Kazekage Ninja: The Rise of the Hidden Sand

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Hidan took the scroll from Jinghang's hand. He remained silent for a long time, the flickering light in the tent casting shifting shadows that stretched and shrank with every movement.

"You mean... I am... an immortal of the... Jashin Cult?"

"Yes."

"Jashin Cult! Jashin Cult! Jashin Cult!"

Hidan muttered to himself. Suddenly, he clutched his head with both hands as fragmented memories began piecing themselves together in his mind. The pain was excruciating, as if his head was about to split open. The floodgates of memory burst wide, and vivid images surged through his mind...

A group of fierce, black-robed men stormed into his home, their aggression unmistakable. His parents tried to stop them but were cut down, their bodies lying in pools of blood. He reached out to pull them up, only to be hoisted onto the shoulder of one of the black-robed men. No matter how much he screamed or fought, it was futile. He could only watch helplessly as his home was engulfed in flames...

In a freezing, dark room where water could turn to ice, he and a group of children around his age were locked up. They wore thin clothing, curled up in the corners, hugging their knees, their teeth chattering uncontrollably as they shivered in the cold...

A food bowl was thrown into the room, containing spoiled, rancid food. He lunged for it desperately, shoving handfuls into his mouth, only to be dragged back by someone pulling at his legs. Like a feral dog protecting its meal, he bit and clawed at the hands and feet reaching for him...

Two black-robed men carried him and tied him to a crucifix on a sacrificial altar. A large crowd of black-robed figures knelt before him, chanting incomprehensible scriptures. He glanced around and saw four other children from the dark room being brought in and similarly tied to crucifixes. A purple-robed figure brandished a gleaming dagger and mercilessly sliced open the stomach of the child beside him, spilling intestines and organs onto the ground...

A cold, gleaming dagger was raised high, aimed directly at his heart...

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Hidan let out beast-like howls, his eyes vacant and bloodshot, saliva dripping from his mouth as his body trembled uncontrollably. His hands and feet thrashed wildly, reopening wounds that had just started to heal. Fresh blood seeped through the bandages, staining them red.

"You're trying to reveal your true form, huh? Iron Sand: Binding Frame!"

Black iron sand transformed into chains, tightly binding Hidan's limbs. Worried he might bite his tongue, Jinghang quickly pulled off his sand scarf and stuffed it into Hidan's mouth.

"Looks like he's recalling some painful memories. What now? Seems like I lifted the lid too early; the kid can't handle it mentally. I don't know medical ninjutsu! And this clearly seems like a psychological issue. This is tough!"

"Foolish child, snap out of it!"

Jinghang mimicked the demeanor of a great monk from the dramas of his previous life, shouting with a stern, thunderous voice.

However, it had no effect.

"The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, while practicing deeply the Perfection of Wisdom, perceived that all five skandhas are empty, thus overcoming all suffering and distress. Sariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is form. So too are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness..."

Hidan continued to struggle violently, even biting through the scarf in his mouth, causing blood to seep out. The Heart Sutra didn't work either. Should I try the Tao Te Ching? Or maybe perform a ritual dance? "The sun sets in the west, the black bird flies across the sky..." Or should I just knock him out?

Just as Jinghang was at his wit's end, Tsunade lifted the tent flap and walked in.

"What are you doing? Killing someone? I could hear the screaming from outside the tent! Some of us have work tomorrow, you know!"

Where am I?

Hidan sat up and looked around. It seemed like he was still on the Jashin Cult's sacrificial altar. Another version of himself was still tied to the crucifix, a dagger stabbed into his chest.

Below the altar, a blue figure darted through the crowd of black-robed figures with ease, cutting them down one by one. No one could withstand even a single move from him...

It was Master! Hidan saw clearly—it was Jinghang rescuing him.

"Boss, this kid's still alive." That was the voice of Rasa, the department head.

"Oh dear, how pitiful. Bring him back. Be gentle," Master instructed, looking at his unconscious self on the crucifix.

"Take your time eating; no one's going to take it from you." The scene shifted. Hidan saw his frail self wolfing down food while Master added a drumstick to his bowl.

