Hidan slung the Bloody March Scythe back onto his shoulder, then reached for the black spear pinned to his waist. With a sharp flick, he extended it to its full length.
The believers around him widened their eyes in shock.
Before any of them could react, Hidan suddenly rammed the spear straight into his own thigh.
Gasps echoed through the room. None of them had ever seen this ritual used in the cult before -- not with blood. To them, it looked like nothing more than senseless self-harm.
"Phew..."
Hidan's face twisted, then broke into a wide grin.
"Damn, that hurts! Heh... what a pleasant pain. Hahaha!"
He laughed like a madman, but his tone carried something different now... not just insanity, but genuine delight. Like someone savoring a favorite snack.
Blood gushed from his thigh, dripping down his leg. With one foot now soaked in crimson, Hidan dragged it across the ground.
Slowly, he sketched out a familiar symbol, the same mark he had carved with corpses back in Hot Springs Village.
A blood-red circle. A triangle inside.
Simple. Clean. Terrifying.
The mark of the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood.
The former Cult Leader stood motionless, eyes locked on the symbol. His body bore no injury, yet he didn't move to stop Hidan.
He knew the truth... Hidan's technique couldn't activate without the blood-drawn circle, nor could its curse be unleashed if the caster wasn't inside it.
But instead of fear, there was devotion in his gaze.
"Hahaha... as expected," Hidan muttered, admiring his own handiwork. "Takes a bit of blood, but damn, it never fails to look badass."
He tapped his spear against the ground, eyes flickering toward the Cult Leader.
"You know, old man, you're way too eager to die. Most people at least pretend they want to keep breathing."
"But you? You're just standing there like..."
"Yes, stab me Daddy Jashin."
Hidan snorted, shaking his head.
"Honestly... you freak me out more than I freak out myself."
The Cult Leader spread his arms wide as though embracing an unseen god. His expression was filled with devout bliss.
"It is worthy of being the spokesperson of Lord Jashin," he declared. "Only you can unleash the true power of the Evil God. Come... send me back into his arms!"
Hidan stared for a moment, then rolled his eyes.
"...Man, you're seriously messed up."
A twisted smile spread across his face as he raised the black spear again.
"Good thing I'm messed up too. Now let's give your god something fun to watch."
"Hahaha... now then, as you wish, die at the hands of the future Evil God!"
Hidan spread his arms wide, proudly standing within the blood circle he had drawn. With no hesitation, he slammed the pitch-black spear straight into his own chest.
The tip pierced through his heart.
For a moment, his body jerked violently. The pounding of his heart came to an abrupt halt as agony flooded his veins.
His face twisted into a grotesque grin, teeth clenched so tightly they almost cracked.
"Ahhh -- fuck, that hurts!" Hidan groaned, then started laughing even harder.
"But damn if it doesn't feel good too! Now that's the kind of pain worth living for!"
His gaze shifted toward the former Cult Leader.
The man was already on his knees, clutching his chest with both hands. His breathing turned ragged as his heart ruptured under the curse.
With the last of his strength, he whispered his final devotion.
"Long live the Evil God..."
Then he collapsed forward, lifeless.
He became the very first offering to Hidan's blood curse.
The other believers erupted instantly.
"Long live the Evil God! Long live the Evil God!"
Their chanting shook the hall, filled with frenzy rather than fear. Not a single one of them cursed Hidan's name. Not a single one fled.
They were blind to their own fate.
"Pffft..."
Hidan yanked the spear back out of his chest with a wet schlurk. Blood spattered across the floor.
He looked down at the wound, grimacing as more crimson poured out.
"What a pain... literally," he muttered. "All this just to put on a show of being 'Hidan, chosen of Jashin.' The ratio's good for the image, sure... but holy shit, it's like paying rent in agony."
He wiped the corner of his mouth and chuckled, shaking his head.
"This cursed technique, Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood, is as badass as it gets. Strong as hell. But man... it really makes you pay the price."
Still grinning, still bleeding, Hidan stood tall inside his circle.
"Worth it, though."
If this technique were placed on an ordinary person, it would shatter their mind. The pain alone would be enough to drive them into madness.
But Hidan wasn't "ordinary." His heart... if it could even be called that... was twisted, empty of fear.
That was the only reason he could control a forbidden curse like this.
He turned his head toward the cult members.
The corners of his mouth curved upward into a wicked smile.
Blind, fanatical devotion... the perfect weakness.
