After the old man could no longer provide any new information, Shinji left the water and some food behind, then departed together with Hidan.
Seeing this, Hidan simply snorted, saying nothing.
An old geezer like that wasn't worth getting beaten up over.
It had to be admitted, though—Shinji's influence on Hidan was already starting to show results.
"Do you believe what that old man said?"
"Not entirely, but my intuition tells me that the disappearance of the sacrificial victims is very likely connected to that so-called monster."
Hidan nodded in agreement.
Setting aside the question of truth or lies, the people from the Land of Grass had marched straight into a monster's lair with no shortage of "sacrificial offerings." The result of that was easy to predict.
"Let's go. We'll see this monster for ourselves."
"You know where it is?" Hidan asked, surprised.
"No. But if this monster really likes eating people, there's no reason it wouldn't go after the meat delivered right to its mouth."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the monster will come to us on its own."
Clearly, this defeated little town had already become the monster's hunting ground, and these two had not only walked straight into it but were now wandering around boldly.
If such reckless behavior didn't provoke it, Shinji would have nothing left to say.
However, whether due to a misjudgment on his part, the monster happening to be resting, or it simply having left the area, several hours passed, and even as the sun set, nothing appeared.
Not a single shadow of a monster, not a single hair.
"I'm telling you, that old geezer must be talking nonsense. He thought making up a story about a man-eating monster would scare us. The disappearance of the victims is definitely connected to him."
Unable to sit still, Hidan leapt down from the roof.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to kill that old man! How dare he lie to Hidan! He's just asking to get himself beaten to death."
Shinji was speechless but didn't stop the idiot.
Maybe letting him cause a scene would stir up some unexpected results.
Not long after, Shinji saw Hidan returning, muttering curses under his breath.
"What happened?"
"When I got there, the old geezer had already run off! He must have gotten scared after making up his story."
Shinji couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected the old actor to pull one over on him too.
But could that genuine, all-consuming fear really be acted out?
"Forget it. If we meet him again, we'll settle this then. For now, let's find somewhere to stay and rest. Tomorrow, we can ask the others for more information."
For the moment, that was all they could do, though Hidan continued mumbling incessantly, probably cursing the old man's ancestors all the way back to the nineteenth generation.
Night fell without them noticing.
Shinji and Hidan found a relatively intact, rundown house, started a fire, and leaned against the wall, feigning sleep.
Outside, the cold wind whispered through the cracks, and the firelight flickered uncertainly.
Suddenly, a shadow passed by.
Shinji and Hidan didn't react at all.
Had they looked up, they would have seen a massive, human-faced centipede, several meters long, coiled on a crossbeam.
And the human face wasn't a mere pattern—the eyes kept moving, scanning them below, and soon drool began to drip from its mouth.
Screech!
Finally, the human-faced centipede could no longer restrain itself. It shot forward, gaping maw aimed straight at the two.
With just one bite, it could shred their bodies, savoring the fresh meat.
But the instant it struck, Shinji and Hidan almost simultaneously opened their eyes and grabbed the weapons placed beside them.
In the next moment, they sprang into action!
Their blades—the Executioner Blade and the Three-Bladed Scythe—struck the centipede without hesitation. In just two or three breaths, the grotesque creature was cut to pieces!
"What the hell is that thing? Disgusting as hell."
Hidan shook the green-stained weapon with obvious disgust.
Shinji felt the same, though his thoughts were already elsewhere.
At the moment he had slain the bizarre centipede, the system issued a new message.
[Exorcised Grade 3 Cursed Spirit. Earned 200 Cursed Soul Points.]
The content of this message was far richer than it seemed!
Apparently, there were ways to earn Cursed Soul Points besides completing system missions.
That centipede must have been a [Grade 3 Cursed Spirit].
Weak as it was, it made sense that slaying one would grant only a fraction of the points needed for a single draw.
Logically, the stronger the cursed spirit, the greater the rewards.
But…
"Why the hell are cursed spirits suddenly appearing in the normally peaceful world of Naruto?!"
Shinji groaned in frustration.
Then he remembered the [Curse of the World's Will]!
[Curse of the World's Will]
Effect: Unknown
PS: Your accidental arrival has caused this world to change in some way.
…A change.
Could it be referring to this?
In fact, even during the cursed treasure excavation, Shinji had sensed that something was off. Back then, the "ghost thing" had been dug up by him voluntarily, so he could rationalize it.
But this time, the appearance of a true cursed spirit made it undeniable: this was a Naruto world unlike the original.
By definition, a curse is a cursed spirit, born from the accumulation of negative emotions in living beings.
In other words, cursed spirits were born from humanity's overflowing negative feelings.
As long as humans continued to fear, to harbor anger or resentment, cursed spirits would endlessly emerge.
More importantly, the old man hadn't been lying—he really had seen a "monster."
Though Shinji didn't know why, if all cursed spirits in this world were visible even to ordinary people, then as their numbers grew, society—already stabilized after so long—would inevitably descend into chaos again.
Of course, there was a bright side.
He could earn massive Cursed Soul Points by exorcising cursed spirits, rapidly increasing his power.
Moreover, cursed spirits varied in strength, and the ninja system of this world had already produced many formidable fighters.
If the ninja villages took the matter seriously, they could likely eradicate most of the cursed spirits quickly.
With this in mind, the situation might not be as dire as he feared.
Still, Shinji's mind couldn't fully relax.
---
20 Power Stones= 1 additional chapters.