanded, trapping the three Evil God Sect members and Uchiha Shinji within it.

At the same time, the barrier extended skyward, forcibly ejecting everyone else from the square.

“This is my fight alone!”

Uchiha Shinji rose from the ground, looking at the thick, rolling mist before him. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

With his crimson Sharingan, he could see the faint outlines of his three enemies in the mist. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a cold laugh:

“You like sneak attacks, huh?”

“Very well, let’s begin round two!”

Outside the barrier, the girl who had just helped Uchiha Shinji stared in shock at the scene. She bit her lip in frustration as she saw him rise to his feet within the barrier.

Is he an idiot?!  

I just went through all that trouble to create an opening for him to escape.  

And now, instead of running, he locks himself in with those three maniacs from the Evil God Sect?  

Does he have a death wish?!  

Similarly, Hidan, who had also been pushed outside the barrier, was dumbfounded. He couldn’t help but shout:

“Shinji, have you lost your mind?!”

“If you fight the Evil God Sect’s elites, the entire village will be slaughtered!”

“Besides, you’re just a genin! You can’t beat them!”

Hearing this, Uchiha Shinji’s gaze hardened. Without turning around, he raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up, laughing confidently:

“Don’t worry! As long as I’m alive, they won’t be leaving this barrier!”

“Hidan, take this chance and get everyone to safety!”

Not waiting for Hidan’s reply, Uchiha Shinji immediately began moving through the mist, circling his enemies at high speed.

His crimson Sharingan trailed long, glowing streaks of red light through the fog.

Thanks to the girl’s intervention, Uchiha Shinji had avoided a critical injury and now had the Hidden Mist Technique providing cover, giving him a chance to counterattack.

---

At this moment, the leader of the Cult of the Evil God felt that the situation was becoming tricky.

He calmly gave orders to his subordinates nearby:

"He has the Sharingan, which gives him a visual advantage in this environment."

"However, we outnumber him! Three against one—we have the upper hand!"

"Takeo, use your Wind Release to disperse the thick fog. Takashi, stay on guard and protect me."

"I’ll take that kid’s blood and use the Cursed Technique: Death by Blood to cripple his legs!"

"Then, we’ll kill him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Cult leader immediately rushed toward the pitch-black spear stuck in the ground nearby.

Takeo, the Cult member addressed, formed seals with both hands, preparing to unleash a Wind Release.

But at that very moment—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!  

Three shadows suddenly pierced through the white fog, heading straight for the three of them!

"What’s this? Rocks?"

The trio was startled and instinctively stepped back, their previous actions interrupted.

But these weren’t just rocks!

They were weapons thrown with the unparalleled precision of the Uchiha Style: Manipulated Shuriken Technique!

In the hands of Uchiha Shinji,

anything could be turned into a deadly projectile.

While keeping low, Uchiha Shinji dashed through the fog, moving around the barrier. He continuously picked up stones and dead branches from the ground, then pulled out a pitch-black spear embedded in the earth, hurling everything back at the trio with reverse-hand throws!

The initial three stones merely startled them,

but the subsequent barrage of projectiles

completely threw them into disarray!

In just ten seconds, Uchiha Shinji picked up and threw more than thirty stones and over ten sharp, broken branches.

A dense barrage of projectiles rained down, covering the area like a storm!

Ever seen a bullet-hell tactic?

Hidden among the countless stones and branches was a pitch-black spear,

flying out with the force of a hurricane!

The Cult leader’s pupils shrank in alarm.

Beside him, Takeo, who had almost finished forming seals to unleash a Wind Release and change the tide of battle,

Thud!  

was instantly pierced through the chest by the black spear.

With a gasp, Takeo collapsed to the ground, motionless.

But it wasn’t over yet!

Uchiha Shinji landed with a sudden stop, his body crouched low. His hands were already forming seals!

Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Rabbit → Tiger!  

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!  

Six fireballs, clawing and gnashing, flew toward their targets!

Immediately after,

he pulled out three ninja wires tied to rocks from his nearly empty tool pouch at his back and hurled them toward the remaining Cult members.

With both hands forming seals again—

Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger!  

Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!  

Using his index fingers to guide, the Dragon Flame surged forth, following the wires and ferociously chasing after the two men!

“Damn it! What is with this kid?!”

The Cult leader’s breath caught, his eyes filled with shock, as he dove to the ground to avoid the attack.

His mind was overwhelmed with disbelief.

Damn it, why is this kid so ridiculously skilled at throwing things?!

