Dark red light seeped up through the gaps in the floorboards, strand by strand. The edges of the boards had already scorched yellow, and the spot beneath their feet was too hot to stand on.
Ayame took two steps back with a bowl of noodles in her hands and looked down at where she had just been standing.
"Goten, under the floor..."
"I've got it."
Goten lifted his right foot and stamped down.
It wasn't a heavy stomp, but a wave of golden ki spread from beneath his foot, passing through the boards, the foundations, and the rock, driving straight down into the earth.
The force drove the dark red light back down.
The red glow in the gaps visibly receded, retreating inch by inch. Within three seconds, the floorboards returned to their normal temperature.
Trunks crouched and felt the floor.
"It's pushed back down, but that power is still pushing up from below."
Inside the ki barrier, Tsunade set down her chopsticks, some of the color draining from her face.
"The foundation of Hokage Rock just cracked."
All three turned to look at her.
"It's tiny, but I sensed a hairline crack across the bottom of Hokage Rock's foundation."
Temari gently set her teacup on the table.
"The First's seal?"
"The seal is still there, but whatever's inside the Stone Gate is pushing outward. Those four symbols have already begun eating away at the outer barrier."
Goten took five Chips out of his pocket.
The five fragments tugged downward in his palm like mad, their blue light flashing so brightly it hurt to look at. Several times, they nearly slipped between his fingers.
Three layers of ki suppression held them firmly in place. Their vibrations traveled from his palm to his forearm, making even his bones hum.
"These lousy