As I was leisurely walking down the halls of the Ancor Vantian like some spooky ghost!

Since the business here in the Land of Fire— oops, the Land of Spirits~ is almost finished, I should position the Ancor Vantian somewhere else so I can fire artillery shots at both the Land of Fire's capital as well as the Land of Earth's.

Putting that all aside, I still need to make this Cursed Realm permanent... which means sacrifices and time for it to settle into the land... hmm... kidnapping it is.

Now~ where would the best place to kidnap people—

 

My train of thought was broken by the appearance of a Shade... Miyu was her name.

""Klara~ we found something interesting!""

"What is it?", I calmly asked in place of her excitement.

""An abnormally high gathering of Nature Energy! If we could get a hold of the source, then we can do so~ much more!!""

"But isn't Nature Energy poisonous to you?", I tilt my head to the side.

She grinned widely like a crescent moon, ""That's the point! If we secure a big source of our weakness, then we can find a use for it!""

Huh, that's reasonable. I guess I can always delay my schedule for a day... but, I still want to complete my Cursed Realm. Tch, I'll have to use it then.

"Let's get going then."

 

=0=0=Land of Fire - Western Front=0=0=

 

"Teuchi, you take care of everyone in this tent.", Tsunade ordered before leaving the tent.

The medical ninja nodded, using his masterful Chakra control to heal the injured people... this tent held the victims of the Shadows of Sky - what the Konoha shinobi is calling the Shades now.

All of them were either terribly injured or at death's door. He let out a sigh, facing the gravity of the situation... he was put on the team of Jiraiya, which was composed of himself, Minato, and Mikoto.

His team was full of talented and powerful shinobi. Never were their injuries this bad, a gash across the chest, an arm looking as if it was put in a blender, cuts across the whole body...

Teuchi learned about these types of wounds, they are not meant to kill but to prolonged suffering. Suffering... he is not used to it.

But as a medic, he must endure as much as his patients clinging to life... it was too much for him to handle... maybe after this war, he might open up a ramen shop to relieve himself of the trauma.

While he was keeping them alive, Tsunade had other business to attend to.

She met up with Jiraiya and co. They all wore grim expressions like her.

"We don't know what the Shadows of Sky wants. The only concrete information about them is... they belonged to the Blood Demon.", Orochimaru said, giving Tsunade the context of their conversation.

"Undead spirits with no stable form...", she picked up the drawings of the Shade, humanoid in shape but there are some abnormalities like longer limbs or an inhuman smile, "Grandma spoke about something like this."

They all turned to her, inquiring her to explain.

"My grandma... Lady Mito... possessed knowledge about cursed spirits because she studied under Uzumaki Ashina. She taught me quite a few things in case I came across one.", she explained, "There are only two ways to destroy them, either by relieving them of their grudge, or finding the object hosting them and destroying it."

Orochimaru nodded, "That was the conclusion I came up with earlier. Their host is Yuugure, the Jinchuriki of the Zero Tails... how are we going to find her... and how are we going to kill her."

Then a sudden fifth person walked in, taking the four completely unaware.

"Oh, you don't have to find me~", her voice was sweet and childish.

Instantly, all of them flickered back, making themselves the barrier between the girl and the medical camp. Their opponent has scarlet red hair, as bright as the smile on her face, and purple eyes shine as if they were glowing.

But something was strange about her... she look real, act real, but her Chakra level was abysmal... no person can survive without Chakra. And she looks like a child no older than twelve.

"Greetings to you all, my name is Klara~", she waved cutely, "You seem to not understand the situation, do you?"

She snapped her finger... and her shadow expanded, covering the entire ground in complete darkness. Everyone can still move freely— but the growing dread made them uncomfortable... somehow... they did not notice the existence of the growing shadow.

Sakumo acted first, appearing right behind Klara with his blinding speed. Only his signature Chakra blade leave a white streak— yet it was blocked by a shadowy blade coming out of the ground.

"I am a Jinchuriki.", she glanced back, looking at the White Fang with intense hatred, "Did you think you can fight me with just this?"

He deflected the shadow blade, trying once more to attack her.

His roll failed, blocked by several shadow blades. Instead, Klara kicked him in the gut and away.

"You still don't get it, do you?", she widens her smile, "I am Klara, the Knight of Madness, the one who will destroy this world... for a better one."

The Sannin and Sakumo did not give her time to monologue, they all came at her in four directions. But... before they could reach her, she shattered like glass.

They stopped before their weapons impale each other.

But her voice still lingers, "That was just a Genjutsu clone, unfortunately for you~ I have already accomplished what I sought~ bye~!"

