By late afternoon, the sun hanging near the horizon burned with a deep orange glow.
"So this is the place?"
Asuma glanced around with visible disappointment. Aside from a weathered sign marking the border of the Kubisaki territory, there was absolutely nothing nearby.
No castle.
No village.
Nothing at all.
"Stop being impatient," Hayashi said casually.
He formed a hand seal and used Earth Release to flatten a section of uneven ground nearby, creating a clean resting area.
Looking at the three dusty Genin behind him, he figured a short break was necessary.
The Land of Honey was not particularly far from the Land of Fire, but the trip had still taken seven full days.
Throughout the journey, Hayashi continuously trained the three in wilderness survival, similar to how Orochimaru had once trained Team One during their earliest missions.
A shinobi did not necessarily need overwhelming ninjutsu to survive.
But surviving itself was essential.
The ninja world was filled with dangers. Hidden traps, poisons, ambushes, false information, and psychological deception could all become fatal if one let their guard down.
To live longer on the battlefield, Kakashi and the others needed to understand those dangers, adapt to them, and eventually turn them into weapons of their own.
After several days of nonstop travel and harsh training, even the three of them were reaching their limit.
Besides, the target Hayashi brought them here for usually hunted only at night.
There was no reason to rush.
A fire soon crackled nearby.
The four of them hunted several wild animals in the surrounding forest and prepared a simple barbecue.
Hayashi always carried a large number of storage scrolls containing mission supplies and cooking materials.
He disliked relying on soldier pills whenever possible.
Back then, Mikoto usually handled cooking duties during missions. Now that she was leading her own squad, Hayashi had no choice but to do it himself.
Honestly, he regretted his current team composition sometimes.
Asuma's cooking ability was nonexistent.
Kakashi was absurdly picky despite pretending otherwise.
As for Guy...
His cooking was dangerous enough to qualify as a battlefield weapon.
At moments like this, Hayashi truly understood the importance of having at least one competent cook on the team.
As the last traces of sunlight disappeared, night gradually descended upon the forest.
At some point, a light drizzle began falling from the sky.
"Let's move," Hayashi suddenly said while sitting beside the fire. "We've already received the invitation."
Kakashi looked up at the cloudy sky with slight surprise.
"Sensei, are you saying this rain was caused by the Summoned Beast?"
"That's right," Hayashi replied. "Otherwise, how would it lure travelers into its trap?"
Based on the weather earlier that day, rain should have been impossible tonight.
Yet it still came.
The reason was simple.
Without rain, wandering travelers would never seek shelter.
Without shelter, nobody would enter the castle.
And without prey entering willingly, the creature would have no easy way to hunt.
As rain continued falling across the dark forest, a massive castle slowly materialized in the distance like a phantom emerging from fog.
The structure seemed unreal beneath the stormy night.
"Let's go," Hayashi said softly.
Asuma blinked.
"Sensei, aren't you coming with us?"
Hayashi shook his head.
"This Summoned Beast was prepared for you. Whether you can earn its recognition depends entirely on your own ability."
Helping them capture it personally would defeat the purpose.
Asuma grinned confidently.
"With the three of us together, just wait for good news."
He immediately walked toward the castle.
Kakashi and Guy followed close behind.
Meanwhile, Hayashi remained outside, quietly observing the illusionary fortress.
To ordinary people, the castle looked completely real.
But under the Sharingan, its structure was filled with distortions.
The entire thing was a massive illusion created by the Summoned Beast itself.
Its abilities resembled the giant clam used by the Second Mizukage.
That creature specialized in mirages and illusionary manipulation, confusing enemies while concealing its summoner.
This giant lizard possessed a similar ability.
Victims could unknowingly walk directly into its stomach while believing they had merely entered a castle.
Among Summoned Beasts, it was undoubtedly top-tier.
If Asuma successfully formed a contract with it, his combat ability would increase tremendously.
Hayashi had invested significant effort into finding this creature.
Of course, the main reason was because it held little value for him personally.
After fighting Tailed Beast-level monsters for years, most ordinary ninja beasts looked unimpressive in comparison.
Perhaps familiarity truly made things seem less valuable.
Soon, Kakashi and the others arrived before the castle gate.
