"Did Jiraiya really write this?"
Shisui looked at Genya, suspicion clear in his eyes. He still found it hard to believe this was truly Jiraiya's work, but the facts didn't lie.
In his heart, another image of the Legendary Sannin from Konoha crumbled.
"What do you think?"
Genya murmured softly, his expression serious.
"Shisui, don't judge a person's character by their reputation alone. After all, people can hide their true selves. But with this book published, Jiraiya's reputation as the perverted sage will definitely be remembered forever!"
There was a determined look in Genya's eyes as he spoke.
People like Sarutobi Hiruzen would disguise their actions, making others believe they were kind-hearted. Unfortunately, most were deceived by this.
"Uh…" Shisui nodded. He understood this well — everyone wears a mask!
Don't look at their reputations. Look at what they do, and what they can do for you.
They moved forward.
This time, the journey was smoother. After just a few days, they reached the borders of the Land of Fire.
As they neared Konoha, Genya told Uchiha Furin to return, while he, Shisui, and Asahi escorted the others toward Deidara's water pool—or rather, a small lake nearby.
Leaving behind the group led by Uchiha Furin, Genya finally removed his mask.
"You… you're still just a child?"
Some of the red-clad members were tied up and tortured, but two of them still hadn't broken mentally.
One was Hidan, and the other was the leader of the red-clad group. The rest had already gone blank.
But when Hidan and the red cloth leader saw Genya, their expressions lost all meaning. A child. Their Jashin Cult was defeated by a child.
"Surprised?" Genya blinked. His unique Dual Pupils were deep and unreadable.
"You're not destroyed because I'm just a kid. It's because you've done so much evil, you no longer deserve to exist in the shinobi world."
"Ridiculous. Like God will destroy our Jashin Cult!" The red leader smiled bitterly. He had experienced Genya's strength firsthand—he could easily be subdued by this kid, without any chance to fight back.
Someone so powerful… yet still a child.
They dared not imagine how strong this child would become when he grew up.
After the bitter smile, the red cultist spoke again. "Dual Pupils… Are you the son of the Uchiha clan leader, the one rumored to be unable to train to become ninja?"
"You guessed right!" Genya nodded. "And of course, there's a reward. You criminals will also suffer the pain those children endured."
As he spoke, a cruel smile appeared on Genya's face.
"Heh heh, the Jashin Cult will never be destroyed, heh heh," Hidan laughed loudly, arrogant and mocking. This made Genya very annoyed.
Bang!
Genya slapped Hidan's forehead with one palm, causing his head to dent inward. Hidan even briefly lost consciousness, mumbling, "What a noisy guy!"
After the slap, Genya casually rubbed his palm, looking completely unfazed.
Some passing researchers nearby glanced over at the scene. Genya snapped at them, "What are you staring at? Keep moving!"
Having said that, he turned to get back on the vehicle to rest. But when he looked back, he caught Asahi's watery eyes fixed on him. Her dull pupils carried a hint of curiosity, and her eyes were so close to his they almost touched.
Way too close.
"I swear." Seeing those eyes so near, Genya fought back the urge to strike again and said, "You're being reckless. If I hit you just once, you'd be done for!"
His strikes were always instinctive.
"It's fine. I'm immortal now. Even if you knocked my head off, I'd still recover!" Asahi blinked with those dull eyes, but spoke seriously.
In these past few days, she had already been experimented on with Hidan's body.
Now, like Hidan, her body was practically immortal — completely and utterly immortal.
Genya was a bit speechless: "..."
"You're very strong, and you seem even younger than me!" Asahi looked at Genya, speaking slowly and carefully.
Her small face was serious.
After spending these few days with Genya, she had gotten somewhat familiar with his expression and started saying a few words to him.
But now, seeing Genya take off his mask, shock showed clearly on her face.
It was unbelievable.
How could someone so young be this strong?
And she felt like a useless person.
"Do you want to become stronger?" Genya looked into Asahi's curious eyes, his own eyes serious.
"Become stronger?" Asahi murmured softly, her previously dull gaze turning serious. She nodded solemnly. "Can I really become stronger? I want to be stronger, as strong as you!"
"If you follow me, I can make you very strong, very strong!" Genya said seriously. "But the condition is, you might have to endure a lot of hardship."
"Hardship? I'm not afraid!" Asahi shook her head. At the Jashin Cult's experimental base, she had already experienced what despair meant. She survived that time—what else could she not survive now?
Boom—
While Genya and Asahi were chatting, an explosion sounded ahead of the team. The ground trembled violently!
"Huh?" Genya's eyelid twitched when he heard the noise. Was Deidara experimenting with his bombs again?
Wasn't he supposed to be working on combining Dust Release with his clay? Why was he messing with explosives now?
Curious, Genya frowned and looked up toward the sky. There, he saw Deidara riding a fat bird, circling above—clearly admiring his latest explosive masterpiece.
"Deidara!" Genya called out quietly but loud enough to be heard far away. Deidara, on the bird, barely caught the sound.
Deidara turned and saw it was Genya. He immediately flew over.
"Genya! You're finally back!" Deidara's smile grew wider with excitement, and he gave Genya a big hug.
"Aren't you supposed to be working on new clay for Dust Release? What are you doing now?" Genya asked, curious. Had he given up on Dust Release research?
But knowing Deidara's passion for art, that seemed unlikely.
"Bro, you don't know! While I was working on stabilizing the clay, I developed a special kind of clay. Its power is several times stronger than normal explosive clay!" Deidara said excitedly.
"Wait here. I'll show you now."
Without warning, Deidara pulled a small peanut-sized piece of beige clay from his hand and popped it into his mouth.
He chewed.
After a moment, a lively little clay bee appeared in his palm. Its wings, thin as cicada wings, flapped gently, lifting the clay bee into the air.
****
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