"Get out! Get away!"
The Shukaku inside Gaara roared in terror.
But, accompanied by a chilling, tearing sound, the purplish-black, tongue-like hand relentlessly pulled. With a massive tug, it forcibly and slowly extracted the crimson chakra, which was radiating a wild, primal energy, from Gaara's abdomen.
Seeing this, Oyakata En opened the lid of the black Chagama (iron tea kettle). A powerful sealing force erupted from the kettle, sucking the violently struggling Shukaku's chakra into it.
Bang!
The Shukaku's chakra was dragged in without resistance and forcefully sucked into the pitch-black kettle. The lid slammed shut. Sealing runes on the kettle's surface flashed with light.
Jigoku Tendō Pain expressionlessly released Gaara.
Thud!
Gaara fell heavily onto the cold, hard ground, his face ashen, his breath weak. The light and vitality in his eyes were slowly fading.
Pain swept through his body like a tsunami, but deeper still was the emptiness and coldness left by the forced tearing out of his chakra.
Jigoku Tendō Pain did not spare a glance for Gaara, who lay like a rag doll on the ground. He slowly turned and gave a slight nod to Oyakata En.
Oyakata En's lips curled into a cynical smile. With a casual gesture, the glowing black tea kettle shrank, settled into his palm, and was carelessly tucked into his clothing.
The two, one after the other, as if having just completed a trivial task, silently turned and strode toward the prison exit.
Tap... tap... tap...
The footsteps slowly receded, and a heavy dead silence once again pressed down.
Gaara lay on the cold ground, his body twitching from the severe pain and hypothermia. His hollow eyes, losing their luster, stared blankly at their retreating figures.
Why?
This thought pierced his chaotic mind again, clear and sharp.
This was not what Shukaku wanted.
This was not what he wanted.
It was not Shukaku's fault, nor was it his.
I just wanted to live, to live like a human.
But, why?
Why did he have to bear the stigma of "monster" from the day he was born?
Why did those people always look at him with disgust and fear, as if he were some filthy, terrifying beast?!
Why could his father so coldly use him as a weapon, and then, like throwing out garbage, imprison him in this place more horrifying than death?!
Why, why are they taking away the last bit of my life? Why must the last shred of my meaning for existence be completely crushed?
Hate!
A long-dormant, nearly numb feeling of hatred seemed to gush out of the massive void in his abdomen!
Hate!
He hated the Sand Hidden Village (Sunagakure) ninja who viewed him as a monster, hated every look of disgust they cast his way, and hated the indifference and cruelty with which they imprisoned him here!
Hate!
He hated the man who was his father even more! Rasa!
Hated him for granting him life but never offering a shred of warmth, hated him for treating him as a tool, discarded after use, hated him for personally making him a monster!
Kill!
Kill them all!
Kill all those who hate me!
Kill the one who abandoned me!!
Boom!!
The towering hatred, like a flood bursting a dam, instantly overwhelmed all numbness and despair!
A cold, berserk aura violently surged out from the huge void in Gaara's abdomen!
And above the prison, the souls of the Sunagakure ninja killed by Pain were drawn by the power and forcibly sucked into his body.
The mental energy charged with resentment, fear, and rage slammed into his shattered body. Veins beneath his skin swelled and writhed like black earthworms, and his bones creaked under the immense strain!
But, he was close, just one step away...
Whoosh!!
A gentle, pure blue light flowed out from the gourd on his back!
The light slowly condensed, outlining a slender, ethereal female silhouette, her face blurry.
She reached out, and with deep affection, gently embraced the small figure on the ground, who was violently trembling from pain and hatred.
"Child, go."
The gentle, yet cold, voice echoed deep within Gaara's soul: "Kill them all."
She was Gaara's mother, Karura!
The blue soul silhouette slowly merged into his body.
"Ugh, aaaaaah!!"
