At the eastern end of Maple Leaf Town, a small Inari Shrine stood alone on a hillside. Its vermilion torii gate had faded, and moss covered the stone steps, leaving it dilapidated and desolate. Unlike the deathly stillness in the town center, an older, more unsettling presence permeated this place.
"This is it." Inuzuka Gaku's expression was grave. Kuromaru had also grown unusually agitated, repeatedly growling at the shrine's main hall with his fangs bared.
Ling's Jōgan grew slightly warm, and a faint filter of energy settled over the world in his vision.
[Jōgan vision: high-intensity Yin Release barrier residue detected. Its structure shares an origin with the strange tree in the town center but is older. A vast hollow exists beneath the main body. Energy response: active, with mentally contaminating properties. Warning: faint but intensely malicious fragments of consciousness detected.]
"There's something underground," Ling said directly, a trace of "uncertainty" in his tone. "My senses tell me that down there... something is very unusual."
Inuzuka Gaku glanced at him. After their earlier battle, he had gained a little more trust in this seemingly sickly Uchiha boy. "All right! Let's dig it open!"
Working together, the two soon discovered a loose stone slab behind the shrine's main hall. They pried it up, revealing a descending stone staircase barely wide enough for one person. Cold, damp air rushed into their faces, mingled with that sickly-sweet fragrance, making them nauseous.
Inuzuka Gaku lit a firelighter and went down first. Ling followed close behind, his Jōgan glowing faintly in the darkness as he took in every flow of energy.
The staircase was not long, and a vast underground cavern lay at its end. The sight at its center made their scalps prickle!
Countless thick, purplish-black roots spread down from the cavern ceiling and surrounding walls, knotting and writhing like living things. They all converged on a platform in the center. On it lay no treasure, but a desiccated corpse almost completely fused with the roots!
The corpse wore ancient priestly robes, and a particularly thick root pierced its chest. Most striking of all was a scroll clutched tightly to its chest in both hands. The scroll was made of an unusual material, seemingly some kind of animal hide. Its edges were damaged, and sap from the roots had stained it an eerie blackish red. Complex sealing script was faintly visible on its surface, but many sections had been corroded and destroyed.
The life energy absorbed from the town was flowing through countless roots, pouring endlessly into the corpse and the scroll!
"What... what kind of evil technique is this?!" Inuzuka Gaku sucked in a cold breath.
Ling's Jōgan remained fixed on the scroll.
[Jōgan analysis: target scroll: Sealing Ninja Tool. Originally sealed entity: ??? (energy level too high for complete analysis; suspected connection to an aggregate of negative mental energy). Current state: 47% damaged. Internal sealed energy is continuously leaking, mixing with mutated ley-line energy (strange tree) and the deceased's lingering obsession (desiccated corpse), forming the core of a composite mental contamination barrier. Recommendation: extreme danger!]
"That scroll..." Ling's voice was dry. "It might be the key to everything. It seems to be... absorbing that energy, but it's already damaged."
Just then, the corpse's head suddenly gave a series of cracks and jerked upward! Two points of dim red light flared inside its empty eye sockets!
A hoarse voice, filled with endless resentment and greed, rang directly inside both their minds:
"More... give me... more... life... knowledge... dreams..."
Boom! The roots throughout the cavern instantly erupted into a frenzy! Like countless giant pythons, they lashed and coiled toward the two from every direction! At the same time, a powerful mental assault surged over them like a tide, trying to drag their consciousness into an endless nightmare illusion!
"Watch out!" Inuzuka Gaku roared, instantly entering Beast-Man Clone with Kuromaru. "Fang Over Fang!" He spun wildly, severing the roots attacking them.
Ling quickly retreated, his hands flying through seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A huge fireball temporarily drove back the roots in front of him. Although his Sharingan had not awakened, his Jōgan's insight into the flow of energy allowed him to narrowly evade the deadliest attacks time and again.
[Jōgan projection: physical attacks have limited effect. The core is a fusion of the scroll and the corpse's obsession. Energy supply must be severed (destroy the main root system) while the core consciousness is simultaneously disrupted/sealed. Success rate... 23%. Variable present: unknown.]
"Mr. Gaku! Attack the main roots! I'll try to disrupt it!" Ling shouted, pulling a handful of shuriken with explosive tags attached from his ninja tool pouch.
"All right!" Without hesitation, Inuzuka Gaku launched a fierce attack on the thickest root piercing the corpse.
Ling's shuriken flew precisely toward the scroll in the corpse's arms, but as they approached, layers of roots automatically moved to protect their master and blocked them. The explosive tags detonated with a roar, blasting apart many roots but failing to reach the core.
