The distant morning sun gradually ascended, yet the sunlight that should have bathed the earth now inexplicably swirled around the young woman not far away. Because of this, the world remained dim and murky; only the area surrounding the girl glowed like a miniature sun, dispelling the encroaching darkness.
The young woman was enveloped in sunlight, her skin radiating a captivating luminescence. Her pale complexion slowly regained a rosy hue. The large scar on her abdomen, exposed by her tattered clothes, began to flake away bit by bit, revealing skin as smooth and flawless as jade beneath.
"Sakura!" Tsunade roared, lunging forward. But before she could even touch the young woman, Tsunade was flung backward with even greater speed than her approach.
Then, the sunlight encircling the young woman seemed to come alive, growing agitated. The light twisted and roiled, until the once-bright sunlight transformed into an ominous, pulsating black light.
The bridge of dawn light connecting to the young woman was also stained black by the encroaching darkness. The black light continued to spread outwards relentlessly, snaking up along the rays of dawn. In an instant, the sky, which should have been brightening, became as dark as if covered by storm clouds.
This phenomenon, impossible in the natural world, unfolded before everyone's eyes. They stared, mouths agape, at the scene before them, utterly bewildered by what was happening.
RUMBLE!!!
Muffled thunderclaps echoed from the darkened sky, reaching everyone's ears. Lightning then flickered through the heavens, seemingly gathering its power.
Staring blankly at the unfolding spectacle, Junko's gaze had lost all focus, her face as pale as a sheet of white paper.
Junko's teeth chattered uncontrollably, producing a "k-k-k..." sound, her body trembling like a sieve.
With a thump, Junko could no longer hold herself up and slumped to the ground, her entire being consumed by a terror so profound there was no room for any other emotion.
Tsunade shook her head and got to her feet. Being knocked away by Sakura twice was somewhat embarrassing. The first time could perhaps be excused, as there had at least been physical contact. But just now, she had been sent flying without even touching Sakura.
However, the most important thing now was to figure out what was happening to Sakura. With a few leaps, Tsunade was beside Junko again, only to find Junko trembling uncontrollably.
Crouching in front of Junko, Tsunade shook her gently. "Hey, Junko! Hey, Junko... Hey..."
But Junko showed no reaction other than trembling. Tsunade looked closely and saw that Junko's eyes were unfocused, her face deathly pale. A quick check with medical ninjutsu confirmed her assessment: Junko was in a state of extreme terror.
"Wh-what's going on?" Tsunade frowned deeply, wondering what could have frightened her so severely.
But there was no time to worry about Junko now. Sakura's situation was bizarre. After calling out to Sakura several more times and getting no response, Tsunade turned her attention back to Sakura in the distance.
By now, the black light surrounding Sakura had grown increasingly dense, to the point where Sakura, enveloped within it, was barely visible.
"Tsunade, what… what on earth is happening?" the Third Hokage asked, clutching his chest as he approached Tsunade.
The ninja who were still able to stand all began to gather around Tsunade. Those three thunderous heartbeats had felt like direct blows to their own hearts; everyone's complexion was currently quite poor.
Tsunade shook her head. "I don't know. I never taught her anything like this." She then noticed the blood at the corner of the Third Hokage's mouth. "Are you injured?"
The Third Hokage wiped his mouth. "It's nothing serious." He then addressed the ANBU beside him, "Get the injured on the ground out of here. The rest of you, apprehend Danzo..." He hesitated for a moment, then added with firm resolve, "Dead or alive!"
"Yes, sir!" The ANBU acknowledged the order and, under the rumbling thunder, began to move.
Tsunade glanced at the Third Hokage with mild surprise. It seemed that matter was resolved. Now, only Sakura's current condition remained.
At this moment, the black light, which had cocooned Sakura Haruno, began to move, slowly drifting towards Danzo.
Danzo, too, had been badly shaken by those three heartbeats. But, having transplanted Hashirama's cells and possessing Sharingan, he had managed to recover after some regulation of his chakra.
However, faced with this bizarre scene, Danzo also had no idea what was happening. Seeing the mass of black light enveloping Sakura Haruno moving towards him, Danzo made a hand gesture, ordering two of his subordinates to advance and probe.
Meanwhile, Danzo himself began to prepare for retreat. As a precaution, he silently released the seal on his right arm. He had brought a total of five guards this time. Sakura Haruno had eliminated two. These two would likely have to be sacrificed. One more was hidden in the shadows, ready for emergencies.
The two Root members simultaneously drew their short swords. With an "ommm," serrated chakra flared from the blades. Clearly, like the two Sakura Haruno had killed, these were experts in the art of assassination.
They exchanged a look, then simultaneously burst forward, charging into the black light. And then...
...
...
...
Danzo waited for a long time, but there was no sound or movement. The black light continued its unhurried advance towards him. In the sky, dark clouds roiled, lightning flashed, and the muffled rumbles continued, wave after wave, relentlessly pounding at Danzo's mind. He felt an urge to approach it, to embrace it, to become one with that black light.
"Th-this... this... what is this..." Danzo's eyes widened, a look of terror finally dawning on his face.
His two guards were exceptionally skilled; even a Kage couldn't have dispatched them so quickly. Yet, after they charged into the black light, they had vanished without a trace. Could it... could it be a genjutsu?
No... no, no, it can't be genjutsu. If it were, I wouldn't have failed to notice. Danzo gritted his teeth. "Fu!"
"Lord Danzo!" A ninja instantly appeared beside Danzo.
"Use the Mind Transfer Puppet Curse Technique on her!" Danzo shouted, his voice somewhat hoarse.
