"Like this." As his words fell, dense clusters of crystal suddenly sprouted from the ground within a five-meter radius around him. They twisted and stretched like living things, refracting dreamlike light beneath the moonlight.
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he instinctively took a step back. "Th-This is way too outrageous!"
Tsunade crouched down, her ninja instincts compelling her to reach out and touch the crystals. "Materialized chakra... it even altered the terrain..."
Orochimaru stood to one side, thought glinting in his golden vertical pupils. "Neji-kun just explained to me the theory that 'thought grants chakra vitality.' I believe that is the key to Domain Manifestation."
"Thought?" Jiraiya scratched his messy hair. "What kind of profound stuff are you people talking about?"
"Idiot, that's not something the current you can understand!"
Orochimaru mocked.
"You stinking snake, you're asking for it!"
Jiraiya shouted and made as if to charge at him. Neji shook his head.
He withdrew his Crystal Release, and the crystal clusters sank into the earth as if melting.
He then looked at his three companions, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable seriousness. "The situation in the Ninja World... is probably not optimistic."
The night wind suddenly turned sharp, stirring the robes of all four. Tsunade rose to her feet, brow tightly furrowed. "You mean... the recent border conflicts?"
"Not just the border issues." Neji's gaze swept across the three of them. "The Land of Lightning has been acting with increasing frequency, and Sunagakure is also mobilizing in secret. What concerns me even more..." He paused. "...are certain forces hiding in the shadows."
Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly. "What did you find?"
Neji shook his head. "For now, they are only suspicions. But no matter what, we need to become stronger." His voice was low and resolute. "The real storm... may