The scorching air on the outskirts of Solov Hollow was like a living monster, every breath carrying the scorched stench of sulfur and lava.
Lin Shuo crouched behind a rock turned dark red by Ether Corruption, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan watching the volcanic crater three hundred meters away through the shimmering heat.
That was the area where Four-Tails Son Goku was most likely to appear-according to the data Manato had sent back yesterday, Ether activity there had peaked at three in the morning before gradually declining.
It was now four in the afternoon, and activity had already fallen below the safety threshold.
But Lin Shuo did not approach rashly.
Because he had seen something else.
Human figures.
Not civilian investigators like Manato, nor a TOPS exploration team.
They were people wearing dark red robes-the Order.
Three of them slowly approached the crater in tactical formation. Two carried modified Ether rifles, the scarlet patterns on their weapons glowing faintly in the heat.
The third walked at the front, his figure straight, his short dark brown hair lifting slightly in the hot wind. A black tactical mask covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Lin Shuo's gaze locked onto those eyes.
Dark brown irises, the left slightly clouded, as though it had been injured. His gaze was sinister and focused, carrying a predator's wariness as he surveyed his surroundings.
This man... seemed a little familiar.
But Lin Shuo could not remember where he had seen him.
[System notification: High-threat target detected-Half-Ethereal Transformation individual. Ether activity rank: B+. Maintaining distance recommended.]
Half-Ethereal Transformation.
The Order's core fighting force.
Lin Shuo narrowed his eyes, magnifying his Sharingan's view further.
He saw the male leader's right hand-from the wrist exposed beneath his sleeve to his palm, a layer of pale chitin covered it, his fingertips shaped like claws, their tips glowing an eerie blue.
Neurotoxin.
And the man's left hand was also holding... a child?
A little girl who looked seven or eight, with short blue hair and a pair of small ram horns on her head. Her face was filthy, and she wore a protective suit that clearly did not fit.
A chain of Ether energy tethered her wrist to the man. She stumbled along after him, her green eyes full of fear and confusion.
What made Lin Shuo's pupils contract most was-
The child's features bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Lucia's.
Only the tips of Lucia's horns were more curved, while hers were shorter and straighter.
But those contours, the shape of those eyes...
"System, scan that child."
[Scanning...] [Scan results: Human female. Estimated age: 7-8. Race: sheep Thiren variant. High concentration of Tailed Beast Chakra detected within body-database match: Five-Tails Kokuō.]
Five-Tails?
Lin Shuo's heart gave a heavy thump.
Not Four-Tails, but Five-Tails?
And this child... was a Jinchūriki?
[Supplementary data: This individual's Chakra nature is "Boil Release." She has currently mastered the basics of Partial Tailed Beast Transformation. Mental state: amnesia (memory disruption caused by spacetime travel), retaining only instinctive combat awareness.] [Key information: Genetic comparison indicates a 97.3% bloodline similarity between this individual and "Lucia Elowen." Genetic similarity to host (parallel-spacetime variant): 49.8%.]
The series of information the system provided next made Lin Shuo's breathing stop for a moment.
A parallel spacetime... his and Lucia's child?
His self in that spacetime had no Sharingan, and his greatest trump cards were Half-Ethereal Transformation and Taijutsu-so he had chosen to be with Lucia, and even had a child?
[Note: Primarily, the Lin Shuo of that spacetime likewise enjoyed running off into Hollows at every opportunity. This was also the main reason he and Lucia ended up together. He even took Lucia, an Ethereal enthusiast, to see Nineveh.]
And that child was Five-Tails Kokuō's Jinchūriki, and had traveled to this world?
There was too much information. Lin Shuo's mind raced.
But the situation before him did not allow him to take his time analyzing it.
Because the Order's leader had already brought the child to the crater's edge.
"Right below."
The man's voice came through his mask, low and hoarse, with a quality like metal scraping.
He crouched, pressed his clawlike right hand against the scorching rock, and closed his eyes to sense it for a few seconds.
"The Ether concentration is still rising... that monster's about to wake up."
"Sir, should we set the trap now?" one subordinate asked.
"Yes." The man nodded.
"Bring 'that' out-the Ether suppression net specially supplied by TOPS. Supposedly, it can trap even a Mercury-class Ethereal for three minutes."
The subordinate took a metal cylinder from his backpack and opened it. Inside was a netlike device flickering with dark purple light.
