As expected of a core member of the Cult of Jashin—even after being hit by the Yamanaka clan's secret technique, he was still full of energy.
"You wanted to recruit me into the Cult of Jashin, didn't you? Take me there."
Lying on the ground, Hidan stopped squirming and looked at Naruto in stunned disbelief.
He stared for several seconds before speaking in a suspicious tone.
"You're seriously joining the Cult of Jashin? No take-backs, got it? Otherwise, you'll face the wrath of Lord Jashin!"
Naruto released the Adamantine Sealing Chains that bound Hidan's feet, letting him move freely again.
All the way, Hidan rambled non-stop, giving Naruto a headache.
Soon, they arrived at the coast. Hidan raised his chin toward the horizon.
Then, glaring toward a nearby dock, he cursed.
"My damn ship! That damn pirate— Luffy! He stole my ship again!"
Naruto gave a strange look. "Moneky D. Luffy?"
Hidan stomped in frustration. "No! That damn pirate Ruffy! One day I'll drain him dry in the grandest Death Possession Blood Ritual ever!"
So it was Ruffy..
Naruto felt oddly disappointed. If it had been the real Luffy, things might've gotten interesting.
But then again, considering how small the shinobi world was, becoming Pirate King would probably take just a few days of sailing. Find the One Piece? More like a weekend vacation.
Next, Hidan slumped to the ground with a hopeless expression.
"Great, just great. I finally gathered a few hundred cult members, and poof! Gone overnight!"
"Now the ship's gone too… How am I supposed to face Lord Jashin?!"
Naruto crouched beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, you've still got me. With a premium guy like me joining the Cult, how could it not rise again?"
"You?" Hidan looked him up and down, then nodded thoughtfully. "Well... I guess that's not wrong."
"Alright then! Untie me, and let's go hijack a new ship!"
"No need."
Naruto activated Kagura's Mind Eye, sweeping the ocean depths.
Soon, he found a suitable target.
Whoosh—he vanished into the water.
Seconds later, a massive white dolphin, five or six meters long, emerged from the sea.
Naruto stood atop its back, gliding to shore—completely dry despite diving into the sea.
This white dolphin was far gentler than the earlier shark.
It gazed at Naruto with bright, intelligent eyes, squeaking joyfully. Apparently, it was a fan of handsome faces.
Hidan came hopping over, and with a flick of Naruto's hand, he was yanked onto the dolphin's back.
One man, one lunatic, and one dolphin began tearing across the sea.
The white dolphin glided across the blue waves with breathtaking speed.
Hidan felt the sea breeze in his face and sighed in awe.
"Damn, if I'd known I could get a ride like this, I would've ditched that crappy boat a long time ago!"
His flippant comment earned a side-eye from the dolphin.
A few minutes later, Hidan squinted into the distance and shouted.
"There's my ship! That damn Ruffy and his filthy pirates! Catch them! I'm gonna slice 'em to bits!"
In his excitement, he kicked the dolphin repeatedly.
Though the kicks didn't hurt, the dolphin was clearly displeased. If the handsome blond had kicked it—fine—but this guy? Not a chance.
With an abrupt stop, the dolphin jerked to a halt.
Still tied up and completely unprepared, Hidan plunged into the ocean with a loud splash.
"Ahhh! Glub glub glub glub…"
He sank headfirst toward the seafloor, dragged down by the chains.
Naruto didn't pull him up right away. After all, the guy was immortal—he couldn't drown.
Underwater, Hidan spewed bubbles, blacked out from lack of oxygen, then abruptly revived, only to black out again.
Thus began a cruel cycle of drowning and waking.
After a while, Naruto finally gave him some mercy, yanking him back above water.
Slumped over the dolphin's back, Hidan panted heavily.
"Bros, what did I ever do to you two? One kicked me into the sea, the other just watched!"
"I pulled you out, didn't I?"
"Yeah, barely! One second later and I would've died!"
"Aren't you supposed to be immortal? How can you drown?"
"Immortality doesn't mean painless, damn it!"
While Hidan was still whining, several ships approached from the horizon.
Leading the pack was a vessel with a goat figurehead.
A man wearing a straw hat sat on top of the figurehead, staring down at them from above.
Naruto looked up, the ship's shadow blocking his view. All he could see was the straw hat.
He blinked.
"Wait… is that actually the Straw Hat Kid?"
But as the ship drifted and his line of sight cleared, Naruto finally saw the man's face—and burst into laughter.
Under the straw hat was not the youthful face of a sunny adventurer.
It was the greasy, chubby face of a middle-aged man with cheeks like rising dough.
Even his body was round like a beach ball.
"So it's not a Straw Hat Kid, but a Straw Hat Fatty," Naruto muttered, clearly disappointed.
The fat man heard it, narrowed his eyes, and pointed angrily.
"Don't think I didn't hear that! I hate it when people call me fat! If you don't pay up a few million, you're not going anywhere!"
He then noticed the hog-tied Hidan and burst out laughing.
"Well, well, look who it is! Hidan, you're finally getting what's coming to you!"
Hidan laughed too. "You really picked the wrong guy to mess with, chubby. Good luck."
He felt a bit relieved now—at least he wasn't the only one suffering today.
"Captain, don't cause trouble! We're here on business!" A green-haired swordsman walked to the edge of the ship.
He glanced at Naruto, and his instincts screamed: Do not mess with this one.
Straw Hat Fatty waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll let it slide."
Then he motioned for the ship to sail forward, aiming to scare off the dolphin.
The dolphin glanced at Naruto. He shook his head.
The dolphin's eyes gleamed with resolve. No retreat.
"Oi! You looking to die or what?! Get outta the way!" Straw Hat Fatty shouted, leaning his weight on the goat figurehead.
Creak... Creak...
The wooden goat's neck groaned under the pressure.
"Alright, you wanna die? Then take this!"
But the next second, he was stunned.
The entire ship suddenly jerked to a stop.
Looking down, he saw Naruto holding it in place—with one hand.
Before he could react, Naruto vanished.
CRASH!
Straw Hat Fatty was launched into the sail mast like a cannonball, snapping it in half.
As Naruto prepared to deal with the others, the green-haired man quickly raised his hand.
"Wait! We don't want trouble! I've been meaning to deck that fat bastard anyway!"
Naruto gave him a curious look.
Smart guy.
Still, Naruto didn't get off the ship right away.
Since he was here...
He might as well finish the job.