Clink…
Clink…
A crisp bell tone drifted down the cave on a cold draft.
Uchiha Gen couldn't help but frown; his instincts told him something was wrong.
It felt as though something invisible had brushed past him.
The chime seemed to slow both his body and mind, causing his steps to falter.
He looked around—everything was exactly as before.
Above him, the cavern yawned empty.
No… something was there.
The tomoe of his Sharingan spun.
Pushing his vision to the limit, Gen made out a hazy silhouette with a long, lolling tongue gliding through the air toward the far end of the path.
"That's… the King of Hell."
The Rinnegan commands the power that links life and death, and the King of Hell is part of the Pure Land.
Stationed at the gate between the two worlds, it guides the dead and can therefore be summoned and controlled by the Rinnegan.
Remembering Orochimaru's warning before his departure, Gen left the King of Hell alone.
He was alive; the King would not bother him.
Clink…
Clink…
The ringing grew clearer, and Gen's pace slowed again.
At the limit of his vision below, a massive gate stood.
A snarling demon face seemed to mock every soul about to enter the Pure Land.
Spikes jutted from its crimson frame.
According to Konoha's records, the first five Rashōmon gates are red, green, blue, cyan, and brown.
Once summoned, each gate possesses a set defensive strength that increases with the user's Chakra quality, but there is a limit.
Only by summoning the next gate can the defense be increased further.
During the Chunin Exams, Kidōmaru's first Rashōmon was dented by Inuzuka Kiba at full force.
Yet, had Senju Hashirama summoned the very first gate, an attack of that caliber could never have damaged it.
If a gate is damaged, releasing the Jutsu returns it to the Pure Land, where the unique environment restores it.
The unsettling chime came from a bell hanging beneath the gate's lintel.
"The bell carries potent Yin Chakra," Gen murmured.
"It presses on the mind like a Genjutsu, but I can bear it."
He dropped his gaze to his own body.
Even with the temporary Soft Physique Modification, the closer he came to the Rashōmon, the worse the sensation grew.
The bell's vibrations amplified the strain.
Ripples like those on shaken liquid now flickered across his skin.
The internal burden was just as heavy.
Without the softening buffer, he would have sustained severe internal injuries long before reaching the gate.
But reality allowed for no "ifs."
The bell continued its unhurried toll.
Fine sweat beaded on Gen's forehead.
Heavy yet resolute, he finally arrived beneath the Rashōmon.
He formed seals.
A thin, razor-sharp wind blade appeared at his palm and sliced it open.
He switched hand signs again.
Smack!
Crimson blood gushed, and he pressed his bleeding palm against the gate.
He was drenching the Rashōmon with Chakra-laden blood.
Once the gate absorbed it, a contract would be forged.
The blood was greedily sucked into the demon face, and an inexplicable sensation surfaced in Gen's mind.
"Open," he whispered.
The gate's gaping face slowly swung inward.
A grating metallic screech accompanied the motion, as though demons of the deepest hell waited beyond.
He now had the right to summon a second Rashōmon.
Should he try?
The thought flashed through his mind, and he answered at once.
Go.
Of course he would.
He was nowhere near his limit.
Thanks to the refined Soldier Pill, his remaining Chakra was still within a safe range.
And an opportunity to enjoy this Soft Physique Modification effect again would not come easily.
Though Orochimaru had said nothing, Gen—having trained under Tsunade—knew basic pharmacology.
He understood how precious the ingredients were and how much effort was required to adjust such a formula.
Orochimaru clearly regarded him as a true successor now.
Chances like this might not come again for a long time.
Judging by his elevated heart rate, at most half of the three-hour window had passed.
It was probably less, since he had estimated conservatively based on the upper limit of a human pulse.
To quit now would waste the remaining time.
If it became unbearable, he could simply release the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and return to Konoha.
He had nothing to lose.
Soon, he tasted the cost.
From here on, he had to endure doubled bell tones from both directions.
The ambient Yin Chakra grew denser, and the lingering grudges of the countless dead battered his mind.
An hour and a half later, Gen was practically crawling beneath the second Rashōmon.
Though the Soft Physique Modification still held, he felt his organs shifting due to the violent resonance.
He would need immediate medical care.
But he had made it.
Smack!
Blood from his palm smeared the gate again.
As the demon face swung open, Gen released the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and reappeared in Orochimaru's quarters.
Orochimaru, gloved in white, stood at a bench manipulating apparatus, mixing something.
At the sight of Gen, he paused, giving the battered youth a once-over.
Worn out, but intact.
"So long away... you went for the second gate?"
Orochimaru set down a test tube.
"Succeeded by luck," Gen muttered, rolling on the floor.
Luck indeed.
The demonic chime had nearly forced his Sharingan to a second tomoe.
"Still, two gates is good."
"With your current Chakra quality, only Jōnin-level force will break that defense."