A gigantic castle standing alone within a desolate forest already felt eerie enough.
Combined with the ruined surroundings and the dim oil lamps flickering near the entrance, the atmosphere became increasingly unsettling.
"Do you think there are ghosts in there?" Guy asked nervously.
Without realizing it, he leaned closer toward Kakashi.
Only then did he feel slightly safer.
"Might Guy," Kakashi said flatly, "your nunchaku are stabbing into my back again. Put them away already."
"Oh, sorry!"
Guy hurriedly adjusted himself.
"Nunchaku?" Asuma frowned. "Weren't those left on my bed before we departed?"
Kakashi immediately looked at Guy.
Guy instantly avoided eye contact.
"Let's hurry inside," he said awkwardly. "Sensei mentioned the scroll should be somewhere in the castle."
Before Asuma could continue questioning him, Guy quickly pushed open the castle gates.
Creak...
The massive doors slowly opened inward.
The inside of the castle was dimly lit by rows of oil lamps.
A narrow corridor stretched ahead toward a spiraling staircase, while wooden doors lined both sides of the hallway.
One room on the left side glowed brightly.
The three cautiously entered.
Inside the room sat a long dining table covered with an extravagant feast.
The smell alone was enough to make anyone hungry.
Despite already eating earlier, all three suddenly felt their stomachs reacting again.
Something was wrong.
The scent itself clearly carried some unnatural attraction.
"The Summoned Beast probably wants to lure us in," Kakashi warned quietly. "Stay alert."
The three quickly searched the first floor but found nothing unusual.
Afterward, they headed toward the second floor.
The moment they stepped onto the staircase, however, the entire castle suddenly trembled violently.
Fortunately, all three reacted instantly and stabilized themselves before losing balance.
But the shaking was only the beginning.
Boom!
The walls on both sides suddenly split open.
More than a dozen fleshy tendrils burst outward and shot toward them at terrifying speed.
"Move!"
Kakashi immediately leaped backward.
The tendrils slammed into the floor, leaving deep dents upon impact.
Yet moments later, the damaged surface strangely restored itself.
The flesh-like tendrils divided into separate groups and attacked the three from different directions.
The Endless Blade instantly appeared in Kakashi's hand.
Cold light flashed through the corridor.
Slash after slash cut through the incoming tendrils, producing heavy wet sounds.
But no matter how many they severed, even more surged forward like an endless tide.
The corridor quickly became completely surrounded.
"I'll hold them off," Kakashi shouted. "Asuma, break us a path out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several shuriken flew from his hand.
"Ninja Art, Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The airborne shuriken instantly multiplied into countless copies.
At the same time, lightning chakra surged through Kakashi's hands and flowed directly into the weapons.
Enhanced by Lightning Release, the spinning shuriken tore through the incoming tendrils effortlessly.
Severed flesh dropped onto the floor and writhed violently like dying snakes.
Taking advantage of the opening, Asuma immediately pulled out the chakra blades, Flying Swallow.
Wind Release chakra flowed across the blades, sharpening them to an incredible degree.
With one powerful strike, he pierced directly into the wall.
But the wall itself immediately began regenerating.
The opening rapidly shrank before their eyes.
Asuma quickly retreated.
At that exact moment, Guy stepped forward.
He raised his leg and unleashed a brutal kick toward the damaged section.
Boom!
The impact blasted open a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
A furious roar echoed throughout the castle.
The severed tendrils suddenly surged forward again like a living flood.
"Go!" Asuma shouted.
Without hesitation, Kakashi and Guy rushed through the opening.
But the moment they crossed over, the ground beneath them vanished completely.
A massive black pit opened below.
Caught off guard, the two instantly fell into darkness.
Asuma barely had time to react before he was dragged down as well.
Their screams echoed endlessly through the void.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Kakashi slowly regained consciousness sometime later.
Then his expression stiffened.
He could feel Guy's nunchaku poking into him again.
This was becoming unbearable.
===
Read chapters ahead on Patreon, with every chapter organized into collections.
Subscribing a membership gives you access to "ALL" fanfictions,
Or you can buy only the collection you want, to gain access to chapters ahead.
P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph.