"Right behind you!"
After the Yugakure leader finished those words, his entire body slumped weakly into his chair.
Blood began to leak from his seven orifices, and his breathing became erratic and unstable.
Clearly, this was the price he paid for the mysterious entity forcibly taking control of him to break free from the Genjutsu.
In that same heartbeat.
Behind Rasa and Shuang Uchiha, a playful, ethereal voice echoed.
"Hehe, hello there, little rats. I am..."
BOOM!
Rasa didn't even wait for the ethereal voice to finish its introduction.
He spun around violently, clenching his fist and throwing a devastating punch forward.
The door ahead, along with the surrounding walls.
Were instantly pulverized under the sheer force of his strike, turning into countless fragments and debris that flew in every direction.
Shuang Uchiha followed up immediately, her hands moving in a blur of seals.
She turned gracefully, her mouth opening wide.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
From her rosy lips, a rolling wave of scorching, deep-red flames erupted.
The fire moved like a surging tide, sweeping through everything within a radius of dozens of meters.
Every piece of architectural wreckage in its path was ruthlessly set ablaze.
The raging fire illuminated the entire area in an instant.
The flames flickered and crackled, the sound of popping wood echoing like a chorus of rage.
"How is it?"
Rasa scanned the inferno around them and asked softly.
He knew very well that the enemy wouldn't be wiped out this easily.
There was no need to state the obvious; both Rasa and Shuang were fully aware of the situation.
This was likely just a clone or an avatar sent by the entity to offer a greeting.
Shuang Uchiha was currently observing the surroundings with her eyes, which had already shifted into her Mangekyō Sharingan.
The pattern of her pupils resembled a seductive, five-petaled flower, exuding an indescribable aura of bewitching elegance.
Strictly speaking, Shuang was far better suited for reconnaissance tasks.
Her Mangekyō abilities leaned heavily toward scouting and auxiliary support.
There was a reason she hadn't performed the scan outside the tower earlier.
Her specific ability had a flaw.
It was only suited for hunting down a single, specific target; it couldn't perform a comprehensive sweep of a vast area.
Furthermore, back at the gate, Rasa hadn't known for certain that the enemy had already spotted them.
But now that the opponent had revealed themselves, there was no longer any need for discretion.
Shuang's head moved like a needle on a sensitive compass, turning toward every direction.
She paused for no more than five seconds at each angle before quickly snapping to the next.
Her blood-red, flower-shaped Mangekyō spun within her eye sockets like two mystical, rotating gems.
Finally, Shuang lowered her head, her gaze landing on the floorboards as she spoke softly:
"Deep in the basement, beneath the first floor."
"Then let's go straight down."
The moment the words left Rasa's mouth, he clenched his fist and slammed it violently against the reinforced floor.
This punch contained the full weight of his staggering physical strength.
With a thunderous CRACK, the floorboards shattered like thin ice, instantly opening a massive hole.
The residual force, far from dissipating, surged downward like a crashing tidal wave.
A series of violent booms echoed through the structure.
The ninth floor shattered like it had been hit by a cannonball, a massive crater appearing instantly.
The eighth floor fared no better, a hole blasted through it to reveal the dark space below.
The seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and second floors were all pierced through by the overwhelming force.
It was as if the building were being struck by a succession of giant hammers.
The entire tower groaned and swayed under the impact, feeling as though it might collapse at any second.
Once the path was cleared, Rasa reached out without hesitation and pulled Shuang's slender body into his arms.
Like a fearless bird of prey, Rasa lunged into the opening, diving straight through the holes toward the first floor.
Deep beneath the first floor, dozens of meters underground, lay a man-made cavern.
Inside this hollow was a massive pool.
The pool was filled to the brim with a dark, crimson liquid.
The fluid looked as if it were boiling, rolling and churning with rising bubbles.
It was like a cauldron of scalding blood, exuding an aura that chilled the very soul.
Within this horrific red pool.
A translucent, blood-red silhouette slowly emerged.
The figure looked ethereal and fleeting, yet it projected an unnerving, eerie presence.
Then, a grave, ethereal voice drifted from the figure's slightly parted lips:
"To be able to kill a clone possessing a quarter of our power in a single instant..."
The voice held a note of surprise, and perhaps a trace of hidden fear.
"Who exactly is that man?"
At that moment, another blood-red silhouette flickered into existence like a ghost beside the first.
"And that woman... even though only twenty years have passed, her strength is worlds apart from back then. She's at least four times more powerful."
This second silhouette's voice was filled with genuine wonder.
"That is the terrifying growth rate of humans. Perhaps we should..."
There was a flicker of hesitation in the voice.
The first blood-red silhouette's ethereal voice turned cold as a winter gale.
"No!"
The rejection was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
"So what if their strength might surpass ours?"
