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The second battle concluded. Sasuke's group returned to Azure Moon Island.
Orochimaru had summoned a traditional Japanese room using the Continuous Pillar House Technique. Inside, the four of them sat on cushions around a low offering table.
Hidan, his head separated from his body, had been brought back with them. His torso was placed on the tatami, while his head was displayed on the table. Orochimaru had taped over his mouth to silence the ceaseless stream of profanities.
And so, the post-battle debrief began, with Hidan as the central topic.
Regarding why even the Contract Seal failed to sever Hidan's connection to the Evil God, Orochimaru offered an explanation.
"The link between Hidan and the Evil God is not a mere contract. It is a higher-order relationship—that of a Vassal," Orochimaru explained. "The Jashinists, through a specific ritual, transformed Hidan into the Evil God's Vassal. This granted him his immortality and the authority to perform sacrificial rituals for their deity."
Kabuto asked, "Could anyone become a Vassal through this ritual?"
"Of course not," Orochimaru chuckled. "If that were true, every Jashinist would be immortal. To become a Vassal, three conditions must be met. First, and most crucial, the individual must possess a body capable of bearing a portion of the Evil God's power. Don't let Hidan's demeanor fool you—his chakra reserves are remarkably vast."
Karin nodded in agreement. "He's right. My sensory perception confirms his chakra is several times greater than that money-obsessed guy's!"
Orochimaru continued. "Second, one must possess genuine, heartfelt faith in the 'Evil God.' Third, after becoming a Vassal, one must regularly perform the Dead Soul Possession ritual to sustain the deity. Failure to do so results in the Evil God consuming the Vassal from within."
Sasuke gave a slight nod. "I see… In essence, their body and soul become puppets of this so-called Evil God."
Orochimaru's expression turned serious. "In the distant past, I once explored the ruins of the Jashinist cult and uncovered relevant texts. According to them, performing a specific sacrificial ritual using a Vassal can summon the Evil God itself."
"Distant past," huh… Just how old is this guy? Karin thought, rolling her eyes internally.
Both Sasuke and Kabuto glanced at Hidan's helpless head on the table. It was obvious Orochimaru planned to sacrifice Hidan to summon the Evil God right here.
The real question was… what came after.
"You're not planning to use the Reaper Death Seal to shove the Evil God into the Shinigami's stomach too, are you?" Sasuke asked, as if it were the most logical conclusion.
Orochimaru laughed. "That does sound amusing. But doing so would be… somewhat blasphemous, wouldn't you say~?"
"To me," Sasuke said flatly, "the Shinigami has already been blasphemed to the point of having no dignity left."
Orochimaru offered a noncommittal smile. "In any case, that is not my intention."
He rose from his cushion and produced a pair of porcelain vials from his robe. Inside, nestled within, was a pair of blood-red eyes.
Sasuke leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the orbs. "These are… from the Blood Pool Clan…!!"
He recognized them. In the timeline of his past life, after the Fourth Great Ninja War, Konoha had been attacked by 'human bombs.'
Sasuke had investigated, ultimately tracing the perpetrators to the Land of Lightning's Blood Pool Clan.
Their history stretched back even further than the conflict between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. A daughter of the Blood Pool Clan had married into the Land of Lightning's Daimyō family as a concubine. Gentle and beautiful, she incurred the jealousy of the primary wife. Soon after the Daimyō took her in, he fell ill and died. The primary wife framed the girl, implicating her entire clan. The Blood Pool Clan was exiled to Hell Valley. The clan tasked with guarding them was none other than the Uchiha.
Their connection to the Uchiha wasn't just about the grudge from Hell Valley; they were rivals in ocular power. The Blood Pool Clan possessed the Blood Dragon Eye, a kekkei genkai said to rival the Sharingan. Those caught in its genjutsu were said to be utterly trapped. They could manipulate blood to perform various techniques, turning wounded enemies into human bombs.
Orochimaru had ties with the clan's recent leader, En Oyashiro. Given Oyashiro had done things similar to Itachi, it wasn't surprising at all that Orochimaru had obtained these eyes.
Orochimaru revealed the Blood Dragon Eyes. Sasuke fell into deep thought.
"Don't you agree, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru smiled. "The power of the Blood Dragon Eye and Hidan's Jashinist rituals share an uncanny resemblance."
"They do," Sasuke murmured. "The medium is 'blood' in both cases. So perhaps…"
Orochimaru delivered the authoritative conclusion. "Yes. The Blood Pool Clan carries the bloodline of the Evil God. The Blood Dragon Eye is another manifestation of that divine power…"
"Therefore, let us venture a bold hypothesis. The Blood Dragon Eye can also serve as—the Evil God's Shrine!"
