Soon after the group entered the shrine, they encountered the hurried miko and guards.
Seeing Kana, covered in blood, inFumori Masaki's arms, the miko's heart trembled.
She thought there had been a casualty, and grief immediately welled up within her—had they still not made it in time?
The miko's lineage of precognitive abilities brought them a mysterious aura, giving them a high status among the people.
But no one knew that this precognitive ability was also a curse, because they had to face those tragic futures, and sometimes they couldn't even find a way to avoid them.
The miko's premonitions always leaned towards dangerous events, often involving the deaths of others.
There was once a miko whose precognitive ability was so strong that she would sense it whenever someone died near her.
The current miko does not possess such an ability, but her daughter, Miroku, is even more powerful than her mother.
Of course, the current miko does not yet know that her granddaughter will possess precognitive abilities as powerful as those recorded in ancient times, bringing an unavoidable shadow to her life.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kazamori, if only we had been a little earlier..." the miko said apologetically.
She felt that such words could not erase the sorrow inFumori Masaki's heart, but besides expressing her apologies, she didn't know how else to compensate.
However, to the miko's surprise,Fumori Masaki was only slightly stunned, then said, "No, the timing is just right.
Please arrange for a healer to come quickly and check on Kana's condition."
This time, it was the miko who was stunned.
She looked down at Kana and only then realized that she was still breathing.
Although covered in blood, she seemed to be fine.
A sense of embarrassment spread in her heart.
Fortunately, she hadn't finished speaking; if she had, it would have been truly embarrassing, not even having clearly seen the other person's situation.
It wasn't that the miko was overly pessimistic; it was just that their prophecies were never good news.
So, the moment she saw Kana, she couldn't help but think of a bad outcome, almost causing an embarrassing scene.
The miko quickly calmed herself down.
She instructed a subordinate to call the healer, then personally ledFumori Masaki and the others to a room for Kana to rest.
Because Kana's blood-stained clothes needed to be removed,Fumori Masaki, Hatake Sakumo, and Hattori Heizō stayed at the door, with only Tsunade entering to help.
Kazamori Masahiro knew that Kana didn't have any major problems, and Tsunade and the shrine's healer would be sufficient.
He then said to the miko, "Although we didn't capture all the enemies this time, we still have a trophy.
We should be able to get something from him."
The miko had already seen the dying Evil God Believer (evil god worshipper).
While caring for Kana, she had instructed other guards to watch him and kept him alive with medicine.
Upon hearingFumori Masaki's words, she said, "His injuries are very severe, and he might not withstand any interrogation.
These evil god worshippers are very stubborn; words alone won't work."
The miko had also seen evil god worshippers captured within the country before, but they were all ordinary people, and the intelligence painstakingly extracted from them was of little value.
This person should be a true ninja, with a higher tolerance for interrogation than others, but he is clearly unable to withstand strong interrogation now.
The miko did not know how to extract information from him.
"Not now, but it will be possible once the village's reinforcements arrive,"Fumori Masaki said.
"One of my companions can probe his memories, so he won't be able to refuse.
Of course, the prerequisite is to ensure he remains alive, so please make sure he stays alive until the reinforcements arrive and doesn't get a chance to commit suicide."
"Did you hear that?" the miko asked her trusted aide upon hearing this.
The aide quickly agreed and left with the others, taking the evil god worshipper.
At this point, the healer pushed the door open.
Kana had only fainted from excessive shock, and someone to look after her would suffice.
Kazamori Masahiro thanked them, then had Tsunade look after Kana, while he, Hatake Sakumo, and Hattori Heizō followed the miko to another room to discuss the attack.
"The enemy seems very strong, Mr. Kazamori," the miko said, having already known this when she saw the wounds on Hatake Sakumo and the others, and now confirming it.
"Indeed, more formidable than I imagined, but not impossible to deal with,"Fumori Masaki said.
"The only one we truly need to worry about is the ninja who escaped; the others are not worth mentioning."
