Divine Tree

The messenger ninja did not dare delay in the slightest. Chakra burst from his body as he raced toward the Hokage Office Building. Lin Chen followed at an unhurried pace. Though his steps seemed calm, he remained extremely close behind the man. His aura was completely restrained, with only a trace of barely perceptible gravity hidden deep in his eyes.

That ancient aura that had swept past from underground was definitely not something an ordinary disturbance could produce. It bore neither the violent chakra of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, nor the chakra fluctuations of the ninja system, nor the berserk vitality of a tailed beast. Instead, it felt like a primordial power that had slept deep beneath the earth since the birth of the Ninja World, mixed with a chillingly sinister aura. The two intertwined in an incomparably strange manner.

In mere moments, the two arrived at the Hokage Office Building. The atmosphere inside was already grave. ANBU ninja rushed back and forth, clutching urgent intelligence reports, their faces filled with panic. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stood before his desk with several reports from the borders of various countries in hand. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his usually gentle face was now full of anxiety.

Seeing Lin Chen push open the door and enter, Minato's taut nerves relaxed slightly. He hurried forward, bowed respectfully, and said in an urgent yet deferential tone, "Sir, you have finally arrived. This situation is far more serious than expected."

Lin Chen gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the reports scattered across the desk. "Explain in detail. What exactly is happening with the cracks across the regions and the missing teams?"

Minato took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in his heart. Picking up the top report, he reported in a grave voice, "Half an hour ago, abnormalities appeared almost simultaneously in uninhabited forbidden zones, ancient ruins, and deep mountain wastelands along the borders of the five great countries. The earth split open without cause. The cracks are several zhang wide and stretch for dozens of miles. Pitch-black mist continuously pours from them. Wherever the mist passes, vegetation instantly withers, chakra becomes wildly unstable, and large areas of space distort. Fragments of space can even be seen tumbling within the mist."

He paused, his fingertips trembling slightly as he pointed to the other reports. "The Four Kage and I immediately dispatched elite scouting teams to investigate the cracks in each region. But every team completely lost contact after entering the range of the black mist. Chakra sensing, communication talismans, secret tracking techniques—every method failed. It is as though... they were completely swallowed by the mist, leaving behind not even the slightest trace."

"Not only that, but any ninja or civilians from nearby villages who come within ten miles of a crack become delirious, their chakra running rampant. Those lightly affected are severely injured and fall unconscious; those seriously affected explode and die on the spot. The borders of every country have already fallen into chaos. The leaders of every village have sent repeated messages asking you to intervene and suppress this disturbance."

When he finished speaking, the office fell into dead silence. The ANBU ninja stood with lowered heads, scarcely daring to breathe. This crisis had come too suddenly, without any warning, yet its destructive power was terrifying. It far surpassed any previous war in the Ninja World. Not even an invasion by the Ōtsutsuki Clan had plunged the entire Ninja World into danger at once.

Lin Chen stepped to the desk, his gaze falling upon the forbidden zones marked on the reports. His expression tightened slightly.

The Divine Tree Ruins at the border of the Rain Country, the Six Paths Ruins within the Earth Country, the sealed site in the deep sea of the Water Country, the ancient altar in the desert of the Wind Country, the extraterrestrial meteor crater in the mountains of the Lightning Country... all of these were forbidden zones deeply connected to Kaguya, the Divine Tree, and the Six Paths Sage throughout the history of the Ninja World. They were also the core nodes where Otsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed long ago.

Every crack had appeared directly above these sealing nodes.

"This is no coincidence. There is a problem with the seal," Lin Chen said quietly, his tone certain.

Minato froze, confusion covering his face. "The seal? Do you mean... the sealing formation the Six Paths Sage used to seal Kaguya back then? But it has remained stable for so many years without showing any abnormality. Why would it suddenly break?"

"The seal has not broken. What lies beneath it has begun to awaken." Lin Chen's eyes turned icy as the hidden history of the Ninja World flashed through his mind. "When the Six Paths Sage and Hamura joined forces back then, they sealed not only Otsutsuki Kaguya, but also the ancient sinister power that had developed after Kaguya consumed the Divine Tree's fruit. That power was sealed deep within the earth veins of the Ninja World, separated from Kaguya's true body. Now, it has broken through the underlying seal and spread through the earth veins to every sealing node, causing this disturbance."

This sinister power was far stranger than Kaguya's chakra. It did not cling to any living being; it was the pure origin of destruction and devouring. Even the Six Paths Sage had only been able to seal it back then, not erase it completely. As the years passed, compounded by the spatial upheavals and clashes of power caused by the previous descent of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the underlying seal had finally been shaken, allowing this terrifying power to find an opening.

The ancient aura Lin Chen had sensed underground earlier was precisely a trace of the aftershock leaking out when this sinister power awakened.

