Chapter 31: The Return Journey
Even if Hidan made the most disgusting gestures and words toward Shinsuke, it didn't prove much.
Because the system's judgment never lies!
After bringing Hidan back to Mira Peng's estate once again, Shinsuke began to tally up the gains from this trip.
First was the bond value with Hidan, which surged as if he had suddenly struck gold.
The more unwilling Hidan appeared the more the bond value increased...
It was the kind where despite saying no, his body was very honest.
In short, he was a classic case of "verbal rejection, physical agreement"!
Thus, Shinsuke's bond value with Hidan had first exceeded the 400 mark, reaching 401 points!
Compared to last time, it had increased by a full 150 points!
Only less than 100 points remained to complete the second phase of the task, and victory was in sight.
If only he had mastered the method for boosting bond values earlier, he wouldn't have spent a whole month barely reaching 100 points.
Of course, bond values are destined to be harder to increase the further you go.
The initial phase requires establishing a relationship, making the breakthrough from 0 to 1... Hmm? Something seems off here, but it's not important.
The latter phase requires a sort of sublimation, transitioning from one type of relationship to another.
It's like everyone has friends, but how many are truly bosom buddies? Can you find a few?
So this bond task was destined to be a huge pitfall!
Shaking his head and not thinking too much about it, Shinsuke took out the Executioner's Blade again and began his research.
Not on the sword itself, but on the new features of the system.
Thankfully, he had preemptively obtained the Executioner's Blade just in case; otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken him to discover that the system had a curse tool transformation feature?!
But what does this "special weapon" mean?
Is it the materials that are special, or does it have inherent special powers? Or something else?
He checked everything in the room but couldn't trigger any interest from the system, only this Executioner's Blade seemed to have the potential to be transformed into a curse tool.
So the question arises, if that's the case, do the other six ninja swords have such potential?
The Seven Star Sword, the Crimson Gourd, and other Six Paths ninja tools?
Snap, snap!
Shinsuke smacked his face, thinking too far ahead.
He didn't even have the "money" to transform one Executioner's Blade into a curse tool, and he was already daydreaming. He should gather 5000 curse soul points first!
After a while, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Sorry to disturb you, sir."
The person who opened the door was Mira Peng, who had said he was going to rest earlier.
Shinsuke was taken aback. Mira Peng's sudden visit must be due to some new emergency.
Could it be... that the tailor's failure to sew Hidan's mouth shut had been exposed?
"Is there something?"
Mira Peng seemed worried and frowned, saying, "The two corpses... are missing."
"Missing? What do you mean?"
Shinsuke was startled, realizing what corpses Mira Peng was referring to, and then showed a surprised expression.
"Just now, the person I sent to collect the bodies returned and said that everything was normal at first, but after they transported the bodies to the place and counted them, they found that the two assassin's corpses had suddenly disappeared, and no one knows when or how they went missing."
"I think there's something suspicious about this, so I hurried over to tell you."
Shinsuke pondered for a moment and then guessed a possibility, asking, "What do you think happened?"
Mira Peng sighed, "There are only a few possibilities: either someone deliberately stole the corpses, or someone is lying. It can't be that the corpses ran away by themselves."
"Perhaps the corpses did run away by themselves?"
Shinsuke made a pointed comment.
"Ah? This..."
"You don't need to worry about this matter; I will handle it."
"Then I'm relieved."
Mira Peng sighed in relief, feeling even more grateful for his previous decisions.
If not for these two people from the Cult of Jashin, he might have died a gruesome death.
This also made him pay more attention to Shinsuke and Hidan. However, no matter how many benefits and interests he promised, these two remained unmoved, which made him quite uncomfortable.
Are all believers of the Evil God devoid of desires?
Impossible!
If Hidan were to answer this question, the answer would definitely be that Mira Peng should send more offerings, and the more, the better.
This is the difference created by differing worldviews and values.
Simply put, what Mira Peng has, they don't want. What they want, Mira Peng cannot provide.
Both sides are simply not on the same page!
...
The next day, while Hidan was still recuperating, Shinsuke left alone and didn't return until evening.
Unfortunately, even though the tailor had carefully sewn Hidan's arm (with a doctor's guidance), he still didn't dare to sew the mouth of the fearsome Hidan...
The same situation occurred on the third day.
By the fourth day, Hidan's injuries had mostly healed, and he had even gained a bit of weight.
So Shinsuke suggested leaving.
This time, Mira Peng did not try to retain them, knowing it was futile.
However, if he encounters any difficult problems in the future, he can seek help from the Cult of Jashin again. The cost is just some money and resources, which he truly doesn't care about.
As long as he is alive, these things will never be lacking!
A large ship, fully loaded, slowly set sail...
Meanwhile, in a small wooden house in a remote village in the Land of Waves.
A handsome young man was gently feeding medicine to the man lying on the bed.
"Cough, cough..."
The man was tall but wrapped in bandages, his face pale and weak, obviously suffering from a serious illness or severe injury.
"Has that guy not come back?"
The young man paused momentarily while feeding the medicine, then smiled brightly, "My poison has already been cured, and Zabuza-sama's injuries are starting to improve. Apart from that person, no one knows we are hiding here. We can live here incognito from now on."
"I'm not reconciled!"
After a moment of silence, the man shattered the young man's hopes.
"If I encounter that bald guy again, I won't lose. And the one who took my Executioner's Blade, I will never forgive!"
"The Cult of Jashin... I remember."
The sadness in the young man's eyes flashed briefly before he resumed his gentle demeanor, "Yes, I will listen to Zabuza-sama. Now, open your mouth for the medicine."
The man's face showed rare embarrassment, but before he could utter any reprimand, the bitter medicine blocked his words.