Whispers of the Silent Forest

In the late afternoon, the mountain forests to the northwest of Konoha were shrouded in a hazy twilight. Three figures leaped through the tree branches silently like cheetahs blending into the shadows, moving at extreme speed yet hardly stirring the wind.

Ling followed closely behind Fox, maintaining a standard triangular formation. His entire body was wrapped in the dark Anbu uniform, and his eyes beneath the mask scanned the surrounding environment, his Jōgan passive perception extending in all directions like invisible tentacles. After this period of recovery and training, his control over this basic perception was more refined, and the consumption was even lower.

Fox ahead was concise and efficient, landing each step precisely in a blind spot of vision or a position unlikely to produce sound, and the route cleverly avoided several areas that might have beast dens or natural traps. Xi, trailing to the right rear, appeared somewhat nervous, but her movements were not unfamiliar. She struggled to adjust her breathing, suppressing her own Chakra fluctuations to a minimum, while her dark red eyes swept over the surrounding trees and rocks from time to time, seemingly sensing something.

This was their third hour since leaving Konoha. According to the plan, they needed to arrive at the outskirts of the Shrine of Sealing Evil before midnight to establish a concealed observation post.

"Stop." Fox in the very front suddenly raised a fist, making a halt gesture.

The three instantly came to a standstill, each finding cover.

Ling's Jōgan immediately caught the anomaly-about fifty meters ahead, behind a seemingly ordinary patch of bushes, the free Chakra particles in the air presented an unnatural distortion and stagnation, forming an extremely concealed small sensory barrier. The energy nature of the barrier was chilly and obscure, carrying an unpleasant aura homologous to the border pollution source.

"An ambush? Or an early warning device?" Ling asked in a low voice through the team's internal encrypted communication.

"More like an early warning barrier." Fox's voice was calm, "The technique is very professional, and the energy nature... matches the target organization. They indeed have arrangements here."

"Do we need to go around?" Xi asked, her perception also detecting that faint sense of discord.

Fox was silent for a few seconds, seemingly observing and calculating. "The barrier range is not large, but it is arranged very cleverly. Going around will waste at least twenty minutes, and there's no guarantee there aren't more ahead. Destroying it directly carries the risk of exposure... Crow, can your eyes see the structure and nodes of the barrier?"

Ling looked intently. In the vision of the Jōgan, the invisible barrier manifested a light gray light film, supported by several main energy veins connecting to several hidden Runestones on the ground. The rhythm of energy flow was stable, but there were subtle, periodic fluctuations at several nodes.

"I can see clearly. It's a compound trigger early warning barrier, dominated by Yin Release Chakra, combined with natural energy disturbance perception. There are four main support nodes; destroying any two will make it fail. But there is an anti-trigger mechanism at the nodes. If the destruction method is wrong or the speed is not fast enough, it might trigger an alarm," Ling reported quickly.

"Azure Phoenix," Fox called for remote support, "Fifty meters ahead of us, coordinates marked. Enemy early warning barrier discovered. Can you remotely interfere with its energy flow for three seconds?"

After a brief delay, Azure Phoenix's ethereal voice came: "Energy frequency received... can try, but the opponent's barrier structure is special. The interference effect may be only two seconds, and it may cause slight energy ripples."

"Two seconds is enough." Fox looked at Ling, "Crow, two seconds. I need you to simultaneously destroy two designated nodes. Can you do it?"

Ling quickly simulated the distance, angle, and required speed in his heart. "Yes, but precise coordinates and synchronization are required."

Fox immediately outlined a simple schematic diagram on the ground with Chakra, pointing out the coordinates of two diagonal positions with relatively lower destruction difficulty. "I'll count to three, Azure Phoenix starts interfering, and you strike at the same time. Xi, keep watch on the surroundings."

"Understood."

The three took their respective positions. Ling pulled out two special Shuriken, attached Chakra to the blade tips, and adjusted his breathing and angle.

"...One...Two...Three!"

Hum-

A strange Chakra fluctuation, like rippling water, came from a great distance, gently brushing across the barrier ahead. The light gray light film instantly became blurry, and the energy flow experienced a very brief stagnation and disorder.

Now!

Ling threw his hands out simultaneously, and the two Shuriken turned into two imperceptible black lines, precisely hitting the two nodes designated by Fox with flawless timing!

Puff! Puff!

Two slight sounds like bubbles bursting.

