Chapter 940 : Two Terrifying Shinobi!

[A/N: A note once again. This arc will by far contain the most original content by any of the previous arcs. Pretty much none of the events & characters here are canon. In addition, there will also be plenty of stuff that'll seem very controversial (kinda like during the Konoha Crush arc), but will seem more logical by the time the arc ends (though how the arc ends might be controversial on its own. I can't defend that 😅 Can only promise the story will be more interesting going forward as a result of it).]

‘Edo Tensei jutsu’

Fujin slammed his hand on the ground, sacrificing one of the pirates he captured the previous day. The unfortunate pirate's screams echoed in the base for a few seconds before his appearance started changing. Ketsueki, the blood-devoted Jashinist, stood once more.

Fujin observed the reanimated corpse calmly. The dark tattoos etched along Ketsueki’s forearms glimmered faintly—residual remnants of the cursed fuinjutsu carved into his body during his lifetime. His tall frame was gaunt but solid, his posture unnaturally rigid.

A hint of anticipation was visible in Fujin's eyes as he extended his right arm towards Ketsueki's forehead, Yin chakra gathering around his palm the closer it reached. Moments later, Fujin yanked out Ketsueki's soul from his reanimated corpse! Holding Ketsueki's soul in his right hand, Fujin thought, ‘Now then… Let me see what secrets you hold…’

——

A heavy silence loomed in the vast, dim chamber carved into stone. Dozens of black candles lit the room in a haunting glow. A single figure stood before a young Ketsueki on a raised dais — a wrinkled old man clad in layered ceremonial robes dyed in midnight and crimson hues. His head was adorned with a crown-like circlet fashioned from blackened bone.

Kneeling before him, Ketsueki, filled with reverence, greeted, “Your Holiness!”

Ketsueki's mind was completely occupied by the revered figure. He completely ignored his bloodied robes, torn from the rituals he had undergone. His chest still bore the scars from the sealing rite. The pain still lingered… but his fanaticism far surpassed his pain! After all, the person before Ketsueki was the Pontiff of Jashin, the voice of the god, the unchallenged leader of their sacred order!

“You have done well,” the Pontiff said. His voice was like dry leaves, soft and brittle, yet it carried across the chamber with absolute authority. He declared, “From this moment forth, you are no longer a Disciple. You are Bishop Ketsueki.”

Ketsueki lowered his head, trembling with a mix of awe and exhaustion. “I… I thank you, your Holiness.”

The Pontiff said, “Raise your head, Ketsueki. You now bear the Seed of Jashin.”

Ketsueki looked up, brow furrowed. “The… Seed?”

The Pontiff nodded, “The Seed is our god’s blessing, buried within your soul through the final ritual. It is a tether—both conduit and anchor. Through it, Lord Jashin can speak directly to you, guide you, and test your faith. You are no longer merely a worshipper. You are his instrument.”

“I… I understand.” Ketsueki’s voice was hushed, but the weight of the revelation sent shivers through him. Despite worshipping Jashin for nearly two and a half decades, he had never known such a connection existed.

The Pontiff’s eyes narrowed, “Few understand it. Fewer still survive it. To carry the voice of our god is both a privilege and burden. That is why only Bishops may one day become Elders. The Guardians, despite their formidable strength, will never be eligible to become an Elder because they cannot connect with our Lord.”

Ketsueki nodded slowly, absorbing the words. Then he asked, hesitantly, “What is expected of me now, your Holiness?”

The Pontiff's wrinkled lips curled slightly into something between a smile and a grimace. “You are to prepare. A Bishop does not merely guard knowledge. He spreads it through fire, through blood, through faith.”

He stepped forward, his voice gaining strength and continued, “One day, you will choose a worthy vessel. Into that vessel, you will plant a sliver of your Seed of Jashin and transform it into the Living Seal. This is how we create a Grand Priest.”

Ketsueki’s heart thumped. “A… Grand Priest?”

“An emissary,” the Pontiff said, eyes gleaming, “who walks the world with our god's will. A being blessed by both ritual and seal—strong enough to found new cults, raise armies, spread fear and devotion in the name of Jashin.”

