Before Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions entered the Land of Demons, a desolate gorge lay deep within its borders.
The sheer, towering rock walls on both sides were craggy and devoid of vegetation, glowing with a cold, dark blue in the almost lightless night.
Looking up, the sky above was a narrow, irregular strip of black, stingily offering no starlight or moonlight, as if this gorge had been forgotten by the heavens.
Tucked against the base of the cold cliff face on the right side of the gorge was an ancient building, built directly into the rock. Its strange silhouette was barely visible in the darkness.
Two lanterns hung on either side of its low entrance. The flickering flames cast two pools of warm orange light that looked as though they could be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.
Whoosh!
Three figures wrapped in large hooded cloaks descended silently from above the gorge.
Their movements were light and eerie, landing without a sound.
"Who's there?"
Four guards of the Land of Demons, standing watch outside the building, immediately became alert. With sharp, long swords in hand, their faces were grave and wary.
The leader yelled, "This is a forbidden area. Retreat immediately!"
However, the three figures ignored him, continuing to walk slowly toward them.
"Kill!" A cold glint flashed in the guard captain's eyes as he pointed his sword forward.
"Kill!" The other three guards roared in unison, drawing their swords. The sharp blades shimmered under the dim lamplight.
The four men charged toward the three figures like arrows released from a bow, filled with a murderous aura.
But just as they took their first step, a chilling sound sliced through the air.
Pfft! Pfft!
A series of dull, grinding piercing sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Without warning, four sharp, thick, stalagmite-like stone spears thrust out of the hard ground beneath the guards' feet, accurately impaling all four of them through their abdomens.
"Ah!"
The guards could only let out short, piercing screams. Hot blood gushed from the wounds in their bellies, instantly staining the cold stone spears and the ground beneath their feet.
The three figures didn't stop. They didn't even spare a glance for the four guards, walking directly toward the low, heavy stone door.
As they drew closer, the faint light of the two lanterns gradually illuminated the blurred outlines beneath their hoods.
The one in the middle had a sinister face, black hair, and a black beard. His eyes gleamed with fanaticism and ambition. This was the man named Yomi, a worshipper of the demon Moryo.
The one on the right wore a reddish-orange spiral mask, with only a single crimson Sharingan visible. His eyes were deep and cold. This was Obito Uchiha.
The one on the left had a pale face. A pair of golden vertical pupils shimmered with a cold light in the firelight, and a faint, bone-chilling smile hung at the corners of his mouth. This was Orochimaru.
As Orochimaru passed the four wailing guards, he casually extended his pale right hand and lightly traced the bodies of the four guards.
Then, a horrifying scene unfolded.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The four guards' bodies began to twist and contort violently. Their bones made a dense, chilling cracking sound, and their flesh squirmed and compressed as if being forcibly squeezed!
In just a few breaths, the four guards' bodies vanished. In their place were four hard, pitch-black objects the size of a thumb in Orochimaru's hand.
What was most unsettling was that each of these four tiny objects clearly showed a distorted, pained, hollow face, very much like the famous painting The Scream.
This was a new ability Orochimaru had developed based on his Zanpakuto, Serpent Princess.
—Human Body Modification.
With Serpent Princess, he could touch a person's body and modify it into the form he desired.
If he wanted to, he could release these four small modified bodies and turn them into four monsters.
Gulp...
Orochimaru opened his mouth and swallowed the four eerily-glowing modified bodies one after another. The faint swallowing sounds were exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the gorge.
Seeing this, the pupil in Obito's mask imperceptibly contracted. A look of deep solemnity and apprehension flashed in his eyes, but he couldn't help but mock, "Hmph, you really aren't picky about what you eat now."
"Hehe, it's always good to have more tricks up your sleeve," Orochimaru said, glancing at Obito with a low, raspy chuckle. "Lest one ends up in a helpless position like a certain someone."
Obito's face under the mask darkened. A surge of intense anger welled up inside him, but he forcefully suppressed it.
He recalled their recent encounter.
He, Zetsu, and Itachi Uchiha were in the ninja world searching for signs of Hollows when they unexpectedly ran into Orochimaru, who was also looking for them.
The two had a disagreement and immediately attacked each other. The result was that Orochimaru, who had been missing for some time, had acquired an incredibly bizarre and powerful ability.
Although his proud Kamui ability made him unbeatable, Orochimaru's endless and unpredictable techniques left him at a loss.
He couldn't kill Orochimaru, and Orochimaru couldn't defeat him.
In the end, the two schemers, wary of each other, formed a guarded and disingenuous partnership with the shared goal of finding a Vasto Lorde.
Based on their mutual speculation, the legendary demon that fed on 'darkness' was the most likely candidate to become a Vasto Lorde.
