"Did you learn that from Xiao Yan?"
Adam glared at Uchiha Sogetsu, who looked completely calm and indifferent.
"What do you mean?"
Uchiha Sogetsu was taken aback.
"Timing your rescue."
Adam wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken: "If you had been any slower, we might have needed someone to collect our bodies."
Just a moment ago, if they had been half a second later, he and the Angel of Concealment would have been swallowed by those sticky, pitch-black liquids. Even if they didn't die, they would've been severely injured.
After all, the curse of the "Abomination" wasn't something to joke about.
"What are you talking about?" Uchiha Sogetsu glanced at him, speechless: "How easy do you think it is to trap the King of Angels in a Dream Labyrinth?"
Using the prayer ceremony, they had contacted Zaratul from the Dragon Raja world.
Then, through large-scale hypnosis, they extracted a piece of dream from the minds of billions of people around the world.
This was essentially a gathering of the entire world's strength, allowing them to seal the "Abomination."
The difficulty was far from simple.
Did he really think Sogetsu enjoyed learning from Xiao Yan's timing tricks?
"Shouldn't it be safe now?"
Adam exhaled a breath of relief, but his gaze remained worried. He turned to ask.
After all, the one they had trapped was the King of Angels, who possessed the "uniqueness" of Chained Pathway.
Even though the Dream Labyrinth had gathered dreams from the entire world's population, whether it could truly hold the King of Angels was still in question.
"Not in the short term. It shouldn't be able to escape."
Uchiha Sogetsu's eyes gleamed with a light gold hue as he spoke, "But how long the seal will last, that's hard to say. A few years should be no problem."
To seal the 'Abomination,' he borrowed the power of the Dragon Raja's world, using the minds of billions to create this massive dream labyrinth.
Even if the opponent were the normal King of Angel, trying to break free would be quite difficult. Let alone someone who's not normal, right?
"So, what's the plan next?" Adam asked.
Although 'Abomination' had been temporarily sealed, there had been no significant clues regarding the whereabouts of the sleeping 'Naruto Adam.'
Though not all goals were achieved, at least one major worry had been resolved. For now, 'Abomination' wouldn't cause trouble again.
"Naturally, it's to go back."
Uchiha Sogetsu's gaze shifted toward Earth, his voice calm as he said, "I've been gone for so long, it's time to see how much things have developed."
"I'm really curious how he'll react when he meets me," Adam said, lips pressing together into a playful smile.
Year 63 of Konoha.
Since the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Sogetsu, died in battle, the entire ninja world had undergone drastic changes.
The once powerful Land of Lightning had been struck several times and suffered massive losses, leaving it in a prolonged state of decline.
On the other hand, the Land of Water began to rise, thanks to the emergence of a new Mizukage.
The Land of Earth, led by Onoki, maintained stability, even surpassing the Land of Lightning at one point, becoming a powerful ninja village second only to Konoha.
But the Land of Sand wasn't as lucky.
Due to its terrible location and lack of resources, it had always ranked at the bottom of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
In the 55th year of Konoha, something that shook the entire ninja world happened!
A mercenary group named 'Akatsuki,' under the banner of the Hidden Rain Village, rose aggressively and seized large portions of the Land of Sand's territory!
This action instantly drew the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and to protect their interests, the Four Great Shinobi Nations sent help to the Land of Sand, trying to crush this newly rising power.
To curb the ever-expanding influence of the Rain Village, the five major ninja villages decided to unite and hold the Chunin Exams, in order to assert their status and create a deterrent effect.
Konoha Village, after years of development, had gradually regained its pre-war glory.
Looking at the familiar Konoha Gate ahead, Uchiha Sogetsu paused for a moment, as if feeling a sense of isolation from the world, a strange feeling slowly rising in his heart.
Beside him was a young girl, with fair skin, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit. She looked as cute as an elf, her red hair cascading down and casually tied at the end.
At this moment, a ninja approached, eyeing the strange pair up and down.
With messy black hair, the man appeared to be in his twenties, exuding a mature and composed aura, with a hint of nobility.
"Hello, you can't stay here for too long," said Kotetsu Hagane, taking on his gatekeeper duties. He snapped Uchiha Sogetsu out of his thoughts: "If you're here to enter, please show your pass."
Snapping out of his reverie, Uchiha Sogetsu smiled slightly and pulled out his pass from his pocket.
At this point, he didn't need to change his appearance. With his Sequence 2 status and power, if he didn't want to, even the people closest to him would never recognize him, even if they stood right in front of him.
"Ah, I see, a noble from the Land of Hot Water."
Kotetsu Hagane glanced at the pass and immediately straightened his posture, his expression becoming a bit more serious. "May I ask, Mr. Uesugi, are you here to watch the Chunin Exams?"
"Yes, I was invited by the Hokage."
Uchiha Sogetsu nodded with a smile, maintaining his calm demeanor throughout.
His presence eased Kotetsu Hagane's last bit of doubt.
Smiling, he handed over the pass and said warmly, "Welcome, Mr. and Miss Uesugi, to Konoha to watch the Chunin Exams. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any ninja for help. We hope you enjoy your time here."
"Thank you."
Uchiha Sogetsu took the pass and turned to the curious-looking girl beside him. "Let's go, Erii."
"Mmhm~"
Erii nodded obediently and took his hand.
The two of them stepped into Konoha. Kotetsu Hagane scratched his head, looking at their retreating figures, and said with admiration, "That girl is really beautiful."
Izumo Kamizuki walked over, nudging him with his shoulder and grinning, "Don't even think about it. She's a noble. Just focus on your work. The Chunin Exams are coming soon. Don't mess things up, or we'll both be in trouble!"
"Got it, got it!" Kotetsu Hagane sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
"Hey, there's your statue!" Erii suddenly brightened up, pointing at the Hokage Monument and excitedly calling out, "It's the fourth one from the left!"
"Yeah, I used to be Hokage," Uchiha Sogetsu smiled and looked up at the Hokage Monument. There were still only four statues, so it seemed like Tsunade hadn't returned yet.
With the information about the Chunin Exams, he quickly guessed that this must be the storyline before Konoha's collapse.
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