Chapter 65: Blood Ritual
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
An elite member of the Jashin Cult rushed into the underground plaza.
He immediately dropped to one knee and spoke urgently to a robed figure as if reporting to a superior:
"Squad leader—I mean, Lord Bishop!"
"That brat who fought Kakuzu to a standstill has disappeared. He may have infiltrated our headquarters."
"He's accompanied by a kunoichi from Kirigakure. She can use the Hidden Mist Technique and possesses a Kekkei Genkai. She's extremely powerful and won't be easy to handle."
The Jashin Cult's Bishop shook his head, his eyes gazing upward toward the cavern ceiling.
"With the defenses deployed at the entrance, unless an enemy of Sannin caliber attacks, there shouldn't be any problems."
"But... but,"
The cult's elite soldier hesitated for a moment before reporting through gritted teeth,
"Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, suddenly appeared outside just now. The giant serpent he summoned landed and crushed quite a few of our members."
The Bishop
Took two deep breaths, his expression darkening. He asked in a cold voice,
"How many casualties?"
The cult's elite soldier licked his dry lips and reported grimly,
"Over twenty elite soldiers—nearly half our combat strength."
Upon hearing this news, the Bishop closed his eyes, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. He muttered softly,
"Again!"
"Again!"
"This sudden disaster... this powerless shame!"
He suddenly opened his bloodshot lavender eyes, filled with deep hatred.
His back teeth ground together, and beneath his black robes, he gripped a pitch-black ritual spear, its tip piercing through the center of his palm.
Drops of blood continued falling to the ground.
Yet beneath the pain,
His face regained its impassive expression, and he calmly ordered,
"Go tell the teams to continue holding their positions."
"Don't worry about this place—it will all be over soon."
The Jashin Cult elite couldn't help but urgently interject,
"Wait, Your Excellency! There's a good chance those two will slip into the fortress above. What if they use Earth Release techniques from above to tunnel into the cavern?"
"It doesn't matter," the Bishop shook his head and said calmly.
"That Kirigakure brat is probably connected to the injured Mist ninja who was recuperating in the fortress earlier. She'll leave once she finds what she's looking for."
"If she ventures any deeper, someone will deal with her."
He raised his head slightly, gazing upward at the cavern ceiling, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"After all, we're merely insects living in this cave. The true master of this territory won't allow his secrets to be exposed."
"Kukuku..."
"As for the other brat,"
The Bishop turned his head slightly, squinting toward the cross at the center of the blood pool not far away.
He looked at Hidan, hands nailed to the cross, hanging there limply.
"Hidan, is this your new friend?"
"Perfect, absolutely perfect. Let him come witness the birth of our god together."
"Since you've already sacrificed your family, comrades, and mentors in exchange for favor, for attention, for exquisite pain—"
"Perhaps having another friend would make it even more entertaining?"
The Jashin Cult elite was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and said,
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
"Wait."
At this moment, the Bishop suddenly turned around, narrowed his eyes, and stared coldly at this soldier.
"I believe your name is Kiba Nosuke? You're the only one in your squad who hasn't completed the initiation ceremony, correct?"
"Yes, sir." Kiba Nosuke lowered his head even further.
"Then complete it now." The Bishop smiled kindly, like a benevolent elder, and produced a test tube, holding it out.
"Cut your finger and let a single drop of blood fall into this vial, and you're done. It's not difficult at all. Come now."
Looking at the vial before him, the Jashin Cult elite swallowed hard, his eyes gradually filling with terror.
He suddenly leaped backward, stood up, and pulled a kunai from his equipment pouch.
Then, gritting his teeth and glaring with fierce determination, he roared and stabbed toward the Bishop's chest!
"You evil demon! You've gone insane! You want to use the lives of everyone who follows you to create a monster!"
"Die!"
Squelch!
The blade pierced his chest, stabbing through his heart, and blood gushed forth.
The Bishop sighed, as if nothing had happened. He tilted his head slightly, brought his mouth close to Kiba Nosuke's ear, and asked calmly:
"Kiba Nosuke... have you had enough fun?"
Meanwhile,
On the inner wall of the fortress.
"Wait—why are you giving me this?"
Tsukasa looked up in surprise and asked Shinnō.
Hearing that the scroll in his hand actually contained the incomplete Zero-Tails chakra researched by Shinnō,
Tsukasa felt like it was burning hot and almost threw it away.
He stared at Shinnō, his expression gradually shifting, wanting to grab the man by the collar and shake him hard while demanding:
Brother, I'm already ridiculously overpowered—why are you still giving me cheat items?!
"Why?" Shinnō scoffed,
Then glared at him and shouted,
"Because you're such an idiot!"
"You don't understand how far you are from a true master."
"Your ninjutsu foundation, taijutsu, kenjutsu, combat theory, and chakra reserves—
None of them meet the standards of a true Jonin."
"You're just using your creativity, combining your limited abilities to create something unconventional."
After completely tearing down Tsukasa's confidence, Shinnō
Continued in a grave voice,
"But if your abilities are analyzed, your intelligence obtained, and countermeasures deployed—you'll die."
Shinnō was right.
Tsukasa's current combat style was simply an integration of existing shinobi abilities, and as long as they were shinobi techniques, there were ways to counter them.
After all, ninja combat is fundamentally a battle of intelligence gathering.
Just like Kakuzu—after seeing through Tsukasa's capabilities, he didn't even engage directly but simply used evasive tactics, leading to Tsukasa's inevitable defeat.
Still, Tsukasa frowned intensely, cold sweat breaking out on his back as he looked at Shinnō with increasing unease.
Shinnō's current demeanor reminded him of that other old man who made his scalp tingle—Uchiha Setsuna.
What was wrong with these guys?
Their main body was still fighting Orochimaru, yet they rushed over via Shadow Clone just to deliver him a scroll with life-changing implications?
Tsukasa sighed and had no choice but to ask:
"Shinnō-san, what does it matter to you whether I live or die?"
Shinnō's eyes flashed, and he suddenly smiled with self-deprecation,
Then said lightly:
"Because I suppose I also want to see—"
"This world full of despair being trampled beneath someone's feet, crying out in anguish. Kukuku..."
"Don't you think that would be interesting?"
He raised his eyebrows slightly, took a deep breath,
And then flicked Tsukasa's forehead:
"Kid."
"If you want to be a hero, do it without hesitation."
"The innocent dreams of childhood turn into regrets as you grow older."
"The shining ideals fade because of reality's ruthless blows."
"Since there's a flame burning in your heart, you should let it rage, roar, and fight!"
"Don't leave yourself with any regrets."
"Even if you die!"
At this moment, Shinnō's expression carried a weight he himself couldn't fully perceive.
He gazed toward the horizon, as if seeing a homeland he could never return to,
And sighed:
"Because that guilt will cling to you like a curse, tormenting you for the rest of your life."
He shook his head.
He took two steps forward and, with one hand, gripped the massive fortress tower beside him.
BOOM!
With the effortless ease of lifting a javelin,
He hoisted the entire tower and leaped off into the distance, covering an impossible distance as the ground in the distance rumbled with impact.
A vicious grin spread across Shinnō's face.
"Orochimaru... you destroyed my homeland, and now you want my techniques?"
"Then let's begin round two!"
End of Chapter 65
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