"You thought three of you were ganging up on me?!"

Under the horrified gazes of the Cult members, Uchiha Shinji let out a sneer, his tone full of disdain.

"Wrong!"

"It’s me, alone, who has surrounded all of you!"

━╤デ╦︻(▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿)

---

Chapter 32: Cursed Technique – Death Controlling Blood! Illusion!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A storm of dark weapons filled the air!

Their trajectories were as unpredictable as falling petals,

Their lethal intent as sudden as nightfall at dawn!

The sheer density and precision of the thrown projectiles sent chills down the spine.

Such an advanced level of shurikenjutsu was unheard of among those present.

This was like witnessing an axe splitting open a butt—

A truly eye-opening experience!

The two members of the Jashin Cult hurriedly retreated behind a crumbling wall to evade the relentless barrage.

Even though they reacted swiftly, they couldn’t completely avoid getting injured.

“Boss, this kid’s firepower is insane!”

The Jashin Cult leader finally realized—

The situation was spiraling out of his control.

Before joining the Jashin Cult, the three of them had been rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water, all at the Chunin level.

By all logic, they weren’t weak.

And they had the advantage of numbers—three against one.

Yet Uchiha Shinji…

With his Sharingan-enhanced perception, his seamless combination of shurikenjutsu and Fire Release techniques,

was attacking in relentless waves, like a humanoid machine gun!

The two Jashin Cultists were struggling to keep up, barely managing to flee under the pressure.

Still, they weren’t fools.

Having survived the war-torn Land of Hot Water,

they continued following their pre-planned strategy even while retreating.

At that moment—

The Jashin Cult leader grabbed the pitch-black spear from the ground and roared:

“Takeo, hold him off! I’ll begin the ritual!”

The cultist called Takeo nodded, gritted his teeth, and sprang out from cover.

His hands had been forming seals for a long time—

*Tiger – Ox – Monkey – Rabbit – Rat – Boar – Rooster – Ox – Horse – Dog – Tiger – Dog – Tiger – Snake – Ox – Monkey – Rabbit!*

With a heavy slap on the ground, he shouted:

“Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!”

This technique had two versions—

An 18-seal weaker variant and a high-level A-rank version requiring only three seals.

Clearly, these rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water only knew the weaker version.

The moment his palm struck the ground—

The earth split open, and an enormous surge of water erupted forth!

A towering wave over three meters high came crashing down on Uchiha Shinji!

As it surged forward, the deluge extinguished the flames and sent dirt and debris flying.

Faced with such a large-scale jutsu, Uchiha Shinji had no choice but to leap onto a nearby rooftop to evade.

Seizing this opportunity,

Takeo, under the cover of the Water Release, swiftly drew a pitch-black spear from his robe and charged at Uchiha Shinji.

Meanwhile—

The Jashin Cult leader had already drawn a ritual array on the ground—a *circle enclosing a triangle*.

His eyes gleamed with madness.

“You forced me to do this, kid!”

Standing in place, he spread his arms wide.

Dark, vein-like markings crawled up his face, covering him in an eerie black pattern.

Then, gripping the blood-stained spear—

He sneered at his own thigh, clenched his teeth, and shut his eyes tightly!

His trembling hands tightened around the spear.

*Thud!*

He plunged the spear into his own leg!

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

His deranged, ecstatic scream echoed across the battlefield.

“Feel the pain! Wail in agony! Praise the Jashin Lord!”

“This is the ritual of the Death God!”

“This is—”

“LOVE!!!”

*Cursed Technique: Death Controlling Blood – Activated!*

At that moment—

An overwhelming sense of dread seized Uchiha Shinji’s heart!

Every cell in his body screamed in alarm, warning him of one thing—

*DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!*

It was as if a massive, blood-red symbol of *death* had been carved onto his forehead!

The next instant—

His heart pounded wildly!

The blood coursing through his veins surged unnaturally toward a single point,

as if an unseen force had punctured an opening in a water-filled bag!

*A gaping wound—nearly four fingers wide—suddenly appeared on his right leg!*

*Unavoidable. Unblockable. Irresistible.*

Flesh tore apart.

Blood gushed out.

The searing pain forced his eyes wide open, his face twitching involuntarily.

His right leg gave out instantly,

blood streaming down like a river.

The agony was so intense that he nearly collapsed on the spot!

“Ha ha ha, HA HA HA HA HA!”

