The Altar
In the darkness, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the swaying branches, like countless waving arms, were reflected on the curtains, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, its pale light spilling down like a thin veil covering the earth. A mischievous dark cloud, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, darted in front of the moon and completely blocked its light.
On a dark and windy night, just the right time to do something, a window was gently pushed open in the quiet darkness, and a dark figure flew out through the crack. The figure was very fast, and in a few flashes, it leaped over the high wall and stood on it.
But when the dark figure stood on the high wall, it suddenly stopped. This person was Yemo. Yemo turned his head to look at a corner behind him and said softly, "Now that you're out, why hide?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint footstep came from the dark corner where no one could see their own hand in front of their face, and Kakashi's figure emerged from the darkness.
Kakashi looked up at Yemo above the city wall and said calmly, "I'm under orders from Minato-sensei to keep an eye on you and prevent you from acting on your own."
A large part of Minato's last words before going to sleep were directed at Yemo, especially the line "Get a good night's sleep." The implication was that he was warning Yemo to behave himself tonight and not to think about taking any action on his own. Minato knew that after that conversation, Yemo would definitely be unable to resist taking action, which was why he asked Kakashi to keep an eye on Yemo.
Yemo's lips curled slightly, a smile flashing across his face in the darkness. Yemo said, "Kakashi, we've known each other for so long, let's not beat around the bush. If you want to go, come with me. Don't make up so many excuses."
Minato understands Yemo, and Yemo understands Kakashi just as well. Kakashi's curiosity is no less than his. Minato's biggest mistake was asking Kakashi to watch over him. He was 100% certain that Kakashi would go with him.
Just as Yemo had predicted, Kakashi leaped onto the platform. Seeing this, a smug smile flashed across Yemo's face as he said, "I knew you'd come with me."
"Hey, let me clarify first, I only went with you, Yemo, because I couldn't dissuade you," Kakashi added, pointing at Yemo.
"Ugh, ptooey!" Yemo blurted out without thinking, "Kakashi, how can you be so shameless? You couldn't dissuade me and had no choice but to come with me. Your shamelessness has truly reached a new level. Why don't you just say I kidnapped you? Honestly, if you're going, then don't go. If you're not going, then get lost!"
After saying that, Yemo didn't wait for Kakashi to speak before leaping off the high wall and disappearing into the darkness in a few flashes. Kakashi had no choice but to follow quickly, and the two of them vanished in the blink of an eye.
Not long after the two left, the lights suddenly came on in the dark room, and Minato and Kosuke poked their heads out from under the window.
Kosuke laughed, "Minato, it seems you chose the wrong person for this task of keeping an eye on people. Not only did you fail to keep an eye on Yemo, but you even managed to Yemo Kakashi away with just a few words."
"I knew this would happen!"
"Oh? "Kosuke looked at Minato with a puzzled expression. Since Minato knew that Kakashi also wanted to investigate on his own, why did he still ask Kakashi to keep an eye on Yemo? Wasn't that just letting those two brats do whatever they wanted?
That's right, Minato did deliberately allow Yemo and Kakashi to act on their own, and of course, he had his own reasons for doing so.
With a smile, Minato, "We all understand that the Uzumaki Clan is hiding a great secret, and the four elders certainly know it but are keeping it a secret. It's definitely not enough for just the two of us to go and investigate, but Kakashi and Yemo are different; they have more convenient access than us. They might bring unexpected gains."
"I see now, Minato. You're quite the shrewd one. I think it's not just about convenience, but also about making it easier to explain things if something goes wrong."
After saying that, Kosuke looked at Minato happened to be looking over at the same time. Their eyes met, and they both revealed a triumphant smile on their faces.
At this moment, Minato and Kosuke looked like two old foxes, their faces practically screaming conspiracy. Meanwhile, Minato and Kakashi were unaware that they were being deliberately released as guinea pigs for testing.
Meanwhile, under the cover of moonlight, Yemo and Kakashi traversed most of Uzushiogakure. Due to the war, most of the Uzushiogakure's ninjas were on guard at the village's edge, leaving the village relatively unguarded. With Yemo and Kakashi being cautious, they arrived safely at the massive mountain behind the village.
As mentioned before, Uzushiogakure is built on the mountainside of a huge mountain, with the village on one side and the mountaintop soaring into the sky on the other.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, Kakashi stood there dumbfounded, staring at the scene before him. It wasn't that Kakashi lacked willpower; it was simply that the sight before him was too magnificent.
The cliff is 90 degrees vertical, and its surface is so smooth that you can hardly find a single pit. Some of the rocks on the cliff surface are so smooth that they are like mirrors, and you can see your reflection in them. Such scenery is truly magnificent!
Yemo stepped forward, looked up at the majestic mountain peak, and said, "Legend has it that a powerful warrior once swung his sword in a furious slash, splitting this mountain in two. The earth shook, one half of the mountain was destroyed, while the other half still stands, forming the scene we see today. Hence, some call this place Sword Peak, while we Uzumaki Clan call it Sacred Mountain."
"Because this cliff is so smooth and tranquil, we Uzumaki Clan also call it the Self-Reflection Cliff. Those who err will be sent here to face the cliff and reflect on their own reflection in the mirror."
"Self-Reflection Cliff, what a fitting name. I never expected your Uzushiogakure to have a place like this," Kakashi remarked, turning his gaze away.
Suddenly, Kakashi realized a very important question, "How should we get up there!"
"There's a mountain path behind the cliff that leads directly to the summit. Of course, that path is guarded by our tribesmen, so we can't take it. This is the only way we can get up the mountain," Yemo pointed to the cliff in front of him, his meaning clear: climb up the cliff.
"Although it's very slippery, climbing it is no problem." For ordinary people, climbing this cliff would be as difficult as ascending to heaven, but for a ninja, it's not exactly easy, but it's not particularly difficult either.
Under the cover of night, the two climbed up the vertical cliff. The cliff was indeed smooth, but it was also full of pits and bumps, though not very noticeable. From below, it still looked smooth. It makes one think that even the most solid rock would be hard to withstand the ravages of time.
Before long, Yemo and Kakashi reached the top of the mountain. A cold wind howled at the summit, blowing their clothes. The mountaintop was not as barren and desolate as Kakashi had imagined.
Yemo stood atop the mountain, gazing out at the endless layers of dark shadows below. In reality, those were the shadows of mountain peaks, with the Uzushiogakure lying at its foot like a sleeping beast.
Atop a mountain peak where the cold wind howls, stands a colossal altar. Eight Taiseki, each tens of meters tall, rise in the east, south, west, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest directions. The pillars are carved with all sorts of strange and wonderful things, and a white frog statue sits atop each pillar.
In the center of the eight stone pillars is an octagonal altar with nine steps. Looking down from above, the emblem of the Uzumaki Clan is engraved on the altar. There are many stone seats around the altar, which should be viewing platforms.
"I never expected that your Uzumaki Clan's altar would be located in such a place!"
Since ancient times, sacrifices have naturally required altars. Kakashi had heard Yemo talk about blood sacrifices, and he had always been very concerned about this matter. No matter how you look at it, the matter of blood sacrifices is strange.
After arriving at Uzushiogakure, Kakashi secretly searched for the altar but couldn't find it. Little did he know that it was located on this mountaintop.