After hearing this, Minato's face instantly turned deathly pale, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably. He had studied ancient texts of the Ninja World since childhood, yet he had never heard of such a secret. If Lin Chen was right, then this crisis was far more terrifying than an invasion by the Ōtsutsuki Clan. The Ōtsutsuki Clan were external enemies, but this underground evil was a hidden danger buried in the very foundation of the Ninja World. Once it erupted completely, the entire Ninja World would be devoured.

"Sir, what should we do now? Should we gather all the village's ninja and send them to suppress the cracks?" Minato hurriedly asked. At this moment, he had already lost all direction. Only Lin Chen could serve as the Ninja World's final hope.

"Gathering ninja is useless. Ordinary power will only send them to their deaths if they approach the black mist." Lin Chen rejected the idea decisively, his tone calm yet unquestionable. "That sinister mist specifically devours the chakra and souls of living beings. Ordinary ninja, even Kage-level experts, cannot resist its corrosion. Sending more people will only increase the casualties."

As his words fell, spatial power quietly stirred around Lin Chen, and his body slowly rose into the air. "I will personally go to the core of the cracks to investigate and suppress this disturbance. Konoha and the ninja of every village are to completely seal off the borders. No living being is to approach the cracks. Anyone who disobeys is to be executed on the spot. Do not act on your own."

"Understood!" Minato immediately bowed in acknowledgment, without the slightest objection. He understood Lin Chen's strength, and he also understood that in the entire Ninja World, only Lin Chen possessed the ability to confront this ancient sinister power.

Lin Chen said nothing more. With a flash, he broke directly through the window of the Hokage Office Building and transformed into a streak of light, racing toward the Divine Tree Ruins in the Rain Country, the forbidden zone closest to Konoha. His speed was extreme, tearing through the sky and leaving behind a faint golden afterimage. In only a few breaths, he had flown beyond Konoha's borders and reached the Rain Country's frontier.

Before he even approached the forbidden zone, an intensely cold and sinister aura rushed toward him. The air was filled with a pungent stench of decay. The once-lush forest had already become a land of death. The trees were withered and blackened, the earth was cracked, and the bones of birds and beasts lay scattered everywhere. Chakra between heaven and earth had become completely chaotic, while space occasionally twisted and emitted harsh cracking sounds.

In the distance, an enormous crack that stretched across heaven and earth stood between the sky and land. It was bottomless. Ink-black mist poured madly from within, churning like baleful energy from the underworld. Faint, eerie roars drifted from the mist, illusory yet piercing directly into the soul. Anyone who heard them would become dazed and nearly lose control.

Lin Chen stopped in midair and gazed indifferently at the crack below. The power of the Six Paths slowly circulated within him, forming an invisible barrier around his body that blocked the sinister mist rushing toward him. Even with his strength, he could sense the terrifying devouring force contained within that mist. If an ordinary Six Paths-level expert entered rashly, their soul would likely be corroded and destroyed.

He slowly closed his eyes and spread his soul power completely, piercing through the black mist as it probed into the depths of the crack.

In an instant, countless scenes flooded Lin Chen's mind—deep underground in the darkness, endless sinister power gathered into an ocean. A withered, blackened remnant root of the Divine Tree had taken root in that sinister sea. Countless sealing runes wrapped around it, but the runes had long since dimmed and were covered in cracks. Sinister power continuously leaked through those cracks and flowed along the earth veins toward every corner of the Ninja World.

Below the remnant root of the Divine Tree, a blurry black shadow was sealed. It squirmed without end, emanating a terrifying pressure. That pressure was even more horrifying than the highest ruler of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, filled with the aura of destruction, devouring, and deathly stillness. It was this black shadow that had spawned the entire sinister sea and was battering against the underlying seal.

"So that is it... the remnant body of the Divine Tree, and the primordial evil that existed in the Ninja World even before Kaguya was born." Lin Chen opened his eyes, understanding flashing through them as the mystery in his heart was completely resolved.

When Otsutsuki Kaguya descended upon the Ninja World and stole the Divine Tree's fruit, that had not been the beginning of the Ninja World's disaster. Before Kaguya arrived, this primordial evil had already existed, ravaging the Ninja World and slaughtering living beings. Kaguya consumed the fruit to suppress the evil, but was consequently corroded by its power and eventually lost control. That was why she had been sealed by the Six Paths Sage. Yet the Six Paths Sage had merely sealed the sinister power together with Kaguya; he had not completely eliminated the danger.

Now, after the passage of countless years, the weakening seal, and the power tremors caused by several previous wars, this primordial evil that had been sealed for tens of millions of years had finally begun to awaken. It sought to break free, reclaim the Ninja World, and turn this land into a realm of deathly silence.

Just as Lin Chen investigated the underground situation, the black mist suddenly churned violently. Several shadows formed from sinister power burst out of the mist and pounced savagely toward him. Their bodies were twisted, their faces grotesque, and they radiated soul-level pressure. Their hands transformed into sharp claws wrapped in black sinister power, corroding space into cracks wherever they passed.