The light gray light film flickered a few times, rapidly dimming and disappearing like a powered-off light bulb. The ground trembled slightly, and cracks appeared on the surfaces of several hidden Runestones, causing them to lose their luster.

The whole process took less than two seconds. The surroundings returned to peace, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

"Barrier cleared. Proceed forward and maintain highest vigilance." Fox took the lead to rise, reconfirming the direction. "The enemy may already know something interfered with the barrier, but may not be able to determine the specific location and intention. We'll speed up."

The three set off again, but with even more caution. In the subsequent journey, they discovered two more similar early warning barriers, but all were silently cracked or bypassed by Ling and Fox with Azure Phoenix's remote support in a similar manner. The enemy's guard arrangement was even tighter than expected, which instead corroborated the importance of this place.

The closer they got to the target area, the surrounding scenery also began to turn bizarre. The originally dense and lush forest trees gradually became sparse, and the remaining tree branches and leaves presented an unhealthy grayish-green color, their tree bark dry and cracked as if losing vitality. Dark purple, moss-like bizarre fungi began to appear on the ground, emitting a faint, unsettling energy fluctuation. A faint smell mixed with decay and some sweet spice lingered in the air.

"The natural ecology has been polluted..." Xi said in a low voice, her tone carrying sorrow and vigilance. "Although not as severe as the border fog, this erosion is slow and continuous. The seals around the shrine must have problems."

Ling also felt a faint throbbing from the Fragment in his arms, as if being attracted, but it quickly calmed down again. The energy environment here indeed had some connection with the Fragment and the previous pollution source.

Night completely fell, and a cold moon hung on the tree tops, casting a cold radiance. Borrowing the moonlight and the enhanced vision of Ling's Sharingan, the three finally arrived at the edge of the valley where the Shrine of Sealing Evil was located.

They lurked behind rocks on a high ground, looking down.

The valley was not large, and the center was a relatively flat open space. On the open space stood an ancient shrine built entirely of grayish-black giant stones. The style of the shrine was extremely primitive, or even rough, without any luxurious decorations, save for dense, blurred runes carved all over the stone walls. The roof of the shrine had partially collapsed, revealing the pitch-black interior. The entire shrine exuded an aged, heavy, and vaguely ominous aura.

At this moment, the situation around the shrine made the hearts of all three sink.

Six figures wearing black cloaks and beaked masks were surrounding the outer perimeter of the shrine. They did not enter the interior of the shrine, but instead buried certain black metal piles carved with runes in six specific positions around the shrine. These metal piles were connected by energy lines glowing with a dark purple light, forming a gradually forming Hexagram Barrier that enveloped the entire shrine within.

What was even more unsettling was that right in the center of the barrier, in front of the closed and dilapidated stone gate of the shrine, a slightly taller figure with dark golden runes embroidered on his cloak (evidently the "priest" mentioned in the intel) was kneeling on one knee, holding a crystal ball emitting a rich grayish-purple light with both hands. Inside the crystal ball, that ball of rolling mist was more active and solid than the one sensed at the border, as if it would burst out of the ball at any moment. The priest chanted words in his mouth, and the low, hoarse chanting echoed in the silent valley, carrying a mesmerizingly unsettling rhythm.

With his chanting, the light of the crystal ball grew increasingly intense, and wisps of grayish-purple energy spread from the sphere like tentacles, slowly seeping into the ground to connect with the Hexagram Barrier. Meanwhile, the light of the barrier began to erode the stone walls of the shrine like a living creature, engaging in fierce conflict with the ancient sealing runes on the surface of the shrine and emitting a slight "sizzling" sound. Every slight sound made the light of those already blurred runes a fraction dimmer.

They were activating the barrier, attempting to forcibly erode and destroy the ancient seals with the energy of the pollution source!

"They are performing a ritual! We can't let them finish!" Xi's voice carried anxiety. "That barrier is weakening the seal. Once the seal is broken, the thing suppressed inside the shrine..."

Fox observed the scene rapidly. "Six guards, strength estimated from Chunin to Jônin. The central priest has a very strong Chakra reaction, at least Elite Jônin level. The barrier they formed is at a critical moment, and the defense may be tight outside and loose inside. Azure Phoenix, report other surrounding energy reactions."

"No other large-scale Chakra gathering found," Azure Phoenix replied quickly. "But the energy reaction inside the shrine is extremely obscure and chaotic, unable to be clearly perceived. No other ambushes found in the periphery. It is recommended to act as soon as possible; the ritual energy fluctuation is continuously strengthening."

