Hidden Steam Village, Ninja Hospital.
"Lord Kamimoto, after emergency treatment, the patient's life is no longer in danger, but..."
The Medical Nin responsible for the operation hesitated, appearing somewhat conflicted.
Kamimoto frowned. He was the leader of the Hidden Steam Village and the supreme commander of this campaign, personally appointed by the Daimyo and the nobles of the Land of Rivers.
"Speak plainly. My time is very limited."
Hearing this, the Medical Nin—who was quite renowned within the Hidden Steam Village—did not dare to delay. He hurriedly spoke: "Yes. Although this soldier is out of mortal danger, there seems to be an issue with his mental state."
"A mental issue?"
Kamimoto's brow furrowed. He had some memory of this wounded Chunin. Since the total number of ninjas in the Hidden Steam Village was relatively small, he, as the leader, knew most of them to some degree.
While this Chunin wasn't exactly a veteran of a hundred battles, his experience on the battlefield was quite deep. Logically, he shouldn't be suffering from something like post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I'll go take a look."
Kamimoto pushed open the door and found the patient sitting upright on the hospital bed. Sensing the sound of the door opening, the man slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Is that Lord Kamimoto?"
"It is I."
Kamimoto approached the ninja, forcing a rare smile onto his face.
"Is your body feeling better..."
He intended to exchange a few pleasantries to show a leader's concern for his subordinate, but he was immediately interrupted.
The wounded man on the bed gripped Kamimoto's hand tightly. His eyes locked onto Kamimoto's gaze as he spoke excitedly: "It really is Lord Kamimoto! It is wonderful to see you, Lord Kamimoto!"
Kamimoto applied a bit of force to his arm but found he couldn't break free from the man's grasp. He could only offer an awkward smile. "Well then, does Mr. Rinmoto have some intelligence to share with me?"
The Chunin known as Rinmoto broke into a grin. "Actually, I wanted to ask if Lord Kamimoto wants to play hide and seek."
"Hide and seek?"
Confusion was written all over Kamimoto's face.
The Medical Nin behind him gave a bitter laugh. "Ever since Chunin Rinmoto woke up, he has been asking everyone if they want to play hide and seek..."
"That's right, hide and seek!"
Rinmoto suddenly released Kamimoto's hand. He raised both arms and shouted at the top of his lungs: "If we don't hide, that eye will find us!"
"An eye?"
Kamimoto's confusion deepened. First hide and seek, and now an eye; had this fellow truly gone mad?
While he narrowed his eyes in thought, Rinmoto suddenly pulled the blanket over himself in terror. His voice trembled as he whispered: "We're going to die..."
Kamimoto lost his patience and yanked the blanket away.
"What on earth are you talking about? Make yourself clear!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Rinmoto suddenly screamed. He struggled to snatch the blanket back from Kamimoto's hands, shrieking: "We're going to die! If Lord Jashin finds us, we will definitely die!"
"Hide! I have to hide!"
Kamimoto and the doctor exchanged a glance. He didn't ask anything else. He simply closed the door silently as they left.
"That is the situation. We can't get any useful intelligence out of him at all."
Kamimoto was disappointed by the result. He had hoped to gather some information to help him strategically plan the upcoming battles. Since there was nothing to be gained, he instructed the doctor to take good care of the man and left the hospital with his guards.
Through the window, Rinmoto watched Kamimoto leave. He suddenly murmured: "You can't hide. The Great Lord is omniscient and omnipresent. Even if you hide, you will absolutely be killed."
At that, he seemed to reach a realization. He cast aside the blanket, opened the window, and stepped onto the ledge.
"Only by offering everything to Lord Jashin can one escape the fate of falling into hell."
"Offer everything to Lord Jashin!"
He practically roared the last sentence before leaping from the windowsill.
Kamimoto, who was just walking out of the hospital gates, felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of dread in his heart. He jerked his head around just in time to see a figure falling straight down from the upper floors.
Thud!
Under the force of gravity, Rinmoto's body exploded like a ripe tomato.
Even though the body had been reduced to a pile of gore, others could still see a blurry, hair-raising smile on the mangled face.
Kamimoto's stomach churned. He immediately covered his mouth to suppress the sudden panic rising within him. He ordered coldly: "Dispose of him immediately. No one is permitted to breathe a word of this to anyone."
"Yes..."
The four guards beside him also fought back the urge to vomit as they used Ninjutsu to hastily cover the corpse. Kamimoto used the Body Flicker Jutsu to flee the scene instantly.
Although Kamimoto had ordered a total blackout on news regarding the Jashin Religion, the atmosphere of terror within the Hidden Steam Village and the capital did not dissipate. Instead, it grew heavier as various rumors spread.
"I am asking you, what is this?"
In the meeting room, Kamimoto was in a towering rage, holding an unpainted clay doll.
The reason was simple: the statue in his hand had no facial features at all. It was just a torso with limbs, lacking any discernible appearance. Yet, such an unremarkable clay doll was currently the most popular item in the village. A large number of residents claimed that by worshipping this "Jashin Statue," they could receive the blessing of Lord Jashin. They believed that once they were blessed, they wouldn't have to fear the monsters' invasion!
What Kamimoto found even more incomprehensible and infuriating was that some ninjas and noble families had also begun to believe in Jashin. Someone had even suggested that if the entire Hidden Steam Village converted to the Jashin Religion, the monsters might not attack them since they would all be fellow believers.
Kamimoto's head ached with fury, but he was powerless. He couldn't very well kill all the villagers, could he? And even if he did, what would he do about the foolish noble lords in the capital?
Thinking of this, his anger flared again. He slammed the statue onto the floor, shattering it into pieces. "Investigate! If any more households are found with these things, kick them out of the village immediately!"
This wasn't the first time Kamimoto had emphasized this point. Ultimately, he could only wave his hand to dismiss the others, leaving himself sitting dejectedly in his chair.
He sat there for an unknown amount of time before a member of the cleaning staff came in to sweep away the shards of the statue.
After leaving the meeting room, the cleaner carefully picked up the fragments. Using the patterns of the cracks, she used glue to painstakingly piece them back together.
Looking at the reconstructed Jashin Statue, the woman pressed her palms together and bowed to it.
Upon closer inspection, a crack happened to run right across the face. It looked exactly as if...
Lord Jashin was smiling.