"But before that—no one is allowed to touch whatever is inside him! I will never agree to it, and I will stop it!"
Tsunade's words were cold, blunt, and painfully realistic.
Jiraiya fell silent for a long time, his face filled with anguish and inner conflict.
He knew Tsunade's decision was made as Hokage—out of responsibility, to prevent the worst possible future.
But for Naruto… wasn't this an extreme form of cruelty as well?
In the end, all he could do was let out a longer, weaker sigh, as if he had aged several years in an instant.
"Haah… maybe… this really is the only way."
"This is probably… the 'best' option we have for now…"
"Tch…" Tsunade clicked her tongue, clearly unimpressed, and said bluntly,
"What are you feeling guilty for? You're acting like you can remove it and help Naruto or something…"
Jiraiya: "..."
…She had a point.
Rogue Island
This once obscure coastal island had become the absolute focal point of the shinobi world ever since Sakura Haruno's fate-altering leap shown on the Heavenly Screen.
Now, it stood at the center of the storm.
Countless shinobi, driven by greed and yearning for the so-called "divine technique," flooded in from every direction, scouring the island and its surrounding waters as if turning them inside out.
Every one of them dreamed of replicating Sakura's miracle—finding that glowing cave and obtaining the power that could change their destiny.
"Ugh… another day with nothing to show for it."
A Sunagakure shinobi surfaced from the sea, wiped the water from his face, and sighed in frustration toward his companions on shore.
"Hmph, don't waste your effort! A divine power like that is destined to belong to Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning!"
A dark-skinned, powerfully built Cloud ninja stood atop a reef with arms crossed, his voice cold and full of confidence.
"Heh. On the open sea, who could possibly compare to Kirigakure of the Land of Water?"
Another group sneered disdainfully. Wearing specialized water-style chakra armor, the Mist ninja moved through the sea like fish, clearly enjoying their home-field advantage.
The different factions bickered openly, each eyeing the others with hostility. The air was thick with tension, like a powder keg waiting to explode.
If not for mutual wariness of each other's strength—and fear of triggering an all-out battle—they would have already come to blows.
For now, before any concrete lead on the "divine technique" appeared, everyone maintained a final sliver of restraint, clashing only with words and glares.
Konoha's Side
Hatake Kakashi, his trademark silver hair fluttering in the sea breeze, stared helplessly at the churning ocean with his usual dead-fish eyes.
"This is such a pain… Why send me to a place like this?" he muttered weakly.
"I'm not good at Water Release. What, am I supposed to use my Sharingan to see through the sea?"
The sheer aimlessness of the mission—like searching for a needle in the ocean—left him genuinely despairing.
"HAHAHAHA! Kakashi! This is the power of youth!"
Might Guy's signature laughter rang out, his teeth flashing brilliantly.
"I can feel it! That divine technique is perfect for me! Punches that ignore defense! Burning youthful passion! Ohhh—!"
As he spoke, Guy unleashed several fierce rounds of Strong Fist, whipping up gusts of wind, then suddenly pointed dramatically at Kakashi.
"KAKASHI! CHEER UP! The pursuit of youth allows no discouragement! Let us find the divine technique together and open a brand-new chapter of fiery passion!!"
Kakashi stared at Guy—who looked like he would never understand the concept of exhaustion—and his dead-fish eyes rolled even harder.
Please… just let me go…
The search continued—fruitless as ever—amid the undercurrents of rivalry between the great villages and Konoha's bizarrely energetic atmosphere.
That mysterious cave, said to choose its inheritor, seemed as though it had never existed at all—or perhaps it would only open for a chosen few.
Just as frustration and suspicion were reaching their limit—
Something went wrong.
"Look! Blood—there's blood on the surface!"
A sharp-eyed Iwagakure ninja suddenly pointed toward the sea and cried out in alarm.
Everyone turned to look.
The once-deep-blue ocean was now roiling with a horrifying crimson stain.
The blood spread rapidly, like thick paint poured across a clear canvas, carrying with it a nauseating stench.
The shinobi who had been shouting at one another moments earlier all turned pale.
Without needing orders, ninja from the same villages instinctively regrouped, forming defensive formations.
Kunai and shuriken were drawn instantly. Every wary, hostile gaze locked onto rival villages—and onto the mysterious, blood-soaked sea.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant, from tense searching to a life-or-death standoff filled with fear.
"What's going on?!"
"What's in the water?!"
"Is this infighting, or—?!"
Doubt and terror spread through the crowd.
Then—
SPLASH!
A figure burst out of the blood-churned sea like a cannonball.
He wore the headband of some minor hidden village, now torn and ruined. His face was twisted in absolute terror.
Scrambling across the water's surface, he fled desperately from the blood-red zone, screaming in a distorted, panicked voice:
"Th-there's a monster! Under the sea… down there it's—AAAAH!!"
Before he could finish, a scream of pure agony ripped from his throat.
An overwhelming force yanked him back.
SPLOOSH!
A towering spray of blood erupted as he vanished beneath the surface.
Only the widening ripples and an even darker stain of red remained—proof that he had ever existed.
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence blanketed the shoreline.
Everyone stood frozen, stunned by the sudden, brutal spectacle.
What… was that?
A monster?
The unknown bred the deepest fear.
No one argued about the divine technique anymore. A chill settled into every heart.
They had finally realized—
This sea was far more dangerous than they had ever imagined.
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes sharpened instantly. Though his Sharingan remained covered, every muscle in his body tensed.
Guy also dropped his exaggerated grin, his expression solemn as he assumed a combat stance.
And then—just as the crowd was still reeling, speculating in dread about what kind of horror lurked beneath the waves—
Something even more chilling appeared.
Splash… splash…
Accompanied by the sound of disturbed water, ten eerie figures slowly rose from the blood-stained sea.
When the shinobi on shore saw them clearly, their faces went slack—followed by a surge of revulsion, terror, and rage that shot straight to their scalps.
They were unmistakably monsters.
Ten creatures standing upright, with roughly human torsos and limbs—
But atop each neck sat a grotesque serpent's head, covered in dense scales, crimson tongues flickering as they hissed.
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