Two days later, two figures wearing red-clouded black cloaks appeared on the border of the Land of Waves.
Calling it a border was generous, as it was actually just a coastline.
The Land of Waves was a tiny island nation reliant on the ocean, and its production environment and conditions were remarkably primitive and backward.
Aside from the local lords and nobles, the vast majority of the citizens could only rely on fishing to eke out a living.
In the past, these fishermen could use resources from the mainland to trade with the Land of Water, earning a bit of profit from the price difference. However, after the Land of Water adopted its policy of isolation, this trade ground to a complete halt.
Even if any trade still existed, it was firmly controlled by those massive merchant guilds, having absolutely nothing to do with ordinary fishermen.
Consequently, the economy of the Land of Waves was incredibly impoverished. Walking along the path, they saw nothing but rural villages, without a single town in sight.
"Talk about backward..."
Hidan, dressed in his Akatsuki uniform, could not help but complain. This backwardness directly led to a rather serious consequence—he could not eat deep-fried pork cutlet bowls!
Simu raised an eyebrow at the complaint, and a remarkably plump, white insect crawled out from the mouth-like appendage in the palm of his hand.
"I have this. Do you want to eat it?"
Seeing the insect squirming slowly in Simu's hand, a look of intense disgust immediately surfaced on Hidan's face.
"This deity would never eat something so disgusting! Take it away, quick!"
Simu curled his lips. "This is high-protein food. The nutrients contained in just one insect can easily match ten bowls of rice."
Hidan narrowed his eyes, casting a skeptical gaze, but he still expressed his disdain. "No matter how high the nutritional value of that thing is, absolutely no one would eat it!"
Hearing this, Simu simply tossed the insect straight into his own mouth, making a crisp, crunching sound. A look of pure enjoyment filled his face, and a faint, enticing aroma even wafted from between his teeth, drifting straight into Hidan's nose.
Hidan's mouth could not help but salivate profusely. He asked tentatively, "Is it really that delicious?"
Simu took it for granted and nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, do you think I would eat it? It tastes exactly like deep-fried pork cutlet."
Seeing Simu speak with such conviction, Hidan scratched his head. "Then, should I try one?"
"Here."
Without a second thought, Simu tossed an insect directly into Hidan's hand.
The latter smelled it and sniffed it. In the end, unable to resist that enticing aroma, he threw it into his mouth and bit down hard!
Instantly, an indescribable, foul stench erupted from Hidan.
"Blegh!!!"
Stimulated by this monstrous stench, he crouched on the ground and began to vomit violently.
"You bastard! You actually fed this deity something so disgusting! Die!"
The very first thing Hidan did after vomiting was release a burst of frenzied killing intent. Transforming his Kagune into the Three-bladed blood scythe, he slashed downward at Simu with a single blow.
Simu had long anticipated this. A layer of hard Koukaku emerged on his body, blocking Hidan's attack. Then, he said innocently, "My bad. It's possible that the insect just now mutated. Why don't you try another one?"
Seeing Simu's smiling, playful demeanor, Hidan completely snapped.
"Just die for me!"
Hidan flew into a rage.
Hidan charged forward.
Hidan's head was sliced off.
Hidan bit the dust.
After messing around for a while, Simu and Hidan finally arrived at a nearby dock.
This was the largest dock within the borders of the Land of Waves.
Of course, this supposedly largest dock actually had a mere handful of boats moored alongside it.
Since passengers were scarce, the sudden appearance of Simu and Hidan instantly attracted everyone's attention.
After all, their Akatsuki uniforms were indeed rather eye-catching.
"My lords, where are you two planning to head?"
The moment the two stepped onto the dock, several boatmen immediately surrounded them.
Hidan had just been tormented by Simu and was currently in a foul mood. He immediately said in a cold voice, "To the Land of Water."
"The Land of Water?"
The boatmen who came to inquire all showed expressions of shock. One explained, "My lords, you might not know this, but the Land of Water doesn't allow anyone to approach right now. If anyone gets close, the Hidden Mist ninja will destroy both the boat and the people!"
Hidan frowned, speaking with considerable disdain. "What are you afraid of? If those Hidden Mist guys dare to make a move, this deity will handle them personally."
Hearing Hidan's guarantee, the boatmen looked at each other and resolutely refused.
What a joke. Although this unknown passenger spoke with absolute confidence, who were the Hidden Mist?