Fox made a prompt decision: "Mission changed from reconnaissance to interception. Primary objective: interrupt the ritual, destroy or capture the crystal ball, and prevent the seal from being broken. Secondary objective: try to capture live prisoners, especially that priest. Crow, you are responsible for the three guards on the left, create chaos and draw attention. Xi, you and I deal with the three on the right, and try to interfere with or cut off the barrier energy connection. I will seize the opportunity to attack the priest. Note, absolutely do not let the crystal ball's energy completely erupt or invade the interior of the shrine. Action!"

"Understood!"

The three rushed down straight from the high ground like arrows leaving the string! Ling raised his speed to the extreme, Sharingan fully opened, instantly locking onto the three guards on the left who had their backs to him and were concentrating on maintaining the barrier piles. Mid-air, his hands threw six Shuriken like fluttering flowers, in groups of two, shooting at the vital points of the three guards' backs, backs of necks, and knee bends respectively!

However, the reactions of these guards were extremely fast! Almost simultaneously with the sound of breaking wind, the three rolled and dodged to the sides, and two of them threw Kunai in reverse, precisely knocking down the Shuriken attacking them!

"Ambush!" a guard shouted sharply.

The three on the left instantly entered a combat state, turning to face Ling with uniform movements, obviously well-trained. They did not rush to attack, but quickly formed a small triangular formation, covering each other while starting to weave Hand Seals.

"Yin Release: Bone-Eroding Mist!" one of them muttered in a low voice, opening his mouth to spew a grayish-black mist carrying a pungent, fishy stench that rapidly spread to block the line of sight, with the mist also carrying the effect of Chakra erosion.

Ling immediately held his breath, his Sharingan piercing through the mist to lock onto the positions of the three. He found that the Chakra flow method of these three was very strange, with subtle resonance among each other, and a vague connection with the central barrier and the crystal ball.

They could not be allowed to cast Ninjutsu at ease!

Chakra erupted under Ling's feet, and his figure cut into the mist like a phantom, targeting the guard on the left who had just cast the mist technique. His speed was astonishingly fast, leaving streaks of afterimages in the mist.

That guard seemingly did not expect Ling's speed to be so fast, swinging his fist to block in a rush. But Ling's Kunai had already slashed toward his wrist, forcing him to change his move. At the same time, Ling's left hand silently formed a simple seal.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A small surge of strong airflow erupted with Ling at the center. Although it was not a powerful offensive Ninjutsu, it happened to blow away the surrounding Bone-Eroding Mist and disrupted the Ninjutsu being prepared by the other two guards.

Taking advantage of the moment when the mist dispersed, Ling's Sharingan captured the brief opening revealed by the guard due to the mist being blown away. Without hesitation, Ling stabbed straight at the opponent's throat with his Kunai!

Just as he was about to succeed, the attacks of the other two guards arrived! A pitch-black energy arrow composed of Yin Release Chakra and several Shuriken entwined with grayish-purple energy simultaneously attacked Ling from both left and right!

Ling had to abandon the fatal blow, violently twisting his body like a boneless swimming fish to pass through the narrow gap between the two attacks by a hair's breadth, but his left arm was still grazed by the energy arrow, sending a piercing chill and a sense of Chakra stagnation. The opponent's energy carried strong erosion characteristics!

At the same time, the battle on the right had also broken out.

Fox was as agile as a real fox. She did not directly attack the guards, but immediately threw several Kunai with Explosive Tags attached, shooting at those energy lines on the ground connecting the barrier piles!

Boom! Boom!

Amidst the explosive firelight, two energy lines were blown apart! The light of the Hexagram Barrier dimmed abruptly, presenting two obvious gaps!

"Stop her!" The three guards on the right were alarmed and enraged; two lunged at Fox, while another tried to repair the blown-apart energy line.

Xi, following Fox's instructions, did not participate in close combat, but quickly wove hand seals to condense her own Uzumaki Chakra. Light red, vital Chakra formed a spinning sphere of light in her hands.

"Sealing Jutsu: Purification and Erosion Ring!"

She tossed the light sphere toward the upper center of the barrier. The sphere exploded, turning into countless tiny light-red Runes that fell like raindrops onto the dark-purple barrier light film. The moment these dots contacted the barrier energy, they made a "sizzling" sound, like water droplets falling on a red-hot iron plate. Although the individual power was not large, the continuous quantity consumed and interfered with the stability of the barrier, especially where Fox had blasted gaps, causing the repair speed to slow down significantly.

