This astonishing truth once again surprised Kakashi.
Even he could not have imagined that things would unfold in such an extraordinary and supernatural direction. However, pondering these matters now was meaningless—rescuing Gin was the top priority.
For the moment, the eggs were in his possession, so Gin's life should not be in immediate danger.
Yet, when it came to this subterranean species that viewed humans as food and harbored extreme hatred for egg theft, he doubted that simply returning the eggs would resolve the situation smoothly.
Moreover, if the opportunity arose, he wanted to capture this Deep Crawler for research.
If he managed to do so, it would become the second creature from another world captured by Konoha.
However, Kakashi also harbored some concerns about this plan.
Previously, Tsunade had captured a Mi-Go and brought it to Konoha for research. But when other Mi-Gos came to rescue their kin during its execution, they caused significant casualties at the daimyō's residence, leading to the Third Hokage being removed as Hokage.
If Kakashi brought back a Deep Crawler for research this time, would its companions attack Konoha?
More frightening to him was Shudde M'ell. The catastrophic consequences of such an entity finding Konoha would be unimaginable.
Thus, he hesitated about whether to capture this Deep Crawler.
Regardless, Gin had to be rescued.
Resolving himself, Kakashi slung the bamboo basket over his back and turned to look at Sasuke.
"You're coming with me to rescue Gin."
Though Sasuke had also felt immense fear earlier, a ninja's adaptability was strong. Of Team 7, only Sakura still showed visible fear. Sasuke, being the strongest of the three genin, was the most reliable choice.
Kakashi's decision immediately sparked Naruto's dissatisfaction.
"Why Sasuke? I want to go too!"
"Stop arguing."
"That monster has mind-controlling abilities, and I'm the only one who can counter them. I can only carry two people to safety at most—Gin and one other person. Sasuke is the best choice."
"You stay here and protect the villagers."
Having said that, Kakashi took Sasuke and left.
Under the village chief's guidance, he quickly found the cave.
Before entering, he warned Sasuke. "Once we rescue Gin, take him and leave immediately. Don't worry about me."
"Understood."
Sasuke didn't ask questions like "What about you?" because he knew his role—to get Gin out of the cave. That was all he could do. As for Kakashi's escape, that was up to the jonin's own plans.
Entering the cave, a dry atmosphere greeted them. Unlike most caves, which are cold and damp, this one was unusually dry.
Kakashi and Sasuke didn't linger in the natural cave section. They quickly moved through it and found signs of man-made excavation deeper inside, leading to a narrow downward passage.
Without hesitation, he led Sasuke down.
The journey was quiet. There were no obstructions, and aside from their footsteps, the place was devoid of sound.
Soon, he found the cavern the village chief had described.
This cavern lacked the stalactites or stalagmites commonly found in most caves, indicating an absence of water. It was also very dry.
In the firelight, Kakashi spotted traces of green minerals and evidence of mining on top of a large boulder. Presumably, this was where the Deep Crawler's eggs had been dug up.
While examining the boulder's marks, a sound akin to chanting emanated from deeper within the cave walls.
When Deep Crawlers move underground, they emit a chanting-like sound. This was the only way to detect their approach.
With prior experience, he remained composed and immediately alerted Sasuke behind him.
"It's coming!"
As a loud crashing sound echoed through the cave, a massive, elongated creature burst through the rock face.
The Deep Crawler slithered forward like a grotesque giant serpent, coming face-to-face with Kakashi and Sasuke. At the same time, a voice echoed in Kakashi's mind:
Eggs.
Understanding its demand, Kakashi quickly removed the bamboo basket from his back and placed it in front of him, pulling back the white cloth covering it.
Beneath the cloth lay spherical mineral-like stones—the Deep Crawler's eggs.
Sensing the eggs' presence, the creature's forelimbs twitched as though electrified.
However, Kakashi did not hand the eggs over immediately. Instead, he asked, "Where's the person?"
He wasn't sure if the Deep Crawler had ears, but since it could express itself in a language humans understood, it should be able to comprehend his words.
Indeed, the Deep Crawler understood him.
These creatures could be considered "people" because they were capable of understanding human speech.
The worm's forelimbs unfolded like a blooming flower, revealing Gin, encased but unharmed. Judging by his unchanged physique, it seemed the worm had not yet drained him of fluids.
The worm gently placed him on the ground five meters from Kakashi and Sasuke, then withdrew its limbs.
"Sasuke, take Gin and leave."
Following Kakashi's command, Sasuke swiftly leaped forward, picked up Gin, and retreated down the tunnel they had come from.
The Deep Crawler remained still, wary of the torch Kakashi held above the basket. Even though the eggs were protected by a mineral shell, the worm's instinct to safeguard its offspring made it reluctant to expose them to even a hint of heat.
This maternal instinct was another "human" quality of the Chthonian race.
Sasuke's footsteps soon faded into the darkness, leaving Kakashi alone.
At that moment, another chanting sound emerged from deeper within the cave.
He felt a foreboding as a second Deep Crawler appeared, bursting through the rock wall.
This one was even larger and more imposing than the first, with twice the number of forelimbs.
This revealed a third "human" quality of the Chthonian race—they possessed biological sexes and formed family-like units to raise their offspring together.
The once spacious cave became significantly narrower when two Deep Crawlers occupied it simultaneously.
Although he had already returned all the ore the villagers had collected—the Deep Crawler eggs—the creatures had no intention of letting him leave freely.
From two directions, countless tendrils stretched toward Kakashi, leaving him with no room to escape.
Kakashi thought, This is bad, just as the tendrils tightly bound his body.
But just as the suction pores on the tendrils pierced his skin, preparing to drain his bodily fluids, his body suddenly erupted in a cloud of smoke.
A second later, as the smoke dispersed, the human figure the tendrils had captured turned into a rock.
This scene stunned the Deep Crawlers. They were certain they had grabbed a human body, so how had it turned into a stone?
The creatures, of course, had no knowledge of extraordinary beings among humans known as ninjas, let alone the existence of a technique called the Substitution Jutsu.
When Kakashi realized he couldn't escape as the tendrils first grabbed him, he immediately used the Substitution.
At this moment, his real body was positioned on a rock behind the two Deep Crawlers.
"Hey!"
Kakashi, who had already disappeared from their sensory range, shouted to draw the attention of the two creatures again.
Although actively provoking enemies from the shadows seemed foolish, he had his reasons.
The Deep Crawlers were blind, relying instead on a unique form of spiritual perception to detect targets.
As long as they spread their tendrils like a trumpet in a particular direction, they could sense their targets' spiritual presence, ignoring physical distance and obstacles.
Therefore, even though Sasuke and Gin had run for some time, if the Deep Crawlers stopped to sense their spirits, the two wouldn't be able to escape.
Thus, he had to keep fighting the creatures to prevent them from focusing on Sasuke and Gin.
Of course, this strategy couldn't last forever.
Once Sasuke and Gin were nearly out of the cave, he had another plan in mind.
However, he had just used his one and only Substitution Jutsu.
Although the technique was powerful—a fundamental space-time ninjutsu—it had a cooldown period that no one could bypass.
After all, if such a strong technique could be used infinitely, it would be too overpowered.
Now, Kakashi had to keep the two Deep Crawlers occupied without being caught by their attacks.
The tendrils attacked with considerable speed, and the two creatures had over a hundred tendrils combined. Coupled with the narrow terrain, even Kakashi found it difficult to dodge them.
This must be the hardest C-rank mission ever, Kakashi thought with a wry smile as he exposed the Sharingan beneath his mask to enhance his perception. At the same time, he opened the First Gate.
Countless tendrils then attacked him in an overwhelming swarm.
---
Sasuke was sprinting through the cave's passage with Gin on his back.
