At the border where the Land of Fire adjoined the Land of Hot Water, a Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) detachment was stationed.
Due to the camp's coastal location, the rain here was much heavier than the drizzle within the Land of Fire.
The falling raindrops splattered on the ground, making it seem as if it were raining both from the heavens and the earth.
A strong wind, carrying a downpour, blew relentlessly, making the Konoha flag in the camp fly straight, and the tents rattled fiercely in the storm.
Whoosh!
Inside one tent, a stove burned warmly, not only dispelling the darkness of the night but also scattering the chill in theair, bringing a hint of cozy warmth.
Two figures lay on beds by the stove, their eyes closed, resting peacefully in their dreams. Two other figures sat by the window, on watch.
Shimura Danzo had initially brought four squads of Root ninjas to the border camp. When he returned to Konoha, he took two squads with him, leaving only two behind.
The two ninjas on watch lifted the sake from the stove, the sound of the liquid pouring into bowls echoing.
As the steam rose, smelling the mellow aroma of the wine, both of them narrowed their eyes.
"Good wine," the female Root ninja remarked after taking a sip.
"This is a specialty from the Land of Hot Water. If Lord Danzo hadn't sent a letter saying we could return to the village tomorrow morning, I wouldn't have brought it out to share with you," the other male Root ninja, who had a more cheerful personality, joked.
In truth, Konoha ninja had three prohibitions: the first was against luxury, the second against lust, and the third against alcohol.
However, ninjas were also human and needed to release stress. These three prohibitions were more or less skirted. If there were no demand, the pleasure district of FUNFUN Street would not have been built near Konoha, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi was a regular in his youth.
This was even more so for Root ninjas. If they didn't vent the negative emotions accumulated in their hearts, their mental state would gradually collapse.
Of course, even while drinking secretly, the two did not neglect their guard duty.
After all, the relationship between Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) and Konoha was tense now, and they wouldn't joke with their own lives.
"Drink less," the female Root ninja said.
"It's fine, the Sensory Barrier is always on."
The male ninja seemed tired of the harsh life at the border, and the news that he could return to the village tomorrow made him unable to contain his excitement.
Hearing this, the female ninja didn't press further, but she put down her wine bowl.
Plink... plink...
A sound like raindrops falling from the eaves and shattering on the ground reached their ears.
This sound wasn't strange.
But the female ninja inexplicably felt a sense of unease. She subconsciously frowned and looked carefully outside the tent,
All she could see was the raging wind and rain, the hazy mist obscuring everything, but the Sensory Barrier hadn't issued a warning.
What's going on? Where is this feeling of wrongness coming from?
Is something missing?
Or is there something extra?
"..."
After a moment of silence, the female ninja scanned the area outside the tent, reached out, and nudged her companion. "Hoshi, something feels wrong."
However, the next moment she applied a little force, she suddenly felt the resistance in her hand disappear.
Thump... thud...
The female ninja instinctively turned her head, only to see her companion toppling sideways. His head, a joyous expression still on his face, slid off, making a series of crisp sounds like a soccer ball hitting the ground, leaving a trail of blood as it rolled.
In that brief instant, the female ninja suddenly realized what was wrong.
The sound of breathing was missing. The breathing was too light. There were four people in the tent, but only she remained.
There was an extra faint smell of blood, which was growing stronger with the wind.
It wasn't coming from outside the tent, but from within.
But realizing it now was too late.
Splurt.
A cold glint of light flashed. Inside the translucent tent, a few drops of blood splattered on the canvas. Hyuga Kumo, dressed in a black robe, hung upside down above the two, withdrawing his joined index and middle fingers from the female ninja's head. A thin layer of a chakra blade coated his fingers.
"Root (Root) ninjas are indeed not as sharp as Anbuninjas."
Hyuga Kumo glanced at the two on the beds behind him, who had also been pierced through the head by him and were now silent.
The sound of raindrops the female ninja had heard was actually the sound of these two's blood dripping.
If they hadn't trusted the Sensory Barrier so much, perhaps they could have discovered the abnormality sooner.
But who would have thought that Hyuga Kumo could block perception? Even Pain had to find a way around Konoha's barrier.
Hyuga Kumo had spent another thousand points on the road to enhance the perception-blocking effect of his "Shadow Robe."
In terms of infiltration ability, probably only a very few could compare with him.
"A pity to waste a 'puppet'."
Hyuga Kumo looked regretfully at the headless corpse, stored it in a scroll, and then used the Mind Wheel Binding Seal to control the other three bodies.
This ability couldn't stop a body from decaying, so if they weren't made into human puppets, these three corpses would rot before long.
Moreover, without Toneri Ōtsutsuki's giant Tenseigan, his current ability was far from being able to control nearly a hundred puppets like Toneri could. His current limit was ten puppets.
And Hyuga Hiashi was still alive, so controlling a living person occupied five "slots."
"But, it's enough."
Hyuga Kumo glanced at the three puppets kneeling on one knee before him and gave them the command to mimic their previous actions and await orders.
Then, he silently chanted in his mind again: "Manifest - Ōtsutsuki Ruins (Ōtsutsuki Ruins)."
[Please enter coordinates]
"Coordinates - one thousand meters underground, longitude 119°17'13.202" E, latitude 54°12'12.115" N..." Hyuga Kumo silently recited the coordinates agreed upon by Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) and Konoha.
[Please enter layout]
"Layout - five-level underground palace structure, cannot be spied on with perception abilities, each level requires chakra absorption to open, the deeper the level, the more chakra is needed. A Statue of the Ten-Tails (Statue of the Ten-Tails) is at the entrance, with an inscription left by 'Ōtsutsuki Unshi (Ōtsutsuki Unshi)' on the base. The content of the inscription is..."
Hyuga Kumo pondered, roughly outlining the imagined underground palace in his mind. After a few additions, the system's voice finally stopped asking for various details.
[Cost: 13,000 Manifestation Points. Manifest?]
"..." The corner of Hyuga Kumo's eye twitched. "How much did you say?"
This was the first time he had manifested such a large "project."
[Cost: 13,000 Manifestation Points. Manifest?]
"You're determined to bleed me dry, aren't you?" Hyuga Kumo took a sharp breath, and after a moment of silence, he asked in his mind, "What if I only manifest the overall structure and entrance of the palace, along with the entrance details I mentioned, and the requirement to absorb a huge amount of chakra to open it?"
[Cost: 3,000 Manifestation Points. Manifest?]
Hearing this, Hyuga Kumo's eyes flickered.
After thinking for a long time, he thought about the Shadow Robe on him. Although the system was a rip-off every time, it seemed to be worth the price, perfectly fitting his requests and even adding some details...
"No Pain, No Gain.''
With this thought, Hyuga Kumo's pupils constricted, and he said in a deep voice, "Manifest!"
[Deducting 3,000 Manifestation Points. Remaining Manifestation Points: 10,651]
The next moment the notification sounded in his mind, Hyuga Kumo felt a tremor beneath his feet.