The secret base of the heretics...
As with the past half year of sacrifices, a crowd of ragged, terrified children were herded into the massive cave where the altar stood.
Isamu remained in the same spot as last time, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the altar, imagining how many new "knights" they might gain from this offering.
Suddenly, a strange idea crossed his mind.
If Reiji's immortality were combined with Haruto's Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood, it would create a powerful strategic weapon.
Then, all he'd need to do was collect the blood of powerful warriors on the battlefield, and he could control them effortlessly.
In that case, would world domination still be out of reach?
With that thought, Isamu waved toward the old man in the white coat nearby.
"Yes, Emissary-sama. Do you have an order?" The old man rubbed his hands together and shuffled closer, obsequious.
"Where's the immortal?" Isamu's eyes scanned the crowd.
"Uh—" The old man hesitated, then grimaced.
"Lord, with all due respect, please don't let that troublemaking monster get involved in something as serious as a sacrifice!"
As the lead researcher in the immortality experiments, the old man arguably knew Reiji better than Reiji knew himself. To him, the guy was nothing but a waste of food.
Even a basic poison test—he didn't vomit blood or keel over, just asked for more. There was no way to tell poison from a ration pill with him. It was maddening.
But more importantly—
Sacrifices were solemn rituals involving death. If that fool joined in, grinning and asking for food, Jashin-sama might just die from sheer rage.
Isamu's expression darkened at the old man's pushback. What he really wanted to know was whether combining immortality with the Curse Technique would produce the ultimate weapon—something truly undying and capable of wielding Death Controlling Possessed Blood.
"Just do as you're told! Enough whining!"
Seeing that the Messenger was upset, the old man lowered his head even more.
"Yes, Emissary-sama."
He waved someone over behind him.
"Bring the immortal."
"Yes!" the cultist replied and left.
...
In the now-empty cell block, Reiji sat muttering to himself in a dark corner.
"If I'm going to escape, I can't afford to take extra baggage."
He dug his sharp nails into his forearm, hissing in pain as he tore through his skin and muscle, pulling out a small square iron block and tossing it to the ground.
It landed with a loud clang, the sound echoing through the hollow corridor.
He then grit his teeth and, in one go, ripped open the skin of his left hand, left leg, right leg, and abdomen, extracting seven or eight more of the same metal weights.
Looking down at the blood-soaked weights, Reiji blinked slowly, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
"If you weren't such a hassle to carry around, I'd never leave you behind."
He stood up slowly, bounced lightly on his feet, clenched his fists until they creaked, and smiled.
With one powerful push, Reiji shot through the large hole in the prison wall, landing in the adjacent cell.
He flexed his arm and felt the strength coursing through it—his smile widened.
If his guess was right, with his current strength and speed, he could easily take out a Genin like Jin. If he struck by surprise, he could finish one off instantly, then handle the next without issue.
As for Chunin—he probably couldn't win, but with speed on par with the Body Flicker Technique, escaping wouldn't be a problem.
"It's time to go."
He pulled out a key and began trying it on the cell doors one by one.
Click.
Reiji's face lit up with joy.
Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness outside the door.
"Immortal, planning to escape?"
"Who's there?" Reiji jolted and looked up.
A guard in shinobi gear stepped out of the shadows, eyeing Reiji with amusement.
Reiji recognized him immediately—Shuku Kohei, a guard working under the old man in the white coat.
Kohei's eyes flicked between the key and Reiji's youthful face. He extended his hand mockingly.
"Hand over the key. Stop messing around."
Reiji obediently held out the key, placing it in Kohei's hand. Then, he looked behind him and suddenly looked flustered.
"Uh—good evening, Divine Emissary-sama!"
He straightened up and bowed immediately.
Kohei was caught off guard by the sudden action. After all, the Divine Emissary held considerable authority among the cultists. Usually, only the old man in the lab had the right to speak with him directly.
Panicked, Kohei quickly adjusted his posture and turned around.
The next moment, searing pain shot through his spine. His body from the neck down went numb.
And in his ears rang the mocking laughter of the undead brat.
"Didn't your ninja academy teacher ever tell you not to turn your back on the enemy?"
