Three weeks.
That was how long it had been since the clash between Raizen and Gabimaru—three weeks since blood had stained the training hall floor, since silver eyes had bled crimson, since something ancient had finally awakened.
The ship's horn roared.
A long, deep sound that vibrated through steel, bone, and memory.
The vessel slowed, massive chains groaning as anchors prepared to drop. Fog rolled in thick sheets across the surface of the sea, swallowing the horizon whole. The air felt… different. Not heavy. Not light. Hollow, yet alive—like the world itself was holding its breath.
Raizen stood at the railing, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded.
Gabimaru stood beside him, chewing lazily on a strip of dried meat.
Neither of them waited.
The moment the ship drew close enough to the shoreline—
They jumped.
The wind screamed.
Gravity tugged, but weaker than it should have been. Raizen noticed it instantly—the way his body descended slower than memory insisted it should. He twisted midair, boots hitting the ground with a dull crunch as sand scattered outward.
Gabimaru landed beside him effortlessly, knees barely bending.
They straightened at the same time.
Raizen exhaled.
"…Nice," he muttered. "Haven't touched the ground in a year and a half."
Gabimaru cracked his neck. "And the gravity's lighter."
Raizen looked down, pressed his boot into the sand, then shifted his weight.
"…Yeah," he said. "Feels like the world's letting us move."
Behind them, the ship loomed like a sleeping giant. Crew members shouted orders. Ropes dropped. The others would follow soon.
Gabimaru took another bite, then spoke quietly—low enough that only Raizen could hear.
"By the way," he said casually, eyes forward. "I forgot to tell you something important."
Raizen didn't turn.
"What," he said. "You planning to drop another life-altering truth before breakfast?"
Gabimaru smirked.
"That power of yours. The Kyoketsu. In simple terms…"
He paused.
"They're called Divine Eyes."
Raizen's expression didn't change—but inside, something tightened.
"…Figures."
"You're not the only one," Gabimaru continued. "There are others. Some use them for good. Some for evil. Some don't even know what they're seeing."
Raizen's gaze drifted toward the treeline ahead. The forest beyond the shore was massive—ancient trunks twisted like petrified serpents, roots breaching the surface as if the land itself had veins.
"And on the other hand," Gabimaru said, tone sharpening, "there's Divine Energy."
Raizen tilted his head slightly.
"…Go on."
"You already have it," Gabimaru said. "That speed. Those movements. The way your body reacts before thought. That's not normal human instinct."
Raizen clicked his tongue softly.
"Oh yeah?" he said. "Then that means Senji, Lu, and Hikari have it too."
Gabimaru nodded. "They do. But it's dormant. Potential locked. You're different."
"Lucky me."
"You're already accessing it unconsciously," Gabimaru said. "We have the energy—but we don't possess Divine Eyes like yours. Not yet."
Raizen was silent for a moment.
The wind shifted.
"…So I'm walking around with cheat codes," he said finally.
Gabimaru smiled. "Something like that."
Behind them—
"Raizen."
The voice came through inside his head.
Calm. Curious. Annoyingly composed.
Raizen didn't flinch.
"…Senji," he replied internally.
"I was wondering when you'd realize," Senji continued. "You're having a private conversation and forgetting about the microchip I implanted in your ear."
Gabimaru's eye twitched.
"…You spying bastard."
Raizen smirked faintly.
"You heard all that?"
"Yes," Senji said. "Every word. Including the part where I apparently have divine energy."
"Huh," Raizen said. "Congrats."
"I'm thrilled," Senji replied flatly. "Now tell your ninja friend to explain himself later. Right now, we need information."
Raizen finally turned to Gabimaru.
"You heard him," Raizen said. "You'll give details later."
Gabimaru shrugged. "Was planning to."
Raizen turned toward the forest.
"…Right now," he said, "we need to ask Senji about this place."
⸻
The others landed moments later.
Aoi hit the ground lightly, eyes wide as she looked around. Lu followed, boots skidding slightly as she caught herself. Senji came last, adjusting his glasses as if stepping onto cursed land was just another inconvenience.
Aoi inhaled sharply.
"…It's beautiful," she said.
The air shimmered faintly, almost imperceptibly, like heat haze—but colder. The trees whispered without wind. The ground pulsed beneath their feet, subtle but undeniable.
Lu frowned. "Why does it feel like the place is watching us?"
Senji knelt, pressing two fingers to the soil.
"…Because it is."
Everyone looked at him.
"This land is saturated," Senji said. "Energy density is several magnitudes higher than normal terrain. Not chaotic. Structured."
"Speak human," Lu snapped.
Senji stood.
"We've arrived," he said, "at Shinkai no Kokyū."
Raizen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…The Deep Sea's Breath."
"Yes," Senji said. "A continental anomaly. A zone where the world's circulation—energy, gravity, even time—flows differently."
Gabimaru crossed his arms. "So it's real."
Senji nodded. "Very."
Aoi swallowed. "So… this is where Tsuchigumo operates?"
Senji shook his head.
"No," he said. "This is where Tsuchigumo originated."
Silence fell.
Raizen exhaled slowly.
"…Of course it did."
Senji continued. "This land doesn't just amplify power. It reveals it. Dormant traits awaken. Bloodlines respond. People either evolve… or break."
Lu crossed her arms. "And we're just casually walking in?"
"We don't have a choice," Senji said. "Tsuchigumo's main sanctum lies at the heart of this zone."
Raizen flexed his fingers.
"…Guess this place is gonna force answers out of me."
Aoi glanced at him.
"…Your eyes."
Raizen looked away.
"They're quiet," he said. "For now."
Gabimaru smirked. "They won't stay that way."
The forest ahead seemed to lean closer, shadows stretching unnaturally long.
Somewhere deep within—
Something breathed.
Raizen stepped forward.
"…Alright," he said. "Let's go find out what the hell we've been walking toward for a year and a half."
And as they crossed the threshold—
The land acknowledged them.