Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World.

Whether it was the leader of Yugakure or the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water, they all chose to cover their ears and close their eyes to the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, praying that Konoha and Kumogakure would leave as soon as possible.

The young man who ventured onto the battlefield to loot corpses was just one of many desperate people.

The family had been without food for many days, the mother's condition was getting worse, and the younger sister didn't even have the strength to cry.

He had no choice but to risk coming to the edge of this hellish battlefield, hoping to find some food, medicine, or something of value.

The boy trembled as he approached a relatively intact corpse of a Cloud Village ninja, suppressing his fear and the churning in his stomach. He carefully used a twig to pry open the corpse's ninja tool pouch and began to search for it.

But, that's it.

"Hey."

A calm voice, without warning, rang out from behind him.

The boy's body stiffened instantly, his blood seemingly freezing in a flash.

He didn't even dare to turn around, only stiffly raising his hand, his voice trembling with fear as he said, "M-Master, spare me! I...I'm not a ninja, I didn't take anything, I'll leave right now, I'll leave right now..."

He thought he had encountered ninjas who had come to clean up the battlefield, but the expected scolding or attack did not come.

Instead, a long, thin black bread loaf appeared in his peripheral vision, and the familiar yet long-lost aroma of baking wafted into his nostrils.

The recipe for this black bread is quite simple, using only four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. No sugar, oil, or wheat flour are added.

It's so hard it's inedible and has to be soaked in water to soften. Its only advantage is that it's filling and easy to store.

"Gudong!"

The boy's saliva flowed uncontrollably, and he swallowed unconsciously as his dry throat tightened.

He turned his head cautiously, glancing back out of the corner of his eye.

What came into view was not the fierce ninja one might have imagined, but a young man dressed in ordinary clothes, with a friendly smile that made people feel inexplicably relaxed.

Rainwater soaked his hair, which clung to his forehead, and his old-fashioned round-framed glasses were fogged up by the rain, making him look somewhat disheveled.

The only thing that seemed somewhat special to the boy was a strangely shaped necklace around his neck, with a metal plate that was round on the outside and triangular on the inside.

"Are you hungry?"

Kabuto smiled at the boy in front of him, then pushed the tempting black bread in his hand forward, almost touching the boy's nose, and asked, "Want some?"

The boy's heart pounded wildly, a fierce battle raging within him between immense temptation and instinctive fear.

Finally, he reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the bread almost as fast as he could, clutching it tightly to his chest as if afraid it would fly away.

"Thank you, thank you, sir..."

His voice trembled slightly, still carrying a hint of caution, but the rough texture and aroma of the bread almost brought him to tears. He tentatively asked, "What...what do you want me to do?"

"Do you want to never go hungry again?"

Kabuto slowly crouched down, his gaze level with the boy's. His smiling eyes looked directly at him as he asked, "Do you want someone to protect you, to protect your family?"

A flicker of longing flashed in the boy's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper wariness.

"If you'd like, join us."

Kabuto Yakushi's voice seemed to possess a strange, seductive power as he laughed, "By believing in my Lord and joining the cult, we have plenty of food and many homeless companions like you."

"God, God's religion?" The boy paused for a moment, then repeated blankly.

“Yes, the Cult of Gods.” Kabuto nodded, his smile unchanged. “However, some people outside like to call us the ‘Cult of Evil Gods’.”

Evil cult? !

These three words made the boy tremble violently, and he almost dropped the bread in his hand into the pool of blood.

The ninjas of Yugakure and the elders of the Land of Hot Water have recounted the deeds of the "Evil God Cult" countless times.

In their mouths, the followers of the Evil God Cult are all madmen who use living people as sacrifices and eat flesh and blood raw. They are terrifying beings that even the ninja masters of Yugakure fear!

"You and I……"

Thinking of the rumored evil cult, countless bloody and terrifying images flashed through the boy's mind, and his face turned ashen.

He stared in horror at the bespectacled young man in front of him, instinctively trying to create distance and run away, one hand behind his back.

But the gentle smile on the other person's face, the life-saving black bread in his arms, and that sincere tone...

Why is all of this so different from the bloodthirsty, grotesque evil god cult members I've heard about since childhood?

Isn't it said that all cultists are crazy?

Didn't they say they would kidnap children and rip out their hearts and lungs?

Why is this person in front of me...?

"Do you still believe the lies of the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs and the leader of the Hidden Hot Springs Village?"

Kabuto saw the boy's fear and naturally shook his head and sighed, "They said they would protect us. If they really did, why would you and I be here?"

"If you don't believe me, come with me and see what we really look like."

Without waiting for the boy's reply, Kabuto Yakushi stood up and walked straight to the other side.

"..."

The boy watched helplessly as the figure receded into the distance, a fierce struggle between immense fear and the instinct for survival tearing at his heart.

Finally, the desire to survive for himself and his family overcame the fear, and the faint hope of "not having to go hungry" triumphed over everything.

He shakily got to his feet, as if pulled by an invisible thread, and carefully followed behind Yakushi Kabuto, moving step by step away from this bloody land of corpses.

Kabuto led him through the forest to the top of a high hill.

Although far from the battlefield, this place offers a wide view, allowing for a clear overview of what lies below.

They saw the brightly lit and heavily guarded Cloud Village camp in the north, and the equally somber Konoha camp in the south.

Hundreds of people had gathered on the hillside, dressed in uniform black, standing like a silent flock of crows in the wind and rain.

They held uniformly shaped scythes in their hands, their eyes fixed on the Konoha and Kumogakure camps.

Deep within those hundreds of eyes burned a chilling hatred and longing.

At the very front of the crowd on the cliff edge, a figure of modest stature stood out, his gray hair particularly striking in the night, a small, ornamental sickle dangling from his wrist.

