69novels Chapter 385 The Mastermind Revealed
Chapter 385 The Mastermind Revealed
Chapter 385 The Mastermind Revealed
The news of Taiyi's departure spread like wildfire.
The news that Konoha's "White Reaper" had left the Land of Hot Springs in anger after failing to find anything during his investigation and being reprimanded by the eldest son spread like wildfire through official channels and certain clandestine channels.
Outside the capital of hot springs, in a secluded mountain forest, Taiichi, who had just "left in anger," had already returned here using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A cold smile played on his lips, his perception spreading like an invisible spiderweb across the entire City of Hot Springs.
He could clearly "sense" that, shortly after he left, several secret messages were leaked out of Daming Prefecture.
"The fish has taken the bait," Taiichi whispered. He formed hand seals, and chakra surged within him.
Shadow Clone Technique.
Bang bang bang bang—Eight plumes of white smoke exploded in succession, and eight shadow clones identical to Taiyi appeared around him. They all had the same sharp eyes and restrained aura.
"Target area: all areas with a high concentration of hot spring caves, major transportation routes, and remote villages in the northeastern mountainous region. Everyone, fly as high as possible to avoid being noticed."
Taiyi's voice was cold and clear: "Any abnormal chakra fluctuations, gatherings of people, or suspicious activities detected must be immediately dispelled. Do not alert the enemy."
"Understood!" the eight shadow clones responded in unison, then transformed into eight blurry afterimages, like a gentle breeze merging into the forest, rushing off in their respective directions and disappearing into the depths of the dense forest in an instant.
Taiyi's true form stood up, his gaze fixed on the direction of Yuzhidu, his eyes deep. Now, it was time to test their patience and see who would finally give in first.
The cicada has shed its shell, and shadows are lurking.
An invisible net has quietly been cast across the sky and earth of the Land of Hot Water.
After Taiichi's "angry departure," the hustle and bustle of the Hot Spring City seemed to fall into an eerie calm. However, beneath this calm, undercurrents were surging.
Inside the Daming Mansion, the lamplight flickered in the Second Young Master's secret room. A hint of barely suppressed smugness played on his lips as he lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, listening to his confidant's report.
"—My lord, it's confirmed. After leaving the daimyo's capital, Matsushita Taichi did not linger in Yudo. He flew directly west at an extremely fast speed. Our spies along the way have confirmed that he has already left the country." The black-clad confidant knelt on one knee, his voice carrying a hint of relief.
"Hmph, 'White Death'? Nothing special."
The second young master chuckled, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and the icy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the ambition in his heart. "He ran away with his tail between his legs after being scolded by that idiot big brother. It seems that Konoha's reputation isn't so strong after all."
"Pass down the order so they can breathe a little easier, but for now, hold back and observe for a few more days to make sure that troublemaker is truly gone and not just playing some kind of surprise attack."
"Yes!" the confidant replied, his figure disappearing into the shadows.
The second young master walked to the window, gazing at the capital city shrouded in the mist of the hot spring, his eyes gleaming with calculation.
Taiichi's departure means the greatest threat has been eliminated. Konoha will not send anyone more troublesome in the short term, after all, they have "completed their mission."
Next, it's time to clean up the mess, urge those lunatics to unleash their true "undying army," and even force the old fogies to step down.
Once he has power, his elder brother and those old fogies who support him will all die.
He could almost see himself ascending to the throne of Daimyo, controlling the Undead Legion, and commanding the surrounding nations to submit.
Not long after, the stronghold of the evil god cult was discovered.
The cult leader, "Blood Raven," sat on the throne he had created, listening to the orders relayed by the second young master's confidant. His face, covered by a raven mask, was expressionless, except for his scarlet eyes, which gleamed with ferocity and impatience in the darkness.
"Wait a few more days? Ha—" Blood Raven's voice was like the hooting of an owl, full of sarcasm. "Our second young master is more timid than a mouse. He's scared out of his wits by just a name. But it's good, it's always better to be cautious."
Tell those fools out there to keep their tails between their legs these next few days. Anyone who ruins my grand plan will be skinned alive and their soul offered as a sacrifice to my Lord!
"Yes, Master!" A gray-robed follower below replied tremblingly and quickly retreated to relay the order.
Blood Raven stood up irritably, his scarlet robe fluttering even without wind.
He walked to the huge central altar, its surface covered in layers of solidified dark red, emanating a nauseating stench of blood.
