The encounter with the sandworm was only a minor interlude.
Yuu and Pakura continued onward.
After a full kun day since leaving Kikyo City, the horizon in their vision finally stopped being a monotonous line of sand dunes. Instead, a vast, jagged cluster of dark red canyons appeared ahead, as if split open by a giant axe, like an ancient beast crouching on the horizon.
"We're here."
"According to the map, this should be the so-called Wailing Canyon."
Pakura paused briefly and said softly.
Although they had not truly entered the canyon yet, as the distance closed, both of them heard a chilling, mournful howl faintly coming from afar, like countless wronged souls wailing in the wind.
And when Yuu and Pakura climbed the last slope of sand and stepped into the canyon entrance—
Whooo—!!!
A violent current of air slammed into them like a solid wall.
This was no ordinary wind. It was a destructive torrent carrying billions of scorching grains of sand, forming a golden sand curtain that swept toward them wave after wave, blotting out the sky. The wind pressure was so strong that even ninja of Yuu and Pakura's level had trouble steadying themselves. Everywhere they looked, there was only yellow sand.
The temperature in the gale was even more dry and scorching, as if blown out of a steel furnace. Every breath felt like their nasal passages and throats were being rubbed with burning sandpaper, unbearably hot and dry.
"Little white-hair, hold on to me."
Pakura extended her hand, palm open. "We don't know what it's like inside, and visibility is very low. If we accidentally get separated, meeting back up won't be easy."
Smack!
Yuu did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed Pakura's hand.
Her palm had a thin layer of calluses from long-term training. It was not as soft as Rin's or Kurenai's, but compared to a boy's hand, it was still much more slender, carrying a dry warmth.
After that, the two stayed as close together as possible, properly putting on their goggles and face coverings. They wrapped themselves tightly and advanced little by little into the canyon.
Under the baptism of the gale, every step felt exceptionally heavy. Sand struck their cloaks and goggles like dense bullets, while the sand underfoot seemed alive, constantly trying to trap and drag them away. They had to use chakra to cling to the ground in order to stabilize themselves.
In this environment,
even a distance of just one hundred meters might take half an hour or longer to cover.
Of course…
from another perspective, this kind of environment was quite suitable for tempering chakra.
Yuu thought that after he learned Flying Thunder God in the future, he could come here to train a few times when he had nothing to do. The effect should be better than walking on water along a waterfall or doing weight training.
If he could move freely and walk on flat ground under such a force-eight gale, then once he returned to ordinary terrain, calling himself light as a swallow would not be excessive.
He did not know how long had passed.
Just as the burning sensation in his lungs grew heavier, as if his whole body was about to ignite, Yuu felt the wind pressure around him suddenly lighten. The view outside his goggles also recovered somewhat.
Although visibility was still limited compared to normal conditions, at least it was no longer like the beginning, where he could not see his hand in front of his face.
"This place is…"
"A stone cavern eroded over many years by the violent winds. If the intelligence is correct, those weasels should live here."
As she spoke, Pakura let go of his hand, pulled down her hood, and panted slightly. Her orange-red hair clung damply to her forehead with sweat, making her look somewhat disheveled.
Yuu also removed his goggles, shook the sand from his body and face, then raised his head and looked around.
Before them was the entrance to a huge cavern on the side of the canyon's steep rock wall.
It seemed as if an invisible barrier separated this place from the outside. Looking back in the direction they had come from, the world was still an apocalyptic scene of yellow sand filling the sky. But once inside this place, everything suddenly calmed, becoming unusually quiet.
"Let's go in and take a look."
The space inside the cavern seemed larger than expected, but the light was dim. They could only rely on the faint daylight entering through the entrance to see the outlines of jagged rock walls.
As for the deeper area, it was filled with profound darkness. Large and small branching passages, like the throats of monsters, spread throughout the depths of the cave in every direction, resembling an ant nest magnified countless times.
"…"
Pakura frowned, looking at the spiderweb-like tunnels.
"The information I received only specified the stone cavern group deep in the canyon. It didn't say which path to take after entering to reach the Kamatari clan's settlement. These tunnels all look about the same… Should we split up and try our luck?"
"No need to make it that troublesome."
Yuu closed his eyes and clasped his hands. The 500-meter spherical perception field of All-Spirit Perception silently spread out around him.
With this movement, the complex terrain deep inside the cavern gradually became three-dimensional and clear. Tiny chakra fluctuations from several light, agile lifeforms moving quickly along the tunnels were gradually captured by Yuu.
And Summoning Technique itself also jumped out at the right moment and gave guidance:
[Summoning Technique: Hmm… so the targets you want to summon this time are these wind-playing little mice? Well, their quality is a bit better than that lizard last time, but they still aren't top-tier.]
[Summoning Technique: But since this is your personal choice, I'll reluctantly lend you a hand. Go in the three o'clock direction. The leader of their clan should be that way.]
Compared with All-Spirit Perception, the sensing range of Summoning Technique itself was much larger. It was just that Yuu could not directly use it and had to wait for it to voluntarily help.
(Thanks, Summoning Technique.)
Yuu thanked it in his heart, then opened his eyes and pointed to a winding downward tunnel that was only barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
"This way."
"You're sure?"
Pakura raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. I've learned sensory ninjutsu."
Yuu said.
If not for the need to hide his intelligence, Yuu might already have used Summoning Technique to forcibly yank over a few nearby weasels and try to violently sign a contract with them.
After receiving Yuu's confident answer, Pakura did not dwell on it anymore. She very decisively followed him into that tunnel.
This time, Yuu led the way.
Pakura raised her hand and condensed a Scorch Release fireball to use as a torch.
They twisted and turned through the passage for about two or three minutes when a series of clustered wind sounds rang out. Then several small black shadows silently shot out from a diagonal hole above, landing on a protruding rock in front of the two and blocking their path.
They were weasels.