Hearing Kidomaru and Kimimaro's words, Sasuke's gaze darkened slightly. He tightened his grip on the vial in his hand and, no longer hesitating, slowly followed the two figures ahead toward the vast, unknown Las Noches.
Just as Sasuke began to move, Karin, standing beside him, suddenly changed expression slightly, as though she wanted to say something.
However, before she could make any gesture to stop him—
Kimimaro's indifferent sideways glance suddenly robbed her of the courage to speak.
After seeing Karin lower her head, Kimimaro said nothing. He simply turned his head back and continued walking forward slowly, as though nothing had happened.
Sasuke, blocked from view by Kidomaru, failed to notice this.
As he followed the two forward, he merely glanced back at Karin, who stood with her head lowered. Though he felt slightly puzzled, he did not ask.
After Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Kidomaru gradually vanished down the road that stretched deep into the immense Las Noches—
If one looked closely, they would discover that Karin, who had remained standing on the road with her head lowered, was trembling faintly. Her originally cool, pretty face had gone deathly pale, and her lips quivered as she murmured.
"Th-this... is the strength of a Hollowfied one...?"
"There's... there's simply no chance of winning!"
As Karin's words softly echoed through the empty road, a cold gust swept past, carrying her voice away until it vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile.
Led by Kimimaro and Kidomaru, Sasuke finally arrived before Las Noches. Although he had already prepared himself mentally, witnessing the magnificent structure with his own eyes still left him involuntarily stunned by its grandeur.
"Just who built this place!?"
Following behind them and stepping across stone slabs laid before Las Noches like white bones, Sasuke remained silent for a long time before