Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 403 Sasuke: He won't go with you (Combined Chapter)
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the entire sky a deep crimson.

Naruto stood alone on the edge of the steep cliff, looking at the capital city that lay sprawled on the earth in the distance, the afterglow of the setting sun outlining its golden silhouette.

The wind blew across the plains, carrying a faint smell of blood.

"You've come," Naruto said without turning around.

"Ah."

Kabuto Yakushi emerged from the woods behind him and slowly walked to Naruto's side, where they gazed together at the distant capital city.

After a moment of silence, Kabuto Yakushi took out a Konoha headband from his pocket and casually tossed it to Naruto.

"What you want."

Naruto caught it and looked down. The headband gleamed coldly in the setting sun, and the Konoha symbol on it was clearly visible.

"With that, things here are considered settled." Kabuto pushed up his round-framed glasses and smiled.

Naruto rubbed his headband with his fingertips and suddenly said, "I never thought that the evil god cult, which everyone calls madmen, would do something like this."

"What? Is what we're doing any different from what madmen are doing?"

The pharmacist turned to look at him and smiled, "Also, since we've at least cooperated before, can you please stop calling us the 'Evil God Cult' and start calling us the 'God Cult' instead?"

"You used to be a Konoha ninja, right?" Naruto ignored his complaint and asked instead, "A member of 'Root'?"

"Oh?" The pharmacist's eyes flickered slightly behind his glasses, but his smile remained unchanged. "How did you figure that out? I don't think I revealed anything."

“You Root people all have a certain scent,” Naruto said calmly. “However, the scent on you is already very faint.”

"What's so special about this?" Kabuto Yakushi couldn't help but laugh. "The keen sense of smell of a canine?"

Ignoring his sarcastic remarks, Naruto continued, "Aren't you 'Root' ninjas supposed to be calm, rational to the point of being numb?"

"Why would you join an evil cult and do things that seem like madness to the world?"

“…Yes.” Kabuto Yakushi paused for a moment, then turned to look at the distant capital. “Why?”

"If I were five years ago and saw myself now, I would definitely find it incomprehensible."

"After all, back then, I was an excellent spy."

"Initially, I joined the Jashin Cult only to gather intelligence. I even used the Jashin Cult's power to help Konoha fight against Kumogakure on the battlefield of the Land of Hot Springs."

"And then?" Naruto asked. "Let me guess, was it because of Danzo?"

"Hahaha!" Kabuto Yakushi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It seems that after Danzo's actions were exposed, he has completely become a 'troublemaker' in your eyes."

The laughter subsided, and the smile on his face slowly faded. He said in a low voice, "You guessed right, it's because of Danzo."

"During my years as a spy, I moved between other ninja villages, spending every day in lies, but I was not dissatisfied with it, nor was I ever confused."

"Because I became a spy for the headmaster who raised me from childhood, and also for my brothers and sisters."

"Danzo promised me that as long as I completed the mission, he would take good care of them and ensure the safety of the director and the children."

"So, during the years I was infiltrating the cult, I kept passing on information to Danzo and betraying one stronghold after another."

"Many devout believers died because of me, but under their suicidal cover, Hidan, as Pope, and the core leadership, including myself, remained unharmed."

"On the contrary, the ninjas who came to besiege them suffered heavy casualties in the desperate counterattack of those believers..."

At this point, Kabuto Yakushi let out a self-deprecating laugh: "Although I consider myself a selfish person, over the years, some things have indeed been subtly changing me."

"A sect composed of commoners and even vagrants without any ninja talent, filled with unrealistic fantasies."

"Even the doctrines and organizational structure were initially designed by me after racking my brains, because Hidan doesn't have that kind of brain."

"But I actually started to believe the doctrines I had made up."

"It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Kabuto Yakushi exhaled and continued, "I tried to suppress these thoughts, but Danzo is a very perceptive person. He noticed my change from my reports."

"Thus, my identity as a Konoha spy was 'just right' exposed."

"However, I had long been wary of Danzo's suspicions, so I fled the cult the night before. I just didn't expect that a cult member would suddenly appear and block my way..."

"I killed her."

"Hidan and the other followers who came after him also witnessed this scene."

Yakushi Kabuto paused, his right hand unconsciously clenching, and said in a low voice, "But Danzo probably didn't expect that I would discover the traces of that cultist's disguise."

