Today's Hot Water Village has reached the point where cult organizations brazenly recruit and preach in broad daylight on the streets.
Such audacity is at its peak.
With things having come to this point, covert investigations have lost their meaning.
So Yan opts for a direct approach.
Simple and crude, but also the most effective.
It perfectly validates what he just said: in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are futile.
"Yes."
"Be careful of these people, their sorcery is very peculiar, don't let them harm you.
And don't give them the chance to complete their rituals, or you'll be in trouble."
"Our mission is to completely eradicate the cult organization."
Yan doesn't plan to get involved personally, leaving it to Shisui and Itachi.
Shisui is a qualified blade, and Itachi is just right for gaining experience and rapid growth.
Complete eradication means many will die.
Anyone who has been tainted by the cult organization cannot escape; they are all targets for elimination.
After eating and resting for a while, Shisui and Itachi set out to carry out their mission.
The two also subtly hinted to Yan that he could just rest well in the hotel.
They would take care of the mission.
It must be said, their awareness is quite high.
Yan is also happy to rest in the hotel.
Shisui and Itachi leave the hotel.
"The surveillance has increased, let's find an opportunity to act."
Shisui doesn't take these people seriously; if it weren't for the fear of causing a commotion by acting on the street, he would even consider taking them down for interrogation.
Itachi nods slightly in agreement.
The two walk openly through Hot Water Village, collecting various pieces of information about the cult organization, making it clear to the opposition that they are the target.
"The Uchiha ninjas from Konohagakure have come with us as their target, they are collecting information about the Holy Church in the village."
Yan and his party entered Hot Water Village with great fanfare and were immediately marked by the cult organization.
As for the rogue ninjas and renegades, they didn't have the guts to follow them. After Shisui and Itachi collected information everywhere, it was basically confirmed.
"Kill them!!!"
The cult elder snorted coldly: "Hot Water Village is the base for our organization's development, we cannot allow Konohagakure's ninjas to disrupt it."
Only if Hot Water Village exists in name only can the cult organization take root here; they do not allow anyone to disrupt the village's pattern.
The cult organization's people began to move, and Itachi and Shisui exchanged glances, heading towards the more secluded areas of Hot Water Village.
The main cult organization in Hot Water Village is based on the Jashin religion, which Hidan will later join.
Oddly enough, there are people in Hot Water Village who have paid to post commissions in Konohagakure, hoping that Konohagakure will help eradicate the entire cult.
Yet, there are still some who believe the cult should be allowed to exist.
The cult was also a part of Hot Water Village's power, aiding them in combating external threats.
It was with the help and support of some of Hot Water Village's influential figures that the cult could be so brazen and grow to its current size.
The internal squabbles of Hot Water Village were their own business.
For Konohagakure, they would assist whoever paid for their services.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Hot Water Village, Shisui and Itachi found themselves surrounded.
"Ninjas of Konohagakure, you've come to the wrong place. Hot Water Village does not need the ninjas of Konohagakure."
The leader, a one-armed, fierce-looking middle-aged man, had a face even more ferocious than Uchiha Enjin.
Shisui internally scoffed and looked the man in the eye:
"I'm sorry, but we have a mission from the village. With a mission, we must fulfill our employer's task; it's our duty as ninjas."
"Then you can go die!!!"
The cultists were far from saints; each one lucky to be alive.
"Kill them!! Offer them as a sacrifice to our dark deity!"
Some of those surrounding Shisui and Itachi drew their weapons and charged, while others underwent transformations, parts of their bodies turning black or black and white.
Undoubtedly, they were using some dark arts.
Raising his hand, Shisui said to Itachi, "Don't get hurt, leave some alive."
"Understood."
With a nod, Itachi drew his katana and faced the enemy.
Not far from the battlefield, atop a large tree, Yan stood on a branch, observing the fight.
"What a waste of time."
The battle was swift, quickly becoming one-sided from the onset.
Itachi was managing fine, but on Shisui's side, it was a massacre.
The cult's strength was inferior to many rogue ninjas.
Indeed, if the cult were that powerful, they wouldn't allow rogue ninjas and renegades to operate on their turf.
From start to finish, only Hidan was noteworthy.
Even at his peak, Hidan wouldn't stand a chance.
Shisui and Itachi were no easy targets like Asuma.
With a glare of his Sharingan, Shisui took down several on the spot.
Yan lost interest in watching; he was right, it was a waste of his time.
Even Kirigakure Village's elite squad could be instantly subdued by Shisui's Genjutsu, let alone a group of cult members.
These people can only survive in the feeble Hot Water Village, merely hopping around within it, never able to make it to the big stage.
"It's too weak."
Itachi frowned as he began to finish off the enemies, killing all but those left for interrogation, as per the employer's request.
"If they were strong, they wouldn't have taken root in the weak Hot Water Village."
Shisui chuckled, feeling excited to fight alongside Itachi after such a long time, even if their enemies were just a bunch of weaklings.
"I'm afraid the core members of the Jashin cult haven't made their move yet. Let's start with an interrogation."
Lifting someone controlled by Genjutsu, Shisui began the interrogation, and the information he received left him speechless.
The Jashin cult was actually supported by some people in Hot Water Village—what a mess.
One side supports them, while another wishes to eradicate them.
What a farce.
Even more absurd is that the Jashin cult's slogans are high-spirited, but in reality, only two elders and a child being groomed have slightly stronger abilities.
The rest are about as capable as the group attacking them.
After confirming the accuracy of the information, Shisui chose to silence them.
He then returned to the hotel with Itachi.
"Elder, that's about all we got from the interrogation. Aside from the two elders and a core member being groomed, the strength of the other members is..."
Shisui hesitated, unsure whether to describe these people as 'pathetically weak.'
"Pathetically weak?"
Yan voiced what Shisui was thinking.
Shisui's mouth twitched, and he nodded.
"What else did you expect?"
Yan scoffed:
"Without Ninjutsu heritage, without traditional training capabilities, that's why the majority of small ninja villages are so weak.
Otherwise, how could some damn Jashin cult take root in a ninja village? It would have been eradicated long ago."
"Forget it, now that we have the information, you two handle the next task. Just be careful with those two elders and that kid named Hidan. Their sorcery is quite sinister, giving them the ability to be very hard to kill."
"Just destroy their bodies completely. If they can't be killed, seal them up and deal with them later."
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