The leader of the Cult of Jashin burst into maniacal laughter as he witnessed the scene before him. His eyes gleamed with madness, and his arrogant voice echoed in Uchiha Shinji’s ears:

“Brat!”

“Take a good look at reality!”

“Even for ninjas of a small nation like us, under Lord Jashin’s ritual, our hatred can be transformed into a power far greater than yours!”

“Tremble! Despair!”

“And then, stand there and watch your foolish self as you're impaled, gutted, and torn to pieces!”

“In the end, you’ll understand—”

“In this world,”

“Pain is power!”

With those words, the cult leader turned his head abruptly and roared at his subordinate, who was charging forward:

“Takashi, kill him! Kill him for me!”

As the words fell, a murderous intent filled the air!

Before Uchiha Shinji, a towering figure leaped forward, wielding a pitch-black spear aimed straight at his neck with a fierce strike.

However, in the face of such imminent danger, and after hearing the murderous words of the cult leader, something unexpected happened.

“Heh heh heh… Ha ha ha ha~”

A low chuckle suddenly echoed across the scene.

Uchiha Shinji was laughing!

He tilted his head back, covering his face as he stood atop the shattered rooftop. The rubble beneath his feet shifted as he gazed down at the two cultists, his laughter growing louder and louder.

A wild grin spread across his face, his eyes wide open.

Despite standing in the jaws of death, his eyes radiated nothing but exhilaration!

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

(☞ ° ∀ °) ☞

“Not bad, not bad at all! Well said!”

“A ninja is a creature that endures pain. The more pain, the deeper the suffering, the stronger the power!”

“But—”

Suddenly, Uchiha Shinji stopped laughing. His expression turned ice-cold as he glared down at the two cultists, his voice frigid like eternal glaciers:

“What makes you think…”

“That your pain surpasses mine?!”

( ▀ 益 ▀ )

As his words faded,

Uchiha Shinji covered one of his eyes with his hand, turning toward the charging Takashi. His hand dropped as his eyes snapped wide open!

“Look at me, you bastard!”

A lone tomoe spiraled wildly within the crimson Sharingan, its maddening intensity suffused with a crazed light.

Anyone who gazed into those eyes couldn’t help but marvel at their captivating, soul-stirring beauty.

“It’s genjutsu! Be careful, Takashi, he’s using the Sharingan’s illusion!”

The cult leader’s expression twisted in shock, immediately shouting a warning.

Takashi, hearing this, grew wary. He glanced at Uchiha Shinji, who stood motionless like a statue, rooted to the spot. Something didn’t feel right.

Was this the real body, or just an illusion?

Damn it, he couldn’t tell!

With such doubts gnawing at him, Takashi’s offensive momentum slowed. He leaped to the side of the rooftop and stood firmly, gripping his black spear tightly, his stance brimming with vigilance.

He observed Uchiha Shinji carefully, who remained in his original posture, unmoving, even facing the wrong direction.

As he suspected—

It was just a genjutsu shadow!

But in the next moment,

The “illusion” of Uchiha Shinji suddenly sprang to life!

From his pouch, he pulled out his last weapon—

A wire!

The wire wrapped tightly around his fingers, stretched to its limits, sparks flying as it struck against itself, gleaming like a sharp blade.

With a face twisted in fury, Uchiha Shinji launched himself forward.

Utilizing a martial art he had only seen once, in the shape of a manji symbol, he executed a powerful grapple!

His elbow clamped tightly around Takashi’s neck, while one leg kicked at Takashi’s foot, causing his balance to shift. Takashi toppled sideways as Uchiha Shinji’s other leg locked his elbow, while his remaining foot hooked into Takashi’s waist.

His free hand pulled the taut wire into a razor-sharp edge.

Then, with a decisive strike—

Slash!

Takashi was dead.

Breathing heavily, Uchiha Shinji rolled off the rooftop, landing unsteadily. Dragging his nearly immobile right leg, he walked step by step toward the now-stunned cult leader.

Shaking his head, he let out a chuckle filled with disdain:

“This is the Sharingan’s illusion!”

---

(Chapter End)  

*Chapter 33: Pyrrhic Victory, Resentment, and the Moonlit Girl*

Heaven must have taken pity—Uchiha Shinji had only just awakened his Sharingan.

No one had taught him how to use these eyes.

Forget about genjutsu; the only thing he could utilize was the basic observation ability of his single-tomoe Sharingan. He couldn’t even copy ninjutsu—at best, he could mimic taijutsu moves he had seen.