The man in front of them, Yomi, was someone they found after reaching this consensus, using information provided by White Zetsu. He was a man who knew the location of the demon Moryo's seal.
In other words, while the three of them were traveling together, they all had their own agendas.
Yomi wanted to release Moryo to destroy the five great nations and rule the ninja world.
Orochimaru wanted to kill Moryo and have his Zanpakuto, "Serpent Princess," devour Moryo's power to evolve.
Obito was after the power of the 'Vasto Lorde' and wanted to control Moryo and turn it to his own use.
So, facing Orochimaru's provocation, Obito's face under the mask was so dark it could drip water, but he suppressed his anger and didn't attack, just letting out a cold scoff.
Now was not the time to turn on each other.
Yomi was completely unconcerned about the undercurrents between the two. His eyes were focused only on the door to power and destruction.
Screeech!
Yomi pushed open the heavy, dust-covered stone door with both hands. A chilling gust of air, a mix of decay, dust, and an ancient presence, instantly blew out.
Behind the door was a downward-sloping, bottomless, dark staircase.
"Let's go."
Yomi's voice was filled with an uncontrollable excitement as he was the first to step into the deep darkness.
Orochimaru and Obito exchanged glances. Their eyes twinkled with caution and calculation, and then they followed one after the other, soundlessly.
Clack... Clack... Clack...
The footsteps of the three echoed clearly in the vast, silent staircase.
As they went deeper, oil lamps on the stone walls on both sides automatically lit up, casting a faint, flickering yellow light that barely illuminated a small section of the descending stairs.
The sight was strange and mysterious, as if it were welcoming their arrival or warning them of something.
After an unknown amount of time, the passage suddenly opened up.
A huge, empty underground space appeared before them.
At the end of the space was a circular sealing array glowing with a strange light. In the center of the array was another door, seemingly sealing some terrifying, unspeakable entity.
Even from a distance, they could feel the bone-chilling aura.
Along the only path leading to the sealing array, thousands of tall, majestic stone statues stood in neat rows.
They stood silently in the darkness, as if staring at the intruders, exuding a cold and murderous aura.
"I finally found it!"
Yomi's eyes blazed with uncontrollable excitement as he looked at the huge sealing array.
But soon, as he approached the door, which was pressed down by a boulder and bound by ropes, the excitement on his face gradually turned to confusion.
Orochimaru licked his lips and asked, "Is this where Moryo is sealed?"
"Only Moryo's soul is here. Its body is sealed in the Land of Swamps," Yomi shook his head, muttering, "But the seal hasn't opened yet, so this aura..."
On the edge of the stone door, purple-black mist was seeping out in wisps.
This situation was not what he had expected.
Without its physical body, Moryo's soul would be unable to exist in the outside world and would quickly dissipate.
Yomi had planned for Moryo's soul to inhabit his body.
Then, using Moryo's power, he would command the immortal stone statues, known as the 'Ghost Army,' to break through the Land of Swamps, retrieve its body, and kill the priestess Miroku.
But now...
"Heh heh heh."
Just then, a raspy, spine-chilling laugh came from within the stone door. "Such a familiar aura, Yomi. I never thought you were still alive."
Hearing this voice, Yomi's expression immediately changed. He knelt down on one knee without hesitation and bowed his head. "Lord Moryo, I didn't think you would be so close to breaking the seal."
"No, the rules of death have changed. The power of my soul has grown stronger," Moryo's voice, like sandpaper scraping against dry bones, was chilling and low as it came from behind the heavy stone door. "Yomi, open the seal."
"Yes, Lord Moryo!"
Yomi stood up without a moment's hesitation and strode toward the stone door.
He placed his hands on the cold, rough surface of the stone door and began to chant an ancient, obscure incantation in a low and hurried voice.
Snap! Crack!
As the chanting continued, fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the stone door. A bone-chilling air, accompanied by purple-black mist, surged out from the cracks!
BOOM!
A terrifying, deafening roar exploded. The incredibly heavy stone door instantly shattered into countless fragments that shot out in all directions due to the violent energy impact.
An even more massive and chilling purple-black mist, like a bursting dam, swept out from the profound darkness within the stone door, enveloping Yomi, Orochimaru, and Obito!
The mist churned, bringing with it a biting cold and a nauseatingly evil aura.
Bang!
A hand, composed entirely of a dense purple-black mist, shot out from the churning darkness and firmly gripped the edge of the shattered doorframe!
Then, under Yomi's fanatic and expectant gaze, a vague, vaguely human-shaped figure slowly emerged from the deep darkness!
It was the demon, Moryo.
No, or rather, it was its soul, free from the seal.