"Young man, I see great potential in you. Would you like to learn ninjutsu from me?" Master said with a smile.

"Today, I'll teach you a scythe technique. Watch closely." Master swung a three-bladed scythe with precision, his movements sharp and fluid. Hidan watched intently, afraid to miss a single detail.

"To celebrate everyone officially becoming ninjas, I'm treating you all to hot pot."

That was Akasuna Shuki-sensei!

As the copper lid was lifted, steam rose, and the milky broth bubbled invitingly, releasing a tantalizing aroma. Ban no Sho eagerly tossed in a plate of lamb, and Hidan wasn't far behind...

"Stupid Hidan, if you're going to read my novel, just read it! Why did you mess with my bookmark? Now I don't even know where I left off!" Sister Pakura scolded him, holding a thick copy of The Illegitimate Child of a Ninja Clan.

"Get out of the way!" Akasuna Shuki pushed Hidan aside, taking a sword strike from Kiyomizu Renman in his place...

"The so-called Will of Wind represents the spirit of us Sunagakure ninjas..."

This was a political science class at the ninja academy, taught by Chunin Shisei Saku, a kind and gentle tall man with glasses. It was also the class Hidan found the most boring. As expected, his classroom self was dozing off.

"What is the most powerful thing in the desert?" the teacher suddenly asked.

"Quicksand pits!"

"Wolves!"

"Rattlesnakes!"

The children eagerly raised their hands to answer.

"No, children. It's the wind! The desert wind! No matter how hard the rocks, the wind grinds them into sand. No matter how tall the dunes, the wind can scatter them overnight. It can gently caress your cheek like a silk scarf, or it can turn into a black sandstorm that changes the color of the sky. Though formless and rootless, it is everywhere and unstoppable.

In this barren land, only the wind survives tenaciously, never complaining, never yielding, persevering and fighting against the heavens!"

...

"Never yielding, fighting against the heavens!" Something seemed to stir within Hidan, sending a sharp pain through his brain. But after the pain came clarity.

"Ah, my foolish disciple, you're awake."

Hidan's blurry vision slowly cleared. His master was playing shogi with Aunt Tsunade. Seeing Hidan awake, Jinghang quickly swept the shogi pieces into a chaotic mess.

"Hey! How can you cheat like that? I was about to—"

"You win, you win, alright?"

Tsunade reluctantly began tidying up the pieces, while Jinghang wore an apologetic smile.

"Feeling better? Young man, don't overthink things, or you'll drive yourself mad."

"Yes, Master. My mind does feel a bit chaotic."

"Truthfully, I hesitated for a long time before deciding to show you this. But then I thought, this technique might be unique to you. Whether to use it is your choice. I just didn't expect the Jashin Cult to have hurt you so deeply. Sigh, it was my oversight. I'll destroy it right now!" Jinghang reached for the scroll.

But Hidan stopped him.

"Master, I do hate the Jashin Cult..." Hidan said in a low voice.

"But as you said, I might be the only one who can use this technique. Wouldn't it be a waste to destroy it?"

Hidan struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Jinghang.

"Master, thank you."

Jinghang seemed momentarily at a loss.

Hidan continued, "Master, Sister Pakura, Might Duy-sensei, Shisei Saku-sensei, Akasuna Shuki-sensei, Ban no Sho, Fujimoto... Everyone in the village has shown me warmth and treated me like family. The Jashin Cult destroyed my home, but Master, you gave me a new one..."

At this point, Hidan was already choking with sobs. Jinghang patted his shoulder in response.

"My foolish child, my foolish child..."

Even Tsunade, standing nearby, was moved to tears. "What an incredible way to console someone," she thought.

"My foolish child, I don't want you to be shattered into pieces. I want you to become Sunagakure's chariot! To charge into battle for the village!"

With that, Jinghang pulled out a shogi piece—a "rook."

Hidan accepted it, clutching it tightly in his hand, nodding firmly.

Tsunade, standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes. "This guy has no sportsmanship. No wonder I was missing a rook during our game!"