This drop of blood seems to be a consecration ceremony for this wordless monument.
Blood beads and sparks flowed slowly along the veins of the palm print, outlining complex and strange lines, and finally gathered in the palm of the hand, condensing into a tiny but profound Uzumaki Clan.
This is no ordinary blood.
It originated from Sakura Haruno, but has been completely reconstructed by the will of Divine Erosion Flame and Uchiha Xuan, becoming a brand new medium, a "holy blood" that can carry, transmit and amplify specific emotions.
From the moment it was raised, this new monument of Naka River Shrine, together with "Throne of Heaven" thousands of meters above the sky, and Sakura Haruno beneath the ruins of Hidden Leaf Village, formed a triangular psychic matrix spanning the entire Fire Country.
It is the cornerstone of the new "Fire Altar".
The news spread faster than anyone expected.
"Sakura Haruno is still alive!"
This name, like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, set off huge waves in the hearts of all the survivors of the old era.
Initially, it was just the five former Konoha Ninja who were transformed into "beacons". After returning to their respective living areas, they told the people around them about the "miracle" that night with a fanatical and pious attitude.
They described how the girl awakened from ten thousand years of black ice, and how a single word made them bow down in sincerity.
At first it was doubt and ridicule.
But when the "Xuanlin" Fire Seal on their foreheads, which symbolizes surrender, will unconsciously glow with warmth when they talk about it, and that sense of surrender originating from the depths of their souls can infect others through their eyes and words, panic and hope begin to spread like the plague.
Sakura Haruno, the last core member who fought side by side with Naruto and Sasuke, the last inheritor of Hidden Leaf Village "Sannin".
Her existence itself is the best testimony to that old era where heroes emerged in large numbers and were full of "bonds" and "Will of Fire".
Under the iron-fisted rule of Uchiha Xuan, everyone's individuality has been wiped out and they have been reduced to cogs on a cold production line.
But the memories of the past and the longing for heroes in their hearts never really died, but were suppressed at the deepest level.
Now, the fuse has been lit.
For a time, the entire territory of Fire Country was filled with undercurrents.
Countless veterans, medical ninjas, and even some anonymous former Anbus who had survived Fourth Shinobi World War began to commotion.
Some of them put down their tools, some left the allocated houses, and all gathered together in the same direction - the Hidden Leaf Village ruins that had long been designated as the highest restricted area.
They want to confirm with their own eyes whether the girl who represents the last glimmer of hope really still exists in the world.
Throne of Heaven, central control room.
Above the light curtain, hundreds of red dots representing the energy signals of the human body are converging towards the central area from all directions, like a mighty moth flying into the flame.
"Master," Chiyo Saori's ice-blue pupils reflected this spectacular and dangerous scene, "The emotional resonance has formed a large-scale effect. It is expected that more than 3,000 high-risk elements will arrive at the perimeter of the restricted area within twelve hours. Do you want to initiate an indiscriminate erasure procedure?"
Her voice was as straight as ever, as if she was debating whether to mow an overly lush lawn.
Uchiha Xuan is sitting on the throne, his consciousness has already sunk into a deeper dimension.
In his sea of consciousness, an "emotional spectrum" covering the entire continent is slowly unfolding.
Every Fire Seal citizen is a point of light. At this moment, most of the light points are gray-white, which represents numbness and obedience. Only those light points that are rushing to the ruins of Hidden Leaf Village are burning with intense colors of orange (hope), red (excitement), or dark purple (remorse).
He noticed an interesting phenomenon.
For those individuals with the purest light colors and the most violent mood swings, the Fire Seal on their foreheads actually resonated weakly with the new stone tablet of the Naka River. The intensity of the resonance far exceeded even the most devout prayers in daily life.
[Ding! A large-scale escape of high-purity 'emotional energy' has been detected.]
[System analysis: Specific emotional wave frequencies such as 'sorrow', 'regret', and 'hope' can be used as high-quality fuel for 'Divine Erosion Flame' and have a catalytic effect on the bloodline of the resonater.
It has been calculated that in a state of high-purity emotional resonance, the efficiency of bloodline awakening and evolution can be increased by 380%.]
Uchiha Xuan's mouth curved into a cold and cruel arc.
"It turns out that tears burn better than hot blood."
He slowly opened his eyes that reflected Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan and gave new instructions to Chiyo Saori.
"No need to block it. Open passageways A-3 to A-7 and let them in."
"At the same time, in my name, a notice will be issued to the entire territory."
Chiyo Saori's fingertips danced rapidly on the light screen, executing the command accurately, but there was still a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Uchiha Xuan's voice seemed to have a metallic texture, echoing in the empty control room:
"Announcement: In response to the people's prayers, I will allow a 'reunion ceremony' to be held. Anyone who has fought alongside 'Sakura Haruno' in Fourth Shinobi World War or been treated by him can apply to participate."
"But," he changed the subject, with killing intent in his eyes, "Only those with 'true feelings' can get close to her."
This announcement, like a pardon, sent countless people wandering outside the restricted area into ecstasy.
They didn't know that this was not Grace, but a carefully designed screening.
All the opened channels have been secretly deployed with the new Fire Seal induction array.
This formation does not detect the strength of chakra, but only captures the peak of the emotional fluctuations that erupt at the moment when each passer approaches the core of the ruins.
Uchiha Xuan even personally adjusted the core algorithm of Fire Seal--
At the moment you see Sakura Haruno, if you feel real sorrow, nostalgia and excitement in your heart, and sincere tears flow from the corners of your eyes, then Fire Seal in your body will be "ignited" by this high-purity emotional energy, and it will complete evolution in an instant and enter a deeper "state of surrender".