At that critical moment just now, Uchiha Shinji had truly gambled his life on a desperate chance.

If the enemy had insisted on swinging that spear, given Shinji current state—a crippled leg, no mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, no genjutsu, and no wooden substitute prepped for the Substitution Technique—he would have had no way to dodge.

Life and death hung by a thread.

However, despite his lack of genjutsu, Shinji managed to convince the enemy that he was a master of it.

He had gambled—and won.

Dragging his injured right leg, Uchiha Shinji slowly moved toward the leader of the Cult of Jashin, his expression growing darker with each step.

His gritted teeth conveyed not only pain but also a sense of exasperation—like he was scolding himself for being incompetent.

"These useless fools," he thought bitterly. "Three against one, and they still managed to get counter-killed. Do they even know how to fight?"

"You already used Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood! Couldn’t you just stab your own heart?!"

"Always talking about Jashin and suffering—why not actually make a proper sacrifice for once?"

"Would it kill you to stab yourself a few more times?!"

At this moment, the cult leader was visibly terrified.

He stared at Uchiha Shinji, who approached him like a specter radiating an aura of icy death. Cold sweat drenched his back in an instant.

Unlike the future Hidan, this cult leader didn’t have the "immortality" that Jashin’s bizarre sacrificial rituals bestowed. That stab to the leg earlier had been very real—and it hurt like hell!

Moreover, in order to restrict Uchiha Shinji’s movements, the cult leader had refrained from applying any first aid to himself.

Now, due to excessive blood loss, the man’s once-dark face had turned unnaturally pale, a sickly shade that almost seemed to glow.

Even if a top-notch medical team showed up right now, they’d marvel at his self-inflicted incompetence.

By restricting Uchiha Shinji, he had also ended up limiting himself.

The final outcome was clear—

Uchiha Shinji inched forward again, a grim smile twisting his face.

In one swift motion, he yanked the pitch-black spear from where it was stuck in the ground!

Planting his feet and drawing his arm back like a bowstring, he channeled all his strength.

Whoosh!  

The dark spear tore through the air, tracing a perfect arc under the moonlight.

The first strike sent the cult leader flying out of his ritual circle, interrupting his Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood.

Then, a streak of black light pierced through the air. The spear found its mark, driving through the leader’s throat and pinning him to the ground.

The cult leader of Jashin’s followers was dead.

At that exact moment, a notification rang out in Shinji mind.

*[Ding!]*

*[You have fearlessly counterattacked the enemy who taunted you. The opponent is now deceased and unable to retaliate.]*

*[The counterattack’s intensity was significant, triggering a critical bonus.]*

*[You have acquired a random skill from your opponent: Wind Release: Vacuum Wave (Proficient, C).]*

*[The skill has critically advanced. Current level: Wind Release: Extreme Vacuum Wave (Mastery, B).]*

*[You have acquired another random skill: Escape Technique (E).]*

*[Your "Steel Will" trait has gained a new stack.]*

The faint red barrier that stretched toward the heavens dissipated, and Uchiha Shinji collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

His body was soaked in sweat and grime, the gaping wound in his right leg oozing blood—a gruesome sight.

All around him, the plaza was silent.

The villagers stood in stunned disbelief, watching as Uchiha Shinji single-handedly defeated three members of the Cult of Jashin.

Yet,

There was no applause. No cheers. No flowers.

A woman clutching a young girl named Yuko stared at the corpses of the cult members, her face frozen in horror.

In the next moment, her expression twisted into raw terror.

Driven by fear, the woman suddenly stepped forward, pointing at Uchiha Shinji and shrieking in a hysterical voice:

"You monster! What have you done?!"

"How dare you kill the lords of the Cult of Jashin?!"

"Do you even know what kind of disaster you’ve brought upon us?!"

The woman slumped against a wall, laughing and crying in equal measure, her face contorted with despair.

"It’s over. It’s all over. We’re all going to die here—die here, hahahaha!"

As if overcome by some dreadful realization, her expression darkened. She shoved Yuko aside and lunged at Uchiha Shinji, clawing at him in a frenzy like she wanted to tear his face apart.

At that moment, a hooded girl leapt forward, positioning herself between Uchiha Shinji and the deranged woman.

Raising a slender hand, she blocked the woman’s advance with ease.

She said nothing, her icy gaze alone enough to chill the air. With a single-handed seal, she conjured a rotating water blade in her palm.

"Leave," she ordered coldly.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shinji was oblivious to the chaos around him. The excessive blood loss left him lightheaded, short of breath, and pale as a ghost, his hands and feet icy cold.

