Chapter 942 : I... failed?

The group of Jashin fanatics continued moving from one village to another without much luck. By the time they reached the seventh village, dawn was just beginning to lighten the horizon. It was another small settlement with just around fifty villagers, mostly elderly and children. Most of the adults had already left to attend to their respective work.

Sunae crouched outside one of the homes, her hand pressed to the damp earth. Her senses spread outward, subtle and practiced. She opened her eyes and looked toward Daiketsu.

“There’s one,” Daiketsu murmured.

They entered quietly. A small child, no older than three, lay asleep on a straw mat beside a half-empty bowl of rice. Daiketsu studied the child’s chakra with narrowed eyes. He chuckled, “Not bad… Definitely within the threshold.”

“Wait,” Sunae added, turning her head. Excitement appeared in her voice as she claimed, “There’s another. Same signature.”

They moved to the adjacent room. Another toddler slept there—a twin. Her features were nearly identical to her brother’s, and her chakra had the same unusual density for someone so young.

Daiketsu observed with a hint of approval, “A matched pair… That’s rare.”

They stepped out of the house. Lady Shiranui stood at the village center, her hands calmly weaving seals to maintain the Genjutsu haze.

Sunae reported, “We found a pair of twins, both viable.”

Lady Shiranui’s eyes glinted with faint satisfaction. She observed the two and agreed, “Hmm. You’re right.”
Turning her head to the west, she added “And there’s a third.”

They followed her gaze and saw another sleeping child. This one had even stronger chakra, its flow vibrant and natural. They immediately understood her potential was even higher.

Excitement appeared in Sunae's eyes as she barely controlled herself, “Three in a single village! What great luck! If this continues, we'll fulfill Lord Jashin's needs in no time!”

Lady Shiranui didn’t smile, but her voice held quiet conviction, “This isn't luck. It's Lord Jashin's blessings!”

The others didn't reply, but bowed their heads briefly in reverence.

Lady Shiranui calmed her chakra flow and exhaled softly. Her fingers blurred through a complex sequence of seals, each movement deliberate and flowing. A low hum vibrated through the air, barely audible, as a shimmer of chakra rippled outward like a wave.

A moment later, silence descended over the entire village and its vicinity. Out in the fields, elderly men paused mid-swing of sickles. A few younger adults who had set out early for hunting or gathering stopped where they stood, their eyes blank for a heartbeat.

Then... movement resumed, as though nothing had happened. But their paths subtly shifted, as if driven by an unseen memory. In their minds, something terrible had already occurred.

In their collective memory, the three children had ventured out before dawn and never returned. A few had seen glimpses—shadows in the mist, blood in the grass. Everyone simultaneously believed and accepted the deaths of the three children, not questioning the absurdity of little children escaping locked houses in the middle of the night and the adults who saw their glimpses not stopping them. They only grieved their loss.

Shiranui slowly lowered her hands. Ketsueki watched in silence, impressed. Her mastery over the mind was subtle but immense. After a moment, he asked, “Wouldn't it be simpler if we just convince their parents to follow Lord Jashin? With devotion, they'd willingly offer their children if needed. No deception would be needed.”

Lady Shiranui’s response came without hesitation, “It'll leave behind hidden dangers. The ninja villages will investigate seriously if a large number of people suddenly start following Lord Jashin. Not to mention, we can't stay here to educate them about Lord Jashin.”

Still confused, Ketsueki put forth another idea, one much more diabolical than his first idea. He said, “Then erase the memories. Make them forget the children ever existed.”

Shiranui turned her gaze to him and asked, “And what of their cousins in the next valley? Or a traveling merchant who heard their names last month?”

She gestured toward the broader world with a quiet hand and said, “Memories do not exist in isolation. One stray thread can unravel the whole tapestry. If word spreads that children are disappearing without explanation, it invites questions. But if they die to wild beasts… well, that’s just nature.”

Ketsueki fell silent, nodding thoughtfully. With his doubts cleared, the group continued their journey. They entered several more settlements, lucky in some while returning without any gains from the rest during their multi-day journey. On the 3rd day, they reached the outskirts of the 29th village.