The unknown was always the most terrifying. Even though the black light opposite him had devoured two of his guards, Danzo felt no sense of danger from it.
This was extremely abnormal. A premonition of danger was something every ninja should possess. Perhaps not everyone's was equally sensitive, but it was definitely there.
Especially in such a bizarre situation, Danzo's mind should have been on high alert. Yet, he felt an irresistible attraction to that mass of black light, an intense desire to approach it, to embrace it.
But in the next second, Danzo would snap out of this uncontrollable emotion, only for the intense attraction to the black light to surge back immediately after. And so it repeated, over and over...
Caught in this emotional tug-of-war, Danzo finally felt an overwhelming fear. He wanted to flee, but just as he took a step, he was drawn back by the black light, like a moth to a flame.
The guard named Fu, following Danzo's orders, used the Mind Transfer Puppet Curse Technique on the mass of black light. Then, Fu collapsed to the ground.
Danzo waited expectantly for Fu's technique to take effect. But after a long while, the black light continued its steady advance towards him, as if nothing had happened at all.
Danzo, trembling, approached Fu's side and placed a hand on his neck. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
"D-dead..." Danzo stared blankly at Fu's corpse on the ground. "H-how... how did he die..."
Danzo couldn't find an answer, because in the next moment, he was once again captivated by that uncontrollable emotion. A melodious female voice whispered in his ear, "Come... come to me..."
"Alright..." A pleasant smile spread across Danzo's face. But then, his expression suddenly twisted into one of extreme terror. The simultaneous emergence of these two emotions contorted his features.
"Come... here... you will find everything you desire..." The whisper swirled around Danzo's ears, relentlessly tempting him.
"Alright..." "No... no..." "Alright..." "No..." "Alright..."
Danzo was like a man with a split personality the two emotions constantly switching on his face.
Squelch!
"Hh... hh..." Danzo gasped for breath. A kunai was embedded in his leg, blood staining his clothes.
"Genjutsu, is it?!" Danzo's eyes glinted with madness. "Then try this..."
He then tore off the bandages covering his right eye, revealing a crimson eye with a complex pattern – unmistakably a Mangekyo Sharingan.
Danzo focused his Mangekyo Sharingan on the black light...
...
...
...
With a thump, Danzo collapsed to the ground. Watching the black light continue its advance, Danzo's face turned an ashen gray. Even the strongest genjutsu is useless...?
Danzo despaired. Despite having an arm full of Sharingan, what... what was the use...?
But before Danzo could fully savor the taste of defeat, that yearning for the black light was once again stirred within him.
Danzo's gaze turned vacant. He stood up and slowly began to walk towards the black light.
"Come, become one, and experience the truth of this world!"
"Come, become one, and experience the truth of this world..." Danzo muttered to himself, moving slowly forward.
The Third Hokage frowned, observing the commotion on Danzo's side, his expression uncertain. "Tsunade, have you figured out what it is?"
"...No." Tsunade was frowning just as deeply.
After the black light had begun moving towards Danzo, the ANBU tasked with capturing him had been ordered to stand by. The Third Hokage and Tsunade wanted to know what was happening to Sakura; this was their chance.
However, the subsequent events made everyone's brows furrow. Danzo's two guards had charged into the black light and never re-emerged. Then, Danzo, his expression contorted, had begun to walk step by step towards the black light, though everyone could sense his terror.
Yet, despite this, he continued to approach the black light. And though the arm full of Sharingan had surprised everyone, no one was paying attention to that anymore.
Everyone could see that Danzo was desperately resisting approaching the black light, yet he was compelled to do so. This contradictory behavior sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Th-this is... the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique!" The Third Hokage, seeing the sudden change ahead, instantly recognized it and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, fall back!!!"
The range of the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique was several hundred meters; their current distance put them well within its potential blast radius.
Everyone hastily retreated, while only Junko remained in place, her body trembling.
"Let's go, Junko!" Tsunade rushed forward to pull Junko away, but unexpectedly, she couldn't move her.
"What are you doing?! Let's go!" Tsunade roared. Seeing Junko still in that state of shock, she slapped her across the face.
Junko clutched her cheek, her eyes gradually regaining focus. Her expression finally cleared a little, and her body stopped trembling. However, she didn't move, her face a mask of despair. "Go? Go where? The Tsu Transformation... has already begun... None of us... can leave..."
"Tsu Transformation?" Tsunade was taken aback. "Do you know what's happening to Sakura?"
"Tsunade, retreat quickly!" the Third Hokage yelled from a distance.
Tsunade composed herself. "Let's get out of this area first. Quickly!"
She then pulled Junko and retreated, Junko allowing herself to be dragged away.
When they regrouped with the Third Hokage, he observed the area ahead, his expression puzzled. "This shouldn't be... How... how could this happen?"
"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked.
"Look." The Third Hokage pointed towards Danzo's position. "The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique isn't spreading... Theoretically, its range should be several hundred meters."
Tsunade looked and saw that the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique was indeed as the Third Hokage described: it was contained within a very small area, not expanding outwards.
A thought then struck her, and she looked at Junko. "What exactly is going on? What is 'Tsu Transformation'?"
"What?" the Third Hokage asked.
"Junko seems to know Sakura's current condition," Tsunade explained, then turned back to Junko. "Speak. I won't pursue your origins for now, but please tell me clearly what exactly has happened to Sakura!"
Junko's face was no longer as pale as before, but an expression of despair still clouded her features.
Biting her lip, she remained silent for a moment, then slowly began to speak, "A god... is about to be born... Welcome... to... the world of a god..."