The entrance to the middle-level tower was much quieter than that to the lower-level tower, with only the sound of flowing water emanating from within.
The assembled ninja team stood before the tower gate, each member clad in specially designed water-repellent suits. Leading them was an elderly man with white hair; he was none other than Madara Uchiha, now recovered from his injuries and a powerful High Immortal Level expert. "Remember," he patted Tenchu on the shoulder, " the Water Clan monsters in the abyss can sense blood. Once inside, everyone must remain calm, because fear will only attract something more terrifying." He added, "Pay special attention to the Dragon Race experts; it's said there are already False Core Realm or even Golden Core experts among them."
The moment they stepped into the tower, everyone felt as if they were enveloped in water. Strangely, they could still breathe, but all they could hear was the sound of flowing water, occasionally mixed with the rustling sound of scales rubbing against rocks. It was pitch black all around, with only the fluorescent stones in their hands illuminating an area of about ten feet in front of them.
"We will split into two groups, one for the Holy Land and one for the Seven Sects, and send an electronic signal every quarter hour." After saying this, Madara Uchiha led the disciples of the Tenchu Tenpei, into the depths of the water. It was more like a sprint in the water than a swim, as the Immortal Level powerhouses could ignore some of the laws of physics.
Meanwhile, a squad of Kage from the seven factions of Konoha, wearing rune armor, curiously touched the rock wall beside them. Her Tsunade brushed against something slippery. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, the thing suddenly moved, and a mouth full of sharp teeth emerged from the rock, almost biting off her finger.
"It's Abyss Stone Leech!" Hatake Sakumo nearby, swung his sword and severed the stone leech in two. Green blood gushed onto the rock wall, emitting puffs of white smoke and bubbles. "Don't touch their bodies; their fluids are corrosive."
Tsunade, still shaken, stared at the stone leech wriggling on the ground, then suddenly noticed a tiny blue bead, about the size of a grain of rice, radiating a gentle energy at the break. "This is... the Inner Core?"
"That's right," Orochimaru picked up the bead and stuffed it into the pouch at his waist, "The deeper you go, the more Water Clan and sea monsters you'll find, and the better the quality of Inner Core inner cores. But be careful, that was just the lowest-level sea monster."
The seven shadows swam forward for about half an hour when the light from the fluorescent stone suddenly illuminated a wide underwater cave. Countless ice stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, and hundreds or thousands of transparent giant shrimp were attached to the bottom of each stalactite. Their eyes were red, and when they saw the light, they all turned around, and the dense red dots were particularly eerie in the darkness.
"Prepare for battle!" Jiraiya shouted, his ninja tools beginning to gather Senjutsu Chakra.
Just then, a long, drawn-out dragon's roar echoed from the depths of the cave. All the shrimp soldiers suddenly froze, then retreated like a tide, revealing a passage leading to an even deeper area. At the end of the passage, a ghostly blue light flickered, and a huge Kageko could be vaguely seen moving within it.
"It's Dragon Race!" Tian Yukihime's voice trembled, " False Core Realm Water Clan overlord!"
Orochimaru frowned. "Something's not right. It doesn't seem hostile." He took a few steps forward, and the fluorescent stone illuminated the scene at the end of the passage—a giant blue dragon trapped in an ice crystal world, its body pierced by countless chains. Blue liquid dripped from the chains onto the ground, forming a small blue puddle that didn't mix with seawater. Floating in the puddle was a fist-sized Inner Core, radiating a chilling energy.
"It's calling for my help?" Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise.
Nara Shikanei remained silent, staring intently at the runes on the crystal. The runes twisted and intertwined, resembling some ancient Sealing Jutsu technique. "This isn't the work of the Water Clan," he suddenly exclaimed, his expression changing drastically, "It's some kind of human sealing pattern!"
As soon as the words left its mouth, the giant dragon inside the crystal suddenly opened its eyes, its golden pupils reflecting the figures of everyone present. It opened its mouth, but no sound came out; only a mental fluctuation entered the minds of each person:
"They're coming to take the Dragon Balls..."
Tsunade's hand was still suspended in mid-air. The mental wave felt like icy seawater pouring into her mind, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Them? Who's coming?" She subconsciously clenched her fists, and the joints of her waterproof suit made a slight creaking sound—this specially made protective suit could withstand the pressure of the deep sea, but it couldn't block the inexplicable chill in her heart at this moment.
