"This kind of power… how is it possible?"
The more Samui imagined that horrifying scene, the paler her face became.
It wasn't strange that Atsui and the others had mistaken this place—its scale was simply too vast.
Everywhere the eye could see was barren and flat.
But if one viewed it from a god's-eye perspective, they would realize the entire region resembled the interior of a meat grinder.
The ground was stained a shocking dark red, as if "livestock" had only just been slaughtered into pulp and mush.
Everything within dozens of kilometers had been wiped clean.
Dozens of kilometers turned into wasteland where not even grass could grow.
Even the surface of the earth had been plowed into depressions several meters deep.
How could such power possibly belong to a human?
How could something like this possibly be done by a human?
Samui couldn't imagine how it was even possible.
She had witnessed many brutal and bloody scenes before.
But never had she seen anything like this—the lingering terror and stench of blood in the air refused to disperse.
It was as if one could still smell the metallic tang of blood gushing from bodies torn apart by a storm, could still hear the final screams and terror of those Cloud shinobi before their deaths.
This terrifying power, enough to alter the landscape, was nothing a human should be capable of.
Even the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's Dust Release didn't have such a horrifying attack range.
How could someone with such terrifying strength have remained unknown until now?
Samui looked toward the deep, dark chasm in the distance. A bold thought began to surface in her mind.
Unless… that man had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
"Big sis, what… what do we do?"
Beside her, Atsui asked in a helpless tone. The other two chunin were also utterly at a loss.
They had found many Cloud forehead protectors—some even from Konoha.
But no corpses. Not a single corpse, whether Cloud shinobi or Leaf shinobi.
Only that pungent, suffocating stench of blood filled the air, and the ground beneath their feet was stained crimson.
Even if they were fools, the three of them knew where the bodies had gone.
"…"
Samui stared at the bottomless pit in the distance, then withdrew her gaze after a moment's silence. Exhaling, she spoke calmly:
"Don't do anything unnecessary. We return and report to Lord Raikage."
Though her instincts screamed that the truth lay within that abyss, she forced herself to calm down and made the most rational choice.
If such a terrifying "monster" was still there, the four of them would never stand a chance.
The four figures vanished into the night.
Even after they left, no living creature dared approach.
It was like travelers in a jungle who stumbled upon a carcass mauled by a beast—before them lay a body gnawed to the bone.
Even if the predator had long since eaten its fill and departed, the lingering ferocity in the air would still frighten off even the most ravenous wild dogs and jackals.
Silence fell.
Then, from the blood-red soil, something like a giant pitcher plant emerged halfway.
The massive plant slowly opened, revealing a face split half-black, half-white—Yin and Yang.
White Zetsu, with Black Zetsu attached to his body.
"What a terrifying human," White Zetsu remarked in awe. "Good thing I held you back from jumping out right away, or else you'd have become fertilizer too."
Black Zetsu said nothing. Gazing upon the scene before it, it fell silent.
That man's appearance had completely exceeded its expectations.
Even hiding far away underground with the Mayfly Technique, it had still felt the terror of that strike.
Although that blow might not match Super Almighty Push, Black Zetsu could tell the man was weakened.
If he recovered to full power, he might truly rival Madara in his prime.
And those eyes…
Recalling the distant glimpse of those blue eyes, Black Zetsu's mood grew restless—no, even fearful.
For a being like itself, with no real combat ability and reliant only on schemes, nothing was more terrifying than the unexpected.
In its thousand years of memory, the Rinnegan was supposed to be the ultimate pinnacle that these inferior humans could achieve.
Even that bastard Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had gone no further in life. The stronger Rinne Sharingan had only ever been possessed by its mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
But now—why? How could eyes appear that were not inferior to the Rinnegan, yet unheard of?
There seemed only one possibility.
"An Outsider…"
At that final thought, ripples spread across Black Zetsu's body—it was trembling in fear.
In the Shinobi World… could there truly be one of Mother's "clan," an "Outsider" remembered from her memories?
Yes—eyes that even Mother never had could only belong to an "Outsider"!
"No… this is the chance I've waited a thousand years for. No one will stop me from restoring Mother's freedom!" Black Zetsu's hollow eyes narrowed. "I must push Obito and Nagato to begin collecting the Tailed Beasts immediately!"
If those eyes weren't the long-awaited Rinnegan, Black Zetsu's cautious nature would have already made it hide, at least until it identified the Outsider's true identity.
But no—this was the best, and last, opportunity.
With that resolve, Black Zetsu cast one last glance at the abyss, then controlled White Zetsu to merge back into the earth, swimming toward the Land of Rain—making the same rational choice as Samui.
Even knowing secrets lurked there, it would never risk itself.
It would let others pave the way, then swoop in to reap the rewards—that was its nature.
---
Meanwhile, in the Konoha Hospital, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy.
"A monster with blue eyes… azure chakra forming a robe… a Shinobi Sect… hurricanes unleashed without hand seals… an abyss sealing away the monster…"
Having heard Hyūga Kumokawa's account, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
If it weren't Kumokawa—this good child—saying it, and if Akimichi Doto hadn't corroborated it, he would have dismissed the tale as absurd legend.
As if remembering something, Hiruzen looked at the boy before him and asked:
"You said… you saw a 'structure' inside that abyss?"
"Yes, I'm certain!" Hyūga Kumokawa's pale face regained some color. "But I couldn't see inside the structure—something blocked my Byakugan."
At those words, Hiruzen stroked his beard in thought, his eyes glimmering.
A monster that may have survived from the age of ancient legends—could the place sealing it contain hidden knowledge, or secret techniques?
If it were true, if such things could be obtained…
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been judged as: [False Becomes True] [Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell] [Leaf Hides the Forest] [Lead the Enemy into the Urn]. Samui, Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, Akimichi Doto, Hiruzen Sarutobi have all experienced intense emotional fluctuations, reaching [Half-Belief]. You gain 6000 Truth Points.]
[Remaining Truth Points: 16694]
Hearing the prompt resound in his mind, Hyūga Kumokawa's heart stirred, a smile rising within.
The fish had taken the bait.
Even Black Zetsu was here—what an unexpected delight.