Lin Shuo recognized it-standard Defense Force equipment, specifically used to capture high-risk Ether creatures. But this one was clearly modified, its surface patterns bearing the Order's distinctive twisted symbols.
They wanted to capture Four-Tails.
And... they were bringing that little Five-Tails Jinchuriki girl along, too?
"You." The man turned toward the little girl, deliberately softening his voice, though that softness carried an unpleasant, cloying quality.
"I'll need your help in a moment-use your power to lure out the big gorilla down below, all right?"
The little girl shrank back, tears welling in her green eyes.
"I... I can't..."
"You can."
The man chuckled and lightly rubbed the back of his claw against her cheek-the movement was gentle, but the claw tip cut her skin, drawing beads of blood.
"The 'great one' inside you will help you-as long as you release just a little of your aura, the fellow below will think one of its kind has come and naturally emerge to investigate."
The little girl bit her lip and said nothing.
But Lin Shuo saw her body begin trembling slightly-not from fear, but from some energy stirring restlessly within her.
Boil Release Chakra.
Five-Tails Kokuō's power.
System, Lin Shuo quickly ordered inwardly. Analyze the battlefield-the best timing and plan for intervention.
[Analyzing...] [Recommendation: Wait for the instant Four-Tails is lured out, then use Water Release to create large-scale steam cover. Prioritize rescuing the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Reasons: 1. The child's condition is unstable; she may go berserk; 2. The Order's objective is capture, so they will not immediately deal a killing blow; 3. The host's Water Release can produce a tactical advantage in a high-temperature environment.] [Warning: Target leader (Half-Ethereal Transformation individual) poses a high threat. Avoid close combat. His claw toxin can cause neural paralysis. Onset time: 3-5 seconds.]
Lin Shuo took a deep breath and began forming Hand Seals.
Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger.
The preparatory sequence for Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
But he would not use it now-he had to wait.
A dull tremor came from beneath the crater.
"It's coming!"
The Order leader's eyes lit up. He pulled the girl several steps back while his two subordinates swiftly spread the suppression net, aiming it at the crater.
The tremors grew stronger.
Rock began to split, dark red lava welling from the cracks, and the sulfur in the air grew pungent enough to sting the nose.
Then-
"ROOOAR!!!"
A deafening roar.
An enormous head covered in lava and armored shell emerged from the crater.
Four-Tails Son Goku.
Even with only its upper body emerging, it already stood over twenty meters tall. Its scarlet eyes were like two blazing flames, and its drool instantly burned charred pits into the ground wherever it fell.
Its gaze immediately locked onto the little girl.
Or rather, onto the aura of Five-Tails Kokuō within her.
"One of my kind...?"
Four-Tails' voice rang directly inside everyone's minds, deep, irritable, and confused.
"No... a cub? Why... is there a cub here?"
It looked at the Order's members, its gaze instantly turning furious.
"Humans... you again! You're using a cub as bait?!"
"Do it!" the leader roared.
The suppression net was hurled out instantly, its dark purple energy mesh unfolding in midair and descending over Four-Tails' head.
At the same time, the two subordinates raised their Ether rifles and fired at Four-Tails' eyes-not to injure it, but to distract it.
Blue Ether rounds struck Four-Tails' eyelids, bursting into clusters of light.
Four-Tails roared in pain, raised a forelimb, and slammed it hard against the ground.
BOOM!!!
The earth shook.
The shock wave blasted both subordinates away, and the suppression net was knocked off course, tangling around only one of Four-Tails' forelimbs.
But that was enough.
"Now!" The leader shoved the little girl forward.
"Release your aura! Distract it!"
The girl stumbled from the shove and fell onto the scorching ground, her palms burning into blood blisters.
She raised her head, crying, and looked at the enormous monster before her. The fear inside her finally overwhelmed her reason-
"Wah... AAAAAH!!!"
White steam erupted from her entire body.
The girl's body began to swell-not a Tailed Beast Transformation, but the precursor to a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
A white Chakra Cloak covered her entire body, the horns on her head grew longer and thicker, and three tails made of steam sprouted behind her.
Her eyes became bestial vertical pupils as she stared at Four-Tails and growled.
Four-Tails stopped moving.
It watched the steam Tailed Beast Cloak on the little girl, the fury in its eyes slowly turning into... confusion?
"Kokuō's... aura... but why is it so weak?"
Seizing this opportunity, the leader moved.
