Chapter 226: The Jashin Cult Priest!
"Under the protection of the great Lord Jashin, I can never die!" the crazed blood-man shrieked, laughing maniacally. "I will sacrifice all of you Konoha ninja to my lord!"
In that moment, he and the terrifying blood dragon beneath him seemed to become one. His body, which had been battered in the earlier explosions, was rapidly regenerating from the dragon's blood, and his power was soaring. Seeing this, Shisui instinctively drew his sword, his eyes locked on the enemy.
But at that moment, Nara Keisuke descended from the sky. His body was wreathed in a faint white steam as the power of Boil Release coursed through him, pushing his strength to its absolute peak.
"Nonsense."
Boil Release: Peerless Monstrous Strength!
He focused all of his power into his right fist and brought it down on the grotesque blood dragon below. The sheer force of the punch created a howling gale. The priest on the dragon's head, hearing the sound from above, instinctively looked up. But Keisuke's attack was too fast. The instant he raised his head, the seemingly ordinary fist had already landed.
BOOM—SPLATTER!
The moment Keisuke's fist met the blood dragon, the creature's massive form was instantly smashed into a bloody pulp, unable to even maintain its shape. A rain of crimson droplets flew in all directions, splattering against the rock walls of Hell Valley.
The priest, his footing gone, plummeted towards the blood pool below.
'What the hell is this Konoha ninja?!' a thought of pure terror flashed through the priest's mind. 'This level of monstrous strength... is he a humanoid Tailed Beast?! But... as long as I can get back to the pool, I'll be—'
A shadow tentacle shot out from the Shadow Creature hovering in the air and, with lightning speed, wrapped around the priest's body.
Shadow Gathering Jutsu!
Just before he hit the water, he was snatched out of the air. Keisuke directed the creature to pull him up onto its back.
The priest's attention was no longer on the ninja around him. He stared at the rapidly receding Hell Valley, his earlier arrogance vanishing without a trace. "No! No—" he screamed in terror. "You can't take me from Hell Valley! Without Lord Jashin's power, I'll die immediately!"
Keisuke had been about to dismiss his words, but as the creature flew farther away, the priest's life force began to drain at an alarming rate. The thick layer of blood caking his body was mysteriously absorbed, revealing his true face. Then, he began to age rapidly. His straight back hunched, his black hair turned gray and white, and his skin withered. Keisuke immediately thought of the "immortal ninjas" who had attacked Kakashi and then died for no reason.
Considering this man was the only "normal" person—the only survivor—in the valley, Keisuke had the creature turn around and fly back. The closer they got to Hell Valley, the slower the aging process became, until it finally stopped. He hadn't reverted to his original appearance, but at least his life force was stable.
"Take me..." the priest rasped, his voice now weak and ancient. "Take me to the blood pool..."
But why would Keisuke grant his wish? He just needed him alive, not at his full strength.
The Shadow Creature landed in the valley. Keisuke kept the old man on its back, bound by shadows, not letting him touch the blood-soaked ground.
"Captain," Shisui said, leaping onto the creature's back and staring in shock at the man who was now an old man. Shisui and the others were no longer surprised by their captain's monstrous strength, but this transformation was something else.
"Start talking," Keisuke said to the old man. "Your identity, your allegiance... your lifespan depends on your cooperation."
The priest, feeling Keisuke's cold attitude, offered no resistance. "Lord Ninja of Konoha," he said, his voice weak. "I was originally just an ordinary ninja from the Village Hidden in Hot Water. I hold no ill will towards Konoha."
"You think we'd believe that crap?" Keisuke rolled his eyes. He tightened the shadow binding.
CRACK!
In his aged state, the priest's bones were as brittle as a cracker. A shadow tentacle effortlessly snapped his finger.
"Agh!" he cried out, his madness seemingly having faded with his youth. "Lord Ninja, what do you want to know? Just ask! I'll tell you everything!"
"I don't like to repeat myself," Keisuke said coldly. "Tell me everything you know."
The priest sighed and began his story. He had been a normal Yugakure ninja. One day, he heard that the Chinoike Clan, who had been sealed in Hell Valley, had been wiped out. Lured by the prospect of their ancestral treasure, he had risked entering the poisonous miasma. He found no treasure, but he did find the "favor" of an "Evil God." Under this god's direction, he founded the Jashin Cult, with "slaughter" as its only doctrine.
"And those 'believers'... they're the ones you were controlling?" Shisui asked angrily. "You completely scrambled their minds and turned them into human bombs!"
"That's only because their bodies were too weak to accept Lord Jashin's power," the priest said defensively. "And you saw their performance, Lord Ninja! They were unharmed by swords and fire! That is the proof of Jashin's power! If you just let me back in the blood pool, I can show you his true power!"
His tone was so sincere that Keisuke couldn't tell if this "Jashin" was a real entity or just a delusion.
"This 'evil god' of yours," Keisuke glanced at the blood pool, which was now perfectly still. "Was it that blood dragon from before?"
"No, no, Lord Ninja," the priest shook his head. "The blood dragon was merely one manifestation of his power. Lord Jashin has thousands of forms."
Keisuke had no interest in debating theology with a madman. He would sooner believe in aliens than gods. "One question," he said, staring at the priest. "Why did you send your men to attack Konoha ninja?"
"I didn't—"
CRACK!
A shadow tendril snapped his arm.
"That's twice," Keisuke said flatly. "Do you think I'll give you a third chance to lie?"
Gulp. The priest swallowed the scream that was about to erupt from his throat and became much more compliant. "Someone... someone gave me a reward I couldn't refuse. He also gave me the route of those three Konoha ninja."
"Where is the reward?" Keisuke asked.
The priest honestly told him the location, hidden within the valley. "Shisui," Keisuke called out. "Be careful."
"Understood, Captain." Shisui created a Shadow Clone and sent it to retrieve the "reward."
A moment later, the clone returned with several scrolls. One was a modern scroll, opened to a page showing the patrol route of Kakashi's team. The others were ancient, their paper heavy and stained with the faint scent of blood.
"What's in these?" Keisuke asked.
"Those scrolls..." the priest looked at them longingly. "...are the Chinoike Clan's collection of special blood ninjutsu. They not only record how to control blood for attacks and curses... they even record a jutsu for... immortality and eternal life!"
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