"Speaking of which, Sensei Kazamori, what exactly was that person?" Hatake Sakumo finally asked the question on his mind.
"He didn't seem human at all.
Is that the power of an evil god?"
Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizō had personally witnessed the dense black threads within Kakuzu's body.
Even when his left half was severed byFumori Masaki, he didn't die.
Those black threads even reconnected the severed parts, a bizarre sight that sent chills down the spines of these two young children.
No matter how talented they were, they were still just children.
"That's not the power of an evil god; it's merely a secret technique,"Fumori Masaki said.
"From what I speculate, it should be a secret technique that alters the body's nature.
Those black threads are actually mutated blood vessels."
"Blood vessels?" Hearing this word, Hatake Sakumo recalled the blood that spewed from the severed black threads whenFumori Masaki cut them.
So those were blood vessels.
Due to the effect of some secret technique, they had mutated to be like living creatures.
Even if the body was severed, as long as the connection was maintained and the blood supply uninterrupted, he would not die.
Although it wasn't the power of an evil god, which relieved Hatake Sakumo of the fear of unknown forces, that secret technique of body mutation still caused a subtle shiver in his body.
It didn't lose its terrifying aspect just because it lost its mysterious aura.
"If I'm not mistaken, that person has five hearts and five chakra pathways within his body,"Fumori Masaki's next words were astonishing.
"I suspect that even if one of his hearts stops functioning, he won't die.
To truly kill him, all five hearts must stop functioning."
Even the well-informed miko showed a look of shock, not to mention the two children, Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizō.
Such an opponent was already very troublesome to defeat once, let alone five consecutive times.
This was almost impossible.
However, Hatake Sakumo noticed a word inFumori Masaki's previous statement and quickly asked, "Sensei Kazamori, you clearly know that this person needs to be killed five times, but you still don't think it's difficult?"
His voice was somewhat sharp due to his shock.
Hatake Sakumo knew thatFumori Masaki was very powerful, but Kakuzu's strangeness and strength also exceeded his imagination.
He subconsciously believed thatFumori Masaki might be able to defeat Kakuzu in a duel, but truly killing Kakuzu seemed impossible.
"There's nothing to fear.
As long as Kakuzu doesn't retreat, I'm confident I can defeat him alone,"Fumori Masaki said, as if seeing through Hatake Sakumo's thoughts.
"The key is that he doesn't know that I've already realized he has five hearts.
Sakumo, Heizō, in ninja battles, the amount of information often affects the outcome.
You must remember this."
In the past, Kakuzu might have relied on his multiple hearts to mislead enemies, making them believe they had already defeated him, only to be counter-killed by the still-living Kakuzu.
IfFumori Masaki and Kakuzu were to engage in a true life-or-death battle, the one trapped in conventional thinking would likely be Kakuzu.
Kazamori Masahiro would not give him any other chances; he would destroy all five hearts at once.
He possessed that ability.
"As long as I get one close-range opportunity, there won't be any problems.
You don't need to worry.
The only thing to be careful of is not letting Kakuzu know this information."
Kazamori Masahiro looked at the three people in front of him.
Because of this attack, everyone knew there was an insider in the Land of Demons.
Although it was highly likely to be from the court, they couldn't guarantee that there were no insiders in the shrine.
After all, no one truly knew another person's real thoughts.
Kazamori Masahiro had already observed earlier.
Now, only the four of them were present.
Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizō were trustworthy, andFumori Masaki believed the miko was also trustworthy.
Her chakra gave off a feeling of righteousness.
Chakra, besides its nature, also has other characteristics.
For example, the chakra sensation among blood relatives will be similar, and the emotions revealed in chakra reflect the mental state of its owner, and so on.
Kazamori Masahiro believed that a miko with such chakra would never be a worshipper of an evil god.
Even setting that aside, if the miko of a nation were a worshipper of an evil god, then this country would likely be doomed, and it would be impossible to specifically entrust people from the Hidden Leaf Village to come.