His right arm underwent a complete Ethereal transformation, pale chitin covering it up to the shoulder, his claws extending to half a meter long. Like a bolt of dark red lightning, he lunged straight at Four-Tails' forelimb tangled in the suppression net.
His objective was clear-destroy the joint and immobilize Four-Tails.
But the instant before his claws touched Four-Tails' skin-
Three water dragons struck from three different directions, not attacking Four-Tails, but crashing precisely into the leader's path.
"What?!"
The leader was forced to retreat, his claws slicing through the water dragons, but the rushing water also knocked him off balance.
He landed and turned, his sinister eyes instantly locking onto the rock where Lin Shuo was hiding.
"Who's there?!"
Lin Shuo stepped out from behind the rock without a mask-since he was saving someone, there was no need to hide his identity.
He kept his hands in a seal, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning amid the heat.
"Retired Defense Force personnel-just passing through."
"Busybody."
The leader sneered, the eerie blue light on his right claws intensifying.
"Since you've seen this, don't think you're leaving alive-kill him!"
The two subordinates climbed off the ground and raised their Ether rifles to fire.
But Lin Shuo moved faster.
Three walls of water rose from the ground, blocking both the bullets and their line of sight.
Lin Shuo vanished behind the water walls.
"Above!" The leader suddenly looked up.
At some point, Lin Shuo had already leaped into the air and finished his Hand Seals-
He was not attacking the people or Four-Tails.
He was attacking the ground.
Surging water poured down from the sky, striking the scorching rocky ground and instantly evaporating into billowing steam.
White vapor shrouded the entire crater area, reducing visibility to less than five meters.
"Damn it! He's using steam as cover!" one subordinate yelled.
"Stay calm!" The leader's voice remained steady, even carrying a certain twisted excitement.
"He can control water... interesting-I've heard of you, Lin Shuo from Ichiraku Ramen. Former Obsidian Camp elite."
Lin Shuo's heart sank.
This man knew his information.
"The Order has quite a thorough file on me." Lin Shuo's voice echoed through the steam, its position shifting elusively.
"You're a 'special sample,' after all." The leader chuckled.
"But today... I'll be taking your eyes."
Before his words had faded, his figure suddenly vanished into the steam.
Pure speed combined with the physical enhancement granted by Half-Ethereal Transformation.
Lin Shuo's Sharingan caught his trajectory, but his body's response was half a beat too slow.
The claws grazed his left shoulder, tearing his protective suit and leaving three shallow marks on his skin.
There was no bleeding.
But Lin Shuo immediately felt something wrong-numbness spread from the wound, and his left arm began losing sensation.
"The toxin works fast, doesn't it?"
The leader's voice came from his right.
"Localized numbness in three seconds, paralysis of half the body in five, full-body paralysis in ten-a gift specially formulated for 'powerful individuals.'"
Lin Shuo gritted his teeth, his right hand rapidly forming hand seals.
A sphere of water formed around the leader, but a swipe of his claws tore the water prison apart.
"Useless." The leader closed in, a cruel light flickering in his dark brown eyes.
"Your abilities are severely weakened here-a high-temperature environment is your bane."
He was right.
Lin Shuo could feel his chakra draining thirty percent faster than usual, and his Water Release had indeed weakened.
But he had never counted on Water Release to end the fight.
"Then how about this?"
In Lin Shuo's right eye, the three tomoe began spinning and rearranging-
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The leader froze for an instant.
Not because an ocular jutsu had affected him, but out of instinctive wariness toward an unknown power.
But Lin Shuo used neither Amaterasu nor Susanoo.
He used something more basic-
Genjutsu: Sharingan.
Just eye contact.
But enhanced by the Mangekyō, the genjutsu was far more powerful than the three-tomoe version.
The leader's eyes instantly went vacant, his movements stopping where he stood.
Lin Shuo took the chance to retreat. His left hand was already completely numb, so he used his right to pull an antidote from his belt pouch and inject it into his left arm.
The numbness began to ease.
But not fast enough.
Because the leader... smiled.
"...Not bad."
His voice sounded somewhat distant, but he was indeed speaking.
"But haven't you forgotten... nerves under Half-Ethereal Transformation aren't quite the same as a human's?"
His claws suddenly stabbed into his own thigh.
The pain cracked the genjutsu, and clarity returned to the leader's eyes. Though still somewhat dazed, he could move again.
"You're ruthless even to yourself," Lin Shuo said coldly.
"What's a little pain if it achieves my goal?"
The leader licked the blood off his claws.