Although he, as a ninja, had the strength to carry an adult while running, Gin's height was much greater than his. The awkward position on his back made it difficult for Sasuke to run quickly.
Glancing back to confirm there was no sound of the Deep Crawlers chasing them yet, Sasuke set Gin down and unscrewed his water bottle.
He poured the water onto Gin's head, soaking his hair and head with the icy liquid.
A miraculous thing happened: Gin, who could previously only move his eyes, suddenly regained mobility. He sat up as though waking from a nightmare, frantically waving his arms as if trying to fend off some terrifying presence.
"Ahhh! What are those monsters?! Bugs! Giant bugs!"
Gin, less mentally resilient than a ninja, was still in shock.
Sasuke grabbed his flailing arms, helping him calm down slightly.
"That thing is called Deep Crawler. It's a creature that lives underground," he explained briefly.
"We don't have time to go into detail. Let's get out of here first."
These facts were what Kakashi had shared with him on the way, including the information that water could break the Deep Crawlers' mental control.
However, just as Sasuke helped Gin to his feet and prepared to continue forward, a strange chanting sound echoed from the rocky wall behind them.
This chanting was much weaker than the one made by the earlier Deep Crawler, but it was still unmistakably the unique sound these creatures made when moving through the earth.
"You go first, I'll hold them off here."
"Uh... okay."
Still dazed and terrified, Gin stumbled awkwardly toward the cave's exit, while Sasuke stayed behind, calmly waiting for the increasingly close chanting.
As the wall was pierced through, several more Deep Crawlers emerged from a hole in the rock, writhing together like a mass of living maggots.
The largest of these creatures was as thick as an adult's waist, while the smallest was about the size of a child's arm.
Unlike the fully-grown ones, these Deep Crawler larvae resembled worms in appearance, their tendrils at the head flailing erratically like eels out of water.
Although they looked like eels, the larvae crawled on the ground far faster than worms, moving at a speed comparable to a running human.
The swarm of larvae charged at him with frenzy—it was clear they saw him as food their parents had prepared for them.
Faced with this pile of giant, maggot-like creatures, Sasuke almost vomited up his dinner.
But as a ninja, he forced himself to steady his nerves. Retreating two steps, he formed a series of hand seals and unleashed a ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball quickly formed in front of his mouth. Once it reached its full size, it sped toward the swarm of larvae at a steady pace.
Boom!
The narrow cave left the larvae no room to escape from the deadly heat. The explosive flames from the attack hit the center of the swarm, engulfing all the larvae in its fiery glow.
When the flames subsided, the larvae were left scorched to varying degrees. Small patches of fire still burned on their bodies, while the larvae at the center of the blast had been reduced to ashes.
While adult Deep Crawlers were resistant to high temperatures, the larvae did not share this trait.
After dealing with the larvae, Sasuke didn't linger. He immediately continued running toward the cave's exit.
---
Meanwhile, deep in the cave, the two Deep Crawlers still engaged in battle with Kakashi immediately sensed the disappearance of their larvae's signals.
When communicating telepathically with their kin, Deep Crawlers could maintain constant sensory awareness without any special effort.
At that moment, the loss of their larvae's signals ignited a blazing fury in the two creatures, and their attacks against Kakashi became frenzied.
The larger of the two creatures straightened the upper half of its body and attempted to crush him beneath it.
The other used its tendrils to assist in the assault, trying to snatch him out of the air as he dodged.
Realizing he could delay no further—and confident that Sasuke and Gin were close to escaping—he decided to move to the next phase of his plan.
Leaping onto a large boulder near the cave's entrance, his Sharingan spun rapidly, its three-tomoe whirling in synchronization. His hands formed seals at a speed so fast they became a blur.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!"
A massive amount of chakra gathered in Kakashi's throat, and he unleashed a torrent of water powerful enough to create a small lake, flooding the area below the boulder and engulfing the two Deep Crawlers.