Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 79: The Ultimate Ritual, Divine Bloodshed!

Everything in front of him turned into lines, rapidly pulling downward.

Uchiha Ci could only watch as Hozuki Mangetsu unleashed a flurry of strikes, landing hit after hit, while he was entirely powerless to counter.

Just as Shinno had said:

As long as his tactics were exposed and his opponent found a targeted counter, he would instantly become nothing more than prey on the board.

Uchiha Ci had hoped to rely on his Sharingan and quick reflexes to engage in close combat, attempting to seize the Thunder Sword and summon Lightning Release: Kirin, planning to take down this "birdman" with him.

It was a grand plan, but there was a flaw in the very first step:

A gap in his intel, along with his previous slight advantage from two prior encounters with Hozuki Mangetsu, had led him to believe he could best him in close quarters.

However—

What he hadn't anticipated was the sheer depth of Hozuki Mangetsu's foundational skills. Once the latter gave up on ambushes and assassination tactics and opted for a frontal assault—

Hozuki Style Swordsmanship + Dual Blade Style; a furious barrage of slashes.

It was as if the guy had eight arms like a crazed berserker, his dual blades swung endlessly, resembling a relentless windmill grinding forward. Worse, in the midst of this, he'd throw in a few Water-Transformed fists that shot out from his shoulder or waist, delivering brutal punches.

There was no blocking it—impossible to withstand.

As the battle reached this point, Uchiha Ci knew he had made a critical misstep, stepping right into the trap Hozuki Mangetsu had set for him.

And now, a defeat, even death, seemed inevitable.

With a mix of the bitterness of losing a schoolyard fight and a smirk from the thought of taking home a huge sum soon, Uchiha Ci watched Hozuki Mangetsu pull out the massive sword, Samehada, and drive it viciously into his abdomen.

"Ugh!"

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Samehada pinned his body, lifting him into the air before slamming him down hard!

Then, a towering water beast, several meters tall, roared and solidified two enormous fists the size of trucks, smashing Uchiha Ci down forcefully!

Boom!

Contrary to expectation, he wasn't flattened into a pulp, nor was he injured so gravely that not even Bian Que, the famed healer, could save him.

One punch struck, and the ground split open beneath him. Yet somehow, it had turned to mud below, morphing into a swamp-like mire. Beyond it appeared a vertical tunnel coated in searing hot liquid.

Uchiha Ci, blood trickling from his mouth, opened his eyes wide, stunned.

He lifted his head and caught sight of Mei Terumi standing outside the hole, her fingers forming a "Snake" seal.

She even winked playfully at him, flashing a mischievous smile.

Then, she pressed her hands to the ground, casting an Earth Release jutsu.

Earth Release: Earth Flow River!

The soil above him churned, sealing the hole and transforming it into a massive pit created by the punch.

The light above was swallowed up by the earth, plunging everything into darkness.

Now, in the underground cave—

Blood pools extended across the chamber, with forests of skeletal remains and the wails of tortured souls echoing faintly through the tunnels.

Torchlight and faint beams from above illuminated the subterranean square.

Rows of crosses stood over the blood pools, each bearing a figure beaten beyond recognition, hanging on the verge of death.

One, two, ten, a hundred, a thousand.

The crosses stood densely, like tombstones in a medieval cemetery.

Yet it seemed burial wasn't the custom here. It looked more like a large, desolate lot for drying beef jerky.

At that moment—

A large hole corroded through the ceiling of the cave, and a figure plummeted, crashing hard into the blood pool below.

Splash!

Water splashed everywhere!

"Bleh!" Uchiha Ci resurfaced, his brow furrowing as he grimaced.

The blow from Samehada had drained his chakra entirely.

Forbidden Technique: Body Revival had siphoned the last of his life force, sealing the wound on his abdomen before deactivating.

The force of his fall into the pool was absorbed, but his body was left battered, possibly with fractured ribs.

"Hiss..."

Feeling the pain, Uchiha Ci quickly checked his abdomen.

Thankfully, the wound inflicted by Samehada had been healed midair by Body Revival.

The six-pack abs and defined obliques made him think, "Damn, how can anyone look this good?"

But—

At that moment, an eerie voice sounded above his head.

"As much as this might be a bad time to say this..."

"Boss, can you stop admiring yourself and help save me?"

Uchiha Ci froze mid-pose, looked up, and saw Hidan nailed to a cross before him, his face splattered with Uchiha Ci's blood from the fall, glaring pitifully.

The poor guy looked like Jesus pinned to the cross, with dark nails driven through his palms, tied tightly with butcher's knots like a pig for slaughter, looking more like a slab of hanging meat than a sacred figure.

"What a coincidence," Uchiha Ci said, emotionless, while thinking, Why does this guy's style always clash with everyone else's?

Hidan, trembling and pale, gazed at Uchiha Ci with despair.

"Yeah, what a coincidence. I don't even know what happened. One moment, I jumped off a cliff, closed my eyes, blinked—and then, here I am."

