Beneath the lake, at the earth vein node.
As the sealing continued, the ground shook less and less, showing signs of settling altogether.
Though the earth vein held tremendous power, this was only one of its nodes. In the end, it lost the upper hand against Oto Uchiha's dojutsu.
Once the sealing was complete, Zou Hyuga waved to Oto, signaling her to stop.
The instant her dojutsu ended, the earth shook violently, and the earth vein returned to the ground.
He had never intended to seal this node completely. He was only conducting an experiment with the Mangekyo Sharingan, so he had not prepared a vessel to contain the earth vein.
"Hah... hah..." Exhausted, Oto slumped to the ground, her vision blurring slightly.
Helping Oto up, Zou Hyuga looked at the now-silent earth vein node and the precarious rocks overhead. His reckless interference with the earth vein had nearly brought the cavern down.
A disturbance this large would certainly alert the village. He and Oto had to leave as quickly as possible.
Taking Oto's hand, he headed toward the surface.
They soon found Bell Cat, who had subdued the giant rat. Oto sent Bell Cat away with Reverse Summoning.
Zou Hyuga had other plans for the enormous rat. It was quite powerful and might prove useful someday.
Taking out a contract scroll, Zou Hyuga used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before the giant rat and pressed his palm against its fur.
The gesture made the rat's fur stand on end. Having spent years near the earth vein node, it could sense the terrifying chakra inside Zou Hyuga.
Zou Hyuga wasted no words on the giant rat and gave it two choices.
"You can understand me, can't you? Sign the contract or die!"
The giant rat hesitated for a few