To ensure the success of the Tailed Beast Capture Plan, Nagato had deployed his "Nagato Ryoma", while his real body stayed in the rear with Konan to guard against surprises. Everything moved according to plan, silent and efficient.
Back inside the outpost rest room, the air was still hot and sticky. Only the soft sound of passing water canteens and casual talk could be heard. "That kid Junji is complaining again," one Sunagakure muttered lazily after taking a big drink. "He's probably slacking off up there again," another Sunagakure guard said without looking up as he wiped his Kunai, the blade catching a faint glint of light.
At that moment, the wooden door creaked open with a dry, grating sound. A figure staggered in, his steps unsteady, like someone drunk, and walked toward the center of the room. Several Sunagakure glanced over and, seeing it was "Junji", lowered their heads again.
"Why are you back, Junji?" someone asked casually. "Where's Kenta?" There was no answer.
The room fell into a strange silence, broken only by the echo of unsteady footsteps. Almost at the same time, the Sunagakure sensed something wrong and snapped their heads up. The moment they did, "Junji" lifted his head as well.
The familiar face was completely pale. The whites of his eyes had turned blood red, and in the center of each pupil was a disturbing purple horizontal slit, like a goat's eye. "Genjutsu?" "Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!"
The words slipped out instinctively, but they immediately realized something was wrong. There were no Tomoe at all, and that strange horizontal pupil was clearly not Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Attack!" one quick-thinking Sunagakure shouted as he flung several poisoned Kunai. Others reacted at once, drawing weapons and forming seals as attacks poured in.
Kunai, giant Shuriken, and other attacks all struck "Junji" without resistance. Dull impact sounds followed as blood splashed across his clothes and dripped onto the dry floor. Yet his face showed no emotion at all.
He reached out with a hand soaked in his own blood and grabbed the Kunai stuck in his chest. Then he pulled it hard. A tearing sound echoed as he split his own chest open.
There were no organs and no bones inside. Instead of blood, thick, writhing purple-black matter surged out, wrapping his body completely. It formed a pulsing mass of flesh that beat like a heart, each thump striking fear into those watching. A violent surge of Chakra gathered inside, like a volcano about to erupt.
This was the power of the Kekkei Genkai Blood Dragon Eye, turning a living body into a "flesh bomb". The Sunagakure did not understand what they were seeing, but the raw Chakra alone sent cold fear up their spines. "Quick—" one of them screamed, his voice breaking.
It was already too late. The purple-black mass exploded with a deafening roar, releasing destructive force in every direction. Blinding light swallowed the rest room as the outpost was torn apart, stone walls shredded as if they were paper.
Sunagakure and debris were hurled into the sky, forming a massive cloud of dust. Those closest to the blast were ripped apart before they could even scream, reduced to mist that mixed with the flying sand. Only two Sunagakure farther away managed to react, throwing themselves back at the last second.
They were still blasted away and slammed onto the hot sand dozens of meters away. Blood mixed with fragments spilled from their mouths as pain shattered their senses. One of them struggled to lift his head and stare at the outpost.
It was gone. All that remained was a blackened crater smoking heavily, scattered with broken limbs and dark blood, the air filled with a strong stench. Worse still, in the distance, several other Sunagakure border outposts were also sending up thick columns of smoke.
"Enemy… enemy attack?" he whispered, his voice shaking. "Quick, send the signal!" the other shouted through the pain, fumbling out a flare.
Just as he raised it, a pair of black ninja boots stepped into his view. pata! The foot came down.
kacha! Bone cracked sharply, like a dry branch snapping.
"Ahhh!" His wrist was crushed underfoot, and the signal flare flew from his hand and rolled into the sand. Cold, powerful hands then seized both men by the necks and lifted them effortlessly off the ground.
They gasped as air vanished, legs kicking uselessly while their bloodshot eyes bulged. The one holding them was the hulking Hell Path Nagato. Behind him appeared a massive, hideous head, the King of Hell.
The strange purple ripple-patterned Rinnegan in Hell Path Nagato's eyes fixed on them without emotion. "Tell me," he said coldly, "where is the One-Tail Jinchuriki being held?"
At those words, both Sunagakure stiffened. "I… I don't know," one of them forced out hoarsely.
The lie was detected instantly. His tongue was dragged from his mouth by an unseen force as the King of Hell opened its jaws. A thick purple-black tongue shot out, its tip shaped like a hand, and seized his own tongue.
With a sickening tear, it ripped the tongue out entirely. The man convulsed and died in terror, though only Hell Path Nagato and the judged could see the King of Hell at work.
The remaining Sunagakure broke down completely, shaking uncontrollably. "Tell me," Hell Path Nagato repeated, his voice freezing. "Where is the One-Tail Jinchuriki being held?"
Inside the high level office of the Ryoma Building in Kumogakure, the atmosphere was heavy and closed. Thick lead gray thunderclouds pressed low outside the windows, and pale white lightning tore open the rolling clouds again and again. Inside the room, piles of documents lay scattered across the desk, nearly burying the surface beneath them.
"Damn it!" Cee slammed a report onto the desk and rubbed his swollen temples. His voice carried exhaustion and barely hidden irritation as he said that ever since the appearance of those "Crimson giant", the entire Kumogakure had fallen into chaos.
He went on about constant reports of attacks everywhere and nobles sending letters every day demanding more protection. Panic was spreading, rumors were flying, and if this continued the situation would only get worse. His words poured out in a rush, showing how tightly the pressure had wound him.
Beside him, the steady faced Dodai continued reviewing documents with strict focus. Without lifting his head, he spoke calmly to soothe him, reminding him that Ryoma had personally gone to the Land of Demons to attend the Five Kage Summit to resolve these problems. Once Ryoma returned with the results, things would improve.
Seated at the main position, Mabui let out a long breath and gently set down a document stamped with the seal of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning of Kumogakure. The document urged Kumogakure once again to dispatch elite Ninja to the capital to strengthen defenses against "Crimson giant". She voiced her concern softly, wondering whether everything was going smoothly on Ryoma's side.
She rubbed her aching neck and glanced out the window at the lightning filled sky. At that very moment, a bolt of lightning split the clouds apart, and blinding white light flooded the world. In that brief flash, reflected in Mabui's shrinking pupils, a huge and vicious black Shadow appeared deep within the clouds and vanished in an instant.
"What was that?" Mabui sprang to her feet and shouted. Cee and Dodai lifted their heads at once and followed her gaze toward the depths of the storm clouds. Thunder roared as the clouds twisted violently, as if stirred by an invisible hand, and a massive vortex formed at their center.