"How could this kind of power… be possible?"
The more Samui imagined that terrifying scene, the paler her face became.
It wasn't strange that Atsui and the others had mistaken this place; the affected area was simply too vast. As far as the eye could see, everything was barren and flat.
But if one looked from a god's-eye view, the entire region resembled the inside of a massive meat grinder. The ground was soaked in a shocking dark red, as if livestock had just recently been ground into pulp and flesh.
Everything within dozens of kilometers had been wiped clean.
Within that same range, not a single blade of grass remained.
Even the surface of the earth had been carved down several meters deep.
'How could such power belong to a human?'
'How could something like this even be done by a human?'
Samui couldn't imagine how it was achieved.
She had seen far more brutal and bloody scenes before, but never anything like this. The lingering terror and bloodshed still hung thick in the air.
It was as if one could smell the blood torn free by the raging winds, hear the final screams and terror of the Cloud ninja before they died.
This kind of terrain-altering force simply did not feel human.
Even Ōnoki's Dust Release didn't have such a terrifying range.
'How could someone with such overwhelming strength have remained completely unknown before?'
Samui looked toward the distant abyss-like darkness, and a bold thought slowly formed in her mind.
Unless… that person had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Sis… what do we do?"
Atsui asked helplessly. The other two chunin were equally lost.
They had already found many Cloud headbands, and even a couple from Konoha.
But there were no bodies. Not a single corpse.
Neither Cloud ninja nor Konoha ninja.
Only the suffocating stench of blood lingered in the air, and the soil beneath their feet was dyed crimson.
Even the dullest person could understand where those bodies had gone.
"… "
Staring at the bottomless abyss, Samui fell silent for a moment before withdrawing her gaze.
"Don't do anything unnecessary. We return and report to the Raikage."
Though her instincts told her the truth lay there, she calmed herself and made the most rational choice.
A "monster" with such terrifying power, if it was still there, was not something the four of them could afford to provoke.
The four figures vanished into the night. Even after they left, no living creature dared approach the area.
Like a traveler in the forest who stumbles upon the remains of prey torn apart by a beast,
Even if the predator had long since left, the lingering violence in the air was enough to drive away even greedy scavengers.
Until…
Silence completely swallowed the surroundings.
From the blood-red soil, a pitcher-plant-like figure slowly emerged halfway.
The plant opened, revealing a half-black, half-white face.
White Zetsu and Black Zetsu inhabiting its body.
"What a terrifying human," White Zetsu remarked. "Good thing I pulled you back earlier. If we'd jumped out, we'd be fertilizer now."
Black Zetsu said nothing. Staring at the scene, it fell into silence.
That person's appearance had completely exceeded its expectations.
Even hiding underground with its Spore Technique, it could still feel the terrifying aura of that attack.
Though it might not have reached the level of "Super Shinra Tensei," Black Zetsu could tell the man was not at full strength.
'If he were at his peak, he might truly rival Madara in his prime.'
'And those eyes…'
Recalling the distant glimpse of those blue pupils, Black Zetsu felt even more uneasy, afraid, even.
For a being like it, lacking real combat strength and relying only on schemes, the most frightening thing was the unexpected.
In its thousand-year memory, the Rinnegan should have been the ultimate limit of these inferior humans. Even Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had not surpassed that.
Only its mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, had possessed the superior Rinne Sharingan.
But now… why had an eye appeared that rivaled the Rinnegan, yet was completely unknown?
There was only one possibility.
"An outsider… from beyond the heavens…"
At that thought, Black Zetsu's body rippled, it was trembling in fear.
Could it be that beings like its mother's "kin"… had appeared in the ninja world?
Yes, only such outsiders could possess an eye even its mother never had.
"No! This is the chance I've waited a thousand years for. No one can stop me from freeing Mother!" Black Zetsu narrowed its hollow eyes. "I must have Obito and Nagato begin collecting the Tailed Beasts immediately!"
If not for the Rinnegan plan, it had waited centuries to realize, Black Zetsu would have retreated and hidden immediately.
But it couldn't. This was the best and final opportunity.
With that, it cast one last glance at the abyss before merging into the earth and heading toward the Land of Rain, making the same rational choice as Samui.
Even knowing secrets lay hidden there, it would never risk itself.
Let others scout ahead, and reap the rewards at the end. That was its nature.
.....
Meanwhile, inside Konoha Hospital, the atmosphere was heavy.
"A blue-eyed monster… a cloak formed from cyan chakra… the Ninshu… a hurricane without hand seals… a sealed abyss…"
After hearing Arata's account, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
If it weren't for Arata's trustworthy nature and Akimichi Todo confirming it, he would have dismissed it as absurd fantasy.
Suddenly recalling something, Hiruzen asked, "You said you saw a 'structure' inside that abyss?"
"Yes, I'm certain!" Arata replied, his pale face regaining some color. "But I couldn't see inside it, something blocked my Byakugan."
Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully, his gaze flickering.
'A monster possibly surviving since ancient times…'
'Would the place that sealed it contain forgotten secrets or forbidden techniques?'
'If it were true, if it could be obtained…'
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been judged as: "Turning Falsehood into Truth," "Cicada Shedding Its Shell," "Blinding with a Leaf," "Luring the Enemy into a Trap." Samui, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, Akimichi Todo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and others have experienced intense emotional fluctuations, reaching a state of "half-belief, half-doubt." You have gained 6000 Reality Points.]
[Remaining Reality Points: 16694]
Hearing the notification in his mind, Arata's heart stirred, and a faint smile formed within.
'The fish… had taken the bait.'
'And Black Zetsu was there too, what an unexpected bonus.'