The Guardian of Mount Tengu

Soon, Hiyori, Fujitora, and four of the Nine Red Scabbards—Kin'emon, Kawamatsu, Nekomamushi, and Ashura Doji—left Kozuki Castle for Mount Tengu. The remaining Scabbards stayed behind to direct the defense and keep the enemy from pursuing them.

They took a hidden mountain path, hoping to avoid the enemy's eyes. But they had not gone far when Hiyori noticed something wrong. The once-lush vegetation had turned an eerie purple, and a bloodlike violet liquid ran down the tree trunks.

"Wano Country is being corrupted too," Fujitora said grimly. "We don't have much time."

As they traveled, purple-clad ninjas ambushed them several times. The ninjas moved in unnatural ways, beyond human limits. More unsettling still, when wounded, their injuries released purple smoke instead of blood.

"Are these things still human?" Nekomamushi muttered after repelling one wave of attackers.

"Not anymore," Fujitora replied. "The Void has assimilated them. They're walking husks."

The deeper they went into the mountains, the more obvious the changes became. Wild animals grew unnaturally vicious, their eyes gleaming purple. Strange auroras sometimes appeared in the sky. Even the air felt heavy, burdened by an indescribable sense of oppression.

"We're being followed," Ashura Doji said suddenly, on alert. "Not just by those purple-clad ninjas. There's something stronger."

Fujitora nodded. "I feel it. An ancient, powerful presence. It seems the Guardian of Mount Tengu has awakened."

After hours of arduous travel, they finally reached the shrine at Mount Tengu's summit. Ancient and solemn, it seemed to have grown out of the mountain itself. Intricate runes carved into its stone torii gate gave off a faint glow.

"According to the map, the key should be at the heart of the shrine," Hiyori said, pointing deeper inside. "But first, we have to pass through this gate."

Just as they were about to enter, the