The possibility of the miko being an insider was infinitely close to zero.
"In that case, I'm relieved.
Although that guy looked terrifying, Sensei Kazamori also has a way to deal with him," Hatake Sakumo said, looking relieved.
"Well, evil gods don't exist after all.
It's not some mystical thing; if it's just a ninja's secret technique, there must be a way to crack it," Hattori Heizō said, with an 'I knew it' expression.
"Sensei Kazamori also said in the past that as long as it's a ninjutsu, there will always be a way to break it."
"You're right.
I almost thought evil gods really existed," Hatake Sakumo said, a little embarrassed.
"How could such a thing truly exist?" the miko said with a smile.
"In the mythology of the Sage of Six Paths, the person at the highest position is only the Sage of Six Paths.
However, the Sage of Six Paths is not a god, but a sage.
You must know the difference between a god and a sage."
Kazamori Masahiro also did not believe in the actual existence of gods.
The gods he recognized were omniscient, omnipotent beings, beyond human imagination and indescribable in words, which could be considered both existent and non-existent.
And Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world, was merely a powerful being almost like a god.
Although she could be called a god in the eyes of ordinary people, she was ultimately not that kind of conceptual existence.
However,Fumori Masaki still couldn't understand what exactly an evil god was.
In the original work, Hidan indeed possessed immortality and a curse technique that allowed him to share injuries with others using their blood as a medium, which was considered an incredible level among many ninjutsu.
What concernedFumori Masaki was the fact that evil god worshippers were active in the Land of Demons.
In the movie, there was actually another active group in the Land of Demons called the Yomi Cult, whose goal was to revive Mōryō and rule the ninja world.
Were these two groups related?
Evil God and Yomi (underworld) – the negative connotations of these two words are very similar, both representing dangerous groups.
If the two were indeed related—for example, if the Yomi Cult was a divergent faction within the Evil God group—then the connection between the Evil God and Mōryō becomes intriguing.
However, this was justFumori Masaki's speculation.
It was possible that the Evil God group and the Yomi Cult were two different organizations, and it just so happened that the Evil God worshippers caused trouble first in the Land of Demons, as the Yomi Cult's activities began after Miroku became an adult, and Miroku was just a child at the moment.
"Before our companions arrive, we need to pay attention to the situation of the evil god worshippers,"Fumori Masaki said to the miko.
"I believe that given their mental issues, they won't give up without achieving their goals.
They should not leave, but they might make some moves."
"I think so too," the miko said.
"First, we should find the insider to prevent further loss of information.
Also, we need to strengthen our defenses.
Although the Land of Demons' army cannot defeat the evil god worshippers, holding the defensive line should not be a problem."
—In short, it means their offensive power is weak, but their defensive power is extremely high,Fumori Masaki nodded slightly.
Kana woke up in the deep of night.
Moonlight filtered through the paper screen, casting a hazy glow.
She sat up in bed, looked at her changed clothes, and paused for a moment.
Only then did she recall the previous events, the fear of almost being kidnapped by someone spreading in her heart.
However... she remembered the figure who suddenly appeared in her despair, the reassuring strength when Fumori Masaki held her, his warm presence...
The fear in her heart somehow disappeared, and she became fully awake.
At this moment, she saw Tsunade sleeping beside her.
Tsunade seemed to have been with Kana the whole time, not even having carefully treated her own wounds.
Tsunade lay on her side on the floor, mumbling something.
Kana leaned closer and listened carefully, realizing it was her own name.
—This child.
Kana gently stroked Tsunade's hair, a smile appearing on her face.
Although this child was usually willful, to her family, she was ultimately a lovely child.
It was precisely this way that made it hard to bring oneself to scold her.
"Are you awake, Kana-neechan?" A voice suddenly sounded at the door.
Kana quickly turned around and saw a silhouette of a person outside the paper screen.
She knew who it was at a glance.
"Yes, Mr. Fumori," Kana replied softly.