Sasuke's expression was grimly impressed. "I think I understand. You constantly exceed my expectations. To call you a man of miracles… no, a man of divine miracles… wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Your praise is most welcome."
With a smile, Orochimaru stood up.
Sasuke picked up Hidan's head. Kabuto cleared the offering table. Karin, though confused, sensed Orochimaru was about to perform some major feat of sorcery. She gathered the nearby cushions and backed away to a corner.
Orochimaru began tracing intricate, complex sealing formulas onto the tatami and walls. These were transcribed from the Jashinist texts, so elaborate that it took him a full hour to complete.
Hidan's body was placed at the center of the array.
Orochimaru set the vial containing the Blood Dragon Eyes upon the now-cleared table. Around it, he inscribed a separate, distinct sealing formula.
He turned, forming a sequence of hand signs. His long hair stirred as if in an unfelt wind.
—Offerings: Evil God's Descent!
Sssss…!
Hidan's body dissolved into a pool of blood. It seeped along the grooves of the primary array. As the entire formation turned crimson, a terrifying pressure descended. Everything within the sight of the four occupants was washed in a bloody hue.
In the corner, Karin curled into herself, trembling. "This chakra… it's so murderous, so terrifying! I hate it! I don't want to be in this room for another second!"
"Don't be afraid. With Orochimaru here, nothing will go wrong…"
Sasuke reassured her while placing Hidan's head on the tatami and ripping the tape from his mouth.
"Hidan. This is your final curtain call. Speak your last words."
Hidan's eyes were fixed on the empty space above him. His voice trembled, not with fear, but with fanatical rapture. "For Lord Jashin… I offer the highest praise!!!"
"Those are your last words?" Sasuke's tone was complex. "You gave everything to your god. For a moment, I don't know whether to pity you or admire your devotion…"
Whoosh!
The sealing formulas on the tatami and walls contracted violently, all streams of light and energy converging into Hidan's head.
"Gyaaaaaahhhhh…!"
With the sacrifice complete, the Evil God's blessing of immortality vanished. Hidan's eyes rolled back, the light of life extinguished. Only the fanatical fervor for his god remained, frozen on his face forever.
BOOM…!!!
A bloody radiance gathered above Hidan's head, coalescing into a deity whose presence was no less imposing than the Shinigami's. A sinister visage, its entire form shrouded in sanguine robes.
"So this is… the Evil God," Orochimaru mused. "One of the Four Earthly Deities, alongside the Shinigami, the Feathered Serpent God, and the Harvest God."
Fwoosh! He entered his Shinigami Release state. His hands blurred, forming a rapid sequence of over a hundred seals.
"The next technique is not from the Jashinist texts. It is my own creation—a seal to imprison an Evil God!"
—Death-Sealing Evil Incarceration Seal!
Zzzzt…!
The sealing formula around the table glowed with dark, inky lines. They shot upward, rapidly spreading across the Evil God's bloody robes.
Sensing the threat, the deity turned its baleful, crimson gaze upon Orochimaru.
Orochimaru raised the Shinigami's ritual bell and shook it—fast.
The ringing sound caused the Evil God immense agony. Its form contorted. The dark lines completely enveloped it, pulling it down toward the sealing array on the table.
The Evil God resisted with terrifying force. But Orochimaru, backed by the Shinigami's power and his own sealing mastery, pressed on. Inch by inch, the deity was dragged down, compressed, and finally sucked into the Death-Sealing Evil Incarceration Seal. The inky formula flowed like liquid, pouring into the Blood Dragon Eyes—the prepared Shrine.
"Hahhh…"
Orochimaru released the Shinigami mode, letting out a long, slow breath.
"There. The Evil God's Shrine is now complete. It may not be the most perfect method of utilization, but this way, the Evil God's 'sacrificial power' can be exercised through an ocular technique!"
Kabuto's expression was solemn. "But who will inherit these Evil God Eyes?"
Orochimaru's gaze held a strange light. "Using these eyes does not require faith in the Evil God. It demands an overwhelming physical constitution capable of bearing the combined load of the deity's essence and the Blood Dragon Eye. Furthermore, as the wielder lacks the Evil God's 'immortal body,' they must possess a 'regenerative power' potent enough to offset the cost of any sacrificial ritual. Very few in this world meet these criteria. My body already hosts the Shinigami; adding the Evil God's power would be counterproductive."
His eyes settled on Karin. "Therefore, Karin, with your pure-blooded Uzumaki vitality… there is no one more suited than you to wield these eyes."
Karin: "Eh…!?"
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