The rustle of the tape recorder echoed in the secret room.
Naruto pressed the stop button and tapped his fingers on the armrest.
Once, twice, three times.
"Shadows can laugh."
He repeated this sentence in a low voice.
In Yagura's recording, this sentence was interrupted three times by the sound of coughing. But every time it was repeated, it was filled with deeper fear.
Naruto stood up and walked to the wall. There was a map of Konoha hanging on the wall. The dense red dots marked the location of the surveillance cameras.
He stretched out his hand and slid his fingertips on the map.
"Zero."
"Here."
"Retrieve all surveillance from Konoha." Naruto turned around. "Focus on the shadow."
"Shadow of all men."
"Understood." Zero's voice paused. "Do you need specific filtering conditions?"
"Delay, distortion, any abnormal movement." Naruto walked back to the chair. "And..."
He paused.
"Smile."
"If a smile-like shape appears on the edge of the shadow, mark it immediately."
"Yes."
Encrypted communicator disconnected.
Naruto sat down again and closed his eyes.
My mind is filled with the voice of Yagura.
"Something that eats away the darkness within you."
Genjutsu is not Sharingan.
It's deeper.
Naruto thought of Warp's parasite again.
They don't need a physical form, they just need a gap, a gap that allows them to penetrate into reality.
And the darkness in people's hearts is the best gap.
Otogakure.
The lights in the underground laboratory are very dim.
Kabuto Yakushi stands in front of a huge culture tank.
The tank was filled with purple liquid, and the liquid was slowly rolling, as if it were alive.
Orochimaru walks in.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty laboratory.
"How's it going?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected purple light.
"Successful."
He turned around with a morbid excitement on his face.
"I named it 'Contamination Seed'."
Orochimaru walked to the culture tank.
He stared at the purple liquid.
A trace of madness flashed in his eyes.
"What is this?"
"A kind of chakra wave that can spread through spiritual resonance." Kabuto opened the notebook next to him. "Its essence is a special frequency."
"This frequency resonates with negative human emotions, fear, anger, despair, hatred!"
"As long as these emotions exist, the seeds can take root."
"Then..."
He paused.
"Infinite magnification."
Orochimaru stretched out his hand, wanting to touch the culture tank.
Kabuto stopped him immediately.
"Don't touch it, it's not stable yet."
Orochimaru Take your hand back.
"How many doses are needed?"
"A very small amount." Kabuto opened a page of his notebook. "One drop is enough."
"One drop can Pollution a person, and the Pollution ed person will become a new source of transmission."
"Their chakra, their breath, even their shadows carry this frequency."
Orochimaru stared at Kabuto.
"Are you sure you can control it?"
"Of course." Kabuto closed the notebook. "I have already designed a way to spread it."
"What way?"
"Ink."
Kabuto walked to the experimental table and picked up a small bottle containing a black liquid.
"This is my special Sealing Ink, with excellent performance and low price. The most important thing is..."
He shook the bottle.
"It has been mixed with Contamination Seed."
Orochimaru took the bottle and raised it to his eyes.
"Is this thing used in all countries?"
"Yes." Dou pushed up his glasses. "It was put on the black market three months ago."
"Now Five Great Nations and Sealing Corps are purchasing in large quantities. They don't know what they are painting."
"Every spell drawn with this ink is a Contamination Node. Everyone who comes into contact with the spell will be infected by the seeds."
Orochimaru smiled, like a snake swallowing its prey.
"You are such a genius."
"Thank you." Kabuto took the bottle back. "But there is still a problem."
"What?"
"The activation of a seed requires a primer."
"What's the lead?"
"Strong negative emotions." Tuo walked back to the cultivation tank. "Ordinary fear and anger are not enough."
"It needs something deeper, such as..."
He stared at the purple liquid.
"Hate towards someone."
"Targeted, hatred that cannot be suppressed by reason."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"What are you going to do?"
"I planted a stereotype in the seed." Kabuto turned around. "A stereotype about Naruto Uzumaki."
"The content is..."
He paused.
"He is destroying Shinobi World, he must be destroyed."
"This memory will be forcibly implanted into the target's Mental Sea after the seed is activated, and then..."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses.
"They will regard Naruto as their only enemy."
Orochimaru was silent, he stared at Kabuto for a long time.
"You're crazy."
"Really?" Kabuto smiled. "I think it's very reasonable."
"Naruto is the largest variable of this Shinobi World."
"As long as he is here, our plan will never succeed, so..."
He spread his hands.
"Let the entire Shinobi World become his enemy, let him be hunted by everyone, and let him die in despair."