Gaara suddenly let out a non-human shriek. His body violently twisted and swelled. His skin cracked inch by inch, revealing the writhing flesh underneath!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A layer of pale, cold bony mask grew out of the flesh of his face, instantly covering his entire face!
Two points of crimson light ignited in the mask's empty eye sockets!
A terrifying aura filled with resentment and a desire for destruction violently erupted from his body! The entire prison was instantly and completely ripped apart and pulverized from within by this rampaging force!
Boom!!
At the same moment, the three figures—Oyakata En, Tendō Pain, and Jigoku Tendō Pain—had almost walked out of Sunagakure.
But the next second, sensing the powerful aura surging from behind them, all three stopped simultaneously.
The cynical smile on Oyakata En's face instantly froze. He slowly turned around, and a trace of solemnity and surprise appeared in his eyes for the first time.
He saw it.
Sand dust, soaring into the sky, rolled and roared like a gigantic screen connecting heaven and earth, wildly sweeping toward them, swallowing Sunagakure, swallowing the sky, and obscuring the sun!
The entire world was stained a choking, murky yellow!
"Ho." Oyakata En let out a low, ambiguous chuckle, but there was no trace of ease in the sound. Instead, it carried an undeniable gravity.
"Boss," he looked at Pain, licked his lips, and said with a smile, "It seems we might have accidentally released something incredible?"
"Hmph. That 'Kage' fellow is certainly good at creating trouble for others..."
Looking at the sandstorm sweeping in the distance, Tendō Pain coldly snorted and raised his hand.
However, a moment later, he slowly lowered it.
"Boss?" Oyakata En raised an eyebrow.
"Go to Konoha first. We don't have time to waste on it," Tendō Pain said icily. "It seems next time I kill someone, I should extract the soul."
As his voice faded, his figure and that of Jigoku Tendō Pain vanished from the spot.
"I hope the Fourth Kazekage won't be too pleasantly surprised when he returns and sees this."
Oyakata En shrugged and spoke with sarcasm, disappearing from the spot just before the sand sea slammed down.
Boom!!
The surging sea of sand crashed onto the ground like a wave. The earth violently trembled. Countless houses collapsed in the raging sandstorm. Screams of terror and agony were drowned out by the roar!
The Waterfall Hidden Village (Takigakure) was concealed behind a colossal waterfall.
The waterfall was Takigakure's most iconic feature and its natural defense barrier. The entire village was masked by the immense water curtain.
From the outside, it was virtually impossible to detect the hidden world behind it. Entering the village required passing through the waterfall's curtain. This design made the village extremely difficult for external forces to discover and invade.
Behind the waterfall was a broad valley. The interior was lushly vegetated, had abundant water sources, and was beautiful and self-sufficient. Takigakure was established here.
Takigakure once harbored great ambitions, even attempting to assassinate the First Hokage, but after being heavily wounded by Kakuzu, it recognized reality and remained isolated and content with its small domain for a long time.
However, at this moment, this ninja village, hidden behind a waterfall like a secluded paradise, had been completely reduced to a living hell.
Rumble!!
Black storm clouds gathered and boiled over Takigakure, ceaselessly striking down with lightning.
Sturdy buildings were smashed into pieces like fragile blocks. Burning splinters and scorched fragments flew everywhere. The desperate screams of the Takigakure ninja were swallowed by the thunder!
"Roar!!"
A massive, burly monster dog rampaged through the burning streets. Its body was covered in a gray-brown cuticle. Every stomp of its thick limbs caused the ground to tremble!
Fangs protruded from its ferocious, gigantic mouth, which spewed scorching flames!
In its wake, houses collapsed and the ground cracked. Takigakure ninja who tried to stop it were easily swatted and crushed like preying mantises against a chariot.
"Screech!!"
A monster bird circled the village sky. Its feathers rained down like dense arrows, exploding upon impact. Firelight accompanied deafening explosions.
Violent shockwaves and scorching flames devoured large areas. Takigakure ninja who failed to escape were reduced to ashes amid desperate wails.
"Hiss!!"