With a dull thud, Shuku Kohei collapsed to the ground, staring at Reiji in utter disbelief.
"Why? Why did you run? Why would you betray Jashin-sama? How dare you!"
"How dare I?" Reiji echoed with a grin, then suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching his mouth as tears and snot streamed down his face.
It was a long time before the laughter finally died down. Reiji wiped the tears from his eyes.
"In the past six months, you people stabbed me 34,551 times, burned me thirteen times, struck me with lightning five times, starved me for two months and four days, and made me drink six bottles of poison that kills on contact.
And yet! I forgave you!"
As he spoke, a mocking sneer tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Jashin-sama? Heh... let your Jashin-sama come save you!"
His voice dripped with scorn and contempt.
Hearing this, Shuku Kohei, who had remained calm despite being paralyzed from the waist down, suddenly turned red-eyed and roared at Reiji like a rabid dog.
"Shut up, you damn monster! How dare you insult and blaspheme Jashin-sama!"
Before he could finish, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and violently twisted his neck to glare at Reiji's feet like a starving wolf.
"Blasphemous monster, just wait! I'll be the one to punish you! I don't need anything else—my teeth are enough! I'll tear you to shreds!"
"I'll be waiting." Reiji picked up Shuku Kohei's ninja pouch, stood up, and looked calmly down the corridor.
"But right now, I've got somewhere to be."
"Pardon me, Shuku-san. I've got a date... with my beloved…."
He paused, the joy in his dark eyes unmistakable.
"Freedom."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Reiji ignored Shuku Kohei's furious howls and walked into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.
...
At the other end of the corridor, Reiji circled through another cell, bypassing Shuku Kohei, and strode off in a different direction.
Back at the altar, everything was ready. Isamu stared at the still-empty passage, unease slowly creeping into his heart.
"Where are your people?" Isamu asked coldly, turning to the old man in the lab coat beside him.
The old man's eyes were still fixed fanatically on the altar. Startled by Isamu's words, he forced a laugh. "Divine Emissary-sama, maybe they were delayed. You know how disobedient that monster brat is!"
He waved over a cultist casually. "Ren, go check on them. Make sure Shuku Kohei and the monster brat don't mess up the sacrifice timing."
"Yes, sir!" Ren bowed respectfully and quickly headed toward Reiji's cell.
...
Time passed. The gloom in Isamu's heart grew heavier, and the old man beside him started to fidget with anxiety.
Suddenly, Ren burst into the corridor in his ninja gear, face full of panic and brows furrowed.
"My lord! Shuku Kohei is gravely injured—and Reiji, the undying monster, is gone!"
"What!" Isamu shouted, his scarred face turning pitch black with rage.
Reiji might have been worthless in the eyes of the white-coated old man, but to Isamu, if properly trained, Reiji could have been a fearless, deadly weapon.
The old man beside him looked oddly conflicted—anger mixed with joy, like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
He finally escaped. That's great. I gave him so many chances—this time, he finally took it!
What the old man didn't realize was that Reiji hadn't fled earlier not because he didn't notice the gaps in the defense, but because he was afraid he was too weak to make it far before being captured again.
After all, who knew if those gaps weren't deliberately left there by Isamu?
Right now, with the sacrifice underway, even if they wanted to chase after him, there was no opportunity.
Isamu thought the same.
If he abandoned the sacrifice to go after Reiji, it would undoubtedly displease Jashin-sama.
But if he went through with the sacrifice and gave up the chase for now, Reiji would have a good head start.
This time, Reiji had won.
The little brat who pretended to be so devout had openly humiliated the great Divine Emissary-sama!
Noticing the questioning glances from his subordinates, a wave of deep humiliation washed over Isamu. For a man so long in power, the shame was unbearable.
Clenching his jaw to hold back the fury, he squeezed out each word through gritted teeth.
"Prepare the sacrifice!"
With that single command, the massacre began. Isamu's face was as dark as still water as he watched one life after another be taken. Inside, he seethed:
You damn brat... you won't get away. Once I catch you, I'll slice you into ribbons, grind your bones into dust—only then will you understand that not being able to die is the cruelest fate of all!
