While Sora, Kakashi, and the others were making plans, Peach Blossom Mountain—the base of the Death God Cult—was far from peaceful.
"Master, we received a report today that three strangers entered Town Eight. They ate, drank, and then left. Their behavior was highly suspicious."
The Grand Protector of the Death God Cult wore a long black robe, with a wide hood covering him entirely. Only his eyes, which glowed with an inhuman light, were visible.
Seated above him was the leader of the Death God Cult. He no longer looked like the old Kumaichi; instead, he had transformed into a hawk-nosed middle-aged man with a sinister appearance that made people instinctively wary.
Tapping his finger on the table beside him, the hawk-nosed man spoke in a chilling voice: "The most likely explanation for anyone reaching this place is that they are Konoha shinobi!"
As if something had just dawned on him, the hawk-nosed man's face grew darker, his teeth grinding together. "Go notify everyone to bring all the captured sacrifices and have all members attend the ceremony."
Taking a deep breath, the man's eyes flashed with a savage gleam. "The Death God has forgiven their past ignorance. This time, there will be gifts for everyone. Everyone must attend!"
"Understood, I'll notify them immediately," the Grand Protector replied. A flicker of confusion flashed in his eyes as he cautiously glanced at the hawk-nosed man.
The moment his eyes met those eerie green ones, a chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly left to carry out his orders.
Once the Grand Protector had left, the room was filled with a chilling whisper.
"Konoha… Konoha… Last time, it was you that forced me to hide out in this godforsaken place. But now that my power has grown, get ready for my revenge!"
"No matter who comes this time, when everyone is gathered at Peach Blossom Mountain, I refuse to believe you won't show up. Let's see how you squirm then!"
Perhaps he was picturing the scene two days from now because the room suddenly filled with his eerie laughter, sending chills down one's spine.
The Grand Protector wasted no time, quickly summoning the other cult members and passing on the hawk-nosed man's orders to them, instructing them to head to the eight towns.
The cultists did not dare to delay. That very night, they left Peach Blossom Mountain to carry out their tasks.
None of them wanted to be the next sacrifice. Defying the Cult Leader's orders was out of the question.
While those men were on the move, Kakashi also left the cliffside base and headed toward Peach Blossom Mountain.
He carried one of Sora's Flying Thunder God kunai, just in case he encountered any unmanageable threats.
To his surprise, the journey went incredibly smoothly—not a single person detected his presence.
When he reached the base of Peach Blossom Mountain, he saw dozens of Death God Cultists descending the mountain, heading toward the eight towns.
"Hmm… Should I grab one and interrogate them about their strength?"
Kakashi hesitated for a moment but then shook his head. "The ritual is in two days. If these guys don't return, it'll definitely raise suspicion. Better to let them go for now."
After they moved out of sight, Kakashi silently slipped into Peach Blossom Mountain.
He had originally expected heavy surveillance—guards every few steps—but to his surprise, there was no one.
If it weren't for the residences of the Death God Cult members, Kakashi would have thought the place was just an abandoned mountain.
Despite his confusion, Kakashi stayed vigilant, not wanting to fall into a trap. He began methodically mapping out the layout.
When he reached the main temple at the center of the mountain, a sudden sense of danger surged through him, a gut feeling that if he went any closer, he'd be risking his life.
Gazing deeply at the temple, Kakashi chose to back off. This mission was meant for scouting, not a life-or-death gamble.
After leaving the central area, he grew bolder, carefully memorizing the entire layout of the mountain and even gauging the strength of the regular cult members.
Most of them were ordinary people, indistinguishable from the villagers at the base of the mountain.
Only a handful were as strong as shinobi, and even then, they were barely at Genin level. There were no more than twenty Chunin-level fighters.
As for Jonin-level strength, Kakashi only sensed three, and even those weren't particularly impressive.
Whether there were hidden forces or not, Kakashi couldn't be sure.
After finishing his investigation, Kakashi began his descent back to the cliffside.
But on his way back, he witnessed something interesting—two of the cultists he had seen earlier arrived at the town where they had gathered information that day.
Kakashi hid himself in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Listen up, all of you! After years of worship and offerings, the Death God has forgiven you. The day after tomorrow, bring all the sacrifices up to Peach Blossom Mountain. The Death God will claim them all at once!"
Seeing how obedient and respectful the people were, the two cultists nodded in satisfaction and continued, "This grand ceremony is a blessing from the Death God, specially arranged to bestow divine power upon you. Everyone present will be blessed by the Death God!"
Fearing the townspeople might play tricks, the two added, "If even one person is missing, whether it's a sacrifice or a villager, the Death God will be furious. If that happens, the Land of the Sun might cease to exist!"
"Y-yes, yes! We will definitely follow the Death God's orders and bring everyone up!"
A dozen or so chubby, wealthy-looking men nodded like bobbleheads, their flattering behavior making Kakashi feel sick.
At the same time, the idea of keeping the news secret was abandoned.
Originally, they had planned to hide the news so only they would be blessed, making them the Death God's special envoys and elevating their status.
But with things as they were, even if they had to tie people up, everyone would be going to Peach Blossom Mountain!
After delivering their orders, the two cultists followed the fat merchants into the most luxurious mansion in the area.
Shortly after, dozens of strong men dragged a group of beautiful young women into the estate.
The women were handed over to the guards at the courtyard. A flicker of envy flashed in the guards' eyes.
Everyone there knew exactly what would happen to those girls tonight.
But since those two were members of the Death God Cult, nobody dared to speak up. Anyone who did would not be punished by the cult but would be killed by the townspeople themselves.
Recalling something terrifying, the people nearby shuddered and quickly left the scene.
By this time, Kakashi had already returned to their makeshift base and was sitting down with Sora and the others to discuss.
"I've mapped out almost the entire area, except for the central part where I felt a strong sense of danger. I didn't go in," Kakashi said, taking a sip of water.
"Besides that, I also scouted their basic strength: about fifty Genin-level, twenty Chunin-level, and only three Jonin-level."
"But," he added, "those are just their obvious forces. I didn't account for that strange ability you mentioned."
Kakashi turned his gaze to Sora, knowing that he was the most familiar with it.
"That ability is called Death God—Soul Extraction. It can directly strip the soul of anyone weaker than the user. It's a guaranteed kill—no resistance possible," Sora said, his tone grave.
Hearing that, everyone became even more cautious, even Naruto, who was usually so reckless.
Sora, sensing the tension, added, "But if his power is weaker than yours, it'll only make you dizzy for a moment, with no lasting damage."
Even with Sora's reassurance, no one looked any more relaxed.
Except, perhaps, Guy, who would confidently open the Eight Gates.
Kakashi then continued, "I also found out that the Death God Cult plans to bring all the sacrifices and every single villager to Peach Blossom Mountain. No exceptions."
Everyone went silent, puzzled by the sudden shift. Why change tactics now?
Sora, Kakashi, and Kurenai exchanged glances, realizing that the three of them must have been exposed earlier.
But what was the purpose of gathering everyone at Peach Blossom Mountain? They racked their brains but couldn't come up with an answer.
In the end, they decided to put the question aside and work on revising their infiltration plan.