Kakuzu: I Used to Be a Peace-Loving Ninja; Miroku: Stay, Chiyo

The atmosphere in the Miko Palace of the Land of Demons was so heavily guarded it seemed frozen solid.

The patrolling guards gripped their spears tightly, their hawk-like eyes sweeping every corner without the slightest lapse in vigilance.

Although Lady Miroku had ordered security tightened, the shadow of the treasury being infiltrated without a sound and its seals forcibly torn apart still weighed like a massive boulder on everyone's hearts.

Amid that oppressive silence, visible ripples suddenly spread through the air above the plaza before the palace's main hall.

The center of those ripples was deep as a vortex, giving off palpitating fluctuations.

"Enemy attack?! Protect Lady Miroku!"

The Captain was the first to react, letting out a hoarse roar distorted by extreme tension.

Countless spears instantly swung around, pointing at the abnormal spatial disturbance. The faint glow of the barrier also flared up, attempting to stop the uninvited guest.

Yet, in the next instant, all noise and movement froze.

Two figures stepped out of the spatial vortex and landed lightly on the smooth, mirror-like stone floor.

The man in front wore dark everyday clothes, with a tall, straight figure and a calm expression. It was none other than Chiyo Uchiha, who had left not long ago.

Half a step behind him stood a tall man in ninja attire, most of his face hidden beneath a mask, revealing only a pair of gloomy green eyes.

The cold, murderous aura around him, tempered through countless killings, and the faint outline of Earth Grudge Fear tendrils behind his back that had yet to fully retract all declared that he was no ordinary man.

"Is... is that Lord Chiyo?!"

One sharp-eyed guard recognized Chiyo and cried out in shock.

"How did he... appear from a place like that?"

"Who's that man behind him?