Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Land of Hot Water, Ryusei's network of sensory clones picked up a sudden surge of chakra unlike anything he had from anyone so far in the distance. The moment the signal reached him next as well, his real body grew tense.
It was an overwhelming presence, easily above Kage level, and the fact that it had been so close all this time without being detected deeply intrigued him.
"Is it that ultimate hypocrite, Hagoromo, again stirring things up around me and plotting something bad?" he muttered quietly. The thought was half a joke, half genuine suspicion.
But as he focused on the source, his expression hardened.
Whatever was happening there was on a level that even Ryusei couldn't ignore.
That chakra, if used against him back during the incident when Hagoromo had guided those little hypocrites from Konoha, could have erased him outright.
The energy continued to rise, growing thicker and stranger.
It was the strongest chakra he had ever sensed directly, distinct, refined, and ancient.
It felt almost like an Uchiha's, yet not quite.
Something beyond that bloodline, carrying the same imprint but magnified into something far more primordial.
Ryusei's eyes narrowed, and his thoughts grew sharp.
"Who am I kidding?" he murmured. "With my strength, it's not easy for anyone to corner me, even if I can't win outright."
His lips curved faintly. "Besides… I can always bring a few friends. Whoever this is, whatever they are, they'll either be trapped here with me and die in regret… or they'll run from my domain as we approach."
At this point in his life, after everything he had learned about Hagoromo's true nature, the Hyūga mysteries, and those moon-dwelling offshoots that had never appeared clearly in the version of the story he once knew, in this way, Ryusei no longer felt surprise or disbelief.
He had long since accepted that this world had already outgrown the script he remembered, and that he was now living in the unwritten part.
Ryusei now had three allies who could each be called Low-Six Paths–class in their own right.
There was Nagato, wielding his unique, nature energy–based Rinnegan and the Slug Sage Mode, a fusion of organic vitality and pure natural energy that made him stronger than ever.
Kiyomi, now empowered by Senju cells in addition to her old Mangekyō, had reached a terrifying balance between life force and ocular power.
And Ashina, the ancient Uzumaki, had recently achieved major breakthroughs in fūinjutsu after rediscovering and improving upon every sealing method developed in the world since his own death.
Then there was Renjiro, now firmly Mid-Kage level after absorbing the combat insights from Sakumo's captured soul and learning to weave natural energy directly into his kenjutsu arcs.
With Renjiro's Byakugan's unique potential to vaguely see some nature energy patterns, in a literal sense, Ryusei had guided him to this after observing the battle between the two Edo ancient warriors, the monk and the samurai, who had once fought with the same technique.
Kanae, meanwhile, had finally reached her full potential in terms of fusing the cloned eyes.
Her Byakugan evolution path had finally matured completely, its vision sharper and deeper than ever.
The advanced elemental combination of Wind and Lightning, her affinities, an idea she and Ryusei had discussed long ago but never had time to finish, was now fully mastered, perfected only after her long months of uninterrupted research finally came to an end.
Pakura, too, had already advanced to High-Kage level months ago after also successfully integrating Hashirama's cells. Her chakra reserves and Scorch Release were now at their absolute limit.
With a lineup like this, Ryusei didn't even feel the need to summon Tsunade or Orochimaru, both currently stationed further north.
The disturbance was in the southern Land of Hot Water, well within his range.
Besides, danger always came with opportunity, and he didn't plan to share any potential spoils with Orochimaru anyway.
And if things escalated, Tsunade could also be reverse-summoned in an instant, not that she would make a difference at that point anyway.
Deciding quickly, Ryusei's expression hardened.
He sent a sharp pulse through his sensory network, pinging everyone he had in mind around his current position. Moments later, Ryusei's chakra flared, and he launched toward there.
***
Ryusei, Nagato, Ashina, Kiyomi, Kanae, Pakura, and Renjiro soon arrived at the site where the immense disturbance had been detected.
Yet, as they landed, the area seemed utterly still. No enemy, no visible movement, just the faint hiss of wind and the metallic scent.
Ryusei's expression tightened. His senses reached deeper, scanning the terrain. "It's below," he muttered. "Something's buried down there… but the source itself is cloaked. I can't sense the individual directly."
