"..."
The deathly silence in the air seemed almost tangible, pressing heavily against everyone's chest.
The newly added "stain" upon the gate silently declared that what had just happened was no illusion.
From the previously still darkness came several hurried breaths.
Clearly, there were others hiding nearby just like that Kumogakure rogue ninja.
Aside from that brainless rogue ninja, no one who had come here today was a fool.
Naturally, nobody was stupid enough to jump out and become the first sacrifice.
Even though some possessed sensory ninjutsu and could detect the presence of others nearby, everyone tacitly refrained from attacking, merely watching coldly as the rogue ninja became the stone used to test the waters.
Yet none of them had expected to witness something this bizarre.
A gate that devoured chakra, and even ate people?
Just as most of them were frozen in shock and fear, the scent of blood suddenly drifted through the air.
BOOM!!
Accompanied by several crimson arcs streaking through the air and splattering blood, a figure with his throat, Achilles tendons, and wrist tendons sliced open was hurled out from the darkness like a broken doll, terror filling his face.
He had no time to react or resist before crashing against the gigantic gate.
Bzzzt!
The deep-blue glow on the gate reappeared.
And the horrifying scene repeated itself.
The man's slashed throat managed only a desperate rasping "khh-khh" sound before his chakra and flesh were visibly drained away, leaving him with the exact same fate as the previous Kumogakure rogue ninja.
"As expected."
This time, Yugito saw it clearly.
"It really opened a little."
She was not the only one to notice.
Everyone present had realized it as well.
Whoever threw that unlucky bastard onto the gate had done so precisely to verify this suspicion.
"..."
Several people stared fixedly at the gate crack, now only slightly more visible than before.
Yet that nearly imperceptible slit seemed to mock the insignificance of a human life.
The crack was bottomless, revealing nothing beyond the gate.
Only an even purer darkness and deathly stillness that seemed capable of freezing souls.
Coldness licked across the faces of everyone present.
The atmosphere before the underground palace grew increasingly oppressive.
Then, someone made a move.
BZZZT!!
A blazing white flash suddenly illuminated everything, violently tearing apart the impenetrable darkness.
Dozens of hidden figures lurking in the shadows were instantly revealed.
Everyone immediately grew wary and distanced themselves from those nearby, squinting instinctively toward the direction the bright light had come from.
'No attack?'
The intense light had appeared only for an instant before being swallowed once more by the thick darkness.
Nothing else happened.
Soon after, a voice echoed into everyone's ears.
"Yugito Nii, correct?"
Yugito's feline pupils shifted slightly toward the source of the voice.
Five figures emerged from the darkness.
The five wore different-colored outfits instead of forehead protectors, each with a different physique.
The moment Yugito recognized them, her pupils contracted sharply.
"You are… the Xuanyuan Group, the 'Ninja Hunters'?"
She stared at the five figures and said solemnly:
"So someone hired you?"
If one looked carefully, all five figures appeared hazy and unstable, like smoke drifting in the air.
Clearly, these were not their real bodies.
"We take money and eliminate trouble. Nothing more."
The leader spoke calmly.
"Though I didn't expect even the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to show up. Looks like we'll need to ask for a bit more payment afterward."
Another member beside him added: "You can probably tell already. To open this gate, more chakra is required."
"And among everyone here, there's no one more suitable than you."
Hearing this, Yugito sneered and extended her sharp claws.
"Just the five of you?"
"One thing's certain."
One of the Xuanyuan Group members suddenly laughed.
"You're very unlucky to have met us."
"Hmph! Mere bounty ninja dare speak so arrogantly!"
One of the Kumogakure ninja beside Yugito coldly shouted.
Since they could not determine where the enemy's real bodies were hidden,
Then they would simply use indiscriminate attacks to force everyone out.
Thinking this, the Kumogakure ninja formed hand seals as chakra surged through his body.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Rat-"
But the moment lightning flickered around him, part of his chakra seemed to be siphoned away by something.
His chest instantly swelled to a horrifying degree.
"AAAAH!!"
A wave of unbearable pain interrupted his hand seals as he screamed in agony.
The surrounding Kumogakure ninja looked on in alarm and confusion and rushed forward,
Only to hear him howl: "N-No! Don't come closer! AAAAAH!!"
Crack! Crack!
As his chest swelled once more, Yugito seemed to realize something.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Fall back!"
The Kumogakure ninja beside her were all elites.
Upon hearing the order, they immediately retreated away from him.
BOOM!!
Like a blood-filled sack exploding apart, flesh and blood rained through the air.
Splatter! Splatter!
The Kumogakure ninja were showered in the blood of their comrade.
Chunks of flesh and crimson blood slapped against their shoulders.
Looking at the puddle of remains left on the ground, their faces filled with fury and shock.
"What kind of technique is this?!"
"You're courting death!"
Several of them were about to charge forward, but Yugito raised her hand and stopped them.
"Good. That's right. Don't move recklessly."
The leader of the Xuanyuan Group swept his gaze across the surroundings and coldly declared:
"The same goes for everyone else. The ones who hired us only want what's behind the gate. There's no need for unnecessary killing."
"I assume all of you understand that only by opening this gate can the treasures inside be obtained."