On the other hand, if you just have ulterior motives and try to use Sakura Haruno's name to incite rebellion, or you are simply a numb person with no emotional fluctuations, your Fire Seal will immediately transform into a "suppressed state."
Divine Erosion Flame will no longer be the holy fire that warms and nourishes the blood, but will turn into the most vicious tarsal maggot, gradually eroding along the chakra meridians until the host is completely reduced to a useless person.
This is the ultimate test of human nature and a huge gamble on loyalty.
The bet is their own lives and future.
The first batch of thirty qualified people, under the guidance of the Puppet Legion, stepped into the familiar land that had long since turned into wasteland.
When they passed through layers of ruins and finally saw the figure standing on the high platform in the empty square, time seemed to freeze.
Still the iconic short pink hair, still the familiar red uniform.
She just stood there quietly, as if ten years had not left a trace on her body.
"Sakura... it's really you!"
An old man with gray hair and a broken arm, the former Hidden Leaf Village jounin, was the first to be unable to control his emotions and burst into tears.
"Plop!"
His knees weakened and he knelt down heavily on the ground, making a dull kowtow.
His behavior was like a switch, instantly detonating the emotions of the entire audience.
"Uuuuuu... we... we thought we would never see you again..."
"That's great... that's great..."
Cries of pain, sobs, and long-suppressed shouts came and went.
More than twenty strong-willed ninjas were crying like children at this moment.
At the moment when tears fell down their cheeks, a sudden change occurred!
The cold "Xuanlin" Flame Mark Forehead Protector on their foreheads suddenly lit up with a warm red light!
An indescribable warm current surged out from Forehead Protector and instantly penetrated all limbs and bones.
They can clearly feel that their chakra meridians, which have long been dried up due to years of hard work, have become full and tough again, just like the land that has been experiencing drought for a long time!
Even the hidden injuries and fatigue in the body were mostly dissipated by this warm current!
However, among the crowd, there was a middle-aged man pretending to be sad, but his eyes shone with shrewdness and calculation.
He is a spy planted by Kumogakure for many years. The purpose of this trip is to assess the status of Sakura Haruno and look for the possibility of instigating rebellion.
He squeezed out a few drops of eye drops, imitated the behavior of those around him, and beat his chest and feet.
But just when he thought his clothes were perfect, the Forehead Protector on his forehead suddenly turned as black as ink!
"Ugh!"
He didn't even have time to let out a scream, and an extremely cold poison burst out from Fire Seal, traveling straight to his heart along his meridians.
The disguise on his face froze instantly, and his whole body was like a piece of charcoal. He fell straight down and died on the spot.
Dead silence.
Everyone who was immersed in the joy of reunion and the return of strength a second ago was frightened out of their wits by this sudden scene.
They looked at the rapidly stiffening corpse in horror, and then looked at the warm Forehead Protector on their foreheads, and a terrible thought arose in their hearts.
It turns out... even the authenticity of grief is under the surveillance of that master.
From this moment on, no one dares to pretend at all.
Fear and awe completely overwhelmed the last remaining bit of luck.
On the high platform, Sakura Haruno slowly raised his eyes, his emerald-green pupils calmly scanning the crowd of people kneeling below, his gaze so cold that it contained no trace of emotion.
She spoke, her voice was clear and clear, but it seemed to come from another world, penetrating everyone's eardrums.
"Do you think I'm coming back to save you?"
One sentence makes everyone feel like they have fallen into an ice cave.
"Wrong."
The corners of Sakura Haruno's mouth evoked a cold arc that was exactly the same as Uchiha Xuan's.
"I'm here to tell you - that old era, full of boring bonds and innocent fantasies, is dead."
"And your tears," she slowly raised her hand, pointing to the people below who were even more shocked, painful, and even desperate because of her words, "Are the fuel he uses to test his loyalty."
The moment the words fell, all the people who shed sincere tears saw the Forehead Protector light on their foreheads suddenly skyrocket!
"Ah!"
Waves of irrepressible exclamations sounded.
They were horrified to find that there was a burning pain in their eyes. Under the warm red light, one, two... faint black Tomoe lines appeared in their pupils in unison!
They became the first subjects to be "given" power in this new era.
A group born out of tears and despair..."Tearsworn".
Afterwards, Throne of Heaven.
Chiyo Saori watched those "Tearsworn" being compiled into a new sequence on the light screen, and finally asked the doubts in his heart, "Master, are you not afraid of arousing deeper resentment and resistance in them by asking her to tell such a cruel truth?"
Uchiha Xuan's gaze is staring at the emotional spectrum diagram in his sea of consciousness.
On the picture, the three hundred and twenty-seven colorful light points that were originally beating violently have now been transformed into stable, hot, and absolutely obedient golden light points, continuously delivering energy to the new stone tablet of the Naka River.
He spoke calmly, with a knowing indifference in his voice:
"Disgust will make people think and give rise to the will to resist."
"But gratitude... especially this kind of gratitude for being pulled back from the edge of hell and being 'given' strength will only make them willingly give everything they have."
While he was speaking, this huge amount of spiritual heat sacrificed by 327 elite ninjas from the old era after experiencing the intense emotional roller coaster of hope, despair, fear and gratitude, had all flowed into the other end of the continent through the psychic matrix.
In the deepest part of Mariana Trench, 10,000 meters below, in the absolute darkness and silence that even light cannot reach.
A black rock with a huge "Xuan" character engraved on it, bound by countless huge chains and layers of ancient Sealing Jutsu style, had an extremely slight but clearly audible sound coming from its interior because it had absorbed this sudden huge amount of emotional heat...
"Tick tock."