"Use... less... merge... with the great... dream..." The corpse's mental whisper rang out again, laced with mockery. More roots surged out of the ground, and the cavern began shaking and collapsing.
"This won't work! We have to cut off its energy source first!" Inuzuka Gaku roared. His attacks grew fiercer, but the roots regenerated incredibly quickly.
Just then, Ling's Jōgan suddenly caught an extremely subtle fluctuation of energy-from the cavern entrance! It was neither the roots nor that Root operative, but another kind of... cold, pure observation, carrying a sense of scrutiny!
Someone else is here?! Ling was deeply shaken. Were they friend or foe?
There was no time to think. The corpse attacked again. This time, it seemed to have made Ling its primary target. Several roots with sharp tips shot toward him like venomous stingers, moving astonishingly fast! At the same time, a mental assault far stronger than before slammed into Ling's mind!
Agonizing pain struck, and Ling instantly froze!
"Ling!" Inuzuka Gaku cried out, but more roots entangled him, leaving him unable to reach Ling in time.
The shadow of death descended once again!
At that critical instant, the glassy light deep in Ling's eyes blazed with unprecedented intensity!
[Jōgan overload projection: based on the current crisis, environmental energy distribution, and enemy attack patterns, fragments of the future have been glimpsed... generating optimal solution (only option): exploit the momentary fluctuation in energy transmission through the third root on the left. Use Chakra Scalpel (imitated from observing Aoi) to precisely cut into node seven, triggering a localized energy backflow and creating 0.5 seconds of immobility. Simultaneously use Substitution Technique to exchange positions with the stone pillar on the left. Success rate: 51%.]
An enormous stream of information flooded his brain, and Ling moved almost instinctively! Extremely fine chakra blades appeared around his hands-only rough imitations-as his body twisted at an unbelievable angle, narrowly evading the fatal attack. His fingers struck a precise point on a seemingly insignificant root!
Hiss! That root shuddered violently, and its purplish-black light faltered! The entire root network stalled for the briefest instant! The corpse's mental assault faltered along with it!
Now! "Substitution Technique!"
Poof! Ling exchanged positions with a broken rock in the corner of the cavern, appearing in a safe area. Several sharp roots pierced the spot where he had just stood!
It all happened in a flash, exquisitely executed, as though calculated and refined countless times!
Inuzuka Gaku watched, dumbfounded. Was that really a reaction a genin could manage?! Even the hidden fluctuation of observation showed a distinct ripple, seemingly deeply surprised.
Ling panted, cold sweat soaking his back. Overloading his Jōgan's projections had left his temples throbbing.
But he did not pause. He shouted, "Mr. Gaku! Its energy core is three inches below the scroll, at the corpse's heart! There's an old scar there. That's where the energy is most unstable!"
It was the only weakness his Jōgan had caught through the layers of obstructions during that overloaded projection!
"Got it!" Inuzuka Gaku's spirits surged. Merging with Kuromaru, he unleashed his greatest strength. "Super Fang Over Fang!" He became a devastating whirlwind, charging recklessly toward the corpse's chest!
"No-!" The corpse let out a piercing mental shriek, and all the roots frantically rushed back to defend it!
But it was already too late! Inuzuka Gaku's attack struck that exact point!
Crack! It sounded as though something had shattered! The corpse's chest burst open, and the tremendous impact sent the bloodstained scroll flying into the air!
The root network entwining the entire town instantly lost its vitality, withering and stiffening. The cavern stopped collapsing. That omnipresent mental pressure receded like the tide.
The red light in the corpse's eyes went out, and it crumbled entirely into dust.
Reacting swiftly, Ling leaped up and reached for the scroll in midair, which was still emitting ominous fluctuations.
But just as his fingers were about to touch the scroll-
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three figures appeared in the cavern like phantoms, surrounding him in a triangular formation! This was no longer the one with the Tanuki Mask from before, but three Root operatives wearing different animal masks! Their killing intent was bone-chilling and utterly undisguised!
Their leader reached straight for the scroll in midair! Another attacked Ling! Without hesitation, the last formed hand seals and attacked Inuzuka Gaku, who had just exhausted his strength and had yet to recover!
Their timing was viciously precise! They had struck at the very moment the grueling battle had ended, when their opponents were least guarded!
Only now did Root reveal its true killing move! Their target was not merely Ling's Sharingan, but clearly this eerie scroll as well!
Ling's pupils contracted sharply. His Jōgan issued frantic warnings! [Extreme danger! Three jonin-level Root operatives! Killing intent locked on! Projected survival rate... below 5%!]
A hopeless situation! True desperation had arrived! Ling's hand was only an inch or so from the scroll, but the kunai behind him had already touched the center of his back... He could feel that icy touch of death.
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