Looking down at his wounds, he managed a bitter laugh.

"With injuries like this," he thought, "and no medical ninja nearby, I’m as good as dead."

Shinji swayed as he tried to stand, but his vision blurred. The world went black, and he collapsed face-first to the ground.

Just before closing his eyes, he suddenly saw Hidan dragging Shinon toward him.

Uchiha Shinji's smile froze abruptly, and a trace of fear flickered in his gaze.

Wait, you motherf— don't come any closer!

Uchiha Shinji remembered—

Shinon... That guy... he seemed to be a medical ninja!

And not just any medical ninja—he was one of the highest-level medical ninjas in the current ninja world, second only to the legendary Sannin, Tsunade. Even a high-level medical jutsu like the Mystical Palm Technique was no challenge for him.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Outside City, beneath a large refugee settlement—

Blood pools stretched endlessly, skeletal remains formed forests of bones, and the eerie wind tunnel carried faint, agonized wails.

A pale-faced High Priest of the Jashin cult, clad in a black robe, stood by the edge of the blood pool. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked down below.

A fellow cultist, equally pale, landed swiftly and knelt on one knee.

“My lord, we’ve found it.”

“Found what?” The High Priest furrowed his brows and glanced coldly at him.

The robed subordinate nodded, a sickly smile appearing on his face.

“We have found the child with the special physique you spoke of.”

“Just now, I sent three elite members to the village. Soon, the child will be in our hands.”

“With this, we might actually create a monster with true immortality!”

The High Priest’s eyes narrowed, and a slow, sinister smile crept onto his lips.

“Excellent. Truly excellent.”

“Lord Jashin will undoubtedly be pleased with this sacrifice!”

However, neither of them noticed a small, white-scaled snake quietly coiled in the corner of the blood pool.

Its cold, beady eyes observed everything in the cave.

It flicked its tongue with a faint hiss~

*Night fell.*

The sky was cloudless, and the full moon bathed the land in silvery light.

A bonfire crackled, its glow illuminating the vast wilderness beneath the night sky.

Uchiha Shinji slowly opened his eyes.

Not far away, a girl stood atop a tree stump, lost in thought, gazing toward the dark and endless horizon.

Her chestnut-red hair swayed in the wind. She seemed to hear movement from his direction and suddenly turned her head.

Then, Uchiha Shinji saw the girl from earlier—the one with emerald-green eyes.

At this moment, she had removed her hood, revealing an exquisitely beautiful and adorable face.

A single chestnut-red tassel curled at the side of her ear, glowing white under the moonlight, while the rest of her long hair was swept back into a delicate bun, arched like a crescent moon.

She looked as if she had descended from the moon itself.

“You’re awake?”

“Where am I?” Uchiha Shinji struggled to sit up, realizing that his wounds had been bandaged yet again.

He tried moving his right leg and immediately noticed—

As expected, it had been healed. There was still some pain, but it no longer hindered his movement.

“You killed the Jashin cultists. The people of this village weren’t too happy about that. We both got kicked out.”

The girl crouched down slightly, her face full of curiosity as she studied Uchiha Shinji’s expression. Then, she suddenly asked:

“Tell me…”

“Are you really not afraid of dying at all?”

Under her clear, emerald-green gaze, Uchiha Shinji suddenly felt his face flush slightly.

He coughed awkwardly, quickly changing the subject.

“Did you see Hidan anywhere?”

As soon as he said this—

A voice filled with resentment suddenly rang out from nearby—

“Shinji, you bastard! I’m gonna kill you!”

---

*(End of Chapter)*

Chapter 34: Then Let Me Be Your Evil God!

Not far away,

the arrogant little brat's eyes turned red. With a loud smack, he threw all the firewood in his hands onto the ground.

He took a few quick steps forward, grabbed Uchiha Shinji by the collar, and lifted him up.

Tears welled up in Hidan’s eyes as he sniffled hard. Despite his defeated expression, a raging fire burned in his gaze!

Clutching Uchiha Shinji’s collar, he roared furiously:

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?!”

“Didn’t we agree to join the Evil God Cult together?”

“Didn’t we agree to a bright future?”

“Then why?! Why would you trample on my dreams, crush my will, and treat it like it’s worthless?!”

His voice cracked, turning into a sob:

“Why?! Why?!”

“Tell me—why the hell did you do this?!”

“I thought… we were friends!”