He simply kept his back to Yakushi Kabuto and the boy, seemingly unaware of their arrival.

He stared intently at the blood-soaked land below, as if admiring a masterpiece painted by death.

"Is that the evil god... the leader of the cult?"

Noticing the reverence in the eyes of others as they looked at that figure, the boy felt his heart pounding so hard it almost jumped out of his throat.

He doesn't look tall or imposing; in fact, he looks rather...ordinary?

But the lingering, chilling aura instilled a sense of instinctive fear in the boy.

Just then, Kabuto slowly stepped forward, stopped behind the figure, lowered his head slightly, and said respectfully in his expression and tone, "Master."

The gray-haired figure seemed to have just awakened from some state of deep concentration.

"Oh, Kabuto's back?" Hidan grinned at Kabuto beside him and asked, "How was the intelligence gathering?"

Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his round-framed glasses, which were wet with rain. The lenses obscured the glint in his eyes, but he still wore that gentle and harmless smile as he said, "Reporting to the Master."

"The negotiations between Kumogakure and Konoha have failed again. Now, war-weariness is rampant on both sides, and it seems that Konoha will launch a desperate all-out offensive tomorrow morning. Kumogakure seems to share the same idea."

Upon hearing this, Hidan's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips as if he could already see the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a morbid ecstasy appearing on his face.

He suppressed his excitement and looked at Kabuto Yakushi, his eyes gleaming with eagerness, and asked, "Will you help Konoha kill Kumogakure like last time?"

Kabuto Yakushi's smile remained unchanged. He bowed slightly and said humbly, "You are the leader, and all actions are naturally decided by you."

"Fine, fine." Hidan scoffed. "For your sake, I'll try my best not to attack the Konoha ninjas."

He emphasized the word "as much as possible," a glint of cunning and cruelty flashing in his eyes.

If they're not careful enough and run into my sickle...

Then don't blame me!

Hehehe...

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Without hesitation, Kabuto took a step back, knelt on one knee, lowered his head deeply, and raised his voice with reverence: "Your decision will surely guide us toward a 'new life'!"

As Yakushi Kabuto spoke and acted, the hundreds of silent cultists on the hillside knelt down in unison, their heads bowed.

"Your Excellency is wise!!"

Hundreds of voices converged into a frenzied torrent, breaking through the rain and echoing in the sky!

"This……"

Upon seeing this, the boy was stunned for a moment before instinctively kneeling down on one knee.

Hidan glanced at Kabuto Yakushi indifferently.

He knew this guy had ulterior motives and wasn't truly a believer in the evil god.

However, in order to complete the task assigned by Lord Jashin, to recruit more followers, to strengthen the Jashin Cult, and to let Lord Jashin's glory spread throughout the ninja world, he does need Kabuto Yakushi's help.

Hidan wasn't really stupid; he was just too lazy to think too much. If something could be solved with fighting, he wouldn't bother to rack his brains to think about it.

He knew his "specialty" was killing, and the thought of forming a sect, managing believers, and gathering intelligence was too tedious and complicated to bear.

So before he met Kabuto Yakushi, he had made a mess of the Jashin Cult and apologized to the Jashin every day.

Later, when he encountered this suspicious-looking guy wearing glasses, he could tell at a glance that the guy had ill intentions. He originally wanted to kill the rat with a sickle.

But at that time, the divine weapon "Four-Sickle Child" bestowed upon him by the evil god stopped him, guiding him to spare Kabuto Yakushi's life and even leading Kabuto to join the evil god cult.

As it turns out, the will of the evil god was absolutely correct.

Despite his deep and calculating nature, under his influence, the Jashin Cult grew increasingly powerful.

As the leader, what Hidan needs to do is...

Nature is a manifestation of God's grace.

Hidan's gaze fell on the trembling boy who was hiding behind Kabuto Yakushi, clutching a black bread tightly.

"come over."

Hidan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable commanding tone, clearly reaching the boy's ears.

The boy's body stiffened abruptly, and immense fear gripped him instantly.

He looked at Kabuto Yakushi for help, but Kabuto just smiled and nodded at him, his eyes full of encouragement.

Under the gaze of hundreds of fervent eyes, the boy felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the freezing snow, and he stood up stiffly.

My legs felt as heavy as lead, and every step was incredibly difficult.

He could clearly feel those gazes—some friendly, some curious, some scrutinizing—but mostly, they were filled with envy and jealousy, as if he were about to receive some great blessing.

Finally, like a walking corpse, he walked up to Hidan, his knees buckled, and he knelt down involuntarily, his head bowed low, unable to meet Hidan's eyes.

"Raise your head," Hidan's voice rang out again. "Open your mouth."

The boy, like a puppet on a string, subconsciously raised his head, his mind blank, and instinctively opened his mouth.

Hidan raised his right hand, and the miniature "Four-Sided Scythe Boy" on his wrist, which resembled a pendant, slid into his palm and gently swiped across his outstretched hand.

laugh!

With a soft, audible sound as flesh was cut, a wound appeared in Hidan's palm, and bright red blood gushed out instantly!

Strangely, the gushing blood did not emit a strong bloody smell; instead, it filled the boy's nostrils with an indescribable sweet fragrance.

Hidan slowly moved the bleeding hand above the boy's open mouth.

The boy's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively tried to back away and shut his mouth in fear, but the strange sweet fragrance seemed to have a deadly magic power, instantly shattering his will.

Tick-tock...tick-tock...

The bright red blood dripped down, drop by drop.

The first drop of blood landed on the boy's tongue, and his throat involuntarily twitched.

"Gudong!"

Instantly, a sweet and satisfying feeling that penetrated to the bone marrow, accompanied by a warm current, flowed through his entire body, as if a long-parched desert had received sweet rain.