Chapter 18 — Suffering of the World, the Evil God Eternal
"This is Wano? I hate this humid air and that lingering disgusting smell!"
As soon as he stepped off the ship, Hidan—looking like some kind of One Punch Man cosplay—couldn't hide his scornful expression.
Being a small island nation that lived off the sea, it was obvious that Wano's fishing industry was well-developed. So near the docks, a certain indescribable dead-fish smell inevitably hung in the air.
For villagers who had spent their lives eking out a living on the ocean, this was probably nothing unusual. But for people like Shinji and Hidan, who had spent most of their lives on land and rarely seen the sea, it was far from pleasant.
Shinji covered his mouth and nose slightly and sighed, "Let's just get the mission done quickly and head back."
This time, Hidan didn't argue. He simply met every curious gaze with eyes full of malice. The killing intent he had been suppressing along the journey was now burning wildly, consuming what little rationality he had left.
If it weren't for the fear of screwing up the mission, he probably would have started slaughtering everyone on sight.
"Just hold on a little longer. First, we find the contact, then you can go crazy all you want."
After searching for a while, they finally spotted a symbol on a pillar outside a house—a circle with a triangle inscribed within it.
No doubt, it was the mark of the Evil God Cult.
In this remote maritime country, few people knew of the cult. Most likely, this house was their contact point.
Even if it were a trap for outsiders, they weren't worried. Those who understood the stakes already knew why.
Without knocking, they pushed the door open and entered.
Inside, a young man in his twenties was dozing off. Startled awake, he immediately shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?!"
Shinji wasted no words. He revealed the Evil God pendant hanging around his neck and said simply, "Suffering of the world, the Evil God eternal."
The young man shivered instantly at the sight of the pendant and the words, then hurried outside, lowering his voice, "Are you... are you two heroes from the Evil God Cult?"
Shinji nodded. "Take us to see Oshima."
"Oshima-sama has indeed been waiting for a long time, but… the others? Are you really two the only ones?" The young man hesitated, as if unsure how much to say.
Swish!
Suddenly, a sharp kunai was pressed against his neck. Hidan, wearing an impatient expression, growled, "Say one more word and I'll kill you!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I shouldn't speak out of turn! Please, follow me," the young man stammered, pale-faced, terrified that one careless move could slice his throat.
A faint trickle of red had already appeared on his neck. Hidan let out a disdainful snort before retracting the kunai.
The young man, still trembling, didn't dare ask anything further. He held his neck and kept his head down as he led the way. One moment too long around this obviously dangerous bald man, and he feared for his life.
…
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
Bang!
Crash!
In the opulent room, a handsome middle-aged man, whose mere presence radiated authority even without anger, was in a furious rage. Priceless ornaments and ceramics were being tossed aside as if they were nothing but trash.
Oshima, appearing to be just over forty but actually fifty-six, was well-maintained, making him look young, yet he couldn't hide the gradual decay of age.
As one grew older, one became increasingly nostalgic for youth and increasingly focused on family. His youngest daughter, born in his later years, had been his pride and joy—the very embodiment of familial happiness.
And now, all of it had been destroyed.
Blades, blood, and the confused gaze of his daughter as she fell… Every time he closed his eyes, these images replayed vividly in his mind, as if his poor daughter were asking him, why hadn't he avenged her yet?
Yes, revenge!
These days, he had been pouring everything he had into taking vengeance on Gato.
Business competition? No. The moment his beloved daughter died before his eyes, it became a war.
Yet, Gato seemed to have the upper hand with his underhanded methods.
"It's just money! If Gato can hire a hundred men, then I want a thousand! Are you so incompetent that you can't even outspend him?!"
The room echoed with Oshima's furious roars.
He could not comprehend why, after spending so much, nothing seemed to work. His patience was near its limit. He didn't want to see Gato's smug face anymore. He just wanted him dead.
"Gato must have made some sort of deal with those wandering ninjas. The people we hire at great expense often do half the work or even betray us. Many now refuse to accept our company's assassination contracts, fearing they might die at the hands of their own allies…"
Oshima's face darkened. "And the people sent to Konoha? Have they returned?"
"Most were ambushed along the way. Only a few survived. And as for Konoha, they might not even accept our assassination request. At most, they'd send a few people for temporary protection," his subordinate admitted with shame.
Outside of wartime, the Five Great Ninja Villages strictly prohibit their ninjas from killing ordinary civilians. After all, the world was still mostly ordinary people. Without such restraint, ninjas with absolute power could monopolize all wealth, rights, and status, treating civilians as little more than livestock.
If that were the case, society would collapse.
So hiring ninjas to assassinate ordinary people was usually not accepted by formal village ninjas.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Those in need of money might secretly pocket some profit. As long as they weren't caught, village higher-ups would often turn a blind eye.
Or wandering ninjas, rogue ninjas, or bounty ninjas in underground markets had no such qualms. Killing a few ordinary people was easy work and even enjoyable. Simple missions, low risk, and decent pay.
Gato had clearly planned ahead. He was simultaneously draining the resources and reputation of the Oshima family while recruiting more wandering and rogue ninjas to his side. At the same time, he sent people to ambush those sent by Oshima to seek help, eliminating variables before they could arise.
With this combination of moves, the Oshima family faced not just potential ruin—they would likely fall into rapid decline soon.