They were one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations!
They possessed countless elite ninja. How could mere boatmen like them dare to cross paths with such forces?
No matter how confidently Hidan made his promise, no one was willing to take that risk, and they all scattered in an instant.
Seeing this, Hidan immediately grew anxious.
"These guys clearly look down on me!"
Just as he was about to pull out his Three-bladed blood scythe to teach these blind fools a lesson, he saw someone step out from the dispersing crowd.
"If you don't mind, I can take you to the Land of Water."
The speaker was also a boatman, wearing a straw hat, with a small, lean build and eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence.
Although he did not look like a good person at first glance, Hidan did not care in the slightest.
He waved his large hand dismissively. "Then let's go."
Seeing this, the boatman did not discuss fees or deposits with the two of them, leading them directly onto the boat.
Before boarding, Simu could clearly feel the gazes of the other boatmen looking at them with a hint of pity.
This was a brig, over ten meters long, featuring a cabin large enough to accommodate twenty to thirty people.
"My lords, if you are ready, we can set sail."
The lean man from before rubbed his hands together, his eyes flashing with a calculating light.
Aside from him, five other boatmen were looking at them with considerable anticipation.
Simu raised an eyebrow. "In that case, let's set sail."
With that said, he pulled a five hundred thousand Ryo banknote straight out of his pocket and handed it to them.
Seeing this, the crew members became even more excited, continuously flattering the two of them.
Hidan frowned. "Alright, cut the crap and get the boat moving!"
Hearing Hidan's scolding, the expressions of the crew members turned somewhat unnatural, but they held their tongues. Working together, they hoisted the sails and set out.
"It seems these people really take us for fools," Simu murmured, looking out at the vast ocean with a light sigh.
Hidan tilted his head in confusion. "What fools?"
Simu glanced at him and sighed. "Nothing. You'll find out in a moment."
Sure enough, once the vessel had traveled roughly two to three thousand meters away from the shore, the crew members finally made their move.
"My lords, have some tea."
The shrewd-looking, short man brought over two cups of tea.
Hidan happened to be a bit thirsty. He took the cup and drained it in a single gulp.
Seeing this, Simu smiled faintly. After offering his thanks, he took a sip as well.
After about two or three minutes, Hidan suddenly clutched his stomach and cried out.
"Damn it, my stomach hurts so bad!"
Simu raised an eyebrow, lightly pushing up his glasses. "It seems time is up."
"Time for what?"
Before Simu could answer Hidan's question, a commotion echoed from the cabin.
"Brother Haitu, time is up! This time we got a massive cash cow. He just handed me a five hundred thousand Ryo banknote without even blinking!"
It was the voice of that short boatman.
Simu and Hidan turned back in unison to see him leading a dozen men out from the cabin.
Upon seeing Hidan clutching his stomach and crouching on the deck, the grin on his face grew even more arrogant.
"These rich people are all idiots. They actually dared to board a boat of unknown origin and even eat our food. They are literally asking for death!"
"I already poisoned their tea. Next, we just need to finish them off!"
He spoke viciously, only to see Hidan stand right back up from the deck, while Simu stared back at them with a beaming smile.
The muscular man addressed as Brother Haitu frowned deeply upon seeing this, demanding sternly, "Is this what you meant by having poisoned them?"
The short man was also stunned, speaking in utter disbelief. "Im-impossible! I clearly watched them drink the poisoned tea with my own eyes!"
Hearing this, Hidan finally realized what was happening.
"So you actually poisoned that cup of tea! No wonder this deity's stomach twinged just now. You deserve to die!"
Highly displeased, Hidan drew his Three-bladed blood scythe.
Meanwhile, the short boatman was completely bewildered.
So this guy did drink the poisoned tea, and then his stomach just hurt a little, but he didn't die?
That was a dose large enough to kill a water buffalo!
No matter how confused he was, things had already reached a point of no return.
Standing beside him, Haitu narrowed his eyes. "Listen up, brats. I am an A-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Stone Village, Haitu 'The Earth Spider'. If you know what's good for you, hand over all your money right now. Otherwise... humph!"
Faced with the threat, Hidan extended his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.
"An A-rank rogue ninja? Although you aren't quite up to par, you can barely pass as a sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Haitu paused.
Just as his subordinate was about to bark a scolding response, Hidan had already charged forward, shouting all the while, "Resist! Struggle! Let the great Lord Jashin enjoy an even better performance!"