The early spring wind brushed against their faces, and the moon’s soft glow reflected off the light mist.

By the campfire, the crackling of burning wood filled the silence.

Hidan lowered his head, looking just like a shut-in experiencing his first-ever job rejection.

As if, after analyzing why he failed, he realized it was because the friend he matched with on a shady job-seeking app suddenly backstabbed the rope-seller instead of joining him in hanging themselves.

For Hidan—who had already lost faith in the incompetence of the Hidden Hot Water Village and longed to join the Evil God Cult to restore the glory of the Land of Hot Water—this was nothing short of a divine punishment.

Uchiha Shinji took a deep breath and gently patted the hand gripping his collar.

This was the second time Hidan had saved him.

And he could fully understand Hidan’s frustration.

It was the same frustration he felt when he had attempted to self-detonate and take out the three Hidden Cloud ninjas—only to be forcibly stopped and humiliated by a bizarre scroll.

The same feeling of working hard for something, only to have fate crush it underfoot.

Back then, Uchiha Shinji had wanted nothing more than to kill that bastard Molloy.

Imagine spending months preparing for a prestigious job interview, only to arrive and find that the entire company had been shut down in a police raid.

You return home, dejected, only for your mom to hand you a toilet plunger and tell you to clean the bathroom.

You step inside—only to find that the bathroom has expanded fifty times its original size, resembling a football field, and is overflowing with literal shit.

That’s how hopeless the Land of Hot Water felt right now.

And Hidan, this cocky brat with no Kekkei Genkai, no powerful ninjutsu, no money, and no status—

He didn’t even have a decent plunger.

Uchiha Shinji stared into Hidan’s eyes, exhaling deeply before asking in a grave tone:

“Hidan, do you really want to join the Evil God Cult?”

“Your dream, your will—”

“Do you truly seek to become the next ‘Demi-God’ and restore the Land of Hot Water? Or do you actually believe in that ridiculous Evil God nonsense?”

Hidan flinched as if someone had smacked him in the head. His face twisted in anger as he shouted:

“What the hell do you know?!”

“Shinji—no, Uchiha Shinji—you’re from a big ninja village, from a major clan! What could you possibly understand?!”

“The Land of Hot Water is trapped between the great nations! We have nothing!”

“No sovereignty, no hope, no strength!”

“So—so we have no choice but to rely on the Evil God!”

“To pray for His arrival, to cleanse everything!”

“Only then… Only then can we save this hopeless land!”

Uchiha Shinji’s gaze sharpened. He spoke firmly:

“So all you want… is a future where the Land of Hot Water is saved? All you need is enough power to save it?”

“That is your so-called ‘Evil God’?”

“Am I right?”

Hidan was silent for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.

“Oh, don’t tell me—you’re gonna lecture me now? Just like my Jonin instructor?”

His gaze turned ice-cold as he sneered at Uchiha Shinji:

“You sure talk big, Uchiha Shinji.”

“But only someone like you—someone from a powerful clan in a great nation—could spout such bullshit!”

“A bright future? A powerful force? Sounds wonderful!”

“But tell me—who’s going to give that to me?”

“If I don’t beg like a dog, if I don’t grovel for it—who the hell would give a weak, powerless, pathetic nobody like me any strength?!”

Uchiha Shinji’s expression darkened. With a swift motion, he jabbed two fingers into Hidan’s nostrils and flipped him over his shoulder.

(╯°□°）╯︵ ( \o°o)\

Hidan hadn’t expected Uchiha Shinji to suddenly attack.

With a loud thud, he was slammed onto the ground, staring up at the sky in shock.

With this perspective, gazing up at Uchiha Shinji.

Uchiha Shinji closed and reopened his eyes, the crimson Sharingan suddenly igniting.

He bent down, stepping lightly on the tender grass as he stood astride Hidan, glaring straight at him with those piercing eyes.

Then,

With unwavering resolve in his gaze and a firm tone in his voice, Uchiha Shinji declared solemnly:

"I will give it to you!"

"Don’t you want power? I can become your power!"

"Don’t you want a future? I can carve out that future for you with my own hands!"

"If you feel hopeless, helpless, sobbing in despair because you think you're powerless to achieve anything, incapable of making a difference—"

"Then, stand behind me!"

"Just stand behind and watch closely. I will take your will and fulfill the dreams you yearn for!"

Uchiha Shinji raised his hand, forming a sword-like gesture with his fingers, and firmly tapped the center of Hidan’s brow.

