"Gamamaru, come out now!" Hayato shouted toward the lake's surface—the spot where Gamamaru had appeared before.
An echo rippled through the forest.
Hiroki stood beside him.
After a moment, water splashed as an orange frog leaped from the lake and landed on a large stone in the center.
Gamamaru briefly glanced at both men before focusing on Hayato. "Seems like you've already made it to the other side of the mountain."
Hayato nodded.
Hiroki kept his face blank. Was he really being ignored?
At that moment, Hayato suddenly seemed to recall Hiroki's presence and introduced him. "Gamamaru, the truth is Father guided us to understand it."
"Pleased to meet you. Or… how many times have you seen me again?" Hiroki said with a half-smile.
Gamamaru narrowed his eyes but didn't respond. After a short pause, he said, "Follow me."
With a leap, he dove into the water.
"Father, let's go," Hayato hesitated slightly before jumping down after him.
Frowning faintly, Hiroki stepped into the water too.
His body sank quickly. When light returned, the environment around him was completely different from moments ago.
He thought deeply—what they'd seen earlier wasn't another stretch of water, but a spatial Formation similar to the one connecting Earth and the Moon.
It was the same type of space Formation.
"It looks like Hamura originally drew inspiration from here, or perhaps it was always the doing of the Gamabunta Clan."
Shaking off these thoughts, he turned his attention to his surroundings.
It seemed to be a forested area.
Everything—the plants, the buildings—appeared incredibly huge, as if their bodies had shrunk countless times by comparison.
The most common sights were giant frog statues as large as mountains, and weeds and mushrooms thicker than regular trees.
Plant growth here defied all normal biological patterns.
"Where are we?" Hayato asked curiously.
"This is the land of frogs," Gamamaru answered.
The two humans and one frog set foot on solid ground together, like intruders entering a realm of giants.
The sky was clear and bright, filled with soft clouds. The lighting was rich and vivid, yet Hiroki couldn't identify its source at all.
This was another dimension—a place untouched by sunlight. Yet there was light. Where was it coming from? He couldn't quite figure it out.
"I can feel an incredible power surrounding us..." Hayato murmured.
"You sure are perceptive, Hayato," Hiroki quipped casually.
"Huh?" Hayato scratched his head, totally confused.
Without answering, Hiroki fixed his gaze on Gamamaru.
"This place is filled with Natural Energy," Gamamaru explained. "Whoever learns to harness this energy will gain extraordinary powers."
"Will those powers surpass Chakra?" Hayato asked.
"Well…" Gamamaru seemed to be thinking carefully about how to respond.
After being ignored for so long, Hiroki finally snapped. "Hey, frog, what exactly are you up to anyway?"
As his eyes locked onto Gamamaru, an overwhelming force erupted within them.
[Repulsive Force!]
Suddenly, Gamamaru's body shot backward through the air, tumbling hundreds of meters away.
Hiroki's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Gamamaru…" Hayato had no idea what was happening. "What's going on?"
Behind a certain leafy stem, Gamamaru lay flat on the ground, his expression as serious as a human's.
Though not seriously wounded, several injuries had already appeared on his body.
Suddenly, the sky darkened dramatically, and everything became pitch-black—so dark one couldn't even see their own hand in front of their face.
Total darkness.
"What now?" Hayato found this even more strange. He turned to look at Hiroki, directing his gaze toward the blue glow in Hiroki's eyes.
Good, Father is still here…
"A special barrier? Or some kind of illusionary technique again?" Hiroki suddenly smiled. "Oh… So it's just another layer of illusion, huh?"
"Hayato, now you'll finally witness whether chakra or senjutsu chakra is more powerful…"
Suddenly, green chakra overflowed, instantly covering his entire body.
Hayato stared in shock as the green figure soared into the sky.
Who would've thought Hiroki could do this… I've never seen this before. Could this actually be his ultimate state?
Hayato instinctively backed away a few steps.
"What's happening?"
"Is it an enemy?"
At that moment, the sudden arrival of night brought confusion not only to Hayato, but also to the other frogs.
Whether newly born younglings or elderly toads, whether small or giant—such a phenomenon had never occurred in their memories.
Whether indoors or outdoors, light seemed to have been sucked away by something, leaving all places pitch-black. The frogs could only stare at each other helplessly—Goro blinked at Kumo, who shrugged in confusion.
"How did it suddenly get dark like this? It's definitely not time for night yet," muttered a fat frog named Goro.
Gamamaru was the clan leader of the Gamabunta Clan and the first to discover Mount Myoboku. He was the one who led the frog tribe into this land and established cultivation practices.
Moreover, all the defensive systems across Mount Myoboku had been set up under his direct command. Every switch controlling the various defenses was now within his grasp.
"In other words, it's…"
Just as the fat frog pondered, a green silhouette floated into the sky.
"The enemy!"
Boom! Boom!
Without hesitation, five or six enormous frogs, each at least ten meters high, rushed toward that direction simultaneously.
Each leap covered ten times their own length. For them, crossing several kilometers required only a few seconds.
These frogs possessed not only astonishing sizes but also weights far beyond ordinary creatures. With every jump, the earth trembled violently.
In an instant, the ground shook violently beneath Hayato, sending him lurching from side to side.
"Exactly what's going on? Is there an earthquake again? This place of yours, Gamamaru, is way too dangerous. Come out quickly! Where are you…"
"It's been way too long since I last got to fight someone." Hiroki smirked slightly, glancing sideways toward the group of giant frogs.
Since mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique, no living creature could escape his perception—the difference lay solely in whether he chose to notice them.
[Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]!
Hiroki raised his hand, and in an instant, a massive yellow [Chakra Blade] materialized, shining like a sacred pillar of judgment in the dark night.
It was dangerous — but breathtaking!
The green figure hovering in midair looked like a celestial deity.
"So freaking cool!"
"I wonder if Dad would ever teach me something like this," Hayato muttered with wide eyes, heart pounding with both excitement and worry.
"Gamamaru, please be okay. We were supposed to have a chat, so why did things suddenly turn out like this?"
"Go," Hiroki said softly as he extended his hand and sent the giant [Chakra Blade] flying toward a certain direction.
"Don't come any closer! Hurry up and leave!" Gamamaru screamed with all his might.
As if death itself loomed overhead, the giant frogs suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They struggled to regain control, desperately trying to halt or veer off course, but it was too late.
Fast!
Too fast!
Their speed was quick, but the blade's movement was even faster!
We're done — we're gonna hit it!
As Gamamaru's voice rang in their ears, despair gripped the hearts of the giant frogs.
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