The Sacrament and the Shout

Jin's plan was simple.

Stand up, blend in, rebel, keep pressing the A button, and then lie down and get carried out.

Facing such evil forces, there is no need for leniency, tolerance, or mercy.

As long as he used clever strategies and a bit of disguise to deceive the Jashin Cult's followers, making them take him to the Jashin Cult headquarters, Uchiha Jin would only need to get rid of his shackles.

Shouting loudly:

"Freeze, I'm a cop!"

Naturally, hundreds of Jashin Cult members with knives would then attack him fiercely!

Before being cut down, he could even show off by opening his Sharingan and loudly declaring:

"So, you want to dance too?"

Not only would he fulfill his childhood dream of showing off in a crowd, but he would also go home with a hefty reward. What could be better than this?

Just thinking about it made Jin unable to contain his excitement, his eyes throwing out two beams of light, as if he had discovered a new continent. The brilliance of those beams was even more dazzling than the light in Hidan's eyes!

This left Hidan at a loss.

He looked at Jin with a bit of confusion. Just moments ago, he was contemplating whether he should do more ideological work on Jin. After all, this was to be a sacrifice for the great evil god.

If successful, Jin would become a fanatic of the evil god-sama, walking the earth. If not, he would die directly on the sacrificial altar.

Hidan had already approached several people about this matter, but they were all uncooperative, leaving him shaking his head, sighing in pity at their failure to seize the opportunity, and kicking them in frustration before letting them go.

In the end, he had learned a tactic from a book called "Seeking Revenge for Favor" and immediately decided to apply it to Uchiha Jin.

Was this the power of knowledge?!

Hidan suddenly felt a slight itch on his scalp and scratch it.

Fueled by this, he suddenly widened his eyes, realizing something very frightening.

Seeing this guy being so cooperative,

Could it be that he wants to compete with me for the evil god's favor?

Thinking of this, Hidan's gaze towards Jin subconsciously became more reserved.

At that moment—

"Everyone, come out."

A cold voice rang out from outside the door.

Upon hearing this, Hidan immediately tensed up, adjusting his collar like a nervous office worker about to attend an interview, and walked out with a composed expression.

If there had been a mirror in front of him, he might have spent quite some time adjusting his appearance.

Jin, narrowing his eyes, tucked the S-rank forbidden technique scroll into his leg strap and followed out the door.

Refugees in twos and threes emerged from the dilapidated village's various corners, gradually gathering in the open ground at the center of the village.

However,

What surprised Jin was that these people were in much better condition compared to ordinary refugees.

The villagers, while not exactly rosy-faced, at least did not have the emaciated, hungry appearance of skeletal refugees.

This was clearly abnormal.

Due to the war, the Land of Hot Water is still considered an orderly place, with only a few noble territories able to afford Ninja protection.

Although this location is not far from the capital, it clearly falls outside the protection range of the Yugakure Ninjas.

Logically, this group of villagers should not be living in such favorable conditions.

At this moment, in the crowd, Three figures dressed in high-collared, Black robes tied at the waist, with a leather scripture box bound to their forearms, stood in the center. Their faces were sinister.

At their feet were two large barrels.

The leader, with straight black hair and deep-set eyes, had a grim expression. He scanned the surroundings, slightly tilted his head, and said indifferently to the Jashin Cult subordinates beside him:

"Let's begin."

The two subordinates nodded and immediately lifted the lids of the barrels.

Inside the barrels were bowls of freshly cooked meat.

Seeing the steaming meat, the villagers immediately showed excited expressions. The two Jashin Cult subordinates quickly began distributing the meat from the barrels.

Even Uchiha Jin, a stranger, was handed a bowl.

It was quite generous.

The Jashin Cult leader drew a few handwritten scriptures from the scripture box, faced the crowd, and slightly raised his hand.

The crowd fell silent, abruptly quieting down.

The Jashin Cult leader, holding the scriptures, coughed a couple of times and began reciting loudly:

"God, the reason why He is God."

"Before discussing this matter, I want to first address where the Elders of the Land of Hot Water fall short compared to God."

"First, the nobles who have committed the sin of arrogance. Then, the Yugakure Ninjas who have committed the sin of laziness. Next, the Hidden Cloud who have committed the sin of anger. And then…"

The Jashin Cult leader expounded for nearly a thousand words, enumerating the seven deadly sins of the Five Great Nations and the nobles and Ninjas of the Land of Hot Water. The content was quite explosive, even listing in detail the various concubines of the Land of Hot Water Daimyo.

Uchiha Jin was about to fall asleep from the long sermon, while Hidan and the villagers were fervently listening, feeling as if they wanted to immediately storm into the capital of the Land of Hot Water, and replace the Daimyo's head overnight.

After a while,

Finishing the last sentence, the Jashin Cult leader felt somewhat parched and cleared his throat a couple of times.

One of his subordinates immediately brought him a cup of water.

The Jashin Cult leader took a sip, casually handed the cup back to the subordinate, then clasped his hands behind his back and said coldly:

"Bring forward the offerings to be presented, and then we can begin the sacrament."

Upon hearing this, the villagers were overjoyed, prostrating themselves on the ground with their foreheads touching the earth, respectfully chanting:

"Thank you, Divine Messenger."

Immediately afterward, a woman stood up, her face filled with excitement and fervor, and quickly led a little girl forward.

"Yuko, go, follow the Jashin Cult-sama."

"This way, our home will have an endless supply of meat."

The little girl named Yuko, however, had a dazed expression. As she was being pulled forward, almost to be handed over to the Jashin Cult members,

She suddenly widened her eyes, grabbing onto the woman's kimono sleeve.

"No, no, no!"

Her small face turned pale, as if all the blood had been drained, with her eyes wide open and filled with terror.

"Mom, no!"

"Save me, save me!"

"I really don't want to be eaten! I really don't want to die! Mom, look at me, Mom!"

At this moment, the woman also dropped her pretense.

Her face was filled with terror, tears in her eyes as she yanked at the sleeve with desperation, almost hysterically shouting:

"Let go! Yuko, let go!"

"What are you trying to do?!"

"Are you going to harm our whole family?!"

Yuko clung tightly to the woman's sleeve, refusing to let go, her face full of fear as she trembled and said:

"Mom, Mom, can't you see?"

"Can't you really see?"

"In the bowl, there's an older brother, there's an older brother!"

"Mom…"

Suddenly!

When the Jashin Cult leader heard Yuko mention 'older brother,' his expression changed dramatically.

He immediately pulled out a sharp pitch-black spear from the sleeve of his black robe.

This was a unique Jashin Cult weapon, similar to a nunchaku.

In its normal state, the spear is about 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) long and can be hidden in a sleeve. When extended, it reaches 120 centimeters (47 inches), with a very sharp tip and sides. It is usually used as a concealed weapon or for performing the Jashin Cult's unique self-harm techniques.

At this moment, the Jashin Cult leader's expression turned cold. He took two steps forward and swung the spear viciously, aiming directly at the little girl Yuko's back.

Seeing this scene and hearing those words, Uchiha Jin's face turned grim as he looked at the bowl of meat in his hand.

With a heavy expression, he immediately abandoned all his plans without hesitation!

The idea of infiltrating the Jashin Cult headquarters, pressing the A button, showing off, or seeking death—all were cast aside.

A surge of rage ignited from his heart, quickly spreading throughout his body. His eyes turned a deep crimson in an instant!

Jin fiercely smashed the bowl of meat to the ground, Then he shouted loudly!

"Stop it!"