...
Meanwhile, after weaving through countless tunnels, Reiji finally emerged from the cult's hidden base.
He raised a hand to shield his eyes as his pupils slowly adjusted to the sunlight. Blinking against the glare, he looked into the distance.
There, a lush green forest stretched endlessly toward the horizon, pulsing with life. A deep blue river wound its way through the land, merging with a sky as clear and radiant as a gemstone. Wisps of white cloud drifted overhead, the pure white and pure blue reflecting off one another in harmony.
He took a deep breath. Gone was the musty, damp stench of the underground. The surface air was fresh, scented with grass and leaves. A gentle breeze brushed his face, carrying the faint fragrance of camellias.
Reiji gazed into the distance, feeling for the first time how beautiful the world above truly was—how precious the freedom he once took for granted had become.
Little by little, a genuine smile replaced the fake ones he had worn for so long.
"Alright... savoring life can wait. First, I've got to run for my life!"
Reining in his excitement, Reiji dropped the dead weight he'd been carrying and took off. His body felt feather-light as he bolted forward, leaving only a blur in his wake.
The trees flew past on either side. A rush of exhilaration surged through him, even as he calculated his next move.
"First, I need to find a populated area where I can hide from any pursuit."
Even if the old man in the lab coat wanted him gone for good, that didn't mean Reiji could relax.
After all, deep within the base was someone far more dangerous—the elusive Divine Emissary, Isamu. That man was the real leader.
If Isamu decided to bring him back, no one—not even that old man—would be able to say no.
Which meant he had to reach a place with people, somewhere these second-rate cultists wouldn't dare mount a public search.
Besides, there were bounties on the cult members' heads.
He had overheard it once—back when he was strapped to a test bench, being electrocuted for "fun." Supposedly, the bounty on Isamu himself was twenty million ryo, and the other captains had their own price tags.
Thinking of that, Reiji muttered to himself with a smirk.
"Someday I'll stroll into a bounty station and report your little cult gathering. Let Kakuzu clean you all out in one go."
As he thought, the forest ahead began to thin. A light drizzle fell, and a muddy path appeared underfoot.
Reiji's spirits lifted.
A road meant people. If he followed it, he was bound to reach a settlement. Then he could blend in with the crowd and disappear.
Time passed. The sky darkened. Rain continued to fall steadily from the cloud-choked sky.
Up ahead, a vast lake rippled under the drizzle. In the center stood a village with an eerie, mechanical aesthetic.
Reiji squinted at the strange silhouette. The buildings were made of black steel, wrapped in thick pipes of varying sizes. Each tower-like structure shot upward like a sword piercing the clouds.
A long, straight bridge stretched across the lake, connecting the shores. At the far end stood the village gates.
"This..."
Reiji froze, eyes locked on the village. A wave of memories surged in his mind.
After a long silence, he exhaled slowly.
"This... this couldn't be Amegakure, could it?"
His memories of the Naruto world were spotty at best—but Nagato, that boss-level monster, he remembered clearly.
With his spicy-sweet hands, he had scrubbed three layers off Konoha's turf.
Even someone like Jiraiya couldn't make it out alive after sneaking into Amegakure. And him? Wouldn't he just end up as bait in a fish trap?
But after a moment's thought, Reiji relaxed. He wasn't even a Genin. A nobody like him didn't qualify for that kind of attention.
With that in mind, he let go of the tension in his body and followed the crowd across the bridge into the village.
Soon it was his turn at the gate. The Ame-nin standing guard glanced at the soaking wet kid, saw no threat, and waved him in impatiently.
Reiji wandered down a quiet street and ducked into a nearby alley.
In the darkness, he slumped against the wall, finally letting his body relax.
After tasting the freedom of the outside world, there was no way he could ever go back to that suffocating, dark underground prison.
He looked up at the drizzle falling from the sky, and a satisfied smile slowly curved across his lips.
"Finally... I'm free."
"Is that so, Reiji-kun?"
A raspy, mocking voice echoed from the shadows, and in an instant, Reiji's scalp went numb.