Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 39: Detection Barrier
---Raiken POV--
Since the day Raiken arrived in Konoha, he could feel it—someone was secretly spying on him. The first group to tail him and his men had been the ANBU and Root shinobi.
That thing was a normal, if they let them roam the village without supervision that was something to beware of. They could watch all they wanted from the shadows, but without a traitor inside, no plan that they've made would ever be exposed.
That was why Raiken was always so cautious when choosing who would be present in his meetings. On his side, he only trusted his three most capable subordinates days spending time with them make him appreciated them more. On the other side sat the Uchiha clan leader and their elders.
But now, Raiken wanted to take an additional step forward. He decided it was time to raise the security within his clan district to an entirely new level.
He knew that the threats lurking in the world were not ordinary spies that their mind eyes detection could easily detect. There was White Zetsu and even worse, Black Zetsu. Not even the great Hashirama, with his Sage Mode, had ever been able to sense where Black Zetsu truly hid.
With that in mind, Raiken gave his three most trusted men Kenshiro, Arata, and Hiroki a new task. To create a sealing jutsu that could track intruders within a barrier.
After days of intense work, trial and error, and countless scrolls covered in sealing formulas, they finally succeeded. They had forged the Crimson Detection Barrier, a seal that could track anyone hiding inside the compound. It was even capable of detecting Yin chakra signatures, whether strong or faint, and could also respond to Wood Style, a perfect counter to White Zetsu infiltration.
"Master, we've managed to complete the Crimson Detection Barrier," Kenshiro said proudly.
"Good," Raiken replied, his eyes narrowed towards the scroll that Kenshiro had been holding. "Let me see."
Kenshiro handed him the scroll. Raiken unfurled it, studying the intricate sealing patterns carefully. After a long minute of silence, a small smile tugged at his lips.
"Well done," he said at last. "Let's draw it across the clan grounds."
The three subordinates nodded firmly, then spread out to the four corners of the Uzumaki Clan estate. One by one, they inscribed the sealing arrays into the ground.
When everything was ready, they activated the barrier. Instantly, the air shifted. A surge of crimson light shimmered faintly around the clan, forming a protective dome before it vanished.
Then... a second later... there it was. A signal. Someone was hiding within their place.
"Go," Raiken ordered sharply.
Without hesitation, Kenshiro, Arata, and Hiroki rushed toward the hidden presence and attacked the spot where Black Zetsu just hiding.
But just as quickly, the intruder vanished.
"Master, they escaped!" Arata called out, with frustration. "But… we couldn't even catch a glimpse of their shadow."
Normally, when a shinobi's hiding spot was exposed, there were traces, they can sense some chakra being used, and all the time they can see the figure who tried to escape. But this time, there was nothing.
"What was that?" Hiroki muttered.
"Did any of you sense them before we activated the barrier?" Raiken asked calmly.
Arata shook his head. "No. Even my Mind Eye detection failed. Before the Crimson Barrier lit up, there was nothing there. No trace at all."
Kenshiro frowned. "Master… do you know of any clan that could slip past our Mind Eye detection like that?"
Raiken hesitated. Should he tell them the truth? The very existence of Black Zetsu was a secret buried deep in history. He wasn't sure if revealing it now was wise.
But then, he heard the notification from his livestream system, someone just donated the money and sent a message to him.
[Ding! War Wolfsaga donated 1000 Star]
[Message: Host, let them know the truth.]
Raiken exhaled slowly. If the audience demanded the truth, then he had no choice but to speak. Call him attention seeker, no backbone cannot decide himself or what, but star is important here, it is his cheat to fight Otsutsuki Isshiki and Otsutsuki Kaguya.
"Yes," Raiken said at last. His tone grew heavy before confessing the truth.. "There's a reason I asked you to create this seal. I believe… it is connected to the reason our village was so easily attacked. Look at the evidence, our barrier detection manage to find intruder, even the Mind Eye failed to detect it. This is not a normal shinobi. This is a creature."
Kenshiro eyes widened. "A creature? Master do you mean… something non-human?"
"Yes," Raiken confirmed grimly. "An unknown being has been watching us. Lurking in the shadows. And if our mind eye detection failed before, it means this is no ordinary ninja. It's something else entirely."
"Something… that's been watching us all along?" Arata repeated raiken word.
"Exactly. And we haven't even activated the full range of the Crimson Barrier yet," Raiken said. "Kenshiro... activate the function for detecting Wood Style and high Yang energy."
The Crimson Detection Barrier had three levels of tracking. The first was for general chakra signatures. The second was for high Yin chakra... the very thing that had just revealed Black Zetsu. And the last was for Wood Style, designed to expose White Zetsu infiltration.
"Understood," Kenshiro replied. He formed the Ram seal and released a pulse of chakra into the barrier.
The air grew heavier.
"Be ready," Raiken warned. "We may uncover something worse."
Arata and Hiroki immediately drew their kunai, bracing themselves.
Then, suddenly....
"Arata… your body," Kenshiro said, eyes narrowing at his comrade.
Arata looked down in shock. "My shoulder… something feels strange."
A faint pulse of foreign chakra leaked from his left shoulder.
"Arata, did you do anything unusual before?" Raiken asked.
"I… I don't know. The last time I left Konoha was a week ago," Arata replied uncertainly.
"Hold still. I'll channel chakra into you," Raiken said.
Arata nodded. "Understood, Master."
Raiken placed his hand on Arata shoulder and guided his chakra into the body. Immediately, something squirmed under the skin. A pale figure began to emerge.
With a grotesque twist, two White Zetsu clone tore itself free from Arata flesh and collapsed onto the ground.
Raiken reacted instantly. With one swift strike, he decapitated the escaping clone, while sealing the second one chakra points to keep it from moving.
If one escaped, the other would remain as a sample.
"They...."
"What… what just happened?" Hiroki stammered, staring at the pale figure.
The bound White Zetsu sneered weakly. "You… killed one of ours. But even if you captured me, there's nothing I will tell you…"
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