The chamber's walls pulsed with crimson light, burning into Raizen's eyes. His screams quieted as his breathing steadied. The fragmented Ōtsutsuki presence hissed with laughter, but then… silenced.
Another voice stirred from the murals themselves.
"You are not the first to demand power, Uchiha."
Raizen's Mangekyō snapped open again. "Who—?"
The murals shifted. Colors peeled away, stone breaking to reveal a second layer beneath. These weren't Ōtsutsuki glyphs. They were older, etched in blackened fire.
The images told a story long buried:
— A clan with eyes unlike any shinobi. Their irises shone silver, their chakra storms raged like thunder.
— They stood against the Ōtsutsuki invaders, not kneeling, but fighting back.
— Worlds cracked under their battles, heavens burned, and even Shibai himself was forced to descend.
At the mural's end, the clan lay in ruins, their name carved in strokes that shimmered faintly as if resisting erasure:
"Kaguro Clan."
Raizen's chest tightened. The Kaguro…
The fragment in the altar hissed again, bitterly.
"They were the only ones who defied us. Stronger than Uchiha, stronger than Senju… their very chakra was poison to our kind. So we erased them. Body. Bloodline. Name."
Raizen stared at the mural, transfixed. His voice dropped low.
"…But not all knowledge dies."
The figure's laughter turned hollow.
"One ruin remains. Buried where shinobi dare not go. Seek it, and you will find echoes of their forbidden strength… if it does not destroy you first."
The altar pulsed, branding Raizen's chest with a faint, burning mark. His knees buckled as blood seeped from his eyes again.
But his smile was sharper now.
A clan strong enough to rival the Ōtsutsuki. If their power still lingers… I will make it mine.
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