A moment later…
Hidan walked out of the room with his fists clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together in frustration.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
"It was just a so-called Divine Punishment. Lord Hidan doesn't need anyone sticking their nose into his business."
"Unbelievable!"
Meanwhile, as Hidan stormed away in anger, Shinji Akagi, who had been hanging his head, suddenly revealed a faint smile.
Because just a moment ago, the system notification had sounded.
His Bond Value with Hidan had suddenly increased by 80 points!
Adding the 20 points he had earned from the previous hot spring mission, in just about ten days he had already completed the task quota that normally took a whole month.
Clearly, he had become much more skilled at handling Hidan.
Which meant that getting stabbed with eighteen bloody holes in front of so many people hadn't been for nothing.
And before Hidan had even arrived earlier, Shinji had actually died once already. The system had given him an evaluation of "Death: Not Very Spectacular."
As a result, his chakra, willpower, and physical condition had all received slight improvements.
That made him want to complain.
What exactly counts as a "spectacular death" anyway?!
Does your head exploding into a colorful firework count?
Or does dying with some kind of noble meaning make it spectacular?
He truly couldn't figure it out.
…
The Divine Punishment, from which no one had ever survived before, had finally been broken.
Shinji Akagi became the first person to undergo the Divine Punishment and live.
Of course, it wasn't all that surprising.
After all, it was just a matter of stabbing someone with a bunch of spears and letting them bleed out a bit. An immortal body wasn't that fragile.
So most people didn't think much of it, and the internal activities of the Jashin Cult soon returned to normal.
During the following period of time, Hidan did not come looking for trouble with Shinji again.
Instead—very unlike Hidan—he began seriously training his taijutsu.
It was obvious he hadn't given up.
He was simply preparing to challenge Shinji again after growing stronger.
Naturally, High Priest Takihata and the others were secretly delighted by Hidan's change.
They had already begun considering whether to completely separate Hidan and Shinji Akagi for training.
Yet unexpectedly, things had taken such a pleasant turn.
Sure enough, Lord Jashin was watching over them.
From that moment on, large amounts of resources were poured into both Hidan and Shinji.
High Priest Takihata understood something very clearly.
Although the Jashin Cult had developed rapidly under his leadership, they were only capable of bullying small nations.
If the situation became serious, the Five Great Nations could easily crush them with barely any effort.
That was precisely why he had chosen to remain hidden in a remote area rather than provoke those powerful countries.
But now, the appearance of Hidan and Shinji had rekindled his hope.
Two immortals.
Combined with the powerful cursed techniques Death Possession by Blood and Blood Manipulation.
Once the two of them matured, they would absolutely be no weaker than Kage-level shinobi.
And only when the Jashin Cult possessed warriors of that level could it truly grow stronger and become a force the ninja world could not ignore.
It had to be said—
High Priest Takihata's ambitions were enormous, and his plans were carefully calculated.
Unfortunately, plans rarely move faster than unexpected change.
"Shinji, how long have you been here?"
After cooperating once again and allowing another vial of blood to be drawn for experimental material, Shinji paused slightly when he heard the question.
He thought for a moment.
"About… three months, I think."
High Priest Takihata nodded gently, despite clearly knowing the answer already.
"Since you've been with us for three months now… I have a mission I intend to assign to you."
Shinji was startled at first.
Then he forced himself to calm down.
Was this a sign of trust?
Or merely a test?
But after another thought, he realized it didn't matter.
He had no intention of jumping ship from the Jashin Cult's tiny boat just yet.
If he were ever going to leave, he would first squeeze every bit of value out of this place before running.
So whether it was trust or a test, he had nothing to fear.
He only needed to act naturally.
With that thought in mind, Shinji immediately said,
"I will follow whatever orders you give, Lord Takihata. Shinji is willing to offer everything to Lord Jashin—even my life."
Seemingly pleased with this display of loyalty, the smile on High Priest Takihata's face grew even more gentle.
"You and Hidan are both the future of the Jashin Cult. Greater responsibilities will fall upon your shoulders in the future."
"So don't rush to serve Lord Jashin just yet. My fellow believers and I have long been waiting for that day ourselves."
"It's not your turn yet."
"Yes, Lord Takihata. Shinji spoke out of turn."
Like hell I want to serve some evil god.
You can take that honor yourself—hurry up and bring all those followers with you to meet your god!
Shinji maintained a respectful expression on the surface while internally complaining without restraint.
After patting Shinji lightly on the shoulder, High Priest Takihata continued.
"It's not a difficult mission. In the Land of Waves, there is a wealthy man who has secretly supported us for a long time. Recently, he's encountered some trouble and needs our help resolving it."
"We've all noticed how hard you and Hidan have been training recently."
"But if you want to grow stronger quickly, hiding here and training behind closed doors will never be enough."
"Only through battle and trials of blood can someone grow into a warrior capable of standing on their own."
"So this time, I've decided to send only you and Hidan."
"I hope the two of you won't disappoint me."
Looking at the warm smile on High Priest Takihata's face, Shinji gave a serious nod while inwardly feeling speechless.
Yeah right.
Like I'd believe you didn't make other arrangements behind the scenes.
You'd have to be insane to send just me and Hidan out alone on a mission.
If we died out there—or just ran away—you'd have nowhere left to cry.
And besides…
Who the hell wants to go on a mission with Hidan?!
…
"Who the hell wants to go on a mission with that bastard?!"
At the same time, after receiving the mission from the High Priest, Hidan shouted the exact same thought in his heart.
However, once High Priest Takihata had made a decision, it would never be changed because of their personal preferences.
In Takihata's eyes, the conflict between Hidan and Shinji was nothing more than childish friction between two young men who simply disliked each other.
If they experienced more things together, their relationship would naturally improve.
For example—
Who could have imagined that Shinji would voluntarily plead for Hidan and even take punishment in his place?
And who could have imagined that Hidan—completely unaware of that fact—would nearly beat a cultist to death for talking badly about Shinji behind his back?
Because of that, High Priest Takihata firmly believed his arrangement was correct.
Immortality itself was not impossible to counter.
But if two immortals with powerful cursed techniques became partners…
Then the result of one plus one would be far greater than two.
And if Shinji and Hidan were to become true partners, they would have to start fighting side by side from now on.
Only through battle could they cultivate that tacit understanding.
And that bond.