The Land of Hot Water.
Ryoha was traveling with Inuzuka Rinko.
"Hubby, can't we stay here a few more days?"
Sunshine, hot springs, and the person she loved right beside her—
It felt just like something out of a fairy tale.
Rinko thought to herself.
"Uh... probably not."
Rinko was instantly dragged back to reality.
"Why not?"
"Aren't we here on a mission to find someone? Shiken didn't give us any intel this time. The Land of Hot Water is huge—how are we supposed to find them that quickly?"
Rinko asked aggressively.
You better not let me find out you just don't want to spend time alone with me.
"Hello, would you like to learn about the Jashin Cult?"
"Hello, put your faith in Jashin. Jashin will grant you everything."
Ryoha pointed ahead.
Several strangely dressed people were stopping random passersby and asking if they wanted to join the cult and worship Jashin.
Rinko's face instantly soured.
What's wrong with you cult freaks? Why are you operating this openly?
"Let's go. Business first."
Ryoha brought Rinko over to the cultists.
"Uh, the two of us want to join the Jashin Cult. What's the process?"
"Oh, first you fill out a form, then pay a membership fee. After that, you'll undergo inspection by a Holy Envoy. To meet Jashin, you must be sincere, so you'll need to abandon all worldly possessions. Don't worry though—once you officially join the cult, everything will be returned to you. We're all followers of Jashin. Wealth means nothing to us."
The cultist looked perfectly serious on the outside.
But inwardly, he was thinking:
Excellent, two more idiots to scam. And the woman's pretty too. The Holy Envoy will definitely be pleased. That way he won't notice the tiny little "membership fee" I pocketed.
After hearing him out, Ryoha smiled happily.
How long had it been since he'd heard someone try to scam him this blatantly?
Scammers deserved to die.
Then—
Ryoha casually crushed the cultist's skull with one hand.
With a warm and friendly smile, he looked toward the remaining cultists and said:
"I want to visit the Jashin Cult headquarters. Understand?"
The remaining cultists nodded frantically.
"Understood, understood! Right this way, please!"
The cultists knew when to fold.
Everyone was just here for money. No need to risk their lives over it.
An hour later.
The group led Ryoha and Rinko to a remote area in the back mountains.
There was an incredibly deep cave hidden there.
Looks like the Jashin Cult headquarters was inside.
"Get out here! I brought the enemies!"
The cultists who had been guiding them instantly switched sides again and ran over to the opposite side from Ryoha and Rinko.
More than a hundred strangely dressed people suddenly appeared across from them. These were probably the actual cult members.
"Hey, hey, you guys seriously have no backbone. You're the ones who led us here. Do you really think they'll spare you afterward?"
Rinko asked in confusion.
Of course, whether they betrayed them or not didn't really matter to her.
But she'd made a bet with Ryoha about this.
And now she'd lost.
That meant they'd have to return to the Hidden Leaf Village immediately, and her Ryoha would no longer belong only to her.
"Hmph, what do you know? We used ourselves as bait to lure the enemy deep inside. We're heroes, alright?"
"Exactly!"
"That's right! Ignorant outsiders like you could never understand our brilliant strategy!"
Ryoha rolled his eyes.
The way they kept making excuses really reminded him of certain people.
"Rinko, time's limited. I'm making my move first."
"Oh."
Ryoha instantly entered Sage Mode.
Using it against this trash really was overkill—
But who could guarantee they wouldn't accidentally draw even a drop of blood?
Better safe than sorry.
He wasn't like Shiken, who had a dozen backup plans even after getting his heart destroyed.
Once Ryoha entered Sage Mode, he practically turned into an unstoppable killing machine.
One punch per target.
Easy, effortless, stress-free.
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave—
An elderly leader of the Jashin Cult listened to the nonstop screams echoing from outside.
"This is bad. We've run into a real monster. But I've already made enough money anyway. Time to quit while I'm ahead."
The cult leader immediately began packing his belongings.
He had anticipated this day long ago.
An escape tunnel had already been prepared.
"Cult Leader, where are you going? Are you taking us to attack the invaders?"
A silver-gray-haired young boy stared at him with burning passion in his eyes.
The look of someone consumed by religious fanaticism.
In other words, thoroughly brainwashed.
Why's this brat here? I originally thought he had talent and planned to groom him into a future enforcer...
But now that it's time to flee, it doesn't matter anymore.
And to stop him from getting in the way—
"Hidan, the Jashin Cult is facing a grave crisis right now. Are you willing to risk your life for Jashin?"
"I am! I've always dreamed of offering everything to Lord Jashin!"
The light in Hidan's eyes burned even brighter.
To dedicate my life to Lord Jashin—
That is the highest honor of my life!
"Good. Then come with me."
The cult leader brought Hidan before a strange statue.
With a light pull—
A deep black hole appeared behind the statue.
Curious, Hidan leaned forward to take a look.
"Get in there, you little brat."
The cult leader kicked Hidan straight into the black hole.
Then he sealed the entrance shut.
After struggling for quite a while, he finally sealed the opening completely.
Before leaving, he kicked the statue again.
"You useless piece of junk. I've raised you for so many years and you've never given me anything. Just what the hell is that deep hole behind you even for? Do you know how much money and treasure I've thrown in there?!"
Still not satisfied, he kicked it several more times.
(Strange Statue: I've been wronged! I'm not some greedy game company—why would I want all that money? Why don't you crawl in yourself and see if there's treasure or not? If you won't go in, how is that my fault?)
"Wow! There's so much money here!"
A woman's voice suddenly rang out.
The cult leader's face changed drastically.
He hurried toward the place where he hid his fortune.
"Put that down! Put down my money!"
The cult leader was on the verge of collapse.
His life savings were right before his eyes.
Even a cunning old fox who had schemed his whole life panicked for the first time.
And that moment of panic—
Cost him his life.
"So there was still an old bastard hiding here. Die."
Ryoha instantly appeared behind him and killed him with a single claw strike.
"Ryoha, what if he was actually a good person? Wasn't that a bit rash?"
"Inside enemy territory, dressed in luxurious robes? The odds of him being a good person were already tiny. Besides, didn't he just say it was his money? Usually, the rich people inside cults like this are vicious criminals."
"Oh."
"Rinko, search the place thoroughly. We might've come here for nothing. This looks like an ordinary cult. It doesn't seem connected to the people we're actually looking for."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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