Orochimaru was already crouching by the blue puddle, his fingertips about to touch the fist-sized Inner Core, when Nara Shikanei pulled him back. "Don't touch it!" Shikanei's voice was extremely low as he pointed to the patterns on the ice crystal chains. "Look at the nodes of this seal. Each lock is embedded with a human finger bone. This is the ' Bone Erosion Seal,' a forbidden technique. The caster has been dead for over ten years, yet the seal is still draining this dragon's life force."
Jiraiya threw a glowing grenade deeper into the passage. The green light pierced the darkness, illuminating the dense crevices in the cave ceiling. "Who cares who placed the seal," he stroked his stubble, his eyes fixed on the crevices, "The 'they' the dragon spoke of have probably arrived—those shrimp monsters retreated so neatly, it was as if they were making way for something."
As soon as she finished speaking, a dull tremor suddenly came from the rock wall. It wasn't the sound of the Water Clan monster crashing into the rock; it sounded more like someone was using some kind of heavy weapon to chisel at the mountain, each strike causing the loose rocks beneath their feet to tremble. Tian Yukihime suddenly pointed to the Inner Core in the puddle. "Look!"
The once tranquil blue Inner Core was now pulsating violently, its surface shimmering with Spiderweb -like red light. The trapped Azure Dragon abruptly raised its head, the sight reflected in its golden pupils causing its massive body to tremble— Jūni eerie green points of light had appeared in the darkness at the end of the passage, rapidly approaching.
"Be on guard!" Hatake Sakumo's sword was already drawn, its blade gleaming coldly in the fluorescent light. "It's the scent of a human!"
The seven Kage quickly formed a defensive formation, with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Jiraiya at the forefront, Uchiha Chiri and Hatake Sakumo protecting the flanks, Orochimaru and Nara Shikanei guarding the rear, and Tian Yukihime holding a talisman ready to provide support at any moment. As the points of light rushed closer, everyone could see what the newcomers looked like: Jūni warriors dressed in black leather armor, wielding battle axes and greatswords inlaid with skulls, followed by three mages in dark red robes, the hems of which were embroidered with twisted blood-red roses.
"Tsk, didn't expect there to be other 'hunters' in this godforsaken place." The lead warrior licked the scar on his lip. He wore a bronze eyepatch over his left eye, and slammed his battle axe on the ground, sending up ice crystals that sparked with tiny aurora borealis. "If you know what's good for you, get lost. Leave that dragon pill behind and go back to your world, or don't blame me for chopping you up and feeding you to the fish monsters."
Tsunade took a step forward, her water-repellent boots splashing in the water. "Pretty cocky, kid. State your name."
"The dead don't need to know their names." Scarface suddenly grinned, revealing a gleaming gold false tooth. "But I can let you know before you die that we are from ' Blood Rose,' dedicated to cleaning up the 'waste' on this planet for our master."
" Blood Rose?" Nara Shikanei's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he whispered to his companions, "It's the legendary, extremely mysterious organization from the Western Continent. They say they worship something called the ' Abyss Demon Lord,' and three hundred years ago they slaughtered three small countries on the Shinobi World Continent. Their methods were extremely cruel. I've seen related records in historical texts."
Before the Seven Shadows could exchange further words, the three mages suddenly raised their staffs simultaneously. Their dark red robes billowed without wind, and the surrounding water instantly became viscous, as if injected with some kind of glue. " Magic Water Binding Technique." One of the tall, thin mages chanted the incantation, and countless water vines suddenly sprouted from beneath the Seven Shadows' feet, instantly wrapping around their ankles.
"A mere trick!" Jiraiya quickly Hand Seals, " Senjutsu: Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!" Countless white needle- Chakra shot towards the water vines, but were deflected the moment they made contact—the seemingly soft surface of the water vines was actually covered by a transparent barrier-like protective layer.
"Don't waste your energy." Scarface strode forward, tossing his battle axe. The Jūni warriors spread out in a fan shape, their movements as synchronized as if they were one person. "Our mages use ' Domain Magic,' and your ninjas' Chakra will be weakened by thirty percent under its suppression."
Before he could finish speaking, Hatake Sakumo suddenly vanished from his spot. " Body Flicker Technique!" His sword, accompanied by a gust of Hayate, slashed straight at the scarred man's back, but was deflected by a black light shield that suddenly appeared behind him, leaving his hands numb from the shock. "Good reaction." The scarred man turned around and swung his axe like a thunderclap. Hatake Sakumo reacted quickly and barely managed to jump back to dodge, but the spot where he had just stood was now cleaved with a crack over ten feet long.