Several two-headed giant snakes writhed and twisted their bodies, slowly moving through the burning ruins. Their hideous heads spewed a highly toxic purple mist.
Even more despairing was that no matter how fiercely the Takigakure ninja attacked, or how deep the wounds they inflicted, those wounds would rapidly heal at a visible rate!
"Fū! Come back, it's too dangerous! You haven't fully mastered the power of the Seven-Tails!"
On the ground, a girl with blue-green short hair, dark skin, and orange eyes, disregarded the advice of the Takigakure ninja and formed hand seals, flying into the sky.
"Secret Technique: Scale Powder Concealment Technique!"
She spat out countless fine scale powders that drifted towards the two-headed snakes, instantly causing them to writhe and paralyze on the ground with pained hisses.
"Tsk, finally forced her out."
Bíwa Jūzō, carrying the Kubikiribōchō (Severing Sword), stood atop the monster bird and let out a sigh of relief, looking at the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, 'Fū,' who had flown into the air with a pair of butterfly wings.
Given Fū's current age and strength, which was less than ten years old, subduing her wouldn't take much effort.
Thinking of this, he looked down at the main Takigakure building and frowned, "What in the world is that guy, Hiruko, doing? Why hasn't he come out yet?"
At this very moment, in the secret underground archive room of the Takigakure building.
This place housed all the secret ninjutsu collections and ancient texts gathered by Takigakure since its founding—an absolute forbidden area.
However, the Takigakure ninja who should have been strictly guarding the place now lay scattered across the cold floor.
Their bodies were pierced and crushed. Their faces were frozen in expressions of fear and pain. Blood flowed profusely from their wounds, soaking the precious scattered scrolls and yellowed ancient texts.
The cold, damp air was thick with the heavy scent of blood mixed with the unique musty odor of paper and scrolls.
The only light came from the flickering oil lamps on the wall, casting distorted shadows between the towering bookshelves.
Clatter!
A heavy scroll was violently yanked from a high shelf and slammed into the pool of blood. Hiruko, dressed in a black robe with red clouds, quickly moved through the cluttered archive room.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
Precious scrolls were tossed aside like trash. Yellowed ancient texts were roughly torn open and trampled upon. He completely disregarded these items.
"Where is it? Where is it?"
Hiruko's lips moved, his voice low and urgent as he frantically searched through the mountains of stacked scrolls.
He had searched through more than half the archive. Countless scrolls detailing powerful ninjutsu slipped from his hands, but none were what he was looking for, making him increasingly irritated!
"Damn it! Is there really no backup?"
Hiruko cursed under his breath, savagely slamming the scroll in his hand onto the floor.
But just as he lowered his head, his peripheral vision caught an extremely hidden corner at the very bottom of a bookshelf.
A small, unassuming flat box lay there, covered in dust, almost blending into the shadows.
Hiruko's eyes narrowed. He used 'Swift Release' to instantly appear before the box, picked it up, dusted off the heavy layer of grime, and opened it.
Click!
The box was gently opened. A single scroll lay quietly inside.
"Found it!"
Upon unrolling the scroll, Hiruko's breathing instantly became ragged, his voice filled with a suppressed frenzy and tremble: "Secret Technique: Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear)!"
However, after reading the content on the scroll, his brow instinctively furrowed.
"It requires cultivating that 'black thread'-like organism and then transplanting it into one's body?"
Hiruko muttered under his breath, "No wonder 'Jiongu' was abandoned here. It seems Takigakure no longer possesses that type of black thread."
The only person in the current ninja world who still possessed that "black thread" was Kakuzu, the one who mastered Jiongu.
"I can't let that guy Kakuzu know I've obtained Jiongu," Hiruko's eyes flashed. "Then there's only one way."
He had to find a way to get some live 'black threads' from Kakuzu without him knowing.
Hiruko was curious what kind of bizarre organism could be created by combining 'Jiongu' with his own 'Kimera' (Chimera) Technique.
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