"Oi." Hidan called out, spreading his arms wide like a mock priest. His voice echoed with a strange mix of sarcasm and conviction.
"Your great Lord has already gone ahead. He's waiting in Jashin's arms. So tell me... are you willing to follow? Are you ready to serve the so-called Evil God at his feet?"
"I will!"
The response came instantly.
Loud and unified.
The cultists' voices overlapped into one crazed choir.
Hidan chuckled, thoroughly amused.
"Heh. Good little sheep. At least you're consistent."
His grin widened, his tone dropping into mock solemnity.
"Then dance. Dance in slaughter. Stain these walls red. Let this hall be your holy ground, the sacred birthplace of your Evil God!"
His words slithered into their ears like poison.
"Yes!" they cried.
"The former has returned to the Evil God's embrace! We will follow and serve at His feet!"
Their madness erupted all at once.
Weapons were drawn.
But instead of turning them against Hidan, the believers hacked at one another. Blades tore open throats and arteries. Blood sprayed across the stone floor.
They didn't resist. Didn't defend.
They welcomed the slaughter.
The crypt filled with the sound of steel, dying prayers, and wet splashes of blood. One by one, the fanatics fell into their self-made hell, dying in agony... yet with smiles plastered across their faces.
Fools, dying slow, miserable deaths.
Hidan watched from within his circle, the spear still in his bloody grip.
"Pfft... hahahahaha."
He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"Now that's loyalty. Too bad loyalty looks so damn stupid when it's painted in red."
It wasn't until half an hour later that silence finally returned to the auditorium.
The ground was covered in severed limbs and pools of blood. The stench of iron clung to the air so thickly it burned the nose.
At the highest point, Hidan stood still, watching everything calmly.
One by one, the believers collapsed, until the last prayer faded into nothingness.
Only silence remained in the crypt.
"Crekkkkk..."
A sound like laughter straight from the pits of hell echoed in Hidan's skull.
His expression stiffened.
"What the...?"
For the first time that night, he felt unease.
Could it be...?
"Don't tell me... an actual evil god's about to show up?!"
His eyes darted around the blood-soaked hall.
The thought sent a shiver through him. In the Naruto world, there wasn't supposed to be such a thing as a real evil god. Or was there?
Then the voice boomed again, deep and chilling:
"The host has killed more than one thousand people. The Killing System has been activated..."
"...Eh?"
Hidan froze, his brain short-circuiting.
"Killing... system? The fuck is this now?"
For a moment, he genuinely thought Jashin himself had come to collect his soul for slaughtering the cult.
"Damn it... you scared the shit out of me!" he shouted, clutching his chest even though his heart wasn't beating properly anyway.
"Don't just pop out of nowhere sounding like some budget horror movie!"
His voice echoed through the empty crypt, blending with the smell of death.
The voice explained, calm and mechanical:
"The Killing System guides the host to live forever in slaughter. It possesses two primary functions."
First: Any existence killed by the host will have its Kekkei Genkai, chakra attributes, or special abilities transferred to the host.
Second: Whenever the host kills, kill points will be awarded based on the level of the slain. These points can be used to strengthen Kekkei Genkai or upgrade special abilities."
A pause.
"(PS: Completing achievement tasks or... collecting the Pokemons [Women] of this world will yield unexpected rewards.)"
Hidan blinked.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Pffft -- what the fuck? Collecting women as achievements? That's not a system, that's some horny gamer's modpack!"
His grin widened, voice dripping with mockery.
"But you know what? Not serious business... but I like it."
He licked his lips, eyes gleaming.
"System, show me my panel," Hidan muttered in his head.
Instantly, the stats appeared before his mind's eye:
Host: Hidan
Strength: Normal Jonin (not counting special abilities)
Kekkei Genkai: None
Ninjutsu: Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood
Specialty: Immortal Body
Weapons: Bloody March Scythe, Black Spear
Kill Points: 0
Hidan's jaw dropped.
"Zero? ZERO?! The hell do you mean zero?!"
His voice cracked across the blood-drenched crypt.
"I literally slaughtered a thousand nutjobs tonight! You're telling me not even a single point?!"
The system replied coldly:
"The initial slaughter was consumed to activate the system."
And then it fell silent.
Hidan stood frozen for a beat, face twitching.
"...Tch. I mean... okay, it makes sense."
He exhaled slowly, then clenched his teeth.
"But damn it... I'm still pissed off!"
His roar echoed through the crypt, blending with the corpses' silence.
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