No matter how many disgusted gestures or biting words Hidan directed at Shinji, it proved nothing.
Because the system's judgment never lied!
After bringing Hidan back to Oshima's estate once again, Shinji began tallying up the gains from this mission.
First was his bond value with Hidan. It had shot up like it had been fed a dose of miracle fertilizer, skyrocketing without restraint.
The more unwilling Hidan looked, the faster the bond value increased…
It was exactly that type where the mouth screamed "no," but the body was completely honest.
In short: classic tsundere behavior.
As a result, Shinji and Hidan's bond value broke through the four-hundred mark for the first time, reaching 401 points!
Compared to last time, it had increased by a full 150 points in total!
Less than a hundred points remained before completing the second phase of the mission—victory was practically in sight.
If he'd figured out how to grind bond value earlier, he wouldn't have wasted an entire month just barely pushing it up to 100 points.
Of course, bond value was always hardest to raise at the beginning—and again later on.
In the beginning, you had to establish a relationship, completing the leap from zero to one…
Hmm? Why does that sound kind of weird? Forget it, not important.
Later on, it required a form of transcendence—evolving from one kind of relationship into another.
After all, everyone has friends. But how many people truly have friends they'd die for?
So this bond mission was clearly a massive trap!
Shaking his head and pushing the thought aside, Shinji took out the Executioner's Blade once more and began studying it.
Not the blade itself—but the system's new function.
Thankfully, he'd demanded the Executioner's Blade in advance just in case. Otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken him to realize the system actually had a Curse Tool Conversion function?!
But what exactly did "special weapon" mean?
Did it refer to unique materials? Inherent special power? Or something else entirely?
He went around touching every object in the room, but none of them attracted the system's interest. Only the Executioner's Blade seemed to possess the potential to be converted into a Curse Tool.
Which raised another question—
If that was the case, did the other six ninja swords have similar potential?
What about the Sage of Six Paths' ninja tools like the Seven-Star Sword or the Crimson Gourd?
Slap. Slap.
Shinji smacked his own cheeks.
He was getting ahead of himself.
He didn't even have the 5,000 Curse Soul Points needed to convert the Executioner's Blade yet—what was the point of indulging in wild fantasies? Better focus on saving up first!
Not long after, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
"Come in."
"Apologies for disturbing your rest."
The person who entered was none other than Oshima—who had said he was going to rest as soon as he returned.
Shinji froze for a moment. For Oshima to seek him out like this, something unexpected must have happened.
Could it be… that the matter of asking the tailor to sew Hidan's mouth shut had been exposed?
"Something wrong?"
Oshima looked deeply troubled, his brow furrowed.
"The two corpses… are gone."
"Hmm? Gone? What do you mean?"
It took Shinji a moment to realize which corpses he was referring to, and his expression shifted to surprise.
"I just sent people to collect the bodies. Everything was normal at first, but after transporting them and counting again, they discovered the corpses of the two culprits had vanished. No one knows when they disappeared—or how."
"I felt something was off, so I came to inform you immediately."
Shinji thought for a moment, then asked, "What do you think happened?"
Oshima let out a bitter smile.
"There are only a few possibilities. Either someone deliberately stole the bodies, or someone lied. It can't possibly be that the corpses got up and ran away on their own."
"What if they really did run away on their own?"
Shinji said meaningfully.
"Huh? Th-that…"
"You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it."
"Then I'm relieved."
Oshima finally let out a breath, feeling even more grateful for the decision he'd made back then.
If not for these two from the Jashin cult, he might have died a truly miserable death.
This made him value Shinji and Hidan even more. Unfortunately, no matter what benefits or rewards he promised, neither of them showed any interest—something that left him deeply frustrated.
Did believers of an evil god truly have no desires?
Impossible!
If Hidan were answering, the answer would definitely be: More sacrifices, preferably delivered by Oshima himself—the more the better.
It was simply a clash of worldviews and values.
In short, what Oshima possessed was worthless to them.
And what they desired was something Oshima could never provide.
They were never on the same path to begin with.
---
The next day, while Hidan was still recovering from his injuries, Shinji went out alone and didn't return until nightfall.
Regrettably, after trembling with fear while sewing Hidan's arm back on (under a doctor's guidance), the tailor ultimately lacked the courage to sew the mouth of that ferocious bald man shut…
The third day passed the same way.
By the fourth day, Hidan's injuries had mostly healed—and he'd even put on a bit of weight.
So Shinji proposed that they leave.
This time, Oshima didn't try to stop them. He knew it would be pointless.
In the future, if he encountered any problems he couldn't resolve, he could always seek help from the Jashin cult again. The price would be nothing more than money and supplies—things he truly didn't care about.
As long as he was still alive, those things would never run out!
A heavily laden ship slowly set sail…
---
At the same time, in a secluded village in the Land of Waves, inside a small wooden house.
A handsome, delicate-looking youth was gently feeding medicine to the man lying on the bed.
"Cough… cough…"
The man was tall and powerfully built, but his body was wrapped in bandages. His face was pale, his breathing weak—it was clear he'd either suffered grave injuries or fallen seriously ill.
"That guy… hasn't come back, has he?"
The youth's hand paused slightly, then he smiled brightly.
"The poison in my body has already been cured, and Lord Zabuza's injuries are also improving. Aside from that person, no one knows we're hiding here. We can completely change our identities and live quietly here from now on."
"I'm not satisfied!"
After a moment of silence, the man shattered the youth's illusion.
"The next time I meet that bald man, I won't lose. And that guy who took my Executioner's Blade—I'll never forgive him!"
"The Jashin cult… I'll remember this."
A trace of sorrow flickered through the youth's eyes, but he soon returned to his gentle expression.
"Yes. Everything will be as Lord Zabuza wishes. Now, open your mouth and take your medicine—ah~"
A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on the man's face. Before he could scold him, the bitter medicinal soup had already entered his mouth.