Below the altar is the entrance to a huge incinerator, whose fire has been extinguished for some time now.
Nearby, several "sacrifices," chained up, emaciated, and with vacant eyes, huddled in a corner, emitting faint groans.
They were the last few remaining, and in extremely poor condition, almost losing their value as "effective" sacrifices.
"Sacrifice—" Blood Raven muttered to himself, his voice tinged with barely perceptible anxiety. To communicate with the evil god, one needs souls filled with fear as "fuel" and "bridges."
He had originally planned to stockpile another batch before Taiyi arrived, but was forced to stop because Taiyi arrived too quickly. Now, the stock is almost depleted.
Now I just hope what's left can last a few more days. Otherwise—
A house in Iwagakure, the Land of Earth.
The heavy curtains blocked out most of the light, leaving only a few rays of sunlight struggling to penetrate and casting blurry spots of light on the dusty floor.
Obito Uchiha leaned against the cold stone wall, his mask lying aside, revealing his face, torn by scars and filled with gloom.
He closed his eyes, but he wasn't resting. The gentle smile of the girl in his dream kept appearing in his mind, and then—the kunai that pierced through her chest!
"Lin————"
A low, painful, and hateful murmur echoed in the silent room. This unforgettable pain and regret constantly burned in his soul.
Iwagakure, one of the sources of Rin's tragedy, became a nightmare from which he could not escape.
Having nothing better to do recently, he lurked here, like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, patiently licking his wounds again and again, while scrutinizing the village, searching for any crack that could be torn apart.
Last time, he used the kaleidoscope illusion to subtly plant the idea in the mind of an elder of Iwagakure, urging Huangtu to suggest to Onoki that "for the sake of the village's future, he should step down at the appropriate time."
Unfortunately, that stubborn old man, Onoki, though old, still had a keen political sense.
Huang Tu's tentative proposal not only failed to cause any trouble, but was also easily defused by Onoki, who even used it to eliminate the village's opposition.
The plan failed.
However, a cold smile appeared on his lips.
It's okay, he has plenty of time and patience.
Even the seemingly solid stone wall of Yancun will eventually develop cracks. He just needs to wait patiently, or—create the next opportunity himself.
Lin's vengeance must be appeased with the blood of the entire Hidden Stone Village, or even with its destruction!
Just then, the floor in the corner of the room rippled silently, like water on which a pebble had been thrown.
With its pitcher plant-shaped head, Jue emerged slowly and silently, like a strange plant growing from the ground.
"Oh my, oh my, reminiscing about those unpleasant memories again, Obito?" White Zetsu teased in his characteristic flippant tone, breaking the heavy silence in the room.
Obito's gaze instantly sharpened like a knife as he swept it towards Zetsu. He silently put his mask back on and said coldly, "Get to the point."
"Don't be so cold," White Zetsu chuckled, swaying half of his body. "We can't gnaw on the rocks of Iwagakure for now, but I've found a more interesting 'toy,' which might—become a decent piece on our chessboard."
"Toy?" Obito's voice was completely flat, clearly indicating his reservations about the "interesting" part Zetsu had mentioned.
"The Land of Hot Springs." Black Zetsu's deep, hoarse voice rang out, suppressing White Zetsu's will as he began to speak, "An organization called 'The Cult of Evil Gods' is secretly conducting some—very interesting research."
"The Evil God Cult?" Obito frowned slightly, feeling unfamiliar with the name.
"A bunch of lunatics who worship so-called evil gods," White Zetsu chimed in, his tone exaggeratedly astonished, "They use living people for curse experiments, trying to create immortal warriors! Tsk tsk, what a crazy and audacious idea!"
"Undying?" Obito's eyes finally changed slightly, no longer purely cold, but flashing with a glint of doubt and inquiry.
This word touched a deep corner of his heart. Lin's death was the source of his eternal pain.
Immortality—if— He forced himself to suppress the absurd thought, his voice still cold and hard: "Absurd, there is no such thing as true immortality in the ninja world."
"Hehe, don't jump to conclusions." Bai Jue shook his head. "According to the information I've gathered, they seem to have actually managed to come up with something."
Although most of them are failures, fearing fire and decapitation, and can only be considered half-finished products, they do possess regenerative abilities and numbness to pain far beyond that of ordinary people.
More importantly, their experiment seemed to have received a genuine response from the divine.
"Gods?" Obito pressed.
"Yes." Black Zetsu nodded in affirmation, "Their so-called evil god is not entirely fictitious."
