After passing through the waterfall, the three arrived at an ancient ruin.
A magnificent relief of the Eight-Tails adorned the wall, and headless Buddha statues stood on all sides, inspiring an involuntary sense of awe.
They crossed the entrance hall and entered a dark chamber. A hidden door led into the sacred grounds. Beside it stood a ferocious stone statue, its mouth gaping as though ready to swallow any uninvited guest.
When Naruto had visited in his previous life, Killer B, who had accompanied him, had casually claimed that anyone entering the sacred grounds had to pass the statue's test. If they harbored even the tiniest speck of darkness in their heart, the statue would bite their head off.
But the statue was merely decorative, and the supposed test was complete nonsense.
In his previous life, Naruto had played a prank, pretending his head had been bitten off and giving Captain Yamato quite a fright.
Naruto smiled nostalgically. Come to think of it, Captain Yamato came along back then too, didn't he? He's already on edge this time, so I won't scare him.
Looking away, Naruto pushed open the hidden door, revealing a vast space beyond.
The sacred grounds were a kaleidoscope of colors, closely resembling a jinchūriki's inner world.
That was why they served as a place for jinchūriki to purge themselves and battle their tailed beasts.
Returning to this familiar place stirred Naruto's emotions. "The Land of Lightning really does live up to its reputation as the inheritor of Six Paths Ninshu. Almost all the ruins connected to Six Paths power are under its control..."
Clang!
The hidden door closed, sealing the sacred grounds off from the outside world.
Naruto said, "Here, all you have to do is close your eyes and calm your mind, and you can