These were not living beings. They were sinister puppets formed after the evil power devoured the missing scouting ninja and fused their chakra and souls. Their strength rivaled peak Kage-level experts, and they feared neither pain nor death, knowing only slaughter and devouring.

"You do not know your place." Lin Chen's eyes turned cold as the Six Paths Yin-Yang Release power around him erupted instantly. Golden light swept outward and collided with the charging sinister puppets. The evil power melted upon meeting the light, like snow beneath the blazing sun. Several Kage-level puppets could not even approach within thirty feet of Lin Chen before they were completely reduced to ash by the golden radiance, leaving behind not even a trace of residue.

Yet the sinister puppets seemed endless. The black mist churned without pause, and more and more puppets condensed from it, charging toward Lin Chen one after another. Their numbers rapidly grew until they filled the sky, densely packed as far as the eye could see.

Lin Chen's expression remained indifferent, without the slightest hint of panic. A Six Paths halo slowly unfolded beneath his feet. His left Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and right Rinne-Sharingan opened at the same time, and two beams of supreme light burst from his eyes, shooting directly toward the enormous crack below.

Six Paths: Sealing Art: All-Heaven Evil Suppression.

Lin Chen spoke softly as his hands rapidly formed seals. His chakra, spatial laws, and Yin-Yang Release power fused perfectly. Countless golden sealing runes appeared in the sky out of nowhere, densely interwoven into an enormous sealing net that descended from above, covering the entire crack and all the black mist.

Buzz!

As the golden net descended, the sinister mist instantly stopped churning, and the roars abruptly ceased. The sinister puppets charging toward Lin Chen froze in midair before completely dissipating under the corrosion of the sealing power. The black mist was firmly suppressed beneath the sealing net and continuously contracted, forced inch by inch back into the crack. The mist that had once spread for dozens of miles rapidly shrank at a visible rate.

But just as the sealing net was about to close the crack completely, an earth-shaking roar suddenly erupted from deep underground. A terrifying sinister power far stronger than before exploded from the depths of the crack and slammed fiercely into the golden sealing net.

Boom!

The sealing net shook violently. The golden runes on its surface instantly dimmed, nearly being shattered outright. Lin Chen's body swayed slightly, and a faint streak of blood ran from the corner of his lips. Even though he controlled the complete power of the Six Paths, he still felt considerable pressure facing this primordial evil that had slept for tens of millions of years.

"Trying to break through the seal? Wishful thinking." Lin Chen's gaze sharpened. He no longer held back. Nine Yin-Yang Release black spheres instantly appeared around him, spinning rapidly before merging into a golden sword. Sealing power and spatial laws coiled around the blade, radiating an aura capable of suppressing all heavens.

Holding the sword, he raised it high and swung it fiercely at the crack below. A golden sword aura that stretched across heaven and earth instantly took shape. Wherever it passed, the sinister mist completely dissipated and space became fully stable. Carrying unmatched force, it shot directly into the depths of the crack and slashed fiercely into the sinister sea underground.

Boom—!!!

A deafening explosion rang out across heaven and earth. The entire border of the Rain Country shook violently. The sinister sea underground was split apart by the sword aura and churned endlessly. The sleeping primordial evil let out a pained shriek and rapidly recoiled. Under the combined effects of the sword aura and sealing net, the loosened underlying seal was instantly restored. The crack healed at a visible speed, and the black mist was completely forced back underground.

In just a few breaths, the forbidden zone that had been ravaged by disaster became completely calm. The earth no longer split, space no longer twisted, and the stench of decay gradually dispersed. Only the withered vegetation on the ground proved that a crisis had occurred here moments before.

Lin Chen slowly put away the sword. The power of the Six Paths gradually receded as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, though his gaze remained grave.

This had only temporarily suppressed the disturbance; it had not completely erased the primordial evil. It was merely lying dormant for now, waiting for another opportunity to break the seal. Moreover, he had suppressed only one forbidden zone. Sinister power still raged at the other four sealing nodes across the Ninja World, and the crisis was far from over.

What concerned him even more was that the remnant root of the Divine Tree underground showed signs of reviving under the nourishment of the sinister power. Once the Divine Tree was reborn and the primordial evil broke free, even he would have to pay an enormous price to suppress it.

At that moment, a communication talisman flew from the direction of Konoha and landed in Lin Chen's hand. Minato's anxious voice came from it. "Sir, the sinister power at the cracks in the forbidden zones of the other four countries has erupted again. Its power far exceeds before. The Four Kage joined forces to suppress it, but they are being pushed back step by step. Multiple villages have been corroded. The situation is critical!"

Lin Chen clenched the communication talisman, coldness blazing in his eyes. He raised his head and looked toward the four directions of the Ninja World, his gaze incomparably resolute.

His figure flashed once more as he raced toward the next forbidden zone.

This war concerning the very foundation of the Ninja World had only just begun. To end this crisis completely, he had to travel through all five great forbidden zones, fully restore the underlying seals, and erase the primordial evil. Only then could he protect the Ninja World for generations to come.