As they scouted silently, Daiketsu came to a stop and raised his head.

“Wait,” he said, eyes narrowing.

Everyone paused. Ketsueki immediately activated a secret sensing technique, scanning the edge of the settlement. At the same time, Sunae placed her hands on the ground, sending her chakra into it and creating a soft ripple.

Daiketsu confirmed, “There’s someone nearby. East of here. Chakra is faint, but too refined for a civilian.”

“A ninja?” Ketsueki asked.

Lady Shiranui gave a nod, “Likely. Possibly a wanderer or hunter-nin passing through. Or perhaps someone trying to avoid the war.”

They waited a moment, tension humming silently through the air. Sunae muttered, “His chakra is weak. He must be just a Genin.”

Ketsueki relaxed and said, “We can take him out…”

Shiranui agreed, “We could, but there's no need. This is an indication from Lord Jashin. If we continue, we may be exposed to major forces of this world. It's time to return.”

No one opposed her decision. They vanished back into the wilderness without a trace, heading for the sea. By the time they returned to the hidden valley, eight children slumbered in silence under dreamlike genjutsu. Each had been marked with a sealing formula on their skin—noninvasive, harmless, but impossible to remove.

As they crossed the final stretch of still sea, Ketsueki glanced back once. The world beyond was so vast, so chaotic. He couldn't help but yearn for the day he would be dispatched to spread Jashin's word and create a Grand Priest!

——

“There comes a time when one must no longer be a caretaker of the garden… but the one who plants the seed.” The Pontiff raised a hand and placed it on Ketsueki’s head, not gently, but firmly and proclaimed, “You are no longer a shepherd. You are a harbinger.”

Despite being several decades older than when he became a Bishop, Ketsueki’s chest swelled. His lips parted, but he found himself speechless.

The Pontiff continued, “You will go beyond the still sea. And from your hands… shall rise the Grand Priest who'll carry our centuries-long hope on his shoulders!”

The gravity of the words settled deep in Ketsueki’s bones.

Pontiff smiled, “Go now, Bishop Ketsueki. Spill your blood and the blood of others. With patience and devotion, sow chaos. And from chaos… cultivate divinity.”

Ketsueki rose, fists clenched, eyes alight with purpose. He bowed deeply and vowed, “I will not fail. Even if my body burns, I will raise the Grand Priest. I swear it upon Lord Jashin’s name.”

And with that, he turned and strode out of the chamber, each step echoing with finality. The shadows of the holy cavern swallowed his silhouette.

——

In a vast underground chamber, utterly buried from the world above, hundreds of thick pillars carved with seals supported a ceiling blackened by the smoke of old incense. The air, once still and reverent, now trembled with a metallic stench so thick it clung to the tongue.

The entire underground chamber had turned red! Blood had long stopped pooling. It had seeped into the stone, into the seals, into the lungs of the dead. Some corpses were still warm. Others had swollen grotesquely, bloated and cracked under the weight of unnatural chakra. Rows upon rows of bodies lay on ritual plates. Elderly men, women, infants… all frozen in postures of agony.

The runes etched into the floors, once pulsing with ritualistic harmony, now flickered erratically. Some still glowing faintly, others blackened and smoking. Whatever sealwork had been woven into this temple of slaughter, it had ruptured—partially, violently.

In another part of the chamber, massive stone basins were filled with dark coagulated blood. Floating within were dozens of hearts, lungs, and livers. Now, however, the basins had shattered, letting the horrifying travesty leak out!

The deathly silence was broken by a gurgle from the very center of this chamber! It came from a humanoid form struggling on the floor. Its skin had melted into its muscles. Blood dripped endlessly from its eyes, but there were no pupils left—just raw, ruptured sockets. Its mouth moved, whispering something unintelligible over and over again. Something wet and rhythmic. As if reciting a prayer… or begging to forget.

Ketsueki stood not too far from it. His robes, once immaculate, were soaked in blood from shoulder to toe. Shock burned into his face, his eyes refusing to believe what they saw.

After a long time, two words softly escaped his lips, still with the same unwillingness and disbelief, “I… failed?”