"Amitabha!"
Just after Munashi Jinpachi declared his intention to massacre the temple, a translucent palm glowing faint gold flew out from within the temple and swatted him away like a fly.
"Pah!"
After tumbling to the ground, Munashi Jinpachi spat out the dirt in his mouth, his expression uncertain. "What was that just now?"
Hozuki Sengetsu, who had been watching from the sidelines, grew serious as well. "It looked like a palm entirely made of chakra, only it was pale gold."
"A palm entirely made of chakra? How could that be..."
Munashi Jinpachi, who had been about to deny it, suddenly fell silent and said gravely, "Could it be that thing?"
"It looked somewhat similar, but the color was wrong."
Hozuki Sengetsu shook his head.
"Whew, that scared me."
Munashi Jinpachi sighed in relief. "Right, how could Konoha possibly leave that thing out in the open?"
"We can't let our guard down. I'll test their abilities next. Find your own opportunity to strike!"
Dual-wielding Hiramekarei, Hozuki Sengetsu passed through the shattered gate and stepped into the Fire Temple.
Before him lay a devastated plaza. The splintered gate had smashed the once-smooth bluestone ground into ruins, and quite a few bloodstains remained on the ground.
An old monk sat cross-legged with his palms pressed together. A clear, brilliant golden radiance emanated from his body, while the phantom of a great Buddha, half-real and half-illusory, floated quietly behind him in the same posture. With a thousand arms and hands, it was treating the wounded monks in its palms.
Even with Hozuki Sengetsu's unshakable will, the sight of the great Buddha stirred his heart, and he felt an urge deep within to bow down and worship it.
But he was, after all, an elite of Kirigakure. He immediately came to his senses and