Chapter 166: The Hidden Hot Spring Village and the Immortal Hidan
"We want peace! We don't want war!"
"Keep those damned wars away from us!"
"The God of Shinobi says he dislikes war! Peace is our only desire and our future!"
As the sign holding rabble streamed past, Kenichi's expression turned strange. He never imagined he would see a place like this in the shinobi world.
The Land of Rivers had only one shinobi village, Yugakure, the Hidden Hot Water Village. In the past, it had been a gathering place for mercenaries, packed with hired blades and wandering ninja. But after the three Great Shinobi Wars ended, the place slowly became desolate.
If it were not for earlier conflicts involving Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure that occasionally tossed missions in their direction, Yugakure might have collapsed even faster.
After entering the Land of Rivers, Kenichi headed straight for Yugakure. Nagato had said two Akatsuki members had come here to carry out a mission, then vanished without a trace. So Kenichi followed their footsteps.
What he did not expect was that the once famous Yugakure, a village known for mercenary work, had turned into this. Villagers marched through the streets with placards, chanting about peace. Kenichi even spotted a few ninja among them.
"Did those two get inspired and decide to join a peace march?" Kenichi watched the crowd pass, momentarily speechless.
There was a bizarre pattern in the shinobi world. Small countries chased peace, while big countries chased profit and the methods big countries used to chase profit often involved war.
Kenichi had lived in Konoha for a long time, and he had never once seen a protest like this there. People in Konoha talked about revenge far more often than peace.
Generations of blood debt had carved hatred deep into the bones of the Five Great Nations.
"Peace?" Kenichi snorted. He did not believe in it. Not with the shinobi world the way it currently was. Peace, right now, was vague and unreal.
Even Naruto, the future Nine Tails jinchuriki, the child of prophecy, and the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' son, could not truly bring lasting peace to the shinobi world. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Five Great Nations remained the same five great powers.
The so called peace was simply a result of everyone yielding to Naruto and Sasuke's overwhelming strength. Once Naruto and Sasuke died, if no new absolute powerhouse appeared, a Fifth Shinobi World War would only be a matter of time.
"Right? These guys are disgusting. Ugh."
A young voice cut in. Kenichi raised an eyebrow and turned his head.
A shirtless boy stood off to the side, making a show of gagging at the marching crowd. He was not actually vomiting, but his expression and movements were convincing enough.
The crowd was clearly displeased, yet when they noticed the boy, none of them confronted him. They simply kept walking, heads lowered, as if the sight of him was not worth the risk.
That wariness stirred Kenichi's interest.
He had noticed the kid earlier but had not cared. In the shinobi world, strange things were everywhere. People, however, were common. If Kenichi ever ran into an actual demon, he might stop to test whether it could survive one of his jutsu. Unfortunately, he had never met one.
"It looks like you really can't stand them," Kenichi said, studying the boy with mild curiosity.
The kid was not very old. His bare arms were thin enough to look fragile. In Kenichi's previous life, someone like him would have been called a scrawny stray.
Kenichi even found himself thinking that if he threw a serious punch, he might accidentally kill him.
"Yeah. It's all garbage. Peace? Me and my ass." The boy spat and straightened up, still bristling with teenage temper.
Only then did Kenichi get a clearer look at his face.
It was familiar.
"Hey, bro. I'm Hidan." The boy stretched out a hand with an easy, smug grin. "You're a ninja from somewhere else, right?"
A flash of surprise crossed Kenichi's eyes, then he smiled and accepted the handshake. Compared to Hidan, he really could be called an older brother, but he never expected to hear that from him.
It was a strangely complicated feeling.
If Kenichi still did not recognize Hidan, he would be letting down the memory of a former roommate who used to shout that name like a lunatic during their stupid arguments.
"Yes," Kenichi said smoothly. "I'm in Yugakure on business."
His gaze drifted to Hidan's neck.
There was a necklace there, distinctive and impossible to miss.
