Chapter 146: The Cult of the Evil God
Chapter 146: The Cult of the Evil God
Ishiro concealed himself with the Camouflage Technique. Judging by their demeanor, these adults were low-ranking members of the Evil God Cult and no stronger than ordinary civilians. He doubted they could see through his technique, so he decided to tail them quietly and observe.
Not long after, one of them pulled up the clearly terrified little girl. The others examined her closely, then suddenly grew excited.
"It really is black… this is the color that only appears in legends. Lord Evil God will surely be pleased."
"We have to hurry. If Sengu and his lot find out, those bastards will definitely try to steal her."
"We must not let them take her. This is our offering to Lord Evil God."
"That's right. As long as we deliver her to Sanyan Town, we won't have to fear anyone trying to take her from us."
"Exactly, let's move."
The group hastily stuffed the two corpses into a nearby house. One of them carried the little girl while the rest formed a protective formation around him and rushed out of the village.
Ishiro stood silently by the roadside, not interfering, just watching them leave.
"Sanyan Town? That name sounds familiar. Could it be one of the cult's strongholds?" As Ishiro pondered, his senses suddenly twitched. He sharply looked in the direction the group had gone.
The little girl, held tightly in the cultist's arms, was staring at him with confused eyes.
"Huh?" Ishiro stiffened. That sensation was unmistakable. She could see him.
A five- or six-year-old girl, without any chakra fluctuation or signs of a dōjutsu, could see through his Camouflage Technique? Her eyes appeared completely normal. How was she doing this?
He thought for a moment and decided—this girl must not fall into the cult's hands. But before rescuing her, he wanted to see what this Sanyan Town really was. She likely wouldn't be in immediate danger.
So, he followed from a distance.
The group didn't notice a thing. Only the girl kept her gaze fixed on him. Her face still showed fear and shock, but she didn't cry or ask for help—just stared blankly in Ishiro's direction.
One cultist at the rear noticed her strange gaze and felt uneasy. He occasionally glanced behind, vaguely sensing something was off, but he saw nothing.
After a few glances, his nerves frayed. "Kanmoto, look at that sacrifice—doesn't it seem like she's staring behind us?"
Kanmoto also looked at the girl, then turned to glance behind. "You're imagining things. She's clearly been scared senseless. Besides, with Lord Evil God's protection, what could possibly threaten us? That might be Lord Evil God himself watching."
The first cultist nodded. That made sense. He had faith. No need to be afraid. Besides, Sanyan Town was near. Once they reached the priest, they'd be safe no matter what.
About half an hour later, the group finally arrived at Sanyan Town. They clearly knew the place well, weaving through side streets before stopping at a large house.
The architecture was typical of the Land of Earth—fully enclosed. Ishiro didn't see anything unusual from the outside. When they knocked, he followed them in by flying silently through the air.
Inside, the house appeared perfectly normal. After a brief exchange with the person who answered the door, the group followed him into an inner room. Ishiro stayed close.
The girl's gaze never left him, but the cultists were too distracted to notice.
In the inner room, the man who answered the door skillfully pushed a bed aside, revealing a hidden passage beneath.
"A secret room, huh?"
Ishiro didn't take these cultists seriously. In canon, only Hidan ever amounted to anything. The rest of the Evil God cult had little real power.
Though Hidan's techniques were strange, Ishiro was confident that with preparation, he could win. Besides, it was unclear if Hidan had even been born yet.
Still, the supposed Evil God—if real—was another matter entirely. The so-called immortality was dangerous enough to be taken seriously.
So Ishiro hesitated. What if this place could actually communicate with the Evil God? If the enemy had home-field advantage, he might be walking into a death trap.
Underground, his signature escape jutsu—Light-Weight Boulder—wouldn't be usable.
As he debated, the cultists had already descended. Once they were out of sight, Ishiro dispelled his Camouflage and used a sensory jutsu.
"Huh? Just one extra chakra signature?"
His senses showed no barriers, seals, or traps. Only the group that had entered—and one additional lifeform.
He cloaked himself again and entered.
The underground chamber wasn't massive, about the same area as the house above, but its height was impressive—four or five meters at least.
The staircase hugged one wall. On the opposite side stood a middle-aged man in a red cult uniform, gazing ecstatically into a crystal orb.
"Black... it really is black. You've done well. Lord Evil God will reward you generously." He then turned his gaze to the girl.
The cultists bowed and scraped. "Thank you, Priest-sama, thank you for your favor!"
The priest ignored them, eyeing the girl like she was a priceless artifact. Then he noticed her gaze locked in one direction.
Following it, he looked straight at Ishiro's location.
He frowned. He saw nothing.
But the priest was no amateur. He knew the shinobi world was full of strange techniques.
He walked to a ritual circle marked with the cult's symbol—a red circle and triangle—and began chanting in a language Ishiro didn't recognize.
Ishiro sensed nothing yet, but the girl's gaze shifted from him to the priest.
Something was wrong.
Before Ishiro could react, a harsh voice barked out: "Who are you!?"
"Discovered?" Ishiro narrowed his eyes. The priest's demeanor had changed entirely. The man's aura became chilling, and the symbols painted on his skin seemed to come alive, exuding malevolent energy.
Ishiro's mind raced. Clearly, the priest hadn't detected him himself—he must be using borrowed power. The nature of it felt… cold, invasive.
Yin Release.
Ishiro had studied Yin chakra's properties, though Iwagakure lacked techniques to apply it. Still, he was sensitive to its presence. This definitely felt like Yin Release.
The ability to "possess" others through Yin chakra… That would take an immense amount of power.
Besides the bug-like Kuro Zetsu, the only similar ability was Konoha's S-rank Spirit Transformation Technique. Even the Yamanaka clan's jutsu didn't compare.
Still, based on his tone, this was likely just a temporary empowerment—not a full descent of the Evil God. Even Hidan never summoned the god directly.
If that's the case, Ishiro might stand a chance. But first—save the girl.
Without a word, he formed hand seals. A Water Clone took shape and lunged toward the cultists.
His sudden appearance startled them. Floating in midair, Ishiro looked intimidating. The cultists hesitated, too afraid to move, trusting the priest to handle it.
But the priest knew the truth. If he wanted enough power to defeat Ishiro, he'd have to pay dearly—and he wasn't ready for that price.
Ishiro's clone didn't hesitate. It dashed in, dispatching the cultists swiftly and catching the girl before she hit the ground.
The priest didn't care about the others. But losing the girl—that, he couldn't allow.
She was the finest offering he'd ever seen. No, the finest in the entire history of the cult.
Seeing his clone succeed, Ishiro didn't pause. He began weaving seals, preparing a jutsu.
But the priest also sprang into action, shouting more of that strange language.
His body rapidly aged, the lines on his face deepening. At the same time, the Yin aura around him intensified drastically.
"Water Style: Water Cutting Technique!"
Ishiro didn't hold back. Knowing the cult's reputation for immortality, he wasn't going to gamble. A razor-sharp water jet sliced across the room, bisecting the priest.
"…Huh? That easy?" Ishiro blinked in disbelief. The man hadn't even dodged.
Still, he stayed alert. If the rumors were true, the priest might not be dead.
Sure enough, the bisected body writhed, and the priest let out a furious screech.
"You bastard—I'll offer you to Lord Evil God myself!"
A barely perceptible attack of Yin chakra lashed toward Ishiro.
With no space to evade, Ishiro raised his left hand.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
The gravity wave pulled the chakra attack off course. Though a sliver still struck him, most of it veered away harmlessly.
It worked.
He wasn't out of danger yet—but he now had the girl, and he wasn't fighting blind.
The real battle had just begun.
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