"I instinctively ripped off the human skin mask from her face..."

"Behind the mask is the Dean," Kabuto Yakushi said in a chillingly calm tone. "The person I regard as my mother."

"I tried my best to save her, even ignoring Hidan and the others who were chasing after me, but she just looked at me blankly and asked me, 'Who am I?'"

"I want to say that I am Kabuto Yakushi, but I can't bring myself to say it."

"Because this name and identity were given to me by the dean."

"Over the years, I have lost count of how many identities and names I have changed, and how many 'friends' I have killed."

"My only hope is to return to Konoha one day and become Kabuto Yakushi again, because at least there, there are still people who remember the real me."

"But the dean who gave me this name and identity has forgotten me. I suddenly feel like a ship that has lost its anchor."

"At that time, I went from despair and fear to confusion and emptiness, and unconsciously stopped the palm magic in my hand."

"Until Hidan rushed over and kicked me away."

"Unexpectedly, he didn't kill me."

A complex emotion flickered in Kabuto's eyes: "He merely glanced at the fallen headmaster, then said to me mockingly, 'Kubo, is this woman the reason you betrayed me?'"

"And when the dean heard Hidan call out my name, he also murmured the name 'Kabuto'."

"I don't understand why she suddenly recognized me. I just watched her gradually stop breathing, and my mind went blank."

“It was Hidan who saved the headmaster with his own blood.” Kabuto shook his head. “Then, he dragged me back like a dead dog.”

"Later, I learned about Danzo's actions from the dean."

"He replaced all the photos I sent back with other people's photos."

"And Danzo tricked her into believing that as long as she killed one person, she could return to Konoha."

At this point, Kabuto Yakushi let out a sigh of relief: "I can't imagine what I would have become if Hidan hadn't saved the headmaster back then, after learning the truth."

"Therefore, from that day on, I completely severed ties with Danzo, 'Root,' and Konoha, and became a cardinal of the Shinigami sect."

“Even now.” Upon hearing this, Naruto remained silent for a long time before saying in a strange tone, “He instigated Hanzo and Akatsuki, which led to Nagato’s twisted nature.”

"I did nothing to prevent the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage, which led to my misfortune."

“The suppression of the Uchiha clan indirectly led to the birth of one of the Espada.”

"Intervening in the massacre of the Hyuga main family and conducting human experiments..."

"And now, we must add that you have completely sided with the evil god cult, indirectly causing the death of the daimyo of the Land of Fire."

"It seems that Danzo really has done all sorts of bad things."

Upon hearing this, Kabuto chuckled softly: "In this respect, I should thank the Fifth Hokage of Konoha for exposing all of Danzo's crimes."

"I wonder where that old dog Danzo has gone now, but with our intelligence capabilities, it's only a matter of time before we find him."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject and asked in a relaxed tone, "So, what are your plans next?"

As Naruto gazed at the last rays of sunlight sinking below the horizon, he said, "I should leave the Land of Fire and see this world for myself."

"Want to join us?" Kabuto Yakushi laughed. "Except for Hidan, everyone else in the cult is just like you, full of unrealistic idealism."

"Moreover, your bloody fighting style should be to Hidan's liking."

The current cult of evil gods has indeed become extremely bizarre.

As a bishop, Hidan is a complete hands-off manager, only concerned with whether he can offer a powerful soul to 'the Lord'.

Therefore, he only killed those ninja samurai, completely disregarding ordinary people, and even felt that killing ordinary people was a waste of time.

This resulted in the fact that all the followers of the Jashin Cult were ordinary people or even refugees who had received Hidan's "blood gift" and possessed special abilities.

Furthermore, with Kabuto Yakushi establishing doctrines and rules to govern the sect, the Jashin Cult has now become fully formalized, secretly establishing strongholds in several countries across the ninja world.

Hidan, as the Pope, is the spiritual leader of the Church. He is not responsible for specific management and rarely even performs the "blood-giving" ceremony anymore. He only occasionally steps forward to reinforce the faith of believers.

As a cardinal, Kabuto Yakushi was responsible for managing church affairs, second only to the pope. He was directly responsible for resource allocation, doctrinal interpretation, and issuing instructions to bishops in various regions.