“And I will create one?”

“In time,” the Pontiff said. “For now, you must train. Learn more of the fuinjutsu required. You will be tutored by Elder Shimeiryuu.”

Ketsueki bowed again, but something burned within his chest. It was impatience!

“With respect… why wait?” he asked, challenging the Pontiff for the very first time in his life. Looking straight into the Pontiff's eyes, he asked, “Why not send me out now? Let me carry our faith to the world.”

The Pontiff didn't mind his rudeness because it was a result of Ketsueki’s desire to serve their Lord Jashin. He calmly explained, “The seals you have learnt until now can merely be considered as basic knowledge. They are the base required for you to learn the seals required for conducting the ritual. Improving your Fuinjutsu will take anywhere between 5 to 10 years…”

Ketsuki was surprised. He was always considered a genius in Fuinjutsu and had mastered all seals available to Disciples in under 10 years! He didn't expect Fuinjutsu to become an obstacle in him serving Jashin.

The Pontiff continued neutrally, “That is one aspect. The more important reason is our security. We send only one Bishop every two decades. To send more risks exposure.”

“But why hide?” Ketsueki’s voice trembled with conviction. “Let the world come. We shall show them the truth of Lord Jashin. We’ll drown the false shinobi in their own blood!”

The Pontiff chuckled softly, “Your devotion to Lord Jashin is admirable. Sadly, devotion and passion cannot win a war with insurmountable odds.”

He turned and gestured to the darkness beyond the stone pillars, “You do not understand the world beyond. In this era, there are Five Great Ninja Villages. Each has armies numbering in the tens of thousands. Their leaders are monsters in human skin, all surpassing our Guardians. In addition, they possess several ninjas who can compete with our Guardians.”

Ketsueki’s eyes widened. He muttered in disbelief, “Tens of thousands of ninjas? How can we compete against that?”

The Pontiff explained further, “Fortunately, a majority of their ninjas are weak. In addition, they are extremely hostile towards one another. It may not be long before a massive war breaks out among them. So, as long as we don't gain attention, we don't have to worry about them.”

Ketsueki sighed in relief on learning the five great powers were hostile towards one another. However, a new confusion appeared in his mind. He asked, “I don't understand. If the five powers are hostile to each other, they can't focus entirely on us. Why are we still so careful then? Can't we send more Bishops secretly and do spread word of Lord Jashin? Even if they detect us, it's unlikely they would care enough to focus all their resources on us…”

Shaking his head, the Pontiff explained, “Don't underestimate them. Gaining slight attention may not be lethal, but if they deem us to be sufficient threat, which we certainly our, all five Great Villages may ally temporarily and give their all to eliminate us.

Not to mention, the more important factor is who focuses their attention on us. The five Great Villages may be strong, but they won't succeed in completely annihilating us. However, there are two individuals in the world, so terrifying that they can completely destroy our village single-handedly! We would be completely helpless against either of them.”

If Ketsueki felt fear on learning about forces with tens of thousands of ninjas, now he was completely terrified. Other than Jashin, he never imagined anyone possessing such fearsome strength!

The Pontiff stated grimly, “Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara… Remember their names. If you were to go when they're alive, avoid them at all costs. If you unfortunate to run into them, keep your head low and don't do anything that could turn their attention to us. If you do…”

The pontiff sighed, “We would be forced to flee… Again. Just as we have done before. And again.”

Ketsueki looked up, shaken. “This has happened before?”

The Pontiff gave a slow nod, “Three times in the last six centuries. Once, we tried to raise a secret organization in the Eastern Islands. The Uchiha clan burned it down.
A century later, one of our Grand Priests established a foothold in the Northern eastern plains. A coalition of shinobi wiped them out in a single winter.
Our last major attempt after taking lessons from our previous two failures… was two hundred and twenty-eight years ago. Unfortunately, we were crushed by a single clan… The Senju clan decimates us even before we could establish a proper foothold. It took great effort to migrate what remained of our forces to this island…”

[A/N: Ketsueki was first shown in Zankoku's memories (Chp 439-441). Fujin acquired his remains later.]