"Come on. Let's see what other secrets this lost deep-sea kingdom holds."
Nishikawa Tetsu casually dragged the two paralyzed moles behind a stone pillar to hide them, then followed Minato down the passage where the Giant Sea Hare had vanished, heading deeper into the Temple.
The passage remained dim, lit only by the faint blue glow of the strange minerals embedded in its walls.
"Che, have you noticed? This passage seems a little too spacious."
Minato voiced his doubts as he warily scanned their surroundings.
In the Shinobi World, passages in everything from Konoha's underground Anbu base to other villages' secret strongholds were usually designed for concealment and ease of defense, making them relatively narrow.
Yet the passage before them was wide and tall enough to accommodate more than a dozen large carriages traveling abreast.
"It's not just spacious. Look at this." Nishikawa Tetsu reached out and felt the walls lining the passage. Though somewhat weathered, they remained incredibly sturdy. "Judging by the scrape marks left on the walls, some kind of enormous creature must have passed through here regularly."
Nishikawa Tetsu recalled the ancient lore Sage Fukasaku had shared with him.
"Sage Fukasaku said that during the age of that ancient deep-sea civilization, those Giant Sea Hares were revered as guardian beasts. As guardians, they naturally needed to move freely inside the Temple. This passage was most likely designed and built specifically to accommodate their enormous bodies."
Nishikawa Tetsu's deduction made perfect sense.
Besides, when the Sea Hare had fled into this passage earlier, it had moved with practiced ease, without the slightest hesitation. It clearly knew the terrain like the back of its hand. This place was practically its home. As the two men ventured farther in, their surroundings began to change subtly.
Near the plaza at the