Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 181 The New Hot Spring Village

Silent all night.

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and fell upon the ruins of Tangren Village.

Hideyoshi, carrying Hidan, walked into the village side by side with Shisei Aburame.

The once bustling streets are now nothing but ruins, and the air is thick with the stench of blood and the smell of anguish.

The villagers who had miraculously survived gathered in twos and threes in the open space, their eyes vacant and their expressions numb, but deeper still, they were gripped by a deep-seated fear.

Everything was too bizarre: deceased relatives vanished into thin air, and even the cultists had disappeared without a trace. Besides, many of their own relatives, children, and elderly relatives had also disappeared without a trace.

Just then, someone finally recognized Hideyoshi: "Hideyoshi, the Jonin, is back!"

"Lord Hideyoshi, what exactly happened?"

"Where is my husband? Where is he?"

The crowd surged forward, bombarding them with questions, their eyes still clinging to a last glimmer of hope.

Hideyoshi stared at them, his throat feeling as if something was blocking it. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Aburame Shisei stood to the side, silently watching all of this.

At that moment, a middle-aged ninja covered in wounds staggered over. He was one of the village elders, named Yamato. His left arm was wrapped in bandages, and dried blood still clung to his face.

"Hideyoshi, you're back." Yamato's voice was hoarse. "We're counting the survivors."

His wife came forward, said nothing, but simply reached out and took the child, gently patting and comforting him.

Hideyoshi nodded to his wife and followed Yamazu into the makeshift meeting room next door.

You Nu Zhicheng did not follow, but stood quietly outside, watching the villagers who had lost their loved ones and the children who were still unaware of what had happened and whose faces were full of shock.

An hour later, after discussion among all the surviving ninjas, Hideyoshi unsurprisingly became the new village chief and the new leader of Yugakure.

Hideyoshi emerged from the makeshift meeting room, his face even more grim than when he entered, his brows furrowed tightly. He muttered in a low voice, "Three thousand two hundred people... only three thousand two hundred villagers survived. Ninjas... less than fifty."

Aburame Shisei didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly. Hideyoshi continued, "Those children... of the twenty-seven children who were sacrificed, none of them survived except for Hidan."

He paused, his gaze falling on the baby in Mieko's arms. Hidan was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of everything outside.

Undeniably, Hidan was lucky. If he hadn't met Shisei Aburame and become friends with him, Hidan might have died in that sacrifice as well.

Mieko looked at her husband, her playful expression gone, and said softly, "Shiraki-kun is right, he really is different now."

Hideyoshi remained silent with his wife, his emotions unspoken, and turned to walk towards the gathered villagers. Half an hour later, all the survivors were summoned to the open space in the center of the village.

Hideyoshi stood on a broken stone tablet, with Yamato and several other surviving Chunin beside him.

"Everyone," he began, his voice low but clear, "I'm going to tell you the truth."

The surviving people quieted down and all looked at him.

"The mastermind behind this disaster is the village chief." Hideyoshi's gaze swept across the crowd: "He colluded with the evil god cult and planned this sacrifice. Those dead children, those villagers who were brutally slaughtered, were all sacrifices he offered to the evil god."

The crowd was incredulous until the ninja elders nodded. The crowd instantly erupted into chaos, with some screaming, some weeping, and some cursing angrily.

"He's dead. I killed him with my own hands. All the followers of the evil god cult have also been executed."

"But today, I must also mention another culprit, the ninjas of Konoha. Many of you should know that when the evil god cult was about to be wiped out by Shiraki-kun, it was those Konoha ninjas who intervened, letting them go back to the mountains, which led to this catastrophe."

"Fortunately, those cultists who caused trouble were eventually killed by Shiraki-kun. And he is your benefactor."

Hideyoshi pointed at Aburame Shisei, and everyone's eyes followed. Aburame Shisei remained silent, only nodding slightly.

"But the cult will not disappear. As long as there are people who remember it and believe in it, it will rise from the ashes."

He took a deep breath and uttered words that shocked everyone: "From this day forward, all records concerning the Evil God Cult will be sealed in Tangren Village. No one is allowed to discuss the Evil God Cult, spread its doctrines, or mention the name of the Evil God."

"What we need to do is to make the evil god completely forgotten."

"If one generation doesn't speak of it, two generations won't know, and after three generations, no one will remember that there was ever a cult of evil gods in this world. At that time, the evil gods will no longer hear the call and will no longer be able to descend to earth."

A deathly silence fell over the crowd. After a long while, someone whispered, "But... my child is dead. Can't we even say how they died?"

Hideyoshi looked at the person, who was a middle-aged woman with red and swollen eyes and disheveled hair. She was holding a small piece of clothing in her arms, which was her child's keepsake.

"You can remember your children, but you cannot remember the evil god," Hideyoshi said solemnly. "This is to protect those who are still alive, and to protect unborn children. Do you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to experience what you are suffering today?"

The woman fell silent, and so did the many surviving people.

Hideyoshi said nothing more, only waving his hand. Yamazu stepped forward and began organizing the villagers to register, distribute supplies, and clear the rubble.

Hideyoshi leaped down from the stone monument and walked to Aburame Shisei's side: "Shiraki-kun, may I ask you one more favor?"

"You want me to take action and make all the villagers forget the existence of the evil god cult." Aburame Shicheng saw through his thoughts at a glance. "Fine."

"Thank you!" Hideyoshi said sincerely. "Although I don't know what methods you will use, rest assured, I will sleep peacefully tonight and will not spy on you."

That night, all the villagers and ninjas returned to their homes.

The night sky was cloudless, and the full moon hung high, with only a wisp of purple light occasionally enveloping them.

What follows is a layer of suggestive hypnosis. This method is not particularly sophisticated, but for ordinary people or low-level ninjas, it is not difficult to make them subconsciously forget something.

Moreover, they would naturally cooperate; humans have a natural instinct for self-preservation and will subconsciously forget things that are too painful.

Of course, for those Jonin who are extremely powerful and have keen spiritual senses, this memory cannot be erased.

They can only forever bear this pain, remembering the sorrow and hatred they can never let go of.