That was something that existed in the ancient times of the ninja world, before the Sage of Six Paths, or even in a time much earlier.
They were once the rulers of this land, wielding power beyond that of criminals. The so-called "immortality" may simply be a rudimentary manifestation of their power.
However, as the long years have passed, they have long since declined, with only a few survivors hiding in the corners of the ninja world, clinging to life by the sacrifices of believers, far from being true "gods."
As Black Zetsu spoke of these things, there was a hint of pride in his voice, but Obito did not notice it at the time.
He was processing the information that Jue had brought.
Ancient beings? Gods clinging to life? Experiments with immortality? These words, combined together, challenged his preconceived notions.
"A god clinging to life—"
Obito repeated Black Zetsu's words in a low voice, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity—a mixture of sarcasm and a subtle stirring of emotion that even he himself was unaware of.
"So, such things really do exist in this world."
"So," White Zetsu leaned closer, his tone seductive, "what do you think, Obito? Isn't this Jashin cult interesting? Their research, though rudimentary, is quite effective. Aren't we recruiting people right now?"
Obito's light shifted away from Zetsu and shone out the window again, as if piercing through the thick stone walls and the swirling sandstorm, revealing the distant Land of Hot Springs.
After a moment of silence, Obito's voice rang out, cold and resolute: "Interesting. Go and make contact with them, Zetsu. Let's see what this so-called evil god cult is really like, and whether it can be—used by me."
He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and opened it only a crack, letting a sliver of the yellowish-brown world outside seep in. "A group of madmen pursuing immortality—perhaps, they can stir up a stagnant pool."
At the same time, the corners of Jue's mouth turned upwards, revealing a tacit and eerie smile.
"Understood. I'll arrange it right away." White Zetsu's voice was light and cheerful.
In the northwestern part of Yu-no-Kuni, there is an ordinary town that prospered because of its hot springs.
During this time, Taiyi's true form was also not idle. He transformed into a young scholar traveling around, dressed in simple clothes, carrying a simple bag, and mingling in the bustling streets. He concealed all chakra fluctuations, like a drop of water flowing into the ocean.
Taiyi walked among the crowd, his keen senses capturing every sound and every clue around him.
He needs more down-to-earth information, to learn from the grassroots level about clues that may be covered up by the authorities.
Outside the hot spring hotel in the small town, a group of travelers who had just come out of the hot spring were gathered together, whispering about something, their faces filled with fear and mystery.
"—Have you heard? In Maple Leaf Village next door, we heard strange noises again a few nights ago! It sounded like something was howling, it was really creepy!"
"Yes, I heard about it too! Someone even saw a dark shadow drift past on the back mountain and disappear in a flash!"
"Sigh, this world—ever since the incidents in Tsukimi Village and Xishi Village, everyone's been in a state of panic. The authorities have investigated and investigated, but haven't found anything!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! I heard—it wasn't done by a human!" A gaunt old man lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, "It's divine punishment! It's messengers serving an evil god, selecting believers with pure souls!"
"An 'evil god'? What's that?"
"I'm not entirely sure either, but it seems to be a very ancient and powerful god—one who can grant believers the power of immortality!"
The old man looked around, then carefully pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with crude paint from his pocket. "Here, I secretly picked this up. It has a mark on it—"
Taiyi approached subtly, his gaze sweeping sharply over the piece of paper. The paper was rough, and a perfect circle with an equilateral triangle drawn on it in dark red paint.
Below the symbol, written in crooked handwriting: "Embrace the evil god, serve my lord, offer your devotion, and you will attain immortality."
A faint, seductive chakra lingered on it, but its essence was strangely familiar to Taiichi, originating from the same source as the violent and evil aura he had sensed in Tsukimi Village and the trading post.
"Evil God—the Evil God Cult, so that's how it is." Taiyi suddenly realized.
So it was an evil cult! And they were even spreading their beliefs among the people, bewitching and misleading them!
"Old man," Taiyi stepped forward, a gentle, harmless smile on his face, "this evil god you mentioned sounds quite mysterious. May I take a look at this piece of paper?"
The old man glanced at Taiyi warily, but seeing that he was young and kind-looking, like a scholar, he hesitated for a moment before handing it over anyway.
Taiyi took the paper, his fingers gently brushing over the symbol. His senses instantly penetrated it to confirm the chakra residue and also erased the bewitching power within.
This kind of thing shouldn't be kept to harm people.