Chapter 256: Aftermath of the Battle (Part 1)
"Food's here! Get up, get up!"
The dim candlelight flickered against damp, dark bricks, and an indescribable stench permeated the entire space.
It had been three days since the incident on the training ground. Following Dana's orders before he left, the Cloud ninja had stayed put, detaining all mercenaries and samurai.
However, after waiting day and night without seeing their boss return, standing on the training ground forever wasn't a solution. The detainees grew noisy and restless. eventually, the Cloud ninja commandeered two prisons in the capital and transferred everyone there.
One prison held the mercenaries, the other the samurai. These prisons were ancient and in terrible condition. The largest window couldn't even fit a human head through it. Even though it was broad daylight outside, inside it was so dark that you could barely see even with candles lit.
In an eight-person cell, seven people huddled in a corner, occupying only thirty percent of the space. The rest was left to a short, pale-faced samurai. No one complained about his tyranny; the last person who did had his leg broken.
The pale samurai sat cross-legged, seemingly meditating or resting his eyes. The other inmates had gotten used to him. This guy hadn't eaten a single meal, drunk a sip of water, or used the toilet in three days. He was like an immortal.
What they didn't know was that the real pale samurai had long since been swapped. The thing sitting there now indeed didn't need to eat, drink, or use the toilet.
Ever since Dana left carrying Kayo, especially after the barrier was lifted and the prisoners were moved, Yotsuki Teru (Kaguya) was effectively free.
The Special Strategy Division had sensory ninja patrolling the capital daily, but discovering a White Zetsu clone using Mayfly was beyond their current capabilities. Early on, Teru had a White Zetsu emerge from the ground in the cell to replace her.
Standing in a dark corner outside Asuka Castle, Teru had reverted to her appearance wearing the white bone mask and white robes.
Looking at Asuka Castle, she couldn't help but think of someone in a room near the bottom of the west side, and the tall figure who had carried someone away three days ago.
According to the news brought back by White Zetsu, the entire ninja world was buzzing with rumors. There were all kinds of versions.
Some said Yotsuki Dana defected for love.
Some said he entered the Land of Fire to snatch a civilian woman.
The most ridiculous rumor claimed that the person Dana carried was "Crimson Fortress" (Hiroto), and they had eloped because the Third Raikage disapproved of their forbidden romance. The story was described vividly, as if someone had seen it with their own eyes.
Shaking off these thoughts, Teru vanished into the darkness.
Asuka Castle had the highest security level; one-third of the Special Strategy Division ninja in the capital were stationed here. Teru didn't risk entering.
A pale figure emerged from a large tree nearby. "Natsu isn't in Asuka Castle. The one inside is a transformation decoy. The real one is at the Yamazaki noble estate. However, there are many Cloud ninja there too. Do you want to go?"
Teru thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I was just curious... curious if that man truly cares about the people around him... Where is Black Zetsu?"
White Zetsu replied, "In the Land of Rice Fields. That guy seems traumatized. He keeps yelling for you to hurry over there, but he's too scared to enter the Land of Lightning himself. Haha, I haven't seen him this flustered in a long time."
White Zetsu seemed a bit excited, even clapping his hands at his boss's misfortune.
"So... did that person lose?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, looking a bit dim-witted. "I guess you could say he lost. After all, Madara-sama died. It was gruesome; the face on his chest was punched right through. But Yotsuki Dana isn't in good shape either. Mutual destruction?... No, that's not right. That monster seems to be alive..."
Teru's clenched fist slowly relaxed. After a long while, she and White Zetsu disappeared into the earth.
Land of Waterfalls.
The entire valley was filled with people. Many held torches, illuminating the devastated landscape under the moonlight.
On the horizon, streaks of rainbow light occasionally arrived with a roar, landing on a nearby cliff. Cloud ninja emerged from them one by one.
Inside a freshly landed delivery pod, a Cloud ninja stepped out with curiosity.
"So this is the Heavenly Transfer Technique... I blinked and now I'm in the Land of Waterfalls? Amazing!"
Then he heard the commotion at the foot of the mountain and stretched his neck to look.
Looking down from the cliff, he saw the scarred earth and a massive crater sunk tens of meters deep.
And standing eerily in the center of the crater... was a colossal stone sphere over a hundred meters in diameter.
Megalophobia triggered.
The mountains and rivers are shattered... literally.
At this moment, he profoundly felt his own insignificance.
"Oi, oi, oi... Is this scene something a ninja can create? Are these the traces of Dana-sama's battle...?"
Just then, a figure shouted from a distance.
"Yusuke Akahoshi! Has Yusuke Akahoshi landed yet?!"
Yusuke was startled and quickly ran over. "Here!"
The person wearing an Anbu mask didn't have time for introductions. While leading Yusuke down the slope, he asked, "What is the range of your Red Eye x-ray vision?"
Yusuke paused, then quickly replied, "About 600 meters."
"Follow me."
The Anbu ninja brought Yusuke to the base of the massive stone sphere. Yusuke looked at the ground beneath his feet with shock and curiosity. It looked like glass, as if scorched by terrifying heat.
Yusuke also saw a familiar face. Ahead, Hiroto-senpai seemed to be studying something with the Sealing Corps. He could even faintly see the massive figure of the Third Raikage.
He had been pulled out of bed in the middle of the night by an emergency notice, stuffed into a delivery pod before he could react, and arrived in the Land of Waterfalls in a blink. He still didn't understand the context, and no one seemed to have time to explain.
The Anbu ninja snapped him back to reality. "Try to sense the internal condition of the stone sphere."
It looked terrifying from a distance, but standing up close, it felt like it blotted out the sky. He couldn't even see the moon anymore, only the overwhelming mass of stone.
Yusuke focused his mind and activated his Ketsuryugan (Red Eye).
"Inside this... Eh?"
The Anbu urged, "What did you find?"
Yusuke chose his words carefully. "This stone sphere seems to be made of ordinary materials. There are rocks, dirt, broken trees, even some water inside... But the entire sphere is filled with a strange energy. It's like chakra but different. I've never seen it before. In my vision, it looks black-purple."
The Anbu asked, "Look closer. Is there a human figure inside?"
Yusuke paused. "A human figure? Let me see... This energy greatly obstructs my vision. I can only penetrate about ten meters... Wait, let me circle around... Hold on, what is this? There's a super-massive hollow space deep underground!"