Years of living without a sense of safety had given Naruto a hint of paranoia.
But the woman before him just smiled warmly, her mature and composed charm unmistakable.
"Little brother~ you're quite the handsome one traveling alone. Be careful, okay? That woman earlier was clearly up to no good. Don't fall for her tricks."
Behind the chestnut-haired woman, a one-eyed man with short blue hair gave a heavy cough, shooting her a helpless look.
"Mizukage… we have business to attend to."
The man silently cursed her behavior.
He wasn't thrilled about how Mei Terumī always fawned over good-looking guys. But after the Blood Mist era, Kirigakure's survival was on thin ice—they had no choice but to rely on her now.
Mei waved him off.
"Yeah, yeah, I know~"
She blew Naruto a flirty wink before walking off.
"...So they weren't here for me," Naruto muttered, frowning slightly.
Outside the inn, the one-eyed man couldn't hold back his complaints.
"Mei Terumī, you're the acting Fifth Mizukage now. Can you behave yourself in public? Stop losing your head every time you see a pretty face!"
Mei turned to him with a glare.
"Ao, if you know I'm the Fifth Mizukage, maybe start showing some respect—otherwise…"
"And from now on, please address me as Mizukage-sama."
"You—!" Ao choked on his frustration.
He was a long-serving elite of Kirigakure, and Mei used to be his junior. Now she dared to speak to him like this?
Back in his room, Naruto still wasn't fully convinced about Mei Terumī's intentions.
He created a Shadow Clone.
The clone used Illusionary Transformation to become a generic-looking civilian.
Then it silently followed Mei and Ao.
Given Naruto's current power, even a shadow clone could sneak behind them undetected—unless Ao looked at him with his Byakugan of course.
The pair walked into a secluded forest clearing and waited.
Then—swish, swish, swish—multiple figures arrived one after another.
Many passed right by the hidden clone, yet none noticed it.
Soon, over a hundred Kirigakure shinobi had gathered around Mei.
Once everyone was present, Mei's expression turned serious.
"Everyone—this mission is extremely dangerous.
The so-called Jashin Cult possesses strange abilities of immortality."
"I've fought one of their followers myself.
They aren't truly immortal, but killing them is much harder than usual.
…
Be cautious—this is no ordinary mission!"
After her speech, the Kirigakure shinobi dispersed and began their operation.
Mei herself joined the hunt.
The shadow clone returned to Naruto, and he fell into thought.
"Jashin Cult…?"
The first thing that came to mind was Hidan, a known member of the cult.
Just then, the system's voice rang out:
"Random Mission: Eliminate 100 Jashin Cultists. Reward: 1 Lucky Draw."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
System mission, huh. Nice.
But… 100 cultists?
Where was he going to find that many?
That worry quickly vanished.
Because outside—he heard screams and chaos.
Naruto blurred and appeared on the rooftop.
The peaceful town in the Land of Hot Water had erupted into full-scale panic.
Across the streets, one crazed face after another emerged.
Men, women—all had the same fanatical expression.
A woman in white grabbed a man by the arm, shouting like a madwoman:
"Join the Jashin Cult! Worship Jashin and gain eternal life!"
"W-What the hell is the Jashin Cult?! Let go of me!" the man shouted, unnerved by her frenzied eyes.
But her grip was freakishly strong. He couldn't break free.
"Hehehe… if you won't join willingly, then—"
She suddenly produced a dagger and stabbed him in the gut.
"Agh!" The man stared at the blade in his stomach, stunned.
'I just bumped into a crazy woman—and she stabbed me?!'
The woman licked the bloody blade with a look of twisted ecstasy.
Moments later, the stabbed man's expression also shifted—the same crazed look appeared in his eyes.
Even more disturbing: the stab wound began healing rapidly.
He was now just like her.
Scenes like this unfolded all across the hot spring town.
Terrified tourists fled in towels, running through the streets as Jashin cultists chased them down.
"So this is how the cult 'recruits'? Damn—this is next-level fanaticism." Naruto clicked his tongue in awe.
Still, this made one thing clear:
Completing the 100-cultist kill mission? Practically guaranteed.
Just as Naruto was about to strike—Kirigakure shinobi descended upon the cultists.
Compared to the cultists, the shinobi were far stronger.
In most cases, they could take down a cultist in a single blow.
But the defeated cultists quickly got back up.
The cult chased villagers and tourists.
The Kirigakure ninja chased the cult.
A full-blown battle exploded in the night.
Blood, screams, and naked panic filled the air.
Naruto split into dozens of shadow clones.
Mind's Eye of the Kagura activated.
His real body threw a Flying Thunder God kunai, then vanished in a flash of gold.
Across the battlefield, many Kirigakure ninja found themselves suddenly blocked by strangers.
"Hey kid, move it! Do you want to die?!"
"Blondie—do you even know who these people are?! Get outta the way!"
…
One after another, the shinobi shouted.
But the clones ignored them all.
Their focus was entirely on the Jashin cultists' heads.
The clones were far stronger than the elite Kirigakure shinobi.
Most couldn't last even two attacks.
Golden flashes streaked through the Land of Hot Water.
First beat up the shinobi, then farm the cultists.
Progress: 1/100
Progress: 9/100
Progress: 19/100
…
Dozens of clones worked in tandem.
The kill count soared.
The Kirigakure shinobi, having their kills stolen—and being beaten up in the process—were left dumbfounded.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Naruto's real body appeared on the roof of a hot spring inn.
There were three others already there.
Two were familiar: Mei Terumī and Ao.
The third?
A stylish man with silver hair, a scythe, and a crazed grin—
Hidan.
All three turned to look at Naruto as he arrived.