With the most resolute tone, he shouted:

"I will become your Evil God!"

ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Uchiha Shinji’s voice was thunderous, resonating in Hidan’s ears like the strike of a giant bell!

Hidan’s eyes froze, his entire being in a daze, as if these words had mercilessly torn open his wounds and broken down the defenses around his heart.

And then—

Unconsciously, a single tear silently slid down his cheek, falling onto the damp earth.

On this land of the Land of Hot Water,

never had anyone,

like Uchiha Shinji, so firmly acknowledged his will, so strongly recognized that his dreams were valid!

Everyone else would just say to Hidan:

"Run, we can’t win this, it has nothing to do with us. Just become a dog for the Evil God."

But this man, he denied it all!

And he even arrogantly declared he would take away the dreams of Hidan himself, a man who had never respected anyone since his childhood!

Uchiha Shinji—

He’s utterly insane, outrageously arrogant!

Hidan opened his mouth, swallowing a lump in his throat mixed with tears, staring blankly at Uchiha Shinji.

At those crimson eyes, slowly revolving with a single black tomoe.

That tomoe seemed as though it was condensed from the strongest will in the world!

Under those captivating eyes,

Hidan suddenly felt his throat dry, his scalp tingling and itchy.

All the words of denial he could think of suddenly seemed utterly feeble in this moment.

In the end, he could only blurt out in frustration, breaking his own defenses:

"Why?"

"You’re just a Genin! Just a Uchiha with only a single-tomoe Sharingan! Just another pawn in this Third Great Ninja War that’s engulfing the world!"

"What gives you the right—the audacity—to say something like that?!"

Uchiha Shinji frowned, glancing a bit sheepishly at his own status panel:

[Employee: Uchiha Shinji.]

[Insurance Status: Paid.]

After coughing twice, he cleared his throat and spoke righteously:

"Please support me by saving this, recommending it, and continuing to read.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 35: I Will Use These Eyes to Illuminate the World!

"Hidan, do you still remember your ninja way?"

Uchiha Shinji's gaze sharpened as he stared directly at the brat in front of him.

Under this sincere yet intense gaze, Hidan subconsciously averted his eyes and muttered,

"My ninja way..."

"That's right!"

"Your ninja way!"

"You used to tilt your head back, flaring your big nostrils, confidently giving a thumbs-up!"

"You shouted at the top of your lungs that, despite having nothing, you would become the leader of Yugakure, end the chaos in the Land of Hot Water, drive out all the ninjas from this land, and become the next demigod!"

Uchiha Shinji locked eyes with Hidan and smirked slightly, teasing him:

"Those were your words. Do you need me to remind you?"

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Hidan’s face, and with a complicated expression, he stammered:

"That… that was just—"

But before he could finish, Uchiha Shinji’s voice turned cold as he interrupted:

"You want to say that it was just empty talk, just meaningless words, just lies?"

"That the real world is far crueler than that?"

He grabbed Hidan by the collar, his crimson Sharingan spinning ominously.

"Don’t be stupid!"

"Denying your heart, rejecting your will, abandoning your dreams—then accepting reality, filling your hollow mind with illusions, and dragging yourself toward the gallows, bowing and scraping before forces even stronger than the ninja village of Yugakure?"

"If that’s the case, then what difference is there between you being alive and being dead?"

"W-Wait, I—" Hidan choked on his words, seemingly desperate to argue back, to justify his actions, to convince Uchiha Shinji—and himself—

To prove that his choices were right, that they were the best choice under the circumstances.

However, the words refused to come out.

Because deep down, Hidan knew—

The doctrine of the Jashin Cult, the belief in ending conflict through indiscriminate slaughter, was nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst.

Uchiha Shinji let out a breath and spoke in a low voice:

"Hidan!"

"You are strong. You have the resolve to face death. You are willing to sacrifice yourself to receive Jashin’s blessings!"

"But let me tell you—that’s nothing but an escape!"

Uchiha Shinji's words struck like a hammer, shattering the barriers Hidan had built within his heart.

The sugar-coated exterior of the Jashin Cult was stripped away, revealing nothing but a pile of putrid filth.

Hidan had no choice but to face reality.

His face flushed red, then turned pale. Blue veins bulged on his forehead as he suddenly grabbed Uchiha Shinji’s hand, the one gripping his collar.

He tried to pry it off, but with his strength, how could he possibly match Uchiha Shinji, who had already become a Genin?