Then there are the bishops in each region, who are responsible for developing the believers in their respective areas, establishing strongholds, and reporting regularly.

At the same time, they were all personally 'bestowed blood' by Hidan, making them stronger than others and also possessing the ability to 'bestow blood'.

Below the bishop are the priests, who do not have the ability to 'give blood' and are usually responsible for managing affairs and collecting funds.

Next are the priests, who directly face ordinary believers and are responsible for preaching doctrines, recruiting new members, and leading believers in daily activities and prayer.

Finally, there are the believers who are 'bled' by the bishop, possessing different levels of special abilities and responsible for carrying out specific tasks.

Those believers who are not 'blessed with blood' are peripheral members or reserves, ordinary people who agree with the doctrine. Those who perform well will be promoted to formal believers and 'blessed with blood'.

Today, the main strongholds of cults are disguised as orphanages, clinics, and refugee camps, which are fertile ground for developing followers.

The local bishop or priest would disguise himself as the director of an orphanage, a wealthy philanthropist, or the owner of a hotel or tavern.

Priests and believers disguised themselves as teachers, caregivers, and cooks with fixed locations, as well as itinerant doctors, witches, and merchants traveling from country to country.

While providing aid, they also recruit believers, provide the church with financial intelligence, and connect various scattered locations into a network, extending their reach to other areas.

Without the awareness of almost all major powers, the evil god cult has already spread to areas outside the ninja village.

However, Kabuto Yakushi did not tell Naruto these things.

Even if you were to tell him, it should be after he has joined and his trustworthiness has been confirmed.

“…We’ll see.” Naruto pondered for a moment before replying, “Next, I plan to go to other countries and recreate my experience in the Land of Fire.”

What experience is being replicated?
Of course, it's a choice between 'Shadow' and 'Daimyo'.

"If you need help, you can contact me." Kabuto pushed up his glasses and smiled. "After all, the hand seals and meditation techniques you developed have also helped us."

"Besides, what you're doing now is what we want to do too. If possible, you'd better consider joining us..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from behind.

呲!
An arrow formed from blinding lightning shot out from the shadows of the forest, hurtling toward Kabuto Yakushi's heart with terrifying speed.

boom!
Lightning exploded on Yakushi's back, transforming into countless wildly dancing arcs of electricity that scattered and illuminated the entire cliff.

The air was filled with the smell of burning, and the clothes on the back of the pharmacist's jacket instantly carbonized, with fragments scattering in the wind.

But beneath the clothing lay a hard, dark red shell formed from congealed blood, which shattered and dripped onto the ground.

Meanwhile, the burned skin underneath is healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and new skin grows out in the blink of an eye.

"What a spoilsport."

Kabuto slowly turned around, looking at the pair of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes in the forest, with a faint smile: "Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to interrupt others?"

“He won’t go with you.” Sasuke Uchiha kept his hands in a bow-drawing stance, his Sharingan fixed on Kabuto Yakushi, and said coldly, “No one will take him away.”

"Is that so?" Kabuto chuckled. "I advise you not to try to interfere with my chakra with those eyes anymore. Your genjutsu is meaningless to me."

As he spoke, he raised his arm, held it upright in front of him, and blood began to gather and compress beneath his skin...

"You go first," Naruto suddenly said.

Kabuto paused, glanced at Naruto, then at Sasuke who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy, and shrugged indifferently: "Then I'll wait for good news."

He turned and walked toward the edge of the cliff, but then suddenly stopped and said meaningfully, "Oh, right, just a reminder."

"When I arrived, I did not reveal my whereabouts."

"I think you don't either."

Before he finished speaking, he leaped off the cliff, his figure disappearing into the shadows below.

On the cliff, only Naruto and Sasuke remained, the setting sun casting long shadows on them.

"Naruto, tell me."

Sasuke lowered his raised hands, stared at the figure in the distance, and asked, "You were framed, weren't you?"

A brief silence fell, broken only by the howling wind and the stirring of fine dust.

"Unfortunately."

Naruto slowly turned around, the blood-red rays of the setting sun sweeping across his profile, his half-pale bone mask reflected in Sasuke's shrinking Sharingan eyes.

"This is the choice I made." Naruto's calm voice came through the mask.

(End of this chapter)