A strange mark was carved into it. Kenichi did not know whether it was proof that Hidan had already joined the Jashin faith, and he did not know exactly when Hidan had entered that cult. He only knew that in the future, Hidan would join the Akatsuki and become a colleague.
Kenichi's ring still seemed to show the number three. In the future, Hidan would form an immortal duo with Kakuzu, that old monster who refused to die.
"Big brother, I like your attitude." Hidan spoke with absolute directness. "How about you convert to the Jashin faith? With our god backing you, you'll definitely get what you want."
Kenichi raised an eyebrow.
He was genuinely interested in the god Hidan spoke of. That ability was not a rumor or exaggeration. Hidan's immortality was real. Even if his body was torn apart, he could continue to live.
That kind of power was extremely troublesome. If you fought Hidan for the first time without knowing his technique, you were likely to suffer. That was why shinobi loved to say battles were information warfare.
Of course, this immortality was not absolute. If a technique like Yin Yang Release was used, it should be able to negate Hidan's immortality. And Hidan himself was not especially strong. In the end, Shikamaru defeated him.
Hidan was buried alive. With no nutrition, no way to move, he would eventually die.
His immortality was more like being exempt from certain kinds of death, but only within limits. It could resist ninjutsu attacks and physical damage, but it could not protect him from everything.
Some people liked to argue about whether a technique like Night Guy could kill Hidan. Kenichi did not think it would be a problem. After all, a single kick like that almost ended the series outright.
"Can I take a look first?" Kenichi asked with a polite smile.
He was very interested in whatever lurked behind Hidan. A curse that forced someone to live was still a miracle, just in the most unpleasant direction possible.
"Of course!" Hidan instantly lit up.
Hidan did not have many hobbies. His first hobby was torturing enemies and offering them as sacrifices to his god.
His second hobby was converting others and spreading the faith.
So he immediately grabbed Kenichi and pulled him away from the noisy street.
"You're obviously a smart man," Hidan rambled as he led the way. "How can shinobi beg for peace here every day? It's disgusting."
Kenichi found it faintly amusing.
Back when he first watched Naruto and learned about Hidan's abilities, Kenichi had once thought Hidan should study medicine. It would give him a clean, reliable way to obtain blood.
Of course, that kind of work probably did not suit Hidan's personality.
Still, Hidan was especially dangerous to women. If he needed blood, he could even get it through shameful methods, like digging through trash for discarded traces, then using it to threaten someone.
Even in the shinobi world, kunoichi had periods. For Hidan's technique, anything that contained blood could become a weapon.
Just thinking about it made Kenichi's expression tighten with discomfort.
"Hidan," Kenichi said calmly, not forgetting his real mission, "your cult is pretty influential. You must have had outsiders come poking around lately, right?"
Nagato had sent Kenichi here to investigate the disappearance of Akatsuki members.
Before arriving, Kenichi could not understand what in the Land of Rivers could threaten Akatsuki. Now, looking at Hidan walking in front of him, he understood.
He even suspected the two missing members had been caught by Hidan and this cult.
But asking directly would be foolish, so Kenichi guided the conversation and waited for Hidan to hand him the answer himself.
"Of course!" Hidan answered instantly, proud as if he were reciting a trophy list. "A while ago, two idiots tried to spy on the secrets of our religion. We caught them and sacrificed them to the god!"
Kenichi nodded, as if it were casual.
So his guess was right. The two missing members were most likely dead at their hands. And given how abnormal Hidan's abilities were, it was not surprising they got caught off guard and paid the price.
Even Asuma had died to Hidan in the future.
Soon, Hidan led Kenichi to a secluded house. Kenichi scanned the surroundings but saw no obvious sign of any "evil god."
"High Priest!" Hidan shouted as he barged inside. "Someone wants to make an offering to our god!"
Kenichi stepped into the room and saw the person inside.
An old man with a long beard sat there, muttering words under his breath. He only looked up after hearing Hidan's voice.
He looked like a seasoned swindler who had survived by selling miracles.
And right beside him stood a shirtless youth with a necklace hanging from his neck.
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