"We do not rely on mere brute force."
The voice was saturated with pride and disdain.
Meanwhile, outside the building, a hundred Yugakure ninjas and thousands of civilians had gathered.
The tremors and booms coming from the tower had drawn them like moths to a flame.
They heard the inexplicable, massive roars echoing from within, a sound like constant thunder that made their ears ring with pain.
Looking up at the tenth floor, they saw thick plumes of black smoke billowing out, shrouding the summit like a dark shroud.
Seeing this scene.
The faces of the Yugakure ninjas were instantly masks of tension and terror.
Their eyes were wide with a fright that looked as if they were staring at a literal monster.
Even though it was winter and the air was cold enough to bite.
Beads of sweat rolled down their faces—many of which had grown soft and pudgy from years of neglected training.
The sweat slid down their cheeks like tiny streams, soaking the collars of their flak jackets.
How many years has it been?
How many years has it been since Yugakure was last invaded?
And now, an actual enemy had breached their heart?
Having lived in peace for so long, this sudden crisis left them paralyzed with indecision.
The older ninjas—the ones who had lived through the events of twenty years ago.
They took several involuntary steps back the moment they saw the destruction.
Their legs felt like lead, every step a struggle, yet they couldn't stop retreating.
Because the memories of twenty years ago—that absolute nightmare—had come rushing back.
A similar thing had happened then.
Back then, a girl who looked barely in her teens had marched into the village alone and started a massacre.
In those days, while the village's vigilance was low, the people still had some fire in their bellies.
Their combat power was passable, and their teamwork was decent.
Yet, even then, over a hundred of their kin had died in that battle.
In the end, it had taken the intervention of that Great Entity to finally bring the terrifying girl down.
And now?
The average level of the Yugakure shinobi had dropped by several tiers since then.
More importantly, their resolve had rotted away.
Even the veteran ninjas.
When faced with the prospect of unknown danger.
Felt the urge to turn and run. They simply didn't have the courage to charge into the tower.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, Rasa, holding Shuang Uchiha tightly, landed on the first floor like a falling shell.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a cloud of dust kicked up, and spiderweb cracks bloomed across the hard floor.
Rasa didn't waste a second looking for secret passages or hidden doors.
His eyes sharpened, his knees bending slightly before he stomped down with violent force.
The floor beneath him gave way like thin ice under a heavy weight, collapsing in chunks into the darkness below.
The sound of the collapse roared through the now-silent building like a thunderclap.
Soon, as the floor gave way, a tunnel glowing with an internal light appeared.
At the same time, a thick, cloying scent of blood surged out of the opening.
"Built shallower than I expected. It's likely only about twenty-five meters underground."
Rasa's sensitive nose twitched, and the metallic stench of gore invaded his senses.
He frowned, his lips pulling back into a tight line as he whispered:
"This smell..."
Rasa knew the Evil God was no saint, and he had come prepared for the worst.
But even at this distance from the source, the concentrated stench of slaughter was clear enough to disturb his primal senses.
It made him deeply uncomfortable.
It was a human instinct.
It had nothing to do with the strength of his will.
Shuang Uchiha shifted in Rasa's arms, wiggling until she slipped out and landed steadily on the ground.
Her dark hair was a bit messy, but she didn't bother fixing it.
Instead, she looked up and peered through the holes toward the outside of the building.
Her Mangekyō spun, allowing her to see through the thick layers of masonry to the crowds gathered hundreds of meters away.
The corners of her mouth curled into a smirk of pure disdain.
"It seems those 'ninjas' don't have the balls to come check on us. That makes things easier."
Shuang spoke softly, her voice light with relief.
She wasn't afraid of the weak Yugakure shinobi.
She was just glad she wouldn't have to deal with annoying variables if they decided to intervene.
"So, all we have to deal with are that creature's cultists... and the creature itself."
Rasa nodded. He bent his knees and lunged, jumping first into the tunnel below.
Shuang wasn't about to be left behind. She hitched up her skirt slightly, revealing her black high heels.
She walked gracefully to the edge of the pit and leaped, her body light and agile as she descended.
The two began to walk through the long, narrow tunnel.
As they went deeper, the smell of blood grew thicker, hitting them in waves like a physical tide.
It saturated the tunnel, making them feel as if they were walking into the belly of a slaughterhouse.
The passage was lit by a dim, eerie glow, and the silence was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic sound of their footsteps.
The click of Shuang's heels against the stone was sharp and echoing.
Click... click... click...
The sound rang through the tomb-like silence, unnervingly loud.
"There are about sixty-nine people behind that stone door up ahead. They're split into different positions, clearly set up for an ambush."
Shuang tilted her head slightly, her eyes fixed on the massive stone door dozens of meters away, her gaze cold and analytical.