"Just like back then... someone endured the experiments meant for me to save me. Someone killed her with his own hands to free another from suffering-"
His voice suddenly twisted, as though he were suppressing something.
"But none of that matters anymore... what matters is now. I'm going to capture this monkey and this brat and offer them to TOPS in exchange for resources, for power... for a chance to destroy this twisted world!"
He charged at Lin Shuo, faster than before.
This time, Lin Shuo did not dodge.
He raised his still-mobile right hand, aiming his palm at the leader-
Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!
This was the advanced Water Release he had exchanged fragments for yesterday.
Water compressed to its limit spun in his palm, forming a drill-like shape before shooting out.
The leader's pupils contracted, and he crossed his claws to block.
Screeeeech!!!
The water drill collided with the claws, producing an ear-piercing scraping sound.
The claws tore the water apart, but fresh water kept replenishing it, the spinning force wearing away the chitin little by little.
"How... can you...?!" the leader asked through gritted teeth.
"Just learned it."
Lin Shuo told the truth.
The Hard Vortex Water Blade lasted three seconds before cracks finally appeared in the leader's claws.
He was forced to retreat, the chitin on his right hand beginning to peel away and expose the skin beneath, shredded into a bloody mess by the water.
"Sir!" His two subordinates tried to help.
"Stay back!" the leader growled.
"Grab that brat! Take her away!"
His subordinates rushed toward the little girl trembling in the steam.
But Four-Tails moved.
He had been watching everything, a glimmer of something like... thought flashing in his scarlet eyes.
Then he made his choice.
An enormous forelimb rose and swatted at the two subordinates.
Not to kill them, but to send them flying.
The two were swept dozens of meters away like rag dolls, crashing into rocks and passing out.
Four-Tails turned to look at the leader.
"Human... did you just say you wanted to capture the cub?"
His voice carried suppressed fury.
"She is Kokuō's contractor... a companion of the tailed beasts. And you... want to treat her as merchandise?"
Lava began gathering in Four-Tails' mouth.
The leader's expression changed.
"Wait! We can talk-"
"Talk, my ass!"
Four-Tails roared.
"You humans... never learn respect!"
Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain!
He attacked neither the leader nor Lin Shuo.
He attacked the ground.
Lava surged from underground like fountains, instantly reshaping the terrain-walls of lava rose, trapping the leader in the middle while also cutting Lin Shuo and the little girl off from him.
"Cub." Four-Tails looked at the little girl, his voice softening slightly.
"Come over here... Kokuō inside you is calling to me."
The little girl looked hesitantly at Four-Tails, then at Lin Shuo, before finally walking slowly toward Four-Tails.
The leader's furious roar came from behind the lava walls. "You won't get away! TOPS troops are right outside! The Defense Force is on its way too! You-"
"Shut up."
Lin Shuo walked to the lava wall and looked through a gap at the frenzied man inside.
"You're taking nothing away today."
"...Lin Shuo."
The leader suddenly called his name.
His voice was quiet, but Lin Shuo heard him.
"You'll regret this... just as I regret failing to save her back then."
"What?"
"Nothing."
The leader chuckled, his laughter filled with twisted bitterness.
"I just... suddenly wanted to say this-the next time we meet, we'll truly be enemies. When that time comes, I won't hold back anymore."
He pulled out a metal ball and slammed it onto the ground.
Dense black smoke exploded outward, carrying intense Ether interference.
By the time the smoke cleared, no one remained within the lava walls.
He had escaped.
Lin Shuo stood where he was, staring at the pool of blood and shattered chitin, his brow deeply furrowed.
Who... was that man?
Why... did he give him such a familiar sense of pain?
"Human."
Four-Tails' voice brought him back to reality.
Lin Shuo turned and saw the little girl already standing beside Four-Tails. The steaming Tailed Beast Cloak around her slowly dissipated, and she became that frightened, bewildered child again.
Four-Tails looked down at Lin Shuo, his scarlet eyes narrowing.
"You just... protected the cub."
"...I was there anyway."
"But you're human too."
Four-Tails paused. "Still... you're different from those people. Your eyes... remind me of an annoying fellow."
Did he mean Madara Uchiha or Obito Uchiha?
Lin Shuo did not ask.
"So," Four-Tails continued.
"I can give you a chance-convince me why I shouldn't burn both of you to ashes right now."
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
The little girl grabbed one of Four-Tails' toes and whispered, "He... he just saved me..."
