Chapter 37: Can't a Person Take a Proper Vacation?
Haruko soaked comfortably in a private hot spring pool, holding a glass of iced milk in his hand, squinting his eyes to enjoy the heat of the hot spring and the chill of the night breeze.
Hah—
A gulp of iced milk went down, refreshing him from his throat all the way to his stomach, making him squint his eyes in comfort.
Ah, this is life.
Haruko sighed with satisfaction and placed the glass on the tray by the pool.
The people from Taketori Village actually haven't chased me to the Land of Hot Springs yet. I wonder if they're just too incompetent to catch up, or if they've simply given up... They shouldn't chase me all the way to Konoha, right? I never exposed my background anyway.
Having rested enough, there was no point in staying any longer, so Haruko decided to set off and return to Konoha tomorrow.
He hadn't found a suitable retreat this time, only confirming the existence of the Kaguya Clan in the Land of Fire.
He could consider recruiting them once he became stronger, but it wouldn't be in time for the Uchiha Clan Massacre Night which was already in its countdown phase.
Hmm... On the way back, I can go test the attitude of the Fire Temple again. Long-term protection is unlikely, but letting a few people stay for ten days or half a month is still possible.
The deer chaser in the backyard filled with water, and the bamboo tube struck the stone slab, emitting a crisp, ethereal sound.
Dong—
...
Dong—
Tayuya landed on the rafters.
This was an abandoned slaughterhouse, and below was the ritual site of the Evil God Cult.
Over the past two days, except for a few die-hard followers, most of the underlings had joined the Evil God Cult for the so-called benefits.
Tayuya didn't blame them; after all, they were just trying to make a living.
But she never believed in that bizarre religion and refused to join, no matter how flowery their rhetoric was.
It turned out she was right.
Last night, one of the underlings who joined in the first batch returned to the abandoned warehouse they used as a base, covered in blood.
It turned out that the Evil God Cult was just a bunch of lunatics who performed human sacrifices and self-mutilation to please their so-called Evil God.
He was in the first batch to be sacrificed and only escaped by feigning death.
Upon learning that there were still underlings who had survived, Tayuya immediately called the remaining people to come here to save them.
The air was filled with a nauseating smell of rust and decay. In the open space below, a huge blood magic circle was drawn.
Prepare to move. She whispered to the few underlings beside her, Remember, the goal is to save people, not to kill the enemy. Once you save them, run.
Yes, Big Sis.
Everyone crouched quietly in the shadows, waiting for the right moment...
Finally, the door was pushed open—
...
—The door was pushed open, and a waiter walked in with a meal.
Having decided to set off tomorrow, Haruko naturally wanted to have a big meal tonight, as his last supper in the Land of Hot Springs.
The waiter set down the sumptuous dinner—grilled fish, grilled meat, tempura, and various exquisite side dishes.
As expected of the Land of Hot Springs, the service is spot on.
The food emitted an enticing aroma, making Haruko's appetite surge, and he couldn't wait to dig in.
Guest, your meal is complete. Please enjoy.
Thank you for your hard work.
After the waiter left, Haruko picked up his dinner knife, the blade glistening under the light—
...
—The dagger swung down!
Tayuya and the underlings jumped down from the rafters, their broken blades stabbing directly into the vital points of the cultists below, blood spurting from the wounds.
The battle ended in the blink of an eye, and all the cultists lay in pools of blood.
Save them!
The group immediately scattered to untie the underlings who were being used as sacrifices.
However, she had completely underestimated the vitality of these cultists.
Hehe... Hehehe... It hurts...
The cultists, who should have suffered fatal wounds, actually stood up as if nothing had happened.
Looking at their wounds, they were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
What wonderful pain... This is the gift of Lord Evil God!
The lead cultist grinned hideously: Since you delivered yourselves to our door, then become sacrifices together!
At this moment, Tayuya felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet straight to her scalp.
Immortality? Is this even human?!
Scatter! Run!!
Tayuya called out, rushing toward the door without looking back, the mad laughter of the cultists echoing behind her.
Run!
...
Run!
At the entrance of an underground casino, Haruko held a crumpled ticket in his hand, cheering for Speedy, the one he had bet on.
Come on! Run!
Charge! Don't hide in your shell and sleep, you bastard!
Passing by this turtle racing stall, Haruko was intrigued by the crowd.
With a playful mindset, he bet on a turtle that sounded fast. Speedy lived up to expectations and was always in the lead.
Quick! Just a little bit more!
As Speedy was about to cross the line—
Caw!
A crow suddenly flew over, snatched Speedy in its beak, and flew away.
??? This works too?
The overly absurd scene made Haruko's reaction half a beat slow, and the shuriken he threw didn't hit the crow.
Sigh, forget it, kid. These things happen.
The bookie on the side patted Haruko on the shoulder,
You never know the result until the last moment; isn't that the fun of the game?
Haruko hadn't taken it too seriously.
But after the crow snatched the turtle, it didn't leave; instead, it circled over Haruko's head a few times as if mocking him.
Hey, my temper! If I don't pluck all your feathers today, I'll write my name backward!
Haruko got fired up, leaped, and jumped onto the roof.
The crow clearly didn't expect this two-legged creature to actually catch up, so it hurriedly fled into the distance.
Even with the advantage of flight, the crow's speed couldn't compare to Haruko when he was serious.
After a few leaps, Haruko caught up underneath the crow.
Wind Release: Fly Swatter Promax—Crow Swatter!
A huge gust of wind slammed down from the air following Haruko's movement; Haruko even injected Natural Energy into it.
Puchi—
It couldn't even let out a scream before being slammed directly into the ground, turning into bird paste.
As for Speedy, it stretched its head and limbs out of its shell, completely unharmed, and slowly crawled toward the grass.
Phew, that feels better. Time to go back to the inn and sleep.
Haruko stretched, turned around, and walked into a slightly secluded alley, preparing to take a shortcut back.
Just halfway through, a burst of hurried footsteps approached quickly from the other end of the alley. A heavy smell of blood rushed toward his face.
Haruko frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to jump out of the alley and avoid trouble.
However, trouble always has legs and runs right into him.
Huff... huff...
A blood-covered, pink-haired figure rushed out from the corner, stumbling, clearly having reached her limit.
It was Tayuya.
Her originally arrogant face was now covered in dust and blood, and her fierce eyes were filled with despair.
The two locked eyes.
Run!
Tayuya didn't stop, leaving only this sentence before rushing straight past Haruko.
Hey, hey, hey, don't run toward me!
In the blink of an eye, the cultists had caught up. The leader saw Haruko, and his eyes lit up.
Oh! What a perfect sacrifice! Lord Evil God will surely like it!
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