Night.
It was another lively evening.
The next day.
Satoru went to remove his bandages, returning to his original appearance.
Because his bandaged look was already famous, and various countries had his basic information, he would not wear bandages when going out this time.
He merely placed the bandages, inscribed with numerous Sealing Techniques, in his Ninja tool pouch.
Just in case.
Swish! Swish!
Chirp!
He quickly used his stealth to avoid every gaze he encountered, and only after exiting the Konoha gate did he use Pupil Setting Hand to summon a hawk, heading towards his target in the Land of Hot spring.
White hair, fluttering in the wind, mist-blue eyes, infinitely clear... On the way to Wave Country.
Bang! Bang!
Two explosive tags detonated. Meizu and Gozu, catching sight of the sudden explosive tags from the corner of their eyes, only had time to block with the Ninja tools in their hands.
The two were directly blasted away.
"Naruto." Sakura once again picked up a Kunai, shielding Tazuna.
The explosive tags just now were thrown by her.
"Alright!"
Naruto appeared behind the two brothers as they were sent flying, holding a Kunai and thrusting it forward.
Hiss! Lash! Lash!
The Demon Brothers simultaneously manipulated the Ninja tools in their hands, timely flinging out chains to entangle Naruto.
Naruto was ambushed by the sudden attack. Despite his best efforts to block, he was still scratched by the opponent's chains.
Splat!
A splash of fresh blood.
Sasuke appeared above them, slamming one hand each onto their necks.
Thud!
Both of them were knocked to the ground.
"Hm, it seems you all have some combat experience now!" Kakashi clapped.
The trio's handling just now was very good, except for Naruto, that reckless fellow.
To have such strength right after starting an outdoor mission was closely related to the genjutsu training Satoru provided a few months ago.
That kind of experience, thinking in any environment, is truly difficult to achieve without training or strong mental resilience.
Sasuke kicked the two over, looking at their faces and headbands: "These are...?"
"These are rogue Ninja from Hidden Mist, the Demon Brothers, Meizu and Gozu." Kakashi explained... Land of Hot spring.
Koizumi Town.
"So comfortable!"
Satoru was soaking in the Land of Hot spring's specialty, a hot spring.
These hot springs emerged from the seabed and were utilized by the people of the Land of Hot spring to create an industry.
Because of this industry, the Land of Hot spring was relatively peaceful.
Hidden Hot spring Village was thus nicknamed the "Village that Forgets War."
It was precisely because of its superior geographical environment that Hidden Hot spring Village's combat strength was greatly reduced.
Chirp! Chirp!
Just then, a few small birds flew down from above.
Satoru reached out and caught the birds in his hand.
He closed his eyes slightly.
Some memories were transmitted back from the small birds.
"Hmm, no intelligence about Itachi's appearance nearby yet, so I can only keep searching."
This was his third day of searching. Whenever he arrived at a new place, he would use Pupil Setting Hand to create small birds to gather intelligence.
Fortunately, his Chakra was not what it used to be.
It could support him in a wide-ranging intelligence gathering effort.
However, small birds were, after all, just small birds; personal collection of information was still necessary.
After finishing his comfortable hot spring bath, he stood up, revealing his magnificent root, and dried his body with a bath towel.
Then he put on his tailcoat.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
The fashion in the Land of Hot spring was quite good.
It was the country that printed the most fashion magazines, besides the Land of Fire.
When well-fed, one thinks of carnal desires.
With fewer wars, entertainment was naturally more developed than in other countries.
This tailcoat, I must say, looked quite good.
He recalled in his previous life, when watching anime, how much he envied the tailcoats worn by butlers—so handsome.
In this life, he could consider another small hobby fulfilled.
Adding golden-rimmed glasses, combined with his mist-blue eyes, he exuded elegance.
Utterly elegant.
Satoru tidied himself up, took out a map, glanced at it, and walked towards Hidden Hot spring Village.
"Since I'm here and still have no information on Itachi,
I might as well go to Hidden Hot spring Village and take a look. Maybe I'll encounter some members of the Evil God Cult nearby."
After many years of effort, he had managed to gather some intelligence on the Evil God Cult.
This was a cult that worshipped an Evil God.
The people of the Evil God Cult also enjoyed experimenting on human bodies. Except in the eyes of certain needed nobles, they were mostly in a state of being wanted.
Years ago, when Gato and a company from Hidden Hot spring Village were vying for ownership of the port in Wave Country, they hired members of the Evil God Cult.
Those guys weren't afraid of death, and with money and a penchant for human experimentation, they showed their faces once.
Now it seems they've gone into hiding again.
The common secret technique of this cult was the Reaper Death Seal, an ability to curse enemies using their blood.
However, according to the intelligence he had gathered over the years, this ability was a mutual destruction technique.
The Reaper Death Seal's curse required the user to be injured to activate the technique.
And unfortunately, they did not possess immortality.
There was also no intelligence about them having immortality.
Only the information about Hidan in Satoru's mind.
At this time, the Shinigami Cult should have completed its first immortal experiment, which was Hidan.
And it should have been some time ago.
"I just don't know how far the Evil God Cult's research has progressed now.
With the first successful experimental subject, even if not every subject can achieve Hidan's results,
there should be some inferior results, right?"
Satoru began to ponder.
Immortality and the Reaper Death Seal were both good abilities.
Even better when combined.
He was also interested in researching them.
If he could achieve immortality someday, that would truly be good.
He walked along the town's roads, admiring the surroundings, while contemplating his plan.
"Hey, handsome, stop."
Suddenly, a female voice rang in his ear.
He turned around and saw a young girl with a ponytail and emerald green eyes.
She was probably around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Her magnificent chest, though smaller than Tsunade's, was more in line with the human physique.
Her figure was excellent.
"Hm, are you calling me? Is there something I can help you with?"
Satoru felt her gaze and, seeing no one else around, asked her.
He wasn't wearing bandages now, so no one should recognize him, right?
Then his gaze fell on the female guard beside her. The female guard looked at him very coldly.
She carried a sword on her back.
"You... Hello, my name is Nadeshiko Shizuka, and I want to challenge you." Nadeshiko Shizuka's face flushed slightly, then she said firmly.
"...You might have some strength, but you're still too far from my level.
And I don't know you. You're not here to gather information about me for someone, are you?"
Satoru was speechless.
He indeed didn't know these two women.
And being in an unfamiliar place, why fight? Wouldn't it be better to use this time to try the specialty dishes of the Land of Hot spring and enjoy its unique entertainment?
"No, I am the Village Head of Nadeshiko Village. It is our Village's tradition
to defeat strong individuals and have them marry into the Village. I think you are very strong, so I want to challenge you." Nadeshiko Shizuka said earnestly.