Orochimaru turned around and walked towards the door.
"You better make sure this thing doesn't get out of hand."
"Otherwise..."
He stopped.
"I will kill you with my own hands."
The door is closed.
Kabuto stood there, the smile on his face slowly faded, and he walked to the experimental table.
Open a drawer and there is a Shinobi World map inside.
On the map, dense red dots are flashing, each red dot represents an activated Contamination Node.
Kabuto stared at the map.
"Conservative estimate..."
He whispered to himself.
"Seven more days."
"Five Great Nations At least a thousand people will fall into mental control."
He closed the drawer and walked to the culture tank.
The purple liquid is still rolling.
Kabuto reached out and gently touched the wall of the tank.
"Naruto."
He whispered the name.
"You will regret it, regret becoming the enemy of this world."
Konoha, the encrypted communicator rang.
Naruto Open your eyes.
"Commissar."
Zero's voice is very urgent.
"Shikamaru Nara found an exception."
Naruto Stand up.
"What's abnormal?"
"Shadow."
"The shadows of seventeen people are delayed."
Naruto walked to the door.
"What do you mean? After the main body moves, the shadow will catch up with it after 0.5 seconds."
"And..."
Zero paused.
"There is a slight distortion at the edge of the shadow."
Naruto pushed Gate of Opening, the corridor was very quiet.
"Isolate these seventeen people immediately."
"Yes, there is more."
Naruto walks towards the elevator.
"Notify Shikamaru and ask him to monitor it personally. If there is any abnormality, report it immediately."
"Understood."
The elevator door opens.
Naruto Go inside and press the button on the first floor.
The elevator began to descend and he leaned against the wall.
Close your eyes.
My mind is full of those red dots, Contamination Node.
Every node is a time bomb.
And now... the bombs are going off.
The elevator reached the first floor.
The door opened, and Nara Shikage stood outside.
His face looked ugly.
"Commissar."
"Say."
"During quarantine..."
Deer Shadow gritted his teeth.
"Three people suddenly attacked Root members."
Naruto's eyes turned cold.
"Where are you now?"
"Training Ground No. 3."
"Let's go."
The two rushed out of the building.
The streets are still quiet.
But Naruto could feel that there was something wrong in the air.
Like the calm before the storm.
Training Ground No. 3.
There was a circle around Root members.
They held special suppressive weapons in their hands.
But no one dared to come close.
Because the three people in the middle were completely out of control.
A middle-aged man, a young woman, and a teenager.
Their eyes were full of madness.
In the depths of his pupils, strange purple lines flashed.
The man is holding a steel pipe, the woman is holding Kunai in her hand, and the boy is using his bare hands.
But their strength and speed are far beyond normal.
The man hit the ground with a stick, causing a crack in the ground.
Woman throws Kunai.
Kunai drew an afterimage in the sky.
The boy rushed towards the Root member, his fists making a sound of breaking the air.
Root members barely managed to avoid it.
But the boy's next punch had already arrived.
Bang!
Root members were shot away.
He hit the wall and spit out a mouthful of blood.
Naruto walks into the training ground.
The three losers turned their heads at the same time.
Stare at him.
The purple lines in his eyes began to flash violently.
"He must die."
The man repeated in a low voice.
"He must die."
The woman followed.
"He must die."
The young man also spoke.
The voices of the three people seemed to be synchronized by something.
Exactly the same.
Naruto stopped.
"Sasuke."
A figure flashed out from the side.
Sasuke falls next to Naruto.
Three-Tomoe Sharingan has been opened.
"Naruto."
Sasuke stared at the three losers.
A few seconds later.
His expression changed.
"This is..."
"What's wrong?"
"Their chakra flow is completely disordered." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "And..."
He pointed to the shadows of three people.
"At the connection between shadow and body..."
"There is an energy surging that is not of this world."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"What energy?"
"I don't know." Sasuke shook his head. "But this feeling..."
He paused.
"It's very similar to Curse Mark from Orochimaru back then."
"But more evil."
Naruto raised his left hand.
Death God Rune on the back of my hand started to feel hot.
"Back off."
Sasuke Go back immediately.
Naruto walked towards the middle-aged man.
The man raised the steel pipe and rushed over.
Naruto didn't hide, he stretched out his hand and pressed it on the man's forehead.
Instantly, Death God Rune burst out with a faint purple light.
A cold force surged out from the palm of Naruto's hand.
Pour it into a man's body.
The man screamed.
The body twitches violently.
Then...
A mass of black mist was forcibly pulled out of his body. The black mist rolled in the air, struggling, and trying to escape.
But the power of Death God locked it tightly.