"Is it that damn Jashin Religion again?"
Haitu frowned. In his view, these two guys were probably just remnants of the Jashin Religion who had fled from that so-called Divine Kingdom.
Nothing to worry about!
With this thought, he quickly formed a hand gesture, and the crowd of subordinates behind him rushed forward instantly.
These guys were all wandering ninja from various parts of the world who specialized in robbing merchant convoys on this stretch of the sea.
They had not expected two reckless fools to deliver themselves right to their doorstep today, making for a nice little bonus.
However, things did not unfold as beautifully as Haitu imagined.
The wandering ninja who rushed to the front successfully pierced Hidan's chest with a kunai.
Yet, far from screaming in agony, the latter revealed a look of absolute ecstasy.
Hidan gripped the opponent's wrist with one hand, speaking calmly, "Yes, this is the feeling! I haven't felt this sensation in such a long time!"
The captured wandering ninja panicked instantly. What kind of psychopath is this?
He wanted to scramble backward, but Hidan's strength was far too immense, making it impossible to wrench his wrist free.
In the next second, Hidan raised the Three-bladed blood scythe in his hand and asked, "Do you believe in Jashin?"
The wandering ninja froze. Before he could answer, Hidan said, "If you aren't sure, let me send you to meet him."
With that, a flash like a blood-red crescent moon sliced through the air. The ninja was cleaved completely in two from head to toe by Hidan's strike!
Blood erupted across the deck.
The surrounding ninja who were advancing were completely paralyzed by the sight.
They considered themselves battle-hardened, but a fighting style like Hidan's was truly something they were seeing for the first time.
For a moment, the stench of fear began to spread across the deck.
Hidan took another deep breath, looking thoroughly intoxicated. "Yes, this is the smell. The scent of blood mixed with fear..."
"Stop trying to play ghost!"
Haitu roared in anger, slamming both hands onto the deck.
"Earth Style: Earth Spike!"
A sharp spike of earth emerged from the deck, but Hidan dodged it with ease.
The scarlet blood shadow flashed once more as Hidan moved across the deck like an elegant dancer. With every spin, a flower of blood bloomed.
In less than a minute, only two people remained alive on the entire ship, aside from Simu and Hidan.
Haitu, and an anonymous boatman.
As for that short boatman, Hidan had already slaughtered him in passing.
"Who on earth are you people?"
Haitu gasped in sheer terror.
By now, how could he not realize that the two individuals before him were not fat sheep at all, but personifications of death itself?
The corners of Hidan's mouth curled up as he slowly brought down the Three-bladed blood scythe.
A split second before severing Haitu's head, he finally delivered his answer. "I am the most loyal servant of Lord Jashin."
Slash!
The A-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Stone Village was effortlessly decapitated.
"And now, the last one."
Hidan tilted his head, carrying his blood-drenched scythe as he walked step by step toward the sole remaining boatman.
To his surprise, not a single trace of fear could be seen in this boatman's eyes. There was only wariness and absolute calm.
"What are you going to the Land of Water for?" the man suddenly asked.
But Hidan did not care about his questions. With a single swing, the three sharp blades slashed diagonally upward from below.
The ninja retreated rapidly, evading the strike cleanly.
"Are you finally willing to reveal your true identity? Mr. Zabuza Momochi, the 'Demon' of the Hidden Mist."
Standing in the back, Simu suddenly spoke up, directly exposing the man's identity.
The ninja narrowed his eyes, radiating a dangerous aura.
"I didn't expect someone to recognize me so easily."
Since he had been seen through, he no longer bothered with the disguise. He cast aside his outer clothes and straw hat, revealing a face wrapped in bandages.
He wore a simple sleeveless shirt with arm warmers, his gaze arrogant and unyielding as he stared warily at the two before him.
Simu smiled faintly, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
"I wonder what brings you to us, Mr. Zabuza?"
According to the intelligence Simu had gathered beforehand, Zabuza was an elite Jonin from the Hidden Mist assassination unit and currently one of the village's most crucial military assets.
Logically speaking, a powerhouse of his caliber should not be appearing out here.
Zabuza did not answer Simu's inquiry, reminding him instead, "You haven't answered my question yet."
Simu pushed up his glasses, his smile becoming distinctly mysterious. "You mean our purpose for traveling to the Land of Water?"
"To kill the Mizukage, of course."