Laughter burst out, loud and unrestrained. The sound echoed through the vast underground space, shaking stone walls until dust fell.
"So that is how it is! So that is how it is!" Its voice trembled with excitement. "A perfect creation. Truly a perfect creation!"
The laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by deep hatred mixed with ecstasy. "Miroku!" it roared at something unseen. "I no longer need your body!"
"A thousand years! At last, I can break free from you cursed priestesses!"
As the words ended, the scattered purple black mist around 'Moryo' was drawn inward. It rapidly condensed into a massive black cocoon, wrapping both the 'Crimson giant' and 'Moryo' inside, pulsing like a beating heart.
Huang Quan stared in disbelief at the scene before him. In contrast, the golden slit pupils of Naruto Uzumaki burned with Greed and curiosity.
At that moment, the low voice of 'Moryo' came from within the cocoon. "Huang Quan," it said, "I sense that the current Five Kage Summit are all in Land of Demons."
"Go. Take my power and my army, and kill them."
"Use their blood and souls as sacrifices for my return to the world."
"When I fully master this power, the entire world will kneel beneath my feet."
The cocoon shuddered violently. Three purple black tentacles shot out, piercing the chests of Huang Quan, Naruto Uzumaki, and Obito.
All three let out muffled groans as their bodies trembled. A cold, violent power filled with endless malice flooded into them, veins bulging and twisting under their skin as if something alive was crawling beneath it.
Then something horrifying happened. The skin on their faces began to writhe and distort, as though something was forcing its way out from deep within their bones.
kacha. kacha. kacha.
The harsh sound of bone growth rang out repeatedly. Three bone masks of different grim shapes rapidly grew from their faces, covering them completely.
"This is…" Obito lowered his head sharply and stared at his hands. The squeezed and shattered Naruto Uzumaki mask fell away with soft sounds.
Beneath it, the Mangekyō Sharingan Three-Tomoe Sharingan that had gone blind from using Izanagi-no-Kaguya Otsutsuki was forcibly filled with Ti Ze Nv Ming Power. The power of 'Moryo' had restored Ti Ze Nv Ming Power in one stroke.
A deep shock seized Obito. At the same time, Huang Quan felt the unprecedented power surging inside him, almost bursting him apart, and his expression shifted from astonishment to uncontrollable joy.
"Ha ha!" He threw his arms wide, his voice hoarse with excitement. "Awaken, ghost legion!"
In an instant, countless crimson lights ignited in the darkness, dense and filling every corner of sight. The cold stone statues that had slept for a thousand years stirred as their rigid bodies began to move, heavy joints grinding with harsh sounds.
They raised stone shields and spears and slammed them against the ground. The impact shook the earth, and Gravel and dust poured down from the ceiling.
Driven by the power of 'Moryo', they began to march forward. Their destination was the center of Land of Demons, the shrine that belonged to the priestesses.
At the same time, Naruto Uzumaki touched the bone mask on his face and felt the power similar to that of 'Crimson giant'. His eyes burned with excitement as he recalled what 'Moryo' had said earlier.
"The Five Kage Summit are all there?" Naruto Uzumaki murmured. "The old man is there too, which means…"
That brat who once used Pure Byakugan against him. The one whose reputation had risen during the years he was away, Ryoma.
He must be there as well.
Night spread like ink, heavy over the land of Land of Demons. Layered mountain peaks rose and fell in the darkness, their outlines merging with the deep night sky.
The Shrine lay quietly beneath the embrace of the mountains, its shape outlined as a dark silhouette. Outside the shrine, towering Torii gates carried an ancient air, and long stone steps carved with the mark of Chakra descended level by level.
On both sides of the main hall stood lower auxiliary buildings. Many guards formed lines as they kept watch and patrolled, with a few dim torches burning beside them.
Orange flames flickered in the night, casting small circles of warm light. They jumped in the cold wind, stubbornly holding back the surrounding darkness.
Led by two solemn guards, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ryoma, and Kakashi walked toward the heavy, tightly shut doors of the Shrine. The guards pushed the doors open with a creak, revealing a brightly lit interior.
Inside, the Shrine felt vast and solemn. A high dome rose above, walls covered in ancient and mysterious murals, and the air carried a mix of sandalwood, ink, and the weight of time.
At the center stood a massive round stone table. Around it hung five enormous curtains in different colors, marked with wind, fire, earth, lightning, and water like towering banners.
Four figures were already seated around the table. A low, mocking snort suddenly echoed through the quiet hall.
"So Konoha really thinks highly of itself," someone said with open displeasure. "Making so many of us wait here just for the three of you."
Ryoma swept his gaze across the hall. Beyond the four seated figures, he also noticed eight more shadows standing behind the curtains.
Under the sand-yellow curtain sat Third Kazekage, his expression cold beneath a dark Shadow Cloak. Behind him stood his guards, Maki and Yura.
Under the deep blue curtain sat Fourth Mizukage, the Fourth Mizukage. His small frame and youthful face hid deep eyes, while Chakra and Mei Terumi stood behind him.
Under the brown-yellow curtain sat Onoki. He was even shorter than Fourth Mizukage, his eyes sharp with a calculating glint.
What made Ryoma raise his brow were the figures behind that curtain. Aside from the steady, broad-shouldered Kurotsuchi with a massive axe on his back, the other guard attending the Five Kage Summit was actually Deidara.
He bounced his leg impatiently, glancing around as if unable to sit still. The last was Deidara, seated beneath the indigo curtain with thick arms crossed and irritation plain on his face.
The one who had spoken was clearly him. Ryoma looked past him, past Darui's bored and lazy expression, and met a pair of narrow, feline vertical pupils.
"Oh," Ryoma thought with a faint smile, "an old friend." Sensing the look in his eyes, Two-Tails Jinchuriki tightened her grip on the whip at her waist, cold killing intent and Wrath flashing in her gaze.
She would never forget the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water battlefield. It was this very man who had captured her and Samui alive, turning her into a prisoner of Konoha.
Because her status as a Jinchuriki was too sensitive, she had later been released as a gesture of goodwill. Still, the hatred and humiliation only burned stronger, especially since Samui remained in Konoha's hands as another bargaining chip.
The mood inside the Shrine tightened instantly. Between Ryoma's rude opening and Two-Tails Jinchuriki's naked killing intent, even the air seemed to freeze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused only slightly, then showed an apologetic smile. It was as if he felt none of the hostility.
"My apologies for making you wait," he said calmly. "The journey was long and delayed us somewhat, so I ask for everyone's understanding."
Ryoma snorted again but did not press further. He leaned back heavily, arms still crossed, casting a cold glance at Ryoma.
Because of Konoha and this Pure Byakugan brat, he had been scolded more than once by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning over the years. Ryoma paid no mind, already judging just how lively Land of Demons had become.