Chapter 40: The Curse of the World’s Will

After realizing they couldn't get any more information from the old man, Shinsuke left some water and food behind and then departed with Hidan.

Hidan just shrugged and said nothing.

It was just an old man, after all—no need to waste more time on him.

One had to admit, Shinsuke's influence on Hidan was already starting to show.

"Do you believe what that old man said?"

"Not entirely, but my intuition tells me that the missing sacrifices might be related to this so-called monster."

Hidan nodded in agreement.

If they didn't consider the truth of the situation, it was obvious what would happen if a group of people from the Land of Grass, carrying a significant number of 'sacrifices,' entered a monster's lair that liked to eat humans.

"Let's go meet this monster."

"Do you know where it is?" Hidan asked in surprise.

"No, but if that monster really likes eating people, it won't ignore fresh meat delivered right to its doorstep."

"What do you mean?"

"It means the monster will come to us."

Clearly, the ruined town they were in had already become the monster's hunting ground. Not only had they walked right into it, but they were also strutting around, making it impossible for the monster to ignore them.

If such blatant behavior didn't provoke a reaction, Shinsuke would have nothing more to say.

However, whether due to a misjudgment or because the monster was resting or had left, they waited for hours until sunset without encountering anything.

Not even a shadow of the monster appeared.

"I'm telling you, that old man was definitely lying. He thought he could scare us with a story about a monster eating people. The missing sacrifices must be connected to him."

Frustrated, Hidan jumped down from the roof.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill that old geezer! How dare he lie to Lord Hidan—he must be tired of living."

Shinsuke sighed but didn't stop the fool. Maybe stirring things up a bit would produce some unexpected results.

But it wasn't long before Shinsuke saw Hidan coming back alone, cursing under his breath.

"What happened?"

"When I got back, I found that old man had run off! He must have felt guilty after making up that story."

Shinsuke couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He hadn't expected the old man to be such a skilled actor, fooling even him.

But was that deep, genuine fear really just an act?

"Forget it, we'll settle the score if we run into him again. For now, let's find a place to rest and ask others for information tomorrow."

It was the best they could do for the time being, but Hidan continued to grumble, likely cursing the old man's ancestors all the way back to the first generation.

Unknowingly, night fell.

Shinsuke and Hidan found a relatively intact, abandoned house, lit a fire, and rested against the walls in a light sleep.

Outside, the cold wind whistled, causing the firelight to flicker and waver.

Suddenly, a shadow passed by.

Neither Shinsuke nor Hidan reacted.

But if they had looked up, they would have seen a giant centipede with a human face several meters long coiled on the beam above them.

The human face wasn't just a pattern; its eyes were moving, studying the two below, and after a while, drool began to drip from its mouth.

Screech!

Finally, the human-faced centipede couldn't hold back any longer. It lunged, opening its terrifying maw to attack the two below.

With just one bite, it could crush their bodies and relish the taste of their flesh.

But the moment it attacked, Shinsuke and Hidan simultaneously opened their eyes and reached for their weapons lying beside them.

The next moment, both of them sprang into action!

With just a few breaths, they hacked the human-faced centipede into pieces with their swords.

"What the hell is this disgusting thing?" Hidan sneered, shaking off the green fluid that had splattered on his weapon.

Shinsuke felt the same, but his mind was already elsewhere.

Because just as he killed the strange centipede, the system gave him a new message.

[Exorcised a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit, earned 200 Cursed Soul Points]

The information in this message was rich and shocking!

It turned out that aside from completing system tasks, there were other ways to earn Cursed Soul Points.

The human-faced centipede they just killed was apparently a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit.

Such a weakling was likely among the lower-tier cursed spirits, and killing one only granted a fifth of the points needed for a single lottery draw, which made sense.

Stronger cursed spirits would surely yield greater rewards.

But…

"How did cursed spirits suddenly appear in the Naruto world?!"

Shinsuke was baffled.

Then he remembered the "Curse of the World's Will."

Curse of the World's Will

Effect: Unknown

PS: Your unexpected arrival has caused some changes in this world.

…

Changes…

Could this be what it meant?!

Honestly, Shinsuke had already felt something was off back when he dug up that 'thing,' but since he had actively sought it out, he could still rationalize it.

However, the appearance of this cursed spirit now made it clear: This was no longer the same Naruto world!

Cursed spirits are born from the negative emotions living beings harbor towards any object, monsters formed over time by accumulated negativity.

In other words, they are born from the excess negative emotions of humans.

As long as humans continue to feel fear, anxiety, and other negative emotions, these cursed spirits will keep emerging.

More importantly, that old man hadn't lied—he truly saw a 'monster.'

If the cursed spirits in this world are visible even to ordinary people, the rising number of these creatures will inevitably plunge the newly stabilized society back into chaos!

Of course, there were also some positive aspects.

He could now earn Cursed Soul Points by exorcising cursed spirits, allowing him to rapidly enhance his power.

Additionally, while cursed spirits vary in strength, the ninja system in this world has already cultivated many powerful individuals.

If the major ninja villages take the cursed spirit threat seriously, they should be able to eliminate most of them quickly.

Given this perspective, the situation might not be as dire as he initially feared.

Still, Shinsuke couldn't quite shake the sense of unease in his heart.