When the damp scent unique to Shikkotsu Forest flooded Ling's nostrils, mingling rotting leaves with fresh vegetation, his knees nearly buckled. Not from exhaustion, but because the tension of surviving disaster had suddenly drained away, leaving him feeling as though every bone had been pulled from his body. He still clutched a cold black stone tightly in his arms. It was heavy, and the fresh crack across its surface was painfully stark.
The others were hardly any better off. Kakashi braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath, part of his mask soaked through. Sakura was pale, the glow of medical chakra still flickering erratically around her hands. She had yet to recover from the strain of forcibly activating the stone. Kankuro dropped onto the ground and inspected the corroded joints of his Crow puppet, cursing foully under his breath. Shino was the quietest, but the insects crawling restlessly around his cuffs had clearly suffered quite a fright as well.
"Is this... Shikkotsu Forest?" Once Sakura had caught her breath, she looked around. The rich natural energy lifted her spirits, but then she frowned. "It feels... different from the last time we came here."
It was different. The peaceful, soothing quality in the air had faded, replaced by something hard to define... agitation? Even the enormous fungi around them, glowing with soft light, seemed to flicker more urgently.
Before they could think further, the largest "slug" ahead of them, as massive as a small hill, slowly stirred. No part of her split off; her entire enormous body merely shifted its posture slightly. An ancient, gentle presence, laden with an indescribable heaviness, enveloped them.
"Child who bears 'Purifying Karma' and the 'Tombkeeper Stone'... and shinobi of Konoha..." The thought rang directly inside their minds. There was no voice, yet