The narrow fissure was no easy passage. Sharp rocks and raging energy turbulence filled its interior. Dragging the nearly unconscious Xi, Ling struggled through the darkness. Heart-rending pain shot from the fracture in his left arm, and his depleted chakra left every breath tasting of blood. The energy turbulence blurred his Jōgan's vision, leaving him barely able to make out the path ahead and avoid dead ends.
He had no idea how long he had been walking. Only one thought kept him going-get away from that man who seemed like a god or demon, away from the rampaging Ryūmyaku.
At last, a faint glimmer appeared ahead, along with the sound of running water. Ling's spirits lifted, and he pushed forward with all his strength. The light grew brighter until he stumbled out of the fissure, dragging Xi behind him, and once again felt cold rain striking his face.
They emerged at the foot of a steep cliff, beside a river swollen into a torrent by the rain. Dense jungle above the cliff temporarily screened them from eyes in the sky. They were already far from the temple and the passage Pain had blasted through, but they could still feel the Ryūmyaku's dull, thunderous roars rising from deep underground in the distance, and the rain bearing Pain's chakra signature was everywhere in the air.
"Safe... for now..." Ling carefully settled Xi beneath a relatively dry rock, then slid down against the rock wall and sat on the ground, gasping heavily. He checked her condition. She was merely exhausted and weak, compounded by mental shock; her life was not in immediate danger.
He tore off some reasonably clean strips of cloth from his clothes and reinforced the splint on his left arm, then began laboriously molding chakra. The Ryūmyaku's rampage had made the natural energy here unusually active and chaotic. Conventional chakra molding was extremely inefficient, and he also had to divide his attention to resist the sensory probing mixed into the rain.
The Fragment against his chest remained warm, but its violent resonance with the Ryūmyaku had weakened considerably, seemingly calming as the distance increased. Ling could feel the Fragment slowly and actively absorbing the surrounding chaotic natural energy, filtering out its violent elements and converting it into wisps of pure Yin Release Chakra to replenish his parched chakra pathways.
This ability... in an environment like this, it was a lifeline.
An unknown amount of time passed before a pale light crept across the horizon and the rain eased slightly. Ling recovered a little strength, and Xi slowly came around.
She opened her dark red eyes. A flicker of confusion passed through them before terror took its place. She sat bolt upright and looked around anxiously.
"We... escaped?" Her voice was still hoarse, but it held a little more life than before.
"For now." Ling kept it brief, offering her rainwater collected in a broad leaf. "Drink some water."
Xi accepted it gratefully and took small sips. Looking at Ling's bandaged, splinted left arm and pale face, her eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this..."
"It was just a mission." Ling shook his head without saying more. He was more concerned about something else. "The 'Ryūmyaku' and 'contract' you mentioned earlier, and Pain's objective-can you tell me about them in detail? This is important."
Holding the leaf, Xi fell silent for a moment, seemingly gathering her words, and also seeming to fight the fear still lingering within her.
"The Ryūmyaku... are vast torrents of life energy flowing deep beneath the earth," she began slowly, her voice low. "They have their own consciousness and flow nodes. Since ancient times, our Uzumaki Clan has possessed a bloodline with an affinity for natural energy. Some of our clanspeople have even entered into guardian contracts with the Ryūmyaku of particular regions for generations, becoming 'Seal Guardian Miko' or 'Seal Guardian Mages.' They guide the Ryūmyaku's power so it flows steadily and benefits the surrounding lands, while also preventing it from running wild or being exploited by evil forces."
"What I inherited was the guardian contract for this major branch of the Ryūmyaku within the Land of Rain. But a few years ago, that man with the Rinnegan came to the Land of Rain. He defeated the former leader, Hanzō, and took control of Amegakure. Somehow, he found the Ryūmyaku's core node, then used his immense power to forcibly twist and overwrite our clan's ancient contract..."