In the end, his face turned bright red as he bellowed at Uchiha Shinji:

"Enough! Uchiha Shinji, that's enough!"

"Get lost! I don’t need your pity! I don’t want to hear your lectures!"

"I’ve already heard those same words countless times over the past ten years in the Land of Hot Water!"

"What do you even know about my situation? My suffering?"

"Should I say, as expected of a ninja from a great nation?"

"You act all high and mighty, looking down on me—don’t you find yourself disgusting?!"

However, faced with Hidan’s hysterical outburst, Uchiha Shinji simply smiled.

"Oh, really?"

(ｏ ‵-′)ノ”(ノ﹏<。)<

He yanked Hidan up by the collar and slammed him onto the ground, his expression gradually twisting into something menacing.

Then, like a final boss stepping out from the depths of a dungeon, he mercilessly ridiculed the Level 1 hero holding a beginner’s sword—completely belittling his so-called dream!

Uchiha Shinji's eyes gleamed with ferocity as he growled:

"Listen up, you little punk—"

"I’m not lecturing you. I’m proving to you—"

"My ninja way surpasses yours!"

Uchiha Shinji released Hidan and stood up, gazing at the full moon hanging in the endless night sky. His expression grew deep and unreadable.

After a moment of silence, he lowered his gaze and spoke with cold arrogance:

"Hidan."

"The Land of Hot Water that you see is nothing more than a tiny corner of the entire ninja world!"

"Your goal is just a small fragment of my ninja way—something I would have accomplished sooner or later anyway!"

"But my ninja way—"

Uchiha Shinji's crimson Sharingan eyes snapped open,

His tone abruptly shifted,

And in a voice devoid of all emotion, he declared:

"—is to overthrow the Five Great Nations, unify the entire ninja world, and end the endless wars that have raged since the Warring States era!"

---

*“Bring eternal peace to this world!”*

(－‸ლ)☆♬♪♫♩

“This is something I must do, even if it means facing life and death head-on!”

“I will use these eyes of mine to illuminate the entire world!”

As these words fell, a sudden silence enveloped the surroundings.

Hidan, with a shocked expression; the red-haired girl with chestnut hues; and Shinon, who had been sitting silently in the corner, as if he didn’t exist, all turned their gazes toward Uchiha Shinji.

Their eyes flickered repeatedly, as though the words Uchiha Shinji had just spoken deeply stirred something within them.

Hidan couldn’t help but swallow hard, staring at Uchiha Shinji in shock.

“Shinji, you—”

Before Hidan could finish, the red-haired girl stood up from the tree stump. Her gaze was calm as she scrutinized Uchiha Shinji, as if observing a delusional madman.

Then, she coldly asked:

“With what will you fulfill your ninja way? What gives you the right to make such promises? What gives you the confidence to accomplish something no one has ever done before?”

“Before you stand the Five Great Nations, the entire ninja world!”

“The so-called strongest Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi; the Third Raikage Ay, who wields the strongest spear and shield; the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, who has surpassed the bloodline limit to reach the bloodline selection level; the Legendary Sannin, the Demi-God, the tailed beasts, and the jinchūriki—”

“So many renowned and legendary figures, yet none of them dared to utter such boastful words!”

“And you—what gives you the right?!”

The girl’s words were sharp and unwavering, like a blade pressing against Uchiha Shinji’s throat, leaving him with no room to retreat.

But Uchiha Shinji had no intention of evading the question.

As someone destined for greatness, his duty had been set from the beginning. Thus, at this moment, he could respond without hesitation, with firm resolve:

“What’s important is not speaking, but doing! It’s about not running away!”

“No one starts at the top. No matter how difficult something is, it’s achieved step by step.”

Then, he looked at Hidan, whose face was still full of shock, and said calmly:

“Hidan, I am no different from you.”

“Compared to the entire ninja world, all I have is this insignificant life!”

“But all I need to do is ensure my feet are on this path.”

“As long as I stand at the forefront of this road, my back will naturally draw countless others to follow!”

“Even if I fall, behind me, there will ultimately be thousands upon thousands of others like me standing up!”

With these words, Uchiha Shinji’s gaze was resolute. Without any hesitation, he declared:

“In the end, this dream will undoubtedly come true!”

“And the first step to realizing this dream, I’ve already taken!”

“Now, it’s just a matter of taking the second step—”

“Starting with the Land of Hot Water!”

“From here!”

“I will put an end to the chaos on this land!”

“And I will bring peace to this nation!”

(⌐▨_▨)

---

(Chapter End)