After a few weeks, Merlin finally reached the hidden village of Yugakure. Upon reaching the entrance, he was stopped by shinobi who guarded the gate. He wasn't the only one there; several merchants and tourists from different places had come. After a few minutes, it was Merlin's turn to be checked. Even though the war was over, the shinobi still maintained their vigilance. After identifying his purpose as a tourist from Hoshigakure, he was allowed to enter the village.
"Compared to Hoshigakure, this village is far more developed, and there are many natural hot springs here," Merlin remarked.
"System, record the routes of the village," he said to the A I. 'You never know what will happen in the future; collecting a map will always be useful.' As he went through the village, he found that the people there were far happier compared to the people he had seen outside the village.
Walking a few minutes, Merlin entered a hotel. Seeing that the customers looked like 12-year-old children, the innkeeper tried to trick him. However, after releasing the spell 'Domination Grasp,' everything went smoothly.
The first thing Merlin did after entering his new room was casting a spell to prevent anyone from spying on him. The main reason Merlin developed this spell was after remembering that the third Hokage had a spiral ball that could secretly track anyone in the village.
After adding a few more spells for his protection, he came outside the inn.
After trying the various delicacies of the village, Merlin went to soak in the hot spring. "Well, this is my first time relaxing since coming to this world."
"System, how much chakra do I need to reach the Senior Wizard Apprentice level?"
"Reporting: Host's chakra has increased to 25% after reaching 2nd tier wizard apprentice."
'Even after the crazy hunt last week, it only increased this much. If I want to increase the speed, I need to capture creatures at minimum Jonin level.'
"System, how is the progress on the chakra-enhancing potion?"
"Reporting: The research of the chakra-enhancing potion has reached 12%. If the host wishes to further increase the speed, further information is required."
"My current fighting power is below that of a lower-level Kage, I can attempt to capture some Jonin-level shinobi. Additionally, I need to contact the black market for my future plans."
Making up his mind, Merlin left the hot spring. The next morning, Merlin left the village without getting noticed by their shinobi. Moreover, Merlin also found out that compared to shinobi in Hoshigakure, shinobi in this village were less combat-oriented.
Reaching the forest, Merlin started to capture chakra-mutated beasts. However, as he went deeper into the forest, he found traces of human blood. "System, scan the surroundings to find traces of battle," he commanded. As the system scanned, his eyes started to glow in blue light. After searching for some time, Merlin still failed to find any trace of battle. "This is interesting; there are no traces of battle, but there is blood. I might be onto something."
Following the trail of blood, he goes further into the forest. 'Just as I predicted, they are performing some kind of ritual.' Seeing the various drawing made using blood Merlin commented.
"System, is there any character in the story that suits the current situation?"
"Reporting: Based on host memory, Hidan from Akatsuki matches the criteria."
"Hidan? Isn't that the guy who achieved so-called immortality? If it's them, I might get some useful data."
Merlin then started to search for more clues to find the cult. As he went further, he found someone covered in black cloth. "Well, it might be them. At least they should change their clothing; identifying them is kind of easy in this situation." Confirming there was no one around, Merlin cast 'Root Bind' on him.
Caught by a surprise attack, the cult member started to panic. "How dare you? Do you know who you are messing with?" Reaching in front of the cult member, Merlin did not bother to talk to him, then cast 'Domination Grasp' on him.
"They are showing resistance to the spell. It's as if their mind is protected from others taking control over him."
Increasing the spell's effect, the captive was finally brought under his control.
"Tell me, who are you? What are you doing in the forest?"
In a drowsy state, the cult member started to answer his questions.
"My name is Sadai. I was performing a cult ritual."
"What is the name of your cult? Where is the cult located?"
"The cult is called Jashinists. It is located in the western forest."
"How many are there in your cult?"
"I don't know; only the regional head knows information regarding other members." Replied Sadai.
'Killing him might be wasteful. I can extract information from his mind.' "You, follow me." Merlin said in an unkindly way,