Using Earth Release: Earth Release technique, Tian Yueqing and her companions arrived at the Shikkotsu Forest via a secret teleportation passage beneath the Hokage's building. The miasma of Shikkotsu Forest, mingled with the stench of decaying leaves, assaulted their senses. Tian Yueqing gripped her sword hilt tightly, her dark-colored outfit quickly becoming soaked through by the mist. This forest, once lifeless, was now alive with the chirping of insects since the reincarnation of the Living Shikkotsu Forest Katsuyu Sage. The sound of their footsteps crushing the withered leaves echoed through the empty forest.
As they rounded the third precipice, they arrived at the secluded Tenpuku Tsubasa. On the stone bed lay half a scroll of Immortal Cultivation manual filled with annotations, and in the medicine cauldron in the corner, warm ashes lingered. Tian Yueqing touched the dent on the edge of the jade bed—marks left by her husband's years of sitting cross-legged, now chillingly cold.
" Tsubasa, my husband!" Their shouts echoed against the rock wall, startling a few lurking insects. The echoes reverberated deep within the cave. No one was inside, but it was certain that Tsubasa had been gone for no more than a week. The three emerged from the cave and decided to split up to search the entire Shikkotsu Forest.
At the foot of a cliff, Tian Yueqing clutched a charred piece of clothing, her knuckles turning bluish-white in the morning mist. This was the only clue she had found deep in the Shikkotsu Forest —dark purple lightning patterns clung to the edge of the fabric, the very tear from the clothes Tianyi had burned during Tsubasa Tribulation Transcendence.
"I've explored the miasma swamp to the east three times." Tian Uguisu walked over, her dark skirt stained with dark red moss, the bells at her waist jingling. "I haven't seen a single Kageko." She suddenly stopped, her nose twitching slightly. "Sister Qing, that thing in your hand..."
Tian Mai flipped down from the hanging ancient vine, her sword flashing silver in her palm. "Needless to say? These scorch marks are clearly from being struck by lightning." She kicked aside a charred piece of wood at her feet, revealing fine lightning patterns at the broken trunk, like a twisted Spiderweb. "Who could withstand such lightning-based Ninjutsu? My husband must have been ambushed. I suspect it was someone from the Land of Lightning Land of Lightning. I can't think of anyone else besides them who could have done this."
The three walked side by side through the tangled roots of giant trees, the humus making an eerie gurgling sound under their feet. The unique sweet and pungent smell of the Shikkotsu Forest was suddenly mixed with the burnt smell of sulfur. Tian Yueqing's heart suddenly raced, and she abruptly looked up at the cliff top.
Turning past the moss-covered rock face, the sight before them made the three of them gasp simultaneously. A cliff hundreds of meters in diameter had been leveled, and the gravel gleamed with an eerie metallic luster in the morning light, like molten iron that had been boiled and then cooled. The charred remains of tree trunks were stuck in the sand, their broken surfaces displaying strange patterns of crystals and lava intertwined.
"This is no ordinary lightning-type Ninjutsu." Tian Uguisu crouched down, her bell suddenly shaking wildly, the clapper emitting a chilling whimper. "Was my husband ambushed with some kind of large-scale lightning-type nuclear weapon? I've seen the blueprints for nuclear weapons with Tsubasa; large-scale lightning-type Ninjutsu would be accompanied by powerful flames when it strikes. But these marks seem to be concentrated lightning power targeting an individual..."
Her fingertips traced the sand, instantly igniting a ghostly blue flame. "It's clear that several mutually reinforcing lightning Spiritual Power came here to kill one person. All the lightning power was blocked; the marks on the ground are obviously affected. Yet, even so, this hundred-meter cliff was still able to be crystallized by electricity...!"
Tian Mai's sword suddenly drew three inches from its sheath, its cold gleam reflecting her tense jaw. "Someone attacked my husband with a nuclear-like lightning weapon!" The sword hummed as it pointed towards the sky, "Judging from the terrain, the final blow came from the clouds. It can draw upon the power of heavenly lightning..."
"Don't talk nonsense, this is too unbelievable." Tian Yueqing gripped the hilt of her sword, her voice colder than the morning dew in the mist. "Let's go back to Konoha first. We'll take pictures here as evidence, then go back to Konoha to discuss what to do. The best news is that we haven't found my husband's body yet; he might not be dead!"
Tian Uguisu's bell suddenly shattered, scattering bronze fragments around the three of them. Her face was ashen. "Sister Qing, the aura of the Tsubasa within the bell has vanished, what do we do?"
The wind, carrying fine sand, swept across the precipice. Tian Uguisu gazed at the rolling sea of clouds below and suddenly recalled her wedding day when Tsubasa took her to toast their master. At that time, he said that when a true strongman falls, even heaven and earth fall silent. The deathly silence at this moment truly reflected those words.
"Let's go." She crushed the crystal in her hand, the fine dust turning into streams of light that disappeared into the clouds. "No matter what, we must find him alive or dead, even if it means turning the entire Shinobi World upside down..." Before she could finish speaking, Tian Mai suddenly grabbed her wrist, her pupils shrinking sharply. "Why do I always feel like my husband is so close to us!"
"Are you hallucinating? It's just the sound of the wind." Tian Yueqing activated her Mind's Eye of the Kagura but found nothing. Then she saw Tian Mai suddenly lunge towards the cliff edge. "Wait! The feeling is even stronger here—"
"My husband has likely been set up by someone, with a lightning trap laid here." Tian Yueqing gripped the charred hem of her garment, the crisp sound of snapping branches echoing behind her. "And what we need to do now is send a message back."
Dusk, like thick ink, slowly spread across the sky, dyeing the whole world in a somber hue. Tian Yueqing dragged her weary body back to the Ten Family with her sisters. Her steps were heavy, each one feeling like walking on cotton, as if all her strength had been drained away.
Entering the main hall, Tian Yueqing stood in the center, took a deep breath, and pulled out the photos she had taken in the Shikkotsu Forest from her bosom, handing over the piece of clothing she had found. Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, "There were no signs of a struggle in the cave, but there were traces of a battle between extremely powerful individuals on a cliff top. Tsubasa must have fought a super-powerful Lightning Release fighter; he's likely in grave danger..."
As soon as she finished speaking, the prayer beads in Senju Ga's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," rolling to Tian Yueqing's feet. Dō Senju's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam. "Impossible... Tsubasa is so strong, how could he..." Before she could finish speaking, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking, a heartbreaking sight to behold.
Tian Flying Swallow took the photo, staring intently at it for a long while before calmly speaking, "What we can confirm right now is that my husband is indeed in trouble. However, we haven't seen his body, and our attempt to resurrect him using the Impure World Reincarnation failed, which means he's not completely dead. But most likely, he's been taken over by some powerful force. Logically speaking, no single force in the Shinobi World could take down Tsubasa alone; it's probably a joint effort by several parties. We need to investigate all the major forces in the Shinobi World."
Tian Uguisu frowned and spoke first, " In the Shinobi World, the only ones that can be considered are the Five Great Nations, Ryūchi Cave, and Mount Myōboku." Tian Muyan chimed in, "And there's the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon, so we can't rule them out either."
Tian Mai shook her head and analyzed, " Mount Myōboku shouldn't be a suspect. I signed Summoning Contract with the Toad Sage, and their Senjutsu are completely different from this powerful lightning-type Ninjutsu. I think the Land of Lightning is quite suspicious."