"Forty of them have Genin-level Chakra. Twenty-one are at the Chunin level. The remaining eight are near the Jonin level."
"Further back, there are more signatures, all of them at the Jonin level."
She continued, her voice as flat and unbothered as a still lake.
"I expect we'll be hit with a barrage of Ninjutsu the moment we push that door open."
"Even if we blast the door down, we'll likely only take out the few standing directly behind it."
"Based on their spacing, they've been trained for this. Their numbers and positioning are far superior to what I faced twenty years ago."
Shuang spoke rapidly, her eyes never leaving the door as she calculated their move.
Facing the combined Ninjutsu of over sixty ninjas simultaneously.
The destructive power wouldn't just be additive; it would be exponential.
For ninety percent of the ninjas in the world.
Taking a combined hit like that would mean instant physical atomization.
Rasa suddenly swept Shuang Uchiha into a princess carry.
"Don't worry about defense. Just focus on your attack. As long as you're with me, those jutsu won't touch you."
Held in his arms, Shuang took a sharp breath and nodded, her hands already beginning to blur through seals.
Rasa's mind flickered, and his invisible magnetic shield surged to its maximum output.
In a situation like this, he wasn't taking any chances. Caution was the only way to ensure they didn't get caught off guard.
Rasa lowered his center of gravity and then lunged like an arrow from a bow. He streaked toward the massive, indestructible-looking stone door with blinding speed.
The door was two meters thick and solid stone—a barrier that would have been an immovable wall to any ordinary man.
Rasa smashed through it like it was made of balsa wood.
With a deafening CRASH.
At the exact moment the door shattered, dozens of voices roared in unison.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Immediately, over thirty lines of deep-red fire streaked forward, carrying a wall of heat as they converged on the doorway.
The flames were like fierce dragons, clawing through the air with unstoppable momentum.
The individual streams merged mid-flight, fusing into a single, massive beam of concentrated red flame that was staggering in its scale.
The heat was so intense it felt as though the very air were being set on fire, releasing a primal, destructive energy.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A dozen currents of howling wind slammed into the flames a second later.
The winds acted like a pack of rabid beasts, intertwining with the fire and supercharging the reaction. The power of the Dragon Fire was instantly magnified several times over!
The already devastating flames were now a literal firestorm.
But it didn't stop there. Other ninjas added their own unique jutsu into the mix, feeding the beast and covering its weaknesses.
Under the collective effort of the cultists, the Dragon Fire had become a perfect, flawless weapon of mass destruction.
BOOM! SNAP! CRACKLE!
An earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air near the stone door. The combined jutsu acted like a high-yield bomb, detonating in a blinding flash.
For a moment, a miniature sun bloomed in the tunnel, turning the darkness into a searing, artificial day.
A violent shockwave of wind followed, howling like a legion of screaming demons as it tore through the cavern.
Even though the cultists were prepared and braced for the blowback.
Several of them were still tossed back like ragdolls by the sheer force of the gale.
The remaining followers lowered their heads, digging their heels in to stabilize their weight.
They covered their faces with their hands, trying to shield themselves from the blistering heat and the rain of debris.
A dozen seconds later, the raging wind finally died down.
The cultists squinted through the dust toward the doorway. The area around the door had been replaced by a massive, glowing red crater dozens of meters deep.
The pit radiated a terrifying heat, like the mouth of a furnace.
"Did we get them?"
One cultist wiped the sweat from his eyes, whispering in hope.
In response, a melodious, mature woman's voice drifted through the smoke.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Instantly, dozens of basketball-sized globes of deep-red flame streaked out of the smoke like meteors.
The fireballs arched through the air with beautiful, lethal precision, carrying a heat that promised total incineration.
Caught completely off guard, most of the cultists didn't even have time to scream.
They were struck point-blank, engulfed in an instant inferno.
The Phoenix Sage Fire—a jutsu that would normally kill a ninja on contact.
Only made these cultists spasm violently within the flames.
Their legs gave way, and they collapsed like heaps of wet mud, rolling on the ground in agony.
Yet, despite the horror, they remained stubbornly alive.
A few Jonin-level cultists reacted in time, blurring backward twenty meters to avoid the initial hit.
But the fireballs seemed to possess a life of their own, tracking them through the air and slamming into their chests with unerring accuracy!
Seconds later, Rasa walked slowly out of the glowing crater, still holding Shuang Uchiha in his arms.
His gaze was icy as it swept over the cultists. Their skin and organs had been burned away, leaving them as charred, twitching husks, yet they continued to struggle on the floor.
Rasa showed no mercy. He stepped over the writhing bodies and continued forward.
Based on the unnatural, horrifying vitality of these people.
It was clear that twenty years ago, the research into the immortality Hidan would eventually possess was already well into its prototype stage.