Naruto With the other hand, he took out a special container.
Open.
The black mist is sucked in and the container is covered.
The man fell to the ground, unconscious.
But his shadow returned to normal.
Naruto Turn around.
Look at the other two losers.
"Continue."
The same process, the same screams, the same black mist.
Three minutes later.
All three out-of-control persons were unconscious.
Naruto is holding three containers in his hand.
The black mist in the container was rolling crazily, emitting a scream that was inaudible to human ears but perceptible to the spirit.
Everyone present felt a splitting headache.
Naruto walked to Sasuke.
"Notice Ancient Iron."
"Have him come over immediately."
Sasuke nodded.
Turn around and leave.
Naruto stared at the black mist in the container.
"What the hell are you?"
Black Mist didn't answer.
Just rolling more crazily.
Ten minutes later.
Ancient Iron clan leader rushed to the training ground. When he saw the black mist in the container, his expression changed instantly.
"This is..."
"It's something you analyzed before." Naruto handed him the container. "But the purity is higher."
Ancient Iron took the container and carefully raised it to his eyes.
"They're moving."
"Yes."
"And..."
Ancient Iron took out a small detector.
Align the container.
The data on the instrument began to beat faster and faster.
Finally... beep beep beep!
The red warning light comes on.
Ancient Iron looks up.
"Commissar."
"The energy fluctuation characteristics of this thing..."
He swallowed.
"Highly similar to the residues in Pain's Black Rods."
"But it's purer and more active."
Naruto stared at the container.
"Someone is artificially cultivating this kind of thing?"
"It's very possible." Ancient Iron nodded. "And..."
He looked at Naruto and saw that the scale of training was not small."
Naruto Turn around.
"Gather the core members."
"Emergency meeting."
Konoha Underground.
conference room.
Naruto stood in front of the conference table.
Didn't sit down.
"We are living through an invisible war."
His voice was cold.
"The enemy is not some ninja village."
"It's a force that devours people's minds."
Tsunade frowned.
"What power?"
"I don't know its real name." Naruto shook his head. "But I know what it is doing."
"It is penetrating, penetrating people's hearts, penetrating chakra, penetrating every corner of this world."
"People infected by it will lose their minds and become monsters who only know how to kill."
"And..."
He paused.
"All infected people have a common goal."
"Kill me."
The conference room was quiet.
Everyone is staring at Naruto.
What Hinata wants to say.
But Naruto raised his hand to stop him.
"This is not a conspiracy against me personally."
"It's a war against the entire Shinobi World."
"The mastermind behind the scenes wants to use this method..."
Naruto stared at the map on the table.
"Turn the entire Shinobi World into my enemy, and then... let us kill each other."
Deer Shadow Stand up.
"Commissar, our intelligence network has made new discoveries."
Naruto looked at him.
"Say."
"In the past three months, a high-purity Sealing Ink suddenly appeared on the black market."
"Low price, excellent performance."
"Sealing Corps is purchasing in large quantities in all countries."
"But..."
Deer Shadow Open the file.
"No one knows who the suppliers are and all transactions are done through middlemen."
Naruto stared at the file.
"Ink."
He remembered Ancient Iron's analysis.
Contamination Seed can be transmitted through chakra.
And Sealing Ink...
It is also a product that can carry loads.
"Immediately trace the circulation path of the ink."
Naruto looks up.
"At the same time..."
"Konoha All Sealing Jutsu styles, suspend the use of this ink."
"Switch to traditional recipes."
"The ink technique has been used..."
He paused.
"All Purification."
"Yes."
Sasuke suddenly spoke.
"Naruto, I remembered something."
Naruto looked at him.
"The last time I performed a mission at Land of Grass..."
Sasuke frowned.
"I found a similar ink bottle in an abandoned stronghold."
"I didn't pay attention at the time."
"But looking back now..."
He paused.
"The villagers near that stronghold are in a very bad mental state."
"Always talk to yourself."
"What did you say?"
"They said..."
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Konoha is the source of disaster, Naruto Uzumaki must die."
The conference room was quiet again.
Everyone looked at Naruto.
Naruto said nothing.
He stared at the map, his mind racing at high speed.
Ink, Contamination Seed, mind control, directed hatred cultivation.
All the clues are connected.
"Deer Shadow."
"Here."
"Give me a complete circulation record of black market ink."
"All buyers, all middlemen, all trading hours."
"Don't miss a single one."
"Understood."
Naruto Turn around.
Go to the door.
"Also."
He stopped.
"Notify the hospital."
"Also let Tsunade personally check the three out-of-control people."
"I want to know what was implanted in their Mental Sea.