"Since everyone's objective is the same, if you don't want to end up like him, then obediently follow instructions."
"Otherwise, I can't guarantee who will explode next."
The moment those words were spoken, the restless figures hidden within the darkness froze.
For a brief moment, the Xuanyuan Group truly suppressed the entire situation.
The death of that Kumogakure ninja had been too strange.
No one had even seen how the Xuanyuan Group attacked.
Before understanding the principles behind that explosive technique, most people present truly did not dare move recklessly.
After all, nobody could guarantee they hadn't already been targeted.
Especially the bounty ninja present.
As fellow underground operatives, they understood the Xuanyuan Group's reputation and abilities best.
Out of fear, they could only remain where they were and watch coldly.
"Please."
The leader of the Xuanyuan Group looked toward Yugito and said solemnly: "You possess the one thing you lack the least of, chakra, correct?"
In truth, even if Yugito attacked right now, she would not explode like that Kumogakure ninja.
Because the technique they used involved "Burst Bugs" they had cultivated.
The bugs parasitized a target's body and fed on chakra.
Using chakra or ninjutsu merely nourished the bugs further, accelerating their growth until they detonated violently inside the host.
Since they needed Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, to feed the gate, naturally they had not implanted Burst Bugs into her.
They were gambling.
Gambling that Yugito would not dare attack.
Using the lives of the five Xuanyuan members and over a dozen Kumogakure ninja as stakes.
"..."
And just as they expected, Yugito narrowed her eyes, but indeed did not act rashly.
She stepped forward toward the gate.
The two distorted stains upon the gate seemed to come alive, radiating greedy hunger.
With a solemn expression, she slowly raised her hand and pressed it against the gate.
BZZZZT!!
The familiar glow appeared once more.
But unlike before, the dim light now erupted into a massive deep-blue radiance that instantly engulfed the entire gate like a tsunami.
The brilliance temporarily drove away the underground darkness itself, casting the entire area before the palace in an eerie cold light.
"Ugh!"
Yugito let out a muffled groan of pain.
The vast, pure chakra within her body transformed into countless icy steel needles, piercing through her skin, muscles, and meridians as it uncontrollably surged toward the gate,
Only to be greedily devoured.
The terrifying suction force felt as though an invisible giant hand were trying to tear even her soul from her body.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!!
Under the various gazes surrounding her, the barely visible crack in the gate began widening at a speed discernible to the naked eye as chakra flooded into it.
Alongside the ear-piercing grinding noise came an even colder, older, more deathly aura leaking from the other side.
Yugito stared fixedly into the widening gap.
The chill seemed capable of invading her bones merely through sight alone.
She could feel it, something existed beyond that gate.
Ancient. Cold. Filled with malice.
Yet somehow strangely familiar.
Very soon, Yugito's chakra was nearly exhausted, yet the gate had opened only enough for a fist-sized gap.
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
Yugito attempted to reach her hand through the opening, but an invisible force still blocked her.
Her face grew increasingly pale and grim.
In truth, she could already tell.
If this continued, the gate would soon open completely.
But by then, her chakra would be utterly depleted, leaving her without the strength to seize whatever lay inside.
So she deliberately acted as though her chakra alone was insufficient.
And upon seeing this, the expressions of everyone else turned grave.
The greed and intentions they had barely suppressed began stirring once more.
It was almost as though the gate itself were whispering greedily to them.
"Not enough!"
"Far from enough!"
"Give me more!"
Clearly, if even Yugito could not fully open the gate, then the rest of them would eventually be forced to become sacrifices.
Who knew how many lives the gate truly required?
The Xuanyuan Group had forced Yugito toward death.
Soon enough, they would force everyone else the same way.
They could not wait any longer…
"Hah!"
"Damn it!"
Rip! Rip!
Alongside the sound of flesh being pierced came furious roars from the darkness.
The five projections of the Xuanyuan Group suddenly dissipated.
And the voice that rang out was one everyone recognized.
It belonged to one of the Xuanyuan members who had just been threatening them moments ago.
THUD! THUD!
Two corpses were casually hurled out like sacks of trash, crashing heavily against the cold gate.
The searchlights of the Kumogakure ninja swept toward them instantly.
Sure enough, there lay two corpses still warm with lingering heat.
One wore yellow.
The other blue.
Both were members of the Xuanyuan Group.
Frozen on their faces were expressions of horror and agony.
Their necks bore massive, grotesque puncture wounds.
The gate slowly drained their flesh dry, shriveling them before everyone's eyes.
"What are you still hesitating for?"
A voice carrying faint amusement echoed from the darkness.
Like the whisper of temptation itself, it stirred the desires within everyone present.
"Kill."
That single cold syllable was softly spoken,
Yet it instantly tore apart the suffocating silence and shattered the already fragile balance.
After a brief frozen moment, several figures hidden in the darkness charged toward the nearest people around them.
"AAAAH!"
"Damn it!"
"Kill them!"
Roars, screams, curses, and explosions erupted simultaneously within the darkness.
Firelight flickered, illuminating faces twisted by anger, fear, and greed.
The gigantic gate, and the shadow hidden in the darkness,
Silently watched these sacrifices slaughter one another before it, offering up their lives and souls.
That was how it was always meant to be.