A ground collapse?
The earth trembled, and the bluestones underfoot rapidly crumbled.
Uchiha Suien, who was about to jump into the deep well, quickly retreated. However, the scope of the ground collapse seemed vast; an area within five hundred meters, centered around the deep well, began to sink.
A five-hundred-meter radius is quite large, but the sinking speed was fortunately not too fast, allowing Uchiha Suien, who was at the center, time to react.
He moved quickly, dodging falling rocks, and in no time, he reached the edge of the five-hundred-meter distance.
The Altar of Heaven, and the entire plaza, a large five-hundred-meter circle, directly concave, like a concave sphere, the large pit filled with rubble and overturned earth.
...
This was the situation on the surface, but what about underground?
Asakura Myojin had completely disappeared. The moment he vanished, the sense of urgency in the three women's hearts also disappeared, because his connection to the Underworld meant that urgency was omnipresent.
Besides Asakura Myojin the Onmyōji, the Underworld also vanished, which was the world that had entered death.
Inoyue and the two others were buried deep underground, feeling the falling rocks crashing down from above.
At this moment, Inoyue couldn't help but once again marvel at Karura's strength. She had managed to use sand as pillars, laying a thick layer as a ceiling, creating a considerable safe space for the three women.
After continuous intense battles, Karura's Chakra was severely depleted, and even she felt quite strained.
"Hmm, Sister Karura, you're really amazing!" Inoyue, who had long since woken up, looked at the panting Karura and sighed in genuine admiration.
"Oh, want to learn?" Karura smiled slightly. After confirming that the sand could withstand the falling rocks from above, she turned and walked towards Inoyue, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Eh! Learn what?" Hearing this, Inoyue was a bit bewildered and was embraced by Karura before she could even react.
A unique feminine scent wafted over. Karura had sweated a bit, but what do you call the sweat of a beautiful woman?
Of course, it's fragrant sweat, so it smelled just as good. Moreover, Karura was holding her a bit tightly, her soft body against Inoyue, and the light fragrance filled the air. Inoyue even felt her cheeks getting a little hot.
"What's going on?" At this moment, Inoyue's small head was full of question marks. Although she also enjoyed being held by a beauty, Karura's sudden action still left her a bit bewildered for a moment.
Is this what they call happiness coming too suddenly? Inoyue's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably again.
...
So fragrant, especially the soft, warm, and elastic body.
Inoyue snuggled her head into Karura's chest. Such a comfortable environment easily allowed her to completely relax after the intense battle.
Karura is a very gentle person, at least to her own people, just like she was with Inoyue now.
Inoyue's head-snuggling motion was like a child's, making Karura giggle continuously.
"It feels like being in my mother's arms when I was little." Inoyue now had no lewd thoughts at all, immersed in this warm feeling.
It felt very safe and reassuring.
"I can also teach you the secrets of practicing Sand Release! How about it, come back to Hidden Sand Village with me?" Karura suddenly extended a sincere invitation to the Little girl in her arms.
Ryoko, standing nearby, nodded with a smile. If Inoyue could go to Hidden Sand Village, she would also be quite welcoming.
Eh? The atmosphere suddenly shifted, and the warm feeling vanished. Inoyue stared blankly at the smiling Karura, feeling Karura hold her even tighter.
The mother-like embrace disappeared, completely gone.
If Inoyue still wasn't clear about Karura's intentions at this point, then she had lived all those years in her previous life for nothing.
She had fallen for it!
Although this embrace was warm, it was poisonous. Karura, like Rasa, had not given up on her Mind's Eye.
The difference was that Rasa was direct, overbearing, and domineering; while Karura was using enticement, wanting to lure her back to Hidden Sand Village. As long as she could take root in Hidden Sand Village, then the Mind's Eye, this ocular jutsu, would also be obtained by Hidden Sand Village, and it would be the most original, vibrant version.
Then, they would find someone to marry her off to, for procreation, and the Mind's Eye ocular jutsu would truly blossom in Hidden Sand Village.
A chill! Inoyue shivered all over at the thought, feeling completely unwell.
Men's methods are crude and overbearing. Women's methods are subtle and gentle. But, they all have the same goal.
"As long as you're willing to come back to Hidden Sand Village with me, you can name your terms, okay?" Karura saw Inoyue spacing out and added another sugar-coated bullet, and a heavy one at that.
...
Could she go to Hidden Sand Village?
Nonsense, absolutely not. Konoha Village is the best among the major Ninja villages. Becoming a rogue Ninja was something Inoyue had never considered, and dared not consider, otherwise, how would she face her comrades in Konoha later? "Konoha, I still really like it." This was Inoyue's truest thought.
"Sister Karura, can you loosen up a bit? You're squeezing me uncomfortably." Inoyue frowned slightly, saying with discomfort, her small, pitiful appearance truly evoking sympathy.
Indeed, a Little girl should use her innate skill: cuteness.