Renjiro grinned immediately, hand resting on his tanto on his back. "Then we dig him out. Want me to break it open?" His tone carried that eager thrill that always came before a fight.
Kanae sighed softly, folding her arms. "You'd crush half the valley if you tried. The structure below is obvious; there's a formation down there, idiot. Don't make it collapse on us before we even see what's inside."
Kiyomi didn't bother to glance at either of them. Her tone was cool, her confidence absolute. "Whatever's hiding here won't matter. With my current vitality and these eyes, no one can stop me." The faint ripple of her darkened Mangekyō flickered in her gaze as she spoke.
Pakura remained quiet, her eyes following the ground. Whether it was her strength, Ryusei's presence beside her, or the power gathered around them, fear simply didn't exist in her anymore. She stood ready, steady flame within the storm.
Ashina, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. His Uzumaki senses were wide open, scanning the earth's natural flow just like Ryusei.
"This place…" he said slowly. "There are too many layers of interference. Seals, corrupted Yin–Yang imprints… some of them ancient." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Someone's been working here for a very long time."
Nagato's golden Rinnegan pulsed faintly as he stepped forward. "Should I break through it?" His tone was neutral, purely practical, as if he were asking about a door instead of an ancient, cursed seal.
Ashina's gaze flicked toward him, pausing briefly.
The resemblance was undeniable, another Uzumaki.
His hair was shorter and darker, but the aura, the chakra pattern, was all unmistakable.
Ashina had realized it immediately when Ryusei first brought him into their group.
But the excitement he'd once felt at meeting another, even more gifted than him in bloodline, descendant of his clan had long since faded.
Nagato, for all his power, carried the air of someone hollowed out. Broken.
His eyes no longer burned with conviction, only with purpose stripped of passion.
He obviously didn't care about knowing more about his clan, not to mention restoring it to its former glory, or even just accepting Ashina's teachings.
To Ashina, it was disappointing; this was supposed to be the most promising young Uzumaki he had seen since his own resurrection, yet he acted more like an old man than a youth not even twenty.
The rest of their remaining lineage, Ashina thought bitterly, couldn't even compare at all in the bloodline.
Ryusei stood silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ground beneath them.
His instincts screamed that there was a trap waiting below.
The chakra flow was unnatural, layered, intelligent, and deliberate.
But hesitation was dangerous too.
If he could sense it, others could as well soon enough.
Orochimaru, perhaps, came to mind first.
Maybe even someone from Konoha's side.
After all, Tobirama's sensory abilities and range were also world-leading, and he could arrive anywhere very swiftly.
Even Akatsuki, with their White Zetsu sensory networks, might have caught wind of it by now or would soon enough.
He didn't like the idea of anyone else reaching this first.
Faint traces of what Ryusei could only describe as pure Yin–Yang Release lingered in the air, subtle, but undeniable.
Even though it was his first time encountering it directly, he recognized its nature instantly. Ashina had sensed it as well.
It was unlike anything Ryusei had encountered before, and that alone said enough.
Whatever this was, it wasn't an ordinary chakra or nature release.
It felt ancient, weird, and unique in a way that fascinated him.
His sixth sense for recognizing hidden value kept ringing in his mind, sharper with every passing moment.
Something about this place felt different, dangerous, but promising.
For a fleeting instant, Ryusei had the distinct intuition that whatever lay beneath might be a game-changer, possibly even unlocking a path beyond even the Six Paths spectrum itself, or at least helping him get there.
His mind raced, linking fragments of memory and theory from his past life's familiar story.
The Land of Hot Water, the Chinoike clan, the Valley of Hell… Jashinism, Hidan, immortality, rituals, and strange techniques.
Everything pointed to some greater secrets and conclusions now that he thought about it more deeply and directly saw this.
If his guesses were right, what lay below could be of unimaginable value, something that tied directly to the hidden layers of this world's possible power system, the kind of power no one else had even begun to grasp.
Ryusei exhaled once, his decision already made.
"We're breaking in," he said flatly.
The others turned toward him, some tensing, but none questioning.
Ryusei's visible open eye glinted faintly. "Whatever's hiding down there, we're taking it."