The scene before them was not excessively bloody, but it was still enough to make one's heart tremble.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected, the ninja from the sealing squad had been tightly bound to a thick tree.
Under the cold moonlight, they could clearly see countless explosive tags covering his entire body. Like flowers of death, they gave off a chilling aura.
If not for the ninja's naturally keen eyesight,
and the faint, nearly imperceptible rise and fall of his chest that showed he still had a trace of life left, even the experienced Hiruzen Sarutobi might have mistaken this for a carefully arranged murder scene.
He might even have considered it a wanton desecration and insult to life.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly called out.
"Will you not show yourself, sir?"
"Did you not orchestrate one incident after another just to lure me here?"
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's words fell, the surrounding forest remained utterly still.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi began to feel uncertain.
By all logic, wasn't a master supposed to make a stylish entrance after being called out and explain everything they had done?
Underground in the distance, Black Zetsu did not know what to say as it watched the scene unfold.
Honestly, it had never expected that ninja to be so unlucky.
At first, when the ninja obediently came here to prepare the sealing technique, Black Zetsu had considered sabotaging him and slowing down the sealing process.
That way, Konoha would be more likely to send additional reinforcements. With enough luck, they might even be able to leave behind one or two of Konoha's high-level fighters.
But that brat had come here just to slack off. The sealing technique he had spent half the day working on was such a complete mess that even Black Zetsu,