A shrine in the Land of Demons.
As usual, Shion was preparing for her daily prayer ceremony.
When she calmed down and concentrated, a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart.
My heart suddenly raced, my hands trembled involuntarily, and the prayer bells in my hands made a jumbled sound.
Shion frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
She closed her eyes, trying to use the priestess's senses to find the source of this unease.
In a chaotic mental world, she saw a blurry image: amidst ruins, a huge gray-white cocoon of bones stood silently.
Within the bone cocoon, she vaguely sensed Hoshino's presence, weak and chaotic, as if it might disappear at any moment.
Shion suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with worry.
"Something happened to Hoshino? No... no, this doesn't fit the prophecy!"
She remembered the prophecy again, the image of herself standing behind Hoshino, watching the blurry scene of his death.
As long as I don't go, Hoshino won't die.
This prophecy acted like a shackle, binding her actions.
at the same time.
Sunagakure Reform Society.
Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara sat around the conference table, discussing the development plans for their respective departments.
Suddenly, the communicator rang urgently, breaking the silence of the conference room.
Kankuro picked up the communicator, his face instantly turning pale.
"What? Hoshino got into trouble in the Land of Rain?" His voice rose involuntarily, filled with shock and worry.
Temari and Gaara were also taken aback when they heard this news.
"What exactly happened? Explain yourself!"
Kankuro took a deep breath and briefly recounted the information he had received.
"No, we have to go to the Land of Rain! I don't believe it was some kind of experimental accident!"
Gaara became somewhat anxious upon hearing this, Shukaku curled up on his shoulder, its tail wagging restlessly.
At that moment, the conference room door was pushed open, and Rasa strode in with a gloomy expression.
"The aircraft is ready and can depart at any time, but Amegakure only allows us to bring one hundred people in."
"That's enough," Kankuro said coldly. "If anything really happens to Hoshino, I'll make Amegakure pay the price."
Looking at the agitated Kankuro, Rasa reached out and placed his hand on Kankuro's shoulder, saying in a deep voice,
" Kankuro, acting impulsively won't solve anything. I'll oversee things here in the village. You all go to the Land of Rain and check on the situation. Ideally, you should bring Hoshino back."
Kankuro suppressed his anger and nodded slightly.
After the brief meeting, everyone quickly sprang into action, even activating the newly developed aerial fortress.
At this moment, it stands outside Sunagakure, like a mobile steel fortress.
Its silver shell gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and its massive thrusters emitted a deep rumble, as if gathering boundless power.
The fortress's surface is covered with various advanced weapon systems, and the dense array of cannon muzzles and missile launchers demonstrates its powerful firepower.
Five hundred cybernetic ninjas from the Armed Forces Department lined up neatly and boarded the aerial fortress in an orderly fashion.
Enter the fortress.
Dozens of aircraft were housed in the spacious cabin.
This is a new type of aircraft shaped like a shuttle, with its outer shell covered in Chakra armor, and each one is equipped with advanced weapons and navigation systems.
"Set off!"
With a command given, the aerial fortress slowly started up and moved toward the border of the Land of Wind.
Throughout the journey, Kankuro kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his fists clenched, and he would occasionally ask the driver how far they were from the border.
Temari, meanwhile, kept in constant communication with Rasa behind her, reporting the situation.
Gaara closed his eyes, Shukaku squirmed restlessly on his shoulder.
Once the aerial fortress reached the border of the Land of Wind, it ceased its advance and remained there quietly, like a majestic guardian.
Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, along with a hundred ninja spirits, boarded the flying vehicle and roared through the sky, leaving trails of white.
Soon, they entered the airspace of the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain below was shrouded in gloom, with a light drizzle falling incessantly, as if it too was grieving for this sudden change.
The aircraft slowly landed outside Amegakure.
Kankuro was the first to jump off the gangway, followed by five hundred ninja in neat rows.
The representative from Amegakure, one of Konan core members of Akatsuki, was already waiting.
Neither Pain nor Sasori have shown up, and we have no idea where they are!
"Come with me," Konan said expressionlessly, turning and walking into the depths of the rain.
Temari quickly caught up and asked in a low voice, "How exactly is Hoshino doing?"
Konan paused slightly, then said, "You'll know when we get there."
Gaara brought up the rear, Shukaku had already retreated back into his body. He could sense an unsettling aura permeating the land.
When the group arrived inside Amegakure, the sight before them filled them with horror.
The entire square was completely occupied by a huge gray-white bone cocoon, and everything around it was in a terrifying state of decay.
The bricks and stones gradually softened and turned into dust, which then scattered in the wind.
The tree branches twisted and deformed, and the leaves withered and fell quickly, as if the vitality of life had been drained in an instant.
"What... is this?" Temari's voice trembled slightly.
Konan calmly replied, "It's a product of Hoshino's rampage; anything that comes near it will age faster."
"What did you do to him?!" Kankuro suddenly grabbed Konan.
"Calm down!" Konan broke free. "He triggered some forbidden power himself; it has nothing to do with us. We've already sent you all the relevant information."
Gaara stepped forward and extended his hand.
Sand Shield condensed in his palm and slowly extended toward the bone cocoon.
Upon contact, the sand shield began to weather and disintegrate at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Gaara frowned upon seeing this, "What on earth is that?"
Intelligence is just intelligence; only by seeing it with your own eyes can you realize how terrifying this thing is, as if it can even erode Chakra.
Everyone stared at the terrifying gray-white bone cocoon before them, their hearts filled with shock and worry.
Kankuro kept his fists clenched, the veins on his arms bulging from the force.
He stared intently at Konan, his eyes burning with fury. If he hadn't been rational, he probably would have rushed up to question her again.
Temari tried to calm herself down, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner unease.
Something this terrifying... let alone bringing Hoshino back to the Reform Society, it probably wouldn't even be possible to get close to it!
Just then, a commotion arose in the distance.
Everyone turned around and saw a hunched figure walking slowly towards them.
Due to the distance, the figure appeared somewhat blurry under the cover of rain, but as the figure gradually approached, everyone finally saw the person clearly.
" Grandma Chiyo?"
This old man, who had disappeared from public view for a long time, actually came to the Land of Rain because Hoshino himself came.