Chapter 100: The Coup

"What is the origin of this Heretical Cult?" Sakumo Hatake frowned, the very name 'Heretical Cult' giving off a very bad impression.

The female ninja from the Village of Hot Water then added, "They are a group of fanatics who believe in the so-called Heretical God, glorifying killing and bloodshed, which goes against the founding principles of our Land of Hot Water. They often launch small-scale terrorist attacks. In the most severe incident, they massacred dozens of families in a small village of our nation."

Upon mentioning the Heretical Cult, the three ninjas from the Village of Hot Water looked grim. After all, the Heretical Cult's actions violated the founding principles of their nation.

"Massacring civilians, they are indeed an organization that should not exist," Toriumi Jun said. Although she was part of the Anbu, she had only killed ninjas who posed a threat to the village and the nation, never harming any civilians.

"Such an organization should be eliminated by the nation and the village with strong measures, right?" Minato frowned deeply. These fanatics' actions were even more outrageous than the bandits who had killed his parents. For their beliefs, they were willing to take away the most precious lives of others. Such people and organizations should not be allowed to exist.

"Of course, but the problem is that the Heretical Cult has a vast number of followers, and the Land of Hot Water and the Village of Hot Water do not have enough power to eradicate them all. Moreover, taking drastic actions would cause panic among civilians and draw the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Nations," the ninja from the Village of Hot Water said.

While Uchiha Homura and Minato might not fully understand, Sakumo and Toriumi Jun could comprehend the situation. This so-called Heretical Cult was unknown to Konoha, indicating how cautious and secretive the Land of Hot Water had been in dealing with this issue.

Everything has its pros and cons. This caution had also given the Heretical Cult an opportunity, becoming a thorn in the side of the Land of Hot Water, like a bone stuck in one's throat.

"What exactly is this Heretical God they believe in?" Uchiha Homura asked, considering all the factors. He was also deeply disgusted by this Heretical Cult.

"That is the deity worshipped by the Heretical Cult's followers. Even we are not entirely clear about its origin," the cute female ninja from the Village of Hot Water said awkwardly.

Uchiha Homura scoffed, "Such an ambiguous thing, and yet it has so many fanatical followers?"

Something that the Village of Hot Water and the Land of Hot Water had not figured out the origin of, yet had so many followers, must have something extraordinary about it.

The three ninjas from the Village of Hot Water looked slightly hesitant, and one of them choked out, "Because... the so-called Heretical God has the power to grant its followers immortality."

"Immortality?" Minato and the others' pupils contracted, immediately recalling the unkillable Kuriyama Shinzō.

"From your expressions, you must have witnessed the extraordinary ability of the Heretical Cult. The missing-nin Kuriyama Shinzō from your nation is also a follower of the Heretical Cult, and it seems he is about to become the first Messenger of the God."

"Preposterous, how can anyone in this world possess immortality?" Uchiha Homura had not witnessed the battle between Toriumi Jun and Kuriyama Shinzō the previous night. Even though he had seen the fatal wounds on Kuriyama Shinzō's body, he could not believe it was real.

Even for ninjas, their powers were only superior to ordinary people. When it came to life, everyone was equal. Even the First Hokage, revered as the God of Shinobi, had eventually passed away.

"Do you think we're lying to you?" Challenged by Uchiha Homura's disbelief, the young ninja from the Village of Hot Water seemed to have lost his temper, as Uchiha Homura appeared younger than him.

Even Sakumo, Toriumi Jun, Minato, and the others, who had witnessed it with their own eyes, found it hard to believe. Indeed, it was too unbelievable.

"This is only a legend. Whether true immortality exists or not is still a mystery that can only be confirmed when the first Messenger of the God appears," the female ninja from the Village of Hot Water said, glaring at the young ninja beside her.

"So, you just said that Kuriyama Shinzō is about to become the first Messenger of the God. Is this the true reason for him to come to the Land of Hot Water?" Sakumo analyzed all the information they had so far. While the words of the ninjas from the Village of Hot Water could not be entirely trusted, they could not be disregarded either, especially after witnessing Kuriyama Shinzō's seemingly unkillable ability.

"Yes, it is said that after becoming the Messenger of the God, the power of the Heretical God will be bestowed upon them, granting them an immortal and indestructible body, with enough power to unite the world!"

"So, this is the reason for Kuriyama Shinzō's defection? Quite a far-fetched reason," Sakumo laughed. Not only was an immortal body non-existent in this world, even if it did exist, it was not entirely impossible to subdue.

The Tailed Beasts possessed immortal bodies and immense chakra, yet they were sealed within Jinchuriki as weapons and bargaining chips for the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

"To become the Messenger of the God, a ritual must be performed, and this ritual requires a weapon revered as the sacred artifact of the Heretical Cult, the Bloodied Crescent Blade. Kuriyama Shinzō came here to retrieve it," the cute female ninja from the Village of Hot Water said. "We previously destroyed one of the Heretical Cult's bases, and the Bloodied Crescent Blade is currently in the Village of Hot Water."

Sakumo nodded. It seemed that Kuriyama Shinzō intended to stage a coup in the Land of Hot Water. Relying on his own strength and the Heretical Cult's power was not enough. Even if the Heretical Cult had ninja followers, they could not defeat the Village of Hot Water.

That was why he allied with the Village Hidden in the Clouds. The latter even sent ninjas like Yatsuki Rin. This way, the Village Hidden in the Clouds could not only obtain information about the Land of Fire but also create a significant problem for it. The Land of Hot Water was located on the border of the Land of Fire. In the current situation, if Kuriyama Shinzō, a missing-nin, gained control, it would not be a good thing.

"Recently, the Heretical Cult attempted to assassinate our Daimyō, but they were stopped by our leader and his men. This time, their target might be the Village of Hot Water," the ninja from the Village of Hot Water said. Sakumo could now guess their intentions.

With the ninjas from the Village of Hot Water, no one would be a match for Yatsuki Rin. Even if they could prevent the coup this time, in such a turbulent situation, their strength would be severely depleted, and they might face the risk of national destruction.

"It is well known that the Third Hokage of Konoha and the ninjas of Konoha value peace. So, this time, please assist us in preventing the Heretical Cult's plot and protecting our homeland," the cute female ninja from the Village of Hot Water bowed deeply, but Sakumo immediately helped her up.

"You need not do that. The Hokage has already ordered us to assist the Village of Hot Water in his instructions," Sakumo said. What was initially just a mission to eliminate a missing-nin had now evolved into an involvement in another nation's internal affairs.

This level of mission was a first for him, let alone Minato and Uchiha Homura. He then turned to Toriumi Jun and the others and said, "It seems we need to go to the Village of Hot Water."

However, he then frowned and looked toward Minato. His body...

(End of Chapter)