Encounter

The enemy's encirclement had already taken shape, yet the Kumogakure ninja and Konoha team caught within it remained oblivious, squabbling over petty matters of pride without realizing that an unprecedentedly powerful enemy was already impatiently coming for them.

At a deep cave entrance near the waterline on Giant Turtle Island, Uchiha Obito, Zetsu, and the reanimated body of the Third Raikage appeared.

"This is where the intelligence says the giant sea turtle's head is located. We can enter the inner space protected by its shell from here, right...?"

There were other ways in, of course. Having managed Giant Turtle Island for so many years, Kumogakure naturally understood the principle of a cunning rabbit having three burrows.

But those other entrances were either difficult to find or filled with numerous hidden traps. None was as convenient and direct as this one.

The giant sea turtle's vital point—its head—was certainly not a place where many ninja would set up defenses.

Though the giant turtle was not particularly intelligent, it would never allow other creatures to tamper with such a fatal spot at will.

"When this big guy has nothing to do, it basically stays asleep. That is not only an important way to conserve food and reduce consumption, but also the foundation for living so many years and growing so large."

Though it was ancient, it had spent most of its life unconscious like a hibernating bear. It might not have experienced much at all, and its actual waking hours were few. No wonder it had not developed much intelligence.

"Let's go in!"

If they really were inside, then this would not be a refuge for the two Jinchuriki, but a literal coffin of death. Facing a Rinnegan wielder in such a confined space, the Deva Path's gravity-controlling secret technique alone would