Now Inoyue even felt moved by her own soft, sweet voice. She believed that the always gentle Karura would surely feel sympathetic. And the opportunity would be the moment she loosened her grip; that would be the best time for Inoyue to escape.
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Sure enough, Karura apologized repeatedly. A smile on her face, warm like the morning sun.
But Inoyue was uncomfortable, or rather, surprised. Because Karura held her even tighter, as if she had seen through Inoyue's thoughts and knew that if she let go, this Little girl would surely escape.
The internet said Karura was a very gentle woman, but where was she gentle now?
"When did Karura also have a dark side?" Inoyue roared internally. Karura completely overturned her perception of her.
Perhaps Karura was very gentle to her own people, but she was not yet within the scope of "her own people." Moreover, could a woman valued by Rasa be simple? Indeed, she was still too naive.
At this moment, Inoyue's heart only wanted to weakly ask: "Can Karura also be two-faced? Is this a character collapse, or are all women like this, very fickle?"
...
With a soft "bang!" and a wisp of smoke, Karura's hands found nothing. Inoyue, who had been in her arms, suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Shadow Clone?" Karura's smile froze, and Ryoko beside her also looked stunned.
They had calculated everything, but they hadn't calculated that Inoyue had used a Shadow Clone before this. From the timing, her main body had probably already escaped this place.
"She's not a simple child." Karura sighed. Indeed, geniuses with such strength at this age are not simple; they absolutely cannot be treated as mere children.
Just now, she had been so confident about luring her back to the village, but she didn't expect to be outsmarted by this Little girl.
However, just as the two were about to search for Inoyue, the sand pillars supporting the rubble broke.
The ground collapse and sinking accelerated. The pressure here must have doubled, and Karura's Chakra was severely depleted. Being able to hold on until now was already impressive.
"This Little girl got away again," Karura sighed inwardly, looking at the small underground space, and urged Ryoko to leave quickly.
The sigh was not just because Inoyue, the Little girl, had escaped again, but because the boundless golden sand in the Underworld was gone.
With the Underworld gone, the golden sand naturally disappeared with it, as if everything was for naught.
The treasure was gone.
If the Underworld could have continued to exist, bringing a portion out would have been possible, and it would surely have been comparable to a treasure.
But now, it was a luxury. However, if they could control the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, it would not be in vain for the original intention of starting this war.
Although the Land of Wind is not small, its resources are indeed too scarce. The Land of Rivers is just the right supplement. This war had to be fought; this was a plan formulated even before the Third Kazekage's disappearance.
...
Where did Inoyue go?
Could she have anticipated the two-faced Karura?
Perhaps she could have, but she simply hadn't thought in that direction.
Ever since her consciousness fully returned, she had been completely awake. When Karura was controlling the sand to support the rubble above to prevent them from being buried alive, Inoyue glanced at the supported space. But with that quick glance, she made an astonishing discovery.
A huge fallen rock blocked a dark cave entrance, leaving only a very small opening.
This cave entrance was in a corner of the space Karura had supported, not far, about twenty meters away.
Inoyue's quick glance revealed a glimmer of golden light inside.
Gold!
It had to be gold; Inoyue confirmed this instantly. As a modern person, she could misidentify many things, but she would never mistake gold, a hard currency. Otherwise, try finding a modern person who can't recognize gold?
Karura controlled the quicksand to support the falling rocks, and Ryoko assisted from the side. Neither of them had the leisure to look around at the corners of these places.
Inoyue had just woken up, and by good luck, she discovered it.... Then she created a Shadow Clone.
Her main body had already stealthily entered that cave, like a nervous first-time thief.
...
Above ground.
The ground collapse continued to expand. Uchiha Suien continuously dodged, barely escaping being swallowed by the sinking earth.
Just then, a mass of sand surged from underground. Karura and Ryoko, sitting in the sand, rushed out together, and as soon as they emerged, they immediately fled into the distance.
Ryoko, the attendant of the Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Suien recognized her at a glance. Because when this mission was being carried out, the Thirteenth Princess, or rather, Inoyue's attendants, all had profiles. And he certainly wouldn't be unfamiliar with Karura's sand.
Uchiha Suien was far from them. Although he had the intention to stop them, a large pit that was collapsing and sinking lay between them, so he could only watch them leave helplessly.
Seeing Ryoko, Uchiha Suien became even more certain that Inoyue was beneath this large pit. But with Inoyue still not out, it was extremely dangerous.
Once the collapse settled and the dust cleared, even a Ninja skilled in Earth Release would not be able to get out alive from the compacted ground.
"Why aren't you coming out, what in the world are you doing?!" Uchiha Suien roared internally, wanting to rush in immediately to find her, but after taking two steps, he was forced back by the falling rocks.
At this moment, he was extremely anxious. If Inoyue were right in front of him, he would have a strong urge to give her two big knuckle-raps.