Orochimaru was racking his brain... that was an illusion, a Genjutsu... but it can interact with the world as if it was real. It responded to and countered Sakumo after all. It was very similar to a Shadow Clone... but even Shadow Clone has Chakra to maintain it, that fake Klara did not have any Chakra...

It was uncomfortable.

Tsunade on the other hand, shot a glance back at the camp... there was something so she ran— shattering something...

What she saw before was different from the scene in front of her— Absolute Hell. Shades ravaged everything they sees, cutting the limbs of her patients and shinobi alike... they dragged them away, heading to the West.

...another Klara appear before her, staring with her intense purple eyes and an innocent smile. This one was the same as the last, no Chakra but look exactly like a human.

"Well~ what will you do? What will the people of the Land of Fire think of you all~ such incompetence... you should all just die—"

Tsunade smashed Klara with her fist, shattering her like glass.

"Such violent woman~", a sneer came from behind. Another Klara.

Again, she shattered that Genjutsu.

"I guess you are one-quarter Uzumaki after all~", and another one. Which she too shattered.

"Violent."

"Volatile."

"Vicious."

"I can't think of another word that starts with 'V'."

Shatter, shatter, shatter, shatter...

"Just... shut up!", Tsunade ignored the illusions, running past them to try and punch the Shades away. Trying desperately to rescue as many people as she can.

And the voice of Klara kept on berating her, "How does it feel not being able to save the people around you?"

Another one appeared, right next to Tsunade, "Must be hard, right?"

Yet another one came, sitting on a large boulder, "Hehe~ you may be strong..."

And another, sitting on the ground, "But there is only one of you~"

"No human can accomplish anything meaningful by themselves. You can only be so strong.", this one was perching on a tent

"They can help you...", the one sitting on the ground turned to the other three, "But they are... occupied."

They are fighting over a hundred Shades, with another Klara watching with a carefree smile.

"You have a military force of five thousand shinobi at least. But that's a small number compared to a quarter of a million ravaging and hate-filled spirits.", one giggles, "You are facing the wrath of a nation, one the Land of Fire had destroyed. Ah~ that sound familiar doesn't it?"

The one walking behind Tsunade as she was fighting the Shades spoke next, "Uzushio was destroyed because Konoha didn't do anything. I was robbed of my home, of my innocence, of the people I once cherished. I couldn't save them, I lost everything."

A Shade walked up to the Klara sitting on the boulder, "Just like them. We are kindred in our goal... The Will of Sky, Peace through Domination, Order through Unity... Preservation through Destruction."

"Well, I have said my piece. Goodbye~"

All at once, the fake Klaras shatters, and the Shades had retreated.

 

=0=0=Klara=0=0=

 

The kidnapping operation was a success~

So~ this place is very suspicious. I get why Miyu said the amount of Nature Energy is abnormal. Well... there is something sleeping under here!

With the Senrigan activated, I can see through these layers of dirt and root there is room... and a lot of people in it, all possess a strange Chakra pattern.

There are a few entrances, but they are tunnels leading to many places in the world... I don't really want to walk all the way there.

So~ I do what I do best~

"Chishiokami Kagura - Fourth Movement: Mutilation."

I swung my war axe down, imbued with my Corrupted Chakra...

Hack.

Hack.

Hack.

Three swings, leaving three swirling marks on the ground.

Hack!

And the fourth swing, activated the built-up Corrupted Chakra... say, what happens when Corrupted Chakra comes in contact with Nature Energy?

Well, on a small scale, nothing would happen. But with a large concentration? Well...

BOOM!!!

It blows up!!

The ground beneath gave in, collapsing under such brute force. I dropped down, along with a few Shades.

"Huh, this place is kind of cool.", I commented on this space.

Roots spanning across the ceiling, with fruits hanging from them in the shape of a human wrapped in a cocoon. In the middle is a wood statue of some sort of weird deity, chained up by iron cuffs. And a wooden throne in front of the statue.

Sitting on it was an old man in a dark blue robe, spiky white hair, and... Sharingan. This old man right here, I feel an immense pressure coming from him.

I know I am stronger, but this geezer has a presence greater than anybody.

Ah.

I see.

I saw his past with the Senrigan.

A man who wanted to build a better future, a kind, and gentle soul who was warped by war and despair. His methods were forceful, but that forcefulness stemmed from his love.

Love.

Again, that subject.

He loved his village, so much that he want to destroy it. From his perspective, he was betrayed by those he thought he could trust. He fought against his best friend... or lover? What the fuck?

Anyway, a dark path he walks on...

"Hello, my name is Klara.", I bowed to him in a courtly manner, "I would've hoped to meet you in better circumstances, Uchiha... Madara."

The old man in front of me is none other than Uchiha Madara, the Ghost of Uchiha.