"Hours have passed, and there's not a soul around. All these people wailing like ghosts…scared me half to death!"

Uchiha Ci rolled his eyes.

Without any effort, he had jumped straight into the boss room, skipping every battle and heading directly into the initiation ceremony of the Jashin Cult.

What a blessed "chosen child of God."

Shaking his head, Uchiha Ci picked up his ninja sword, which had somehow made the fall intact, though chipped and worn.

Thanks to its Earth Grudge Fear threads, it hadn't snapped like that katana had.

Clack!

He brought the sword down on the wooden post, slicing through the ropes binding Hidan.

At that instant, the blade fractured completely.

Uchiha Ci held the hilt in silence, then quickly came to terms with it.

For lasting through a heated duel with the Seven Swords of Mist's Thunder Sword: Kiba, it had served him well.

With the ropes cut, Hidan finally stretched his limbs, casting a hopeful look at Uchiha Ci and motioning to the nails in his palms.

"Boss, these big nails… Could you pull them out?"

Uchiha Ci paused, scanned the blood pool's edge, noting only one possible exit.

However, outside were dozens of elite cult guards standing watch. He wasn't certain he could get through, let alone Hidan.

After some thought, he pointed up at the ceiling.

"Hidan, there's only one way out for you."

"Huh? How do I get out?" Hidan asked, curious, looking up at the ceiling.

With a grave expression, Uchiha Ci laid out his plan as if it were an extraordinary mission:

"In five minutes, you need to learn tree-walking and water-walking, then climb out of that tunnel, digging through about 6 to 10 meters of solid earth to escape the dungeon."

Hidan was dumbfounded.

Learn water-walking and tree-walking in five minutes? Then dig through the ground?

I'm Hidan, not Superman!

"Wait, this plan is total crap. Were you not planning to rescue me at all?"

In silence, Uchiha Ci turned away, adopting a solemn demeanor, nodding like a seasoned elder.

"Little brother, I came here risking death countless times. How could I have thought of all this?"

"Instead of thinking about that, focus on what you can actually do."

"Me?" Hidan looked up at the hole in the ceiling with a grimace.

"What am I supposed to do?"

If he knew these techniques, he wouldn't have had so much trouble when he first encountered Kakuzu.

While Hidan's attention was on the hole, Uchiha Ci quickly jammed the sword hilt into Hidan's mouth, braced himself, and yanked out the nail from Hidan's hand.

"Mmfff!!"

Hidan's eyes widened, biting down on the hilt, wailing in pain.

Before he could swear, Uchiha Ci pushed the hilt deeper, grabbed the other nail, and yanked it free.

All the talk was to distract Hidan and keep him from yelling and alerting the enemy.

But—

Just then, a broad, powerful hand grasped Uchiha Ci's wrist from behind.

A cold voice spoke.

"Stop."

Uchiha Ci stiffened, instantly drawing the broken sword and thrusting it backward.

The strike, delivered with all his strength, was blocked as his assailant struck his elbow, stopping it cold.

"Is this your greeting?"

The stranger asked, voice indifferent.

Uchiha Ci frowned, flipping back to deliver a powerful kick aimed at the intruder's head, hand reaching for shuriken.

Yet, a wave of pain swept over him, halting his movements.

The figure behind him sneered, grabbing Uchiha Ci's leg and swinging him, slamming him into the blood pool!

"Falling from such a height without chakra to cushion yourself, and yet you still wish to fight?"

I can't fathom just how arrogant you must be to pull such a reckless stunt."

Thud!

"Urgh!" Uchiha Ci, reeling from the brutal impact, felt as though he'd collided headfirst into concrete. A sharp pain radiated throughout his entire body, forcing him to cough up yet another mouthful of blood.

It was then that he finally glimpsed his opponent.

The man towered at nearly two meters tall, dressed in a fitted black robe bearing the markings of the Jashin Cult. A hood concealed his face beneath its shadow, and his open collar revealed his powerful chest muscles adorned with a pendant engraved with the cult's symbol.

The figure loomed like a small mountain.

Seizing Uchiha Ci by the calves, the man dragged him, dangling, through the blood pool before hauling him beside a cross that stood ominously at the edge.

With a flick of his wrist—

Clang! Clang! Crack! Crack!

Two iron nails drove mercilessly through the centers of Uchiha Ci's palms, piercing his bones and pinning him ruthlessly to the cross.

Next, he took out a coil of coarse rope and, as though tying up a piece of dead meat, knotted it tightly with a butcher's loop.

The cult bishop stepped back to admire his handiwork, a sinister smile creeping across his lips.

His grin broadened, and his gaze grew increasingly deranged, chilling to the bone.

"A generous gift you've offered—I'll gladly accept it."

"But now that the stage is set, allow me to invite you to bear witness—"

"To the ultimate rite of the Jashin-sama's descent!"

"A god's blood sacrifice!"