After noticing that the abnormality in his body had disappeared, Naruto not only deactivated Hymn of Valor, but also Rapid Healing.
However, the moment he landed, a surge of intense pain struck him, causing him to vomit blood violently.
On the other hand, Hidan laughed maniacally, "It's back! The curse has returned! As expected, you can't resist Jashin-sama's might. That useless golden light only delayed the inevitable. Jashin-sama is supreme!"
"Hmph!"
Naruto snorted coldly, his expression darkened but he refrained from rebutting.
The agony wracking his body, coupled with the humiliation, left him in a difficult position.
But now he was helpless.
Naruto analyzed Hidan's words and deduced the situation, 'Hymn of Valor could indeed dispel abnormal effects. However, as long as Hidan remained within the ritual circle, he could continuously reapply the curse. Thus, the moment Hymn of Valor stopped, the curse reactivated and locked onto me again.'
This realization gave Naruto a massive headache.
'Does that mean I have no choice but to give up?'
"If you can't handle it, just quit already. No one's going to blame you."
Hidan's taunting voice grated on Naruto's nerves, making him abandon any thoughts of surrender.
Being driven to this point by Hidan's mocking words, giving up was simply not an option.
Giving up now wouldn't just mean complete humiliation, as it would also shatter his future prospects. Among these people, he would lose all authority and respect.
Of course, he could simply kill Hidan directly.
But Naruto's dream was to recruit all the Akatsuki's members. No matter what, he needed to solve this curse and maintain his image of invincibility.
"Like hell I'm giving up!"
Naruto growled, his patience pushed to its limit by Hidan's provocation.
From the start, Naruto had an ultimate trump card… the resurrection coin!
With the coin, he could resurrect himself, nullifying any curse. The coin's absolute rules guaranteed that no status effect would linger upon revival.
However, Naruto only had two resurrection coins, each one essentially a second life. Unless it was an absolute last resort, he would never consider using one.
But now, the situation left him no other choice.
It was at this moment Naruto truly understood the saying, 'Pride comes at a price'.
To save face, he was about to sacrifice a life.
After opening the system inventory, Naruto was about to take out the resurrection coin, but he still hesitated, reluctant to waste such a valuable resource.
He couldn't help but open the system panel and check all the skills he had obtained one by one, hoping to find any overlooked solutions from them.
The results were predictable. If there had been another way, he wouldn't have considered using the resurrection coin.
'Huh? Why is there a gray skill here?'
Just as Naruto was about to close the system panel, he noticed a gray, unactivated skill.
Curious, he tapped on it. The skill was revealed to be Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Naruto recalled obtaining the skill during his first visit to the Hokage's Office. But since the technique was akin to a double-edged sword, damaging the user almost as much as the target, it was practically suicidal.
From the moment he acquired it, Naruto had relegated it to the bottom of his skill list to gather dust.
Naruto had always thought he would never have to use this technique in his lifetime. But now, it seemed the opportunity had finally arrived.
Just in case, Naruto opened the skill description for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
[Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Originating from the Uzumaki Clan, this is an exceptionally powerful sealing technique. The caster summons the Shinigami, who severs the target's soul with a sword and devours it. Upon completing the hand seals, the caster forms a pact with the Shinigami, offering their own soul in exchange.]
After reading the description, Naruto smirked.
"Since it's certain death either way, I might as well go all in. Bet everything on a single gamble… turn this bicycle into a motorbike. Who knows, I might just pull off a miracle.'
"Hidan, you forced me to do this!"
Naruto took a deep breath, then quickly formed the seals in the sequence Snake - Boar - Ram - Rabbit - Dog - Rat - Bird - Horse - Snake.
The moment he clasped his palms together, a gray, misty shadow descended.
Within the hazy gloom, a colossal figure emerged. It was emaciated, with bluish-gray skin tightly wrapped around its skeletal frame.
Dressed in flowing white robes, it emanated eerie ghostly flames. Its disheveled white hair cascaded over its shoulders, and its face bore a malevolent, oni-like mask. Two crimson horns protruded from its head, and a short sword was clenched between its teeth.
This was the Shinigami summoned by Dead Demon Consuming Seal!
Though the Shinigami remained silent, Naruto instinctively understood its intent.
The Shinigami's unspoken words resonated within Naruto's mind: "Name the target to be severed!"
Naruto responded in his heart, 'The curse binding me, and the so-called Jashin behind it!'
As someone who had watched Naruto extensively, Naruto did not believe in the existence of Jashin. To him, it was merely a construct of the cult's faith.
However, at this moment, he genuinely hoped Jashin was real.
If Jashin did exist, witnessing the clash between the Shinigami and Jashin would be a spectacular event. The battle of two divine beings would be nothing short of legendary.
For Naruto, this spectacle alone would be worth the cost of a resurrection coin.
Naruto's gamble, the 'bicycle-to-motorbike' bet, was based on the hope that the Shinigami and Jashin would annihilate each other.
If they did, not only would the curse be lifted, but he might even avoid the Shinigami's soul-snatching, achieving a flawless victory.
Thump... thump!
After stating his target, Naruto's heart raced with anticipation. Though he was prepared to fail and use a resurrection coin, he still clung to the hope that his daring plan would succeed.
If it worked, he would be the first transmigrator in the Naruto World to witness Jashin's existence and instigate a divine battle between Jashin and the Shinigami.
Such a feat would undoubtedly earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame of all Naruto World's transmigrators.
About three seconds later, the Shinigami's intent echoed in Naruto's mind: "Target confirmed. Commencing execution!"
Those words sent Naruto's heart racing even faster.
The confirmation proved Jashin's existence, and the execution meant he would soon witness the clash of two divine entities.
'This was it. Worth it. Every bit of it!'
Naruto was elated, then immediately pulled a chair and a bag of popcorn from his system inventory, preparing to enjoy the show as a mere spectator.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, a chilling wind surged behind him.
The Shinigami extended a skeletal claw, its long, blackened nails streaked with crimson, reaching for Naruto.
The sight startled him so much that the popcorn spilled from his hand.
'Wait! Could it be that the Shinigami noticed that I was using him as a tool?'
In the next moment, Naruto relaxed.
The Shinigami's claw did not harm him but instead passed through his body, entering his very essence.
It was then Naruto understood, 'The Shinigami existed only as a spiritual entity. No wonder it specialized in severing souls… it lacked a physical form altogether.'
Ssshhk!
As the Shinigami's claw withdrew, it pulled out a writhing, purple wormlike entity from Naruto's body. The creature squirmed desperately, trying to re-enter Naruto, but the Shinigami tightened its grip.
With a firm motion, the Shinigami drew its sword from its mouth and cleaved the worm in two.
The moment the worm left his body, Naruto felt the curse was lift completely. When the worm was destroyed, the ritual circle beneath Hidan exploded into oblivion.
Who could have anticipated that the curse would be utterly eradicated with a single stroke of the Shinigami's blade?