"I know." Four-Tails snorted.
"But those are separate matters-human, answer my question."
Lin Shuo looked at Four-Tails, at the pure, undisguised irascibility and suspicion in his eyes.
Then he uttered three words.
"Matatabi and Isobu."
Four-Tails' eyes flew wide open.
"What did you say?!"
"Two-Tails Matatabi and Isobu-they're living with me now, in Bangboo form."
Lin Shuo spoke calmly.
"If you want, you can join us too-you'd have to look like a rabbit or a turtle, but at least... you wouldn't be rejected by this world or hunted by humans."
Four-Tails fell silent.
After a long while, he said quietly, "...They're with you?"
"Yes."
"Willingly?"
"Willingly."
Four-Tails stared at Lin Shuo for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
"Haha... hahahaha! That guy Shukaku turned into a rabbit?! Isobu turned into a turtle?! Hahahaha! That image is too beautiful-I can't bear to look!"
His laughter shook the entire volcano.
Once he had laughed enough, he lowered his head, his gaze turning serious.
"All right... I'll join."
"Really?"
"Really," Four-Tails said.
"But I have one condition-I want to see them, to see their Bangboo forms with my own eyes. If I find out you're lying to me..."
He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of lava, which slowly spun in the air.
"I'll burn you to ashes, then burn those two disgraceful tailed beasts to ashes too."
The corners of Lin Shuo's mouth lifted slightly.
"Deal."
[System notification: Four-Tails Son Goku has agreed to Bangboo conversion (pending confirmation). Contact established with the Five-Tails Jinchuriki (amnesiac state). Escalating spacetime anomaly detected-stabilizing this individual's condition as soon as possible is recommended to prevent Kokuō from going berserk.]
Lin Shuo looked at the blue-haired little girl.
She was looking at him timidly, her green eyes full of confusion.
"Who... who are you?"
"Lin Shuo," he said.
"And you? What's your name?"
The little girl thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I... I don't remember..."
"Then... can I call you Little Mu?"
The little girl blinked, then nodded gently.
"Little Mu... sounds nice."
Lin Shuo walked over to her, crouched down, and held out his uninjured right hand.
"Little Mu, would you like to come with me? To meet Matatabi and Isobu, and... someone else who might become your family."
Little Mu looked at him, then at Four-Tails.
Four-Tails snorted. "Go on, cub-if this guy dares trick you, I'll come take you back."
Only then did Little Mu cautiously reach out and clasp Lin Shuo's fingers.
Her hand was tiny, cold, and still trembling.
But her grip was tight.
"Let's go." Lin Shuo stood up.
"Let's get out of here first-TOPS and the Defense Force should be here soon."
He looked at Four-Tails. "You..."
"I'll catch up," Four-Tails said.
"But I need to deal with the traces first-I can't let humans find my lair."
It opened its mouth, and lava gushed out, covering the entire crater area.
Once the lava cooled, this place would become a new stretch of rock, burying every trace of the battle.
Lin Shuo nodded, took Little Mu by the hand, and turned to leave.
After walking some distance, he glanced back.
Four-Tails stood in the lava, its scarlet eyes fixed on him, then slowly sank underground.
Silence returned to Solov Hollow.
Only the rising waves of heat and the lingering smell of sulfur in the air proved that everything that had just happened was no illusion.
Lin Shuo looked at the daughter from another time and space beside him, complicated emotions welling up inside him.
If Lucia found out... how would she react?
And Yuzuha... how was he supposed to explain this?
He sighed.
"Forget it... let's go home first."
Little Mu looked up at him, an innocent light shining in her green eyes.
"What's... home like?"
"There's warm food, someone waiting for you to come back, and a place where you can sleep without worry."
"...That sounds nice."
"Yeah."
Lin Shuo tightened his grip on her hand.
"From now on, it'll be your home too."
The two disappeared into the waves of heat.
Meanwhile, on a distant ridge, a figure in a dark red robe stood silently, watching the direction they had left in.
Qian An removed his mask, revealing his faintly scarred face.
His right arm was still bleeding, but his expression was terrifyingly calm.
"Lin Shuo... you still love sticking your nose into other people's business."
He murmured to himself, a twisted gleam flashing in his dark brown left eye.
"But next time... next time, I'll take that brat away for sure!"
He turned and vanished into the shadows.
Only the wind swept over the rocks, stirring a faint rustle.
As though playing the prelude to an approaching storm.