Xi's body began to tremble slightly. "He imprisoned me and used my bloodline as a 'key' and a 'stabilizer.' On one hand, he drew on my power and the Ryūmyaku's power to maintain the Sensory Barrier covering the entire country, the 'Rain Tiger at Will Technique.' On the other, he seemed to be trying... to merge completely with the Ryūmyaku. Or rather, to become its new 'consciousness'..."
Ling drew in a sharp breath. Become the Ryūmyaku's consciousness? Pain's ambition was actually that enormous! If he succeeded, wouldn't that mean he would command a nearly infinite supply of natural energy? At that point, even the Tailed Beasts before him would probably...
"What happens if the Ryūmyaku runs wild?" Ling asked the most critical question.
"What happens..." Despair appeared on Xi's face. "Without a contract to guide it and a bloodline to stabilize it, the Ryūmyaku will go completely out of control. Its energy will crash wildly through the earth, causing massive earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions... The affected area will most certainly not be limited to the Land of Rain. And the uncontrolled energy will contaminate the land, erode life, and might even tear space apart... Ancient texts record that a Ryūmyaku once ran wild in antiquity, destroying a small country outright and leaving that land barren for hundreds of years..."
Ling's heart sank. The situation was even worse than he had imagined. For the sake of his own ambition, Pain had actually put the entire continent in danger!
"We have to stop him!" Ling said resolutely.
"It's no use..." Xi shook her head in despair. "He's too strong... And the Ryūmyaku has already gone wild. Unless we can immediately find a way to redirect and stabilize it, or... forcibly suppress it with an even greater power... otherwise..."
"There has to be a way." Ling interrupted her, his gaze sharp as he looked at her. "You're a Seal Guardian Miko. You know the Ryūmyaku and the contracts better than anyone. Tell me, besides your bloodline, what else can affect the Ryūmyaku? Or is there somewhere that records secret methods for dealing with something like this?"
Taken aback by the unquestionable resolve in Ling's eyes, Xi froze for a moment, then tried hard to remember. "A way... An ancient scroll seemed to mention... that only the combined power of 'Contract Blood,' a 'Ryūmyaku Guide,' and the 'Mightiest Seal' could make it possible to establish a new contract at the Ryūmyaku's core... 'Contract Blood' means me, or a clansperson with an equivalent contracted bloodline... A 'Ryūmyaku Guide' is a rare medium capable of resonating with the Ryūmyaku... And the 'Mightiest Seal'... the records were vague. It seemed to refer to some kind of Sealing Jutsu possessing ultimate power..."
Contract Blood... a Ryūmyaku Guide... the Mightiest Seal...
Ling instinctively touched the Fragment against his chest. This thing could resonate with the Ryūmyaku. Could it be the so-called "Ryūmyaku Guide"?
As for the "Mightiest Seal"... he thought of the Uzumaki Clan's renowned Sealing Jutsu. Perhaps... there might be a clue in Konoha's Scroll of Seals? Or... that Jiraiya who called himself the Toad Sage?
And as for "Contract Blood," someone who possessed it was right before him, though she was weak.
A vague plan began taking shape in Ling's mind, but it required strength, intelligence, and support. With his current severe injuries and Xi's weakened state, there was no possibility of carrying it out.
He had to contact Konoha as soon as possible! He had to bring this intelligence back!
He looked at Xi and said gravely, "We need to leave the Land of Rain and return to Konoha. Only by gathering the village's strength will we have a chance to stop Pain and stabilize the Ryūmyaku."
A spark of hope lit Xi's eyes, only to be covered by worry a moment later. "But... 'God's' gaze..."
"I know." Ling raised his head toward the still-gloomy sky as the rain kept falling. "That's why we need an opportunity, a chance when something else can keep him occupied..."
His gaze seemed to pierce the curtain of rain, turning toward Amegakure.
With the Ryūmyaku running wild, Pain was surely devoting all his efforts to stabilizing it at this moment. This might be their only window.
But how to get through the layers of blockades and escape this country remained the greatest problem before them.
Before you continue