Chapter 134 (Patreon)

The Cult of Jashin had always been one of the most mysterious organizations in the shinobi world.

No one knew where it had originated. In fact, most people did not even know whether Jashin truly existed.

According to Hidan, however, Jashin was real.

One simply needed to perform a special ritual to summon him.

After traveling with Yujiro and Kakuzu for half a day, Hidan finally led them into an extremely secluded valley hidden within the Land of Hot Water.

This was the headquarters of the Cult of Jashin.

“It’s been a long time since I last came back here.”

Hidan stared at the cave before them and grinned before leading Yujiro and Kakuzu inside.

The cave was far larger than it appeared from the outside. Several figures dressed entirely in white wandered through its depths.

Their faces were pale, their eyes lifeless, and their bodies so frail that they looked as though they might collapse at any moment.

They were all followers of Jashin. However, for reasons unknown, none of them had received their god’s favor. All they could do was remain inside the cave and slowly waste away.

Before long, Hidan brought Yujiro and Kakuzu to a wide underground square.

Various sacrificial implements had been arranged around the square, while strange patterns engraved into the ground emitted a faint glow.

“So this is your cult?”

Kakuzu looked around and remarked without mercy, “Aside from those half-dead believers near the entrance, there is no one here. Your Cult of Jashin does not appear to be doing very well.”

“What would you know?”

Hidan grinned.

“Even if I were the only follower left, I would still spread Lord Jashin’s teachings throughout the world!”

He then gestured toward Yujiro.

“Besides, Lord Yujiro came all the way here because he wants to join the Cult of Jashin!”

Kakuzu glared at Hidan but said nothing.

Yujiro joining his ridiculous cult?

The very idea was impossible. Unfortunately, Hidan lacked the sense to realize it.

Yujiro expanded his heightened perception across the square.

There was indeed something unusual here—a faint connection that resembled a dormant anchor.

However, someone still needed to activate it and draw out the being on the other side.

“Hidan, begin.”

Yujiro smiled faintly.

As he had expected, Hidan was the key needed to activate that connection.

Hidan nodded before pulling a black spear from inside his cloak.

“The summoning ritual begins!”

Laughing wildly, Hidan plunged the black spear straight into his own heart.

Even Yujiro could not help clicking his tongue at the sight.

Blood flowed from Hidan’s chest and dripped onto the ritual markings surrounding a strange stone statue at the center of the square.

The moment his blood touched the ground, the stone statue began emitting a pale cyan light.

As more blood continued to fall, the statue underwent a drastic transformation.

“Lord Jashin! Appear before me!”

Hidan threw his arms wide and shouted excitedly.

“I am Hidan, your most loyal follower!”

Black-and-white markings spread across Hidan’s body, making him resemble a living skeleton.

The moment his voice faded, an incomparably cold energy erupted from the stone statue.

A mass of pale green energy began churning above it before gradually taking the form of a translucent figure.

Jashin!

Yujiro narrowed his eyes.

Simulation Acquisition!

Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his ability the instant Jashin’s apparition appeared.

A moment later, a series of notifications echoed through his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have acquired Jashin’s abilities: Immortal Body and Empowerment.]

[Ding! Immortality detected. Beginning Limiter enhancement...]

[Ding! Enhancement complete. Immortal Body has evolved: immortality, regeneration of severed limbs, an immortal soul, and an undying body.]

[Ding! Empowerment detected. Beginning Limiter enhancement...]

[Ding! Enhancement complete. Host may now bestow immortality upon others and revoke it with a single thought.]

[Ding! Jashin’s Aura acquired. Fusing it with Host’s Intimidating Aura...]

After the notifications ended, Yujiro immediately understood that he had completely mastered Jashin’s abilities.

He could grant immortality to another person and take it back whenever he wished.

With an ability like this, just who was supposed to be the god here?

Yujiro stood quietly and gazed at the pale green apparition with calm eyes.

“Return to wherever you came from. Do not appear in the shinobi world again.”

Jashin’s entire body trembled.

He lowered his head and replied respectfully, “Thank you for your guidance, Divine One.”

“If you ever have need of me, please do not hesitate to command me.”

After saying that, Jashin’s figure rapidly dimmed before disappearing completely.

In truth, Jashin had been deeply unsettled from the moment Hidan summoned him.

He had immediately sensed the strange aura surrounding Yujiro.

The energy within Yujiro—and something else concealed even deeper inside him—felt as though it could erase Jashin from existence with ease.

That discovery had nearly frightened Jashin into fleeing before Yujiro even spoke.

Thus, the moment Yujiro ordered him to leave, Jashin immediately escaped.

Complete silence descended upon the underground square.

A long time passed before Hidan finally spoke.

“Lord Jashin... ran away?”

His voice trembled as he struggled to believe what he had just witnessed.

Lord Jashin had bowed his head to Yujiro.

He had even addressed Yujiro as a divine being!

Could Yujiro be an existence even greater than Jashin?

A true god?

The thought left Hidan utterly horrified.

Kakuzu was equally stunned by everything he had witnessed.

Even the money case in his hand slipped from his grasp and struck the ground, yet he was too shocked to notice.

The sight before him had completely overturned everything he understood.

Witnessing the legendary Jashin was already incredible enough.

However, the supposedly supreme being Hidan praised above all others had fled in fear the moment he encountered Yujiro.

Could Yujiro truly be a god?

“He fled rather quickly.”

Yujiro smiled leisurely.

He had never been concerned about confronting Jashin.

A strange energy-based existence like Jashin relied primarily upon its soul to maintain its form, and souls unquestionably existed within the shinobi world.

After unlocking the Fourth Stage of the Limiter, Yujiro had gained the ability to directly attack and damage spiritual bodies.

Almost no one in the entire shinobi world possessed a direct means of attacking the soul.

Even an S-rank forbidden technique such as the Reaper Death Seal merely summoned the Shinigami to attack and seal a target’s soul.

However, the price of using it was the caster’s own life, and even then, the result could not always be controlled as intended.

That was why Jashin feared Yujiro.

More importantly, Yujiro possessed something that even Jashin could not understand.

What people feared most was always the unknown.

Yujiro looked at Hidan and Kakuzu, both of whom were still frozen in shock, and smiled.

“Now that Lord Jashin has gone home, we should leave as well.”

“Lord Jashin... ran away... He actually ran away...”

Hidan’s eyes gradually lost focus.

The faith he had devoted himself to for so many years had collapsed before his eyes.

Worse still, it had been shattered so thoroughly that nothing remained.

“No! That’s impossible!”

Hidan grabbed his hair with both hands.

“Lord Jashin is the most powerful being in the entire world!”

He simply could not comprehend it.

How could Lord Jashin possibly run away?

Yujiro smiled calmly.

“Why is it impossible?”

He stared directly at Hidan.

“Do you truly believe Jashin is the only one capable of granting you such power?”

Hidan froze.

“Lord Yujiro... what do you mean?”

“It means...”

Yujiro grinned and raised his right hand toward Hidan.

“Immortality—revoke.”