The priest's chanting suddenly pitched higher, becoming sharp and urgent! The crystal ball in his hand burst into a dazzling grayish-purple light! Evidently, the ritual being interrupted made him extremely angry.

"Blasphemers! You will pay the price!" The priest suddenly raised his head, and those cold eyes beneath the beaked mask crossed the battlefield, locking onto Xi who was interfering with the barrier. "Deal with that Uzumaki remnant first!"

He maintained control of the crystal ball with his left hand and swung his right hand fiercely!

"Summoning Technique: Soul-Eroding Beasts!"

The ground split open, and three distorted monsters shaped like gray mist and dark purple energy without fixed forms crawled out! They emitted silent roars, rushing straight toward Xi! These monsters had no physical bodies, moved in bizarre ways, and emitted the same nauseating evil aura homologous to the mist and pollution source!

"Xi! Be careful!" Seeing this, Fox immediately wanted to shake off the entanglement of the two guards to go rescue, but the two guards evidently had also received instructions to block desperately, making their attacks even madder.

Just as the three Soul-Eroding Beasts were about to lunge in front of Xi, and Xi's attention was mostly focused on maintaining the Purifying Erosion Ring, the situation was critical!

At that moment, a figure cut in like lightning, blocking between Xi and the Soul-Eroding Beasts!

It was Ling!

After forcing back the guard on the left, he used the Sharingan to perceive the priest's action and the trajectory of the Soul-Eroding Beasts, unhesitatingly abandoning his current opponent and rushing back at maximum speed.

Faced with monsters without physical bodies that exuded soul-erosion auras, physical attacks and conventional Ninjutsu had extremely poor effects. Ling took a deep breath, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes. He could not fully use the power of the Eye of Purification and Erosion, but... perhaps he could try guiding a wisp of the Fragment's aura?

He did not directly activate the Fragment, but instead circulated his own Chakra at a special frequency, simulating the chilly characteristic of the Fragment's energy that seemed capable of devouring Yin Release, mixed with his own Chakra, covering his Kunai and both hands.

"Get lost!"

Ling shouted angrily, wielding the Kunai covered with special energy to slash toward the lunging Soul-Eroding Beasts!

Screech-!

Like a hot knife through butter, the Kunai passed through the body of the first Soul-Eroding Beast without hindrance! The monster emitted a shrill soul shriek, and where its body was slashed, the gray mist and purple light rapidly dissipated and annihilated, its entire form becoming extremely unstable and its movements slowing down.

Effective! Although unable to completely purify like fully using the Eye of Purification and Erosion, this simulated energy had a significant restraining effect on these Yin Release soul creations!

Ling's spirits lifted, his figure flashing consecutively, and he swung his Kunai repeatedly to force back and wound the other two Soul-Eroding Beasts. Although unable to eliminate them immediately (they were connected to the crystal ball's energy and seemed capable of slow recovery), he successfully cleared the siege for Xi.

"Thank you..." Xi's face was pale, but the sealing jutsu in her hands did not stop.

"Concentrate on maintaining the technique, leave these monsters to me!" Ling said in a deep voice, standing in front of Xi and confronting the three injured yet still fierce Soul-Eroding Beasts. He had to conserve Chakra and could not fall into a protracted battle.

On the other side, Fox finally found an opportunity. Taking advantage of the impatience of a guard eager to repair the barrier line, she exposed a flaw, subdued him with an exquisite joint technique the moment he closed in, and cuffed him with special restraints in reverse. At the same time, she kicked another guard flying, temporarily clearing the obstruction toward the priest.

Her figure was like lightning as she dashed straight toward the priest who was desperately urging the crystal ball in an attempt to stabilize and accelerate the ritual!

"It's over!" Fox shouted sharply, her Kunai carrying a biting cold light as she stabbed toward the priest's back!

However, the moment the Kunai was about to hit, the priest suddenly turned his head, and beneath the beaked mask, a strange light flashed in those cold eyes.

He did not dodge or evade at all, simply aiming the crystal ball in his hand slightly toward the rushing Fox.

"Foolish... feel the embrace of the Erosion Abyss!"

The grayish-purple mist inside the crystal ball erupted like a volcano suppressed to the extreme!