In its struggle, it vaguely heard a conversation between two people about Kaguya, the divine tree, the chakra fruit, retrieval, the next millennium, and… their companion!
These two terrifying figures, a man and a woman, had companions as well!?
Seeing that it hadn't died immediately, the man seemed somewhat surprised. He scolded the woman named Kaguya a few times and planned to finish it off himself.
It thought it was going to die.
But just as the man was about to make his move, the woman named Kaguya suddenly used the gray bone to launch a sneak attack on him.
It simply couldn't understand why these two terrifying beings would suddenly turn against each other and start fighting amongst themselves.
But its extreme desire to live allowed it to seize the opportunity during the sudden conflict and chaos between the two to run.
It runs desperately.
It kept running away until it reached this unfamiliar land, until it reached the dark depths of the underground.
Then, it fell into a long slumber.
The gray bone piercing its body, like a malignant tumor, was eroding its remaining essence and vitality day and night.
It didn't know how much time had passed, only that during this long slumber it had teetered countless times on the brink of complete extinction.
And countless times, it struggled to survive by relying on its remaining instincts.
It is immortal, even in the face of those gray bones that symbolize the end; it still proves this.
It wasn't until twenty years ago that it finally came to its senses.
When it woke up, it found that the whole world had changed.
Everything that was once familiar has disappeared, replaced by an existence called ninja who wield a power called chakra.
That power was inextricably linked to the tree and the energy surging within those two people.
At the same time, it discovered that although it had woken up, it was too late. Its body had been eroded by that gray bone, leaving it riddled with holes and completely ruined.
It needs a new body.
It needs to regain its strength.
It knew all too well that the next millennium was fast approaching, and the companions those two had spoken of would soon return.
If it cannot be restored to its original state by then… There is only one way out: Death.
So it seduced an ambitious human who accidentally stumbled into this underground area, leading him to establish a church and search for the Holy Son, who would be the vessel for its reincarnation.
It would use that body to live again.
Returning to the present, the evil god looked at the middle-aged man in luxurious clothes who was bowing in worship and slowly spoke.
"Abe."
"My Lord! Your faithful servant listens to your will."
The man named Abe bowed down in prayer.
"The Holy Son has descended. I have sensed that he was born in this land, in the Land of Hot Water."
"Yes! My supreme lord!"
Abe lowered his head even further and said in a low voice, "Please rest assured! Your faithful servant and the church will spare no cost to find the holy son, to welcome your descent and let your glory shine upon the world once more!"
"There's one more thing..."
The evil god's voice paused slightly, and then the viscous blood in the center of the surging sea of blood began to writhe violently.
Immediately, an extremely condensed crimson light shot out from it and hovered in mid-air in front of Abe.
The crimson light gradually subsided, revealing what was inside: A section of translucent, amber-like crimson substance that seemed to be alive, flowing slowly.
Through the blood-red amber, one can vaguely see its core: a section of ancient, dark gray bone that exudes an ominous aura, sending chills down one's spine.
"Find someone to forge it into a weapon, so that it may become my sacred artifact after my birth."
After nearly a thousand years, it finally forced out the bones that the terrifying woman named Kaguya had pierced into its body.
The bone now not only possesses the woman's terrifying power, but has also absorbed a lot of its own origin.
The two merged into one during their nearly thousand-year entanglement, transforming into something entirely new that contains immense power.
"Yes! Your faithful servant will seek out the world's finest craftsmen to forge it into a supreme artifact worthy of my lord! But..."
Prime Minister Abe respectfully accepted the artifact with both hands, then asked in a low voice, "My lord, what should this sacred object be called? Please bestow upon it a sacred name so that your servant may remember and invoke it."
Upon hearing this, the evil god fell silent.
After a long time, it slowly spoke: "Blade of Final Silence!"
It boasted of its immortality, but this bone nearly killed it, despite its supposed immortality.
It needs this name to remind itself why it is alive and why it is dying.
At the same time, it also hopes that when this bone, which combines the power of both sides, is forged into a weapon, it will become a divine artifact in its hands to slay all enemies, including extraterrestrial enemies that may descend again in the future.
...
Konoha headquarters, command center.
The curtain was lifted, and Shinichi stepped inside.
Under the white lamplight, a huge map was spread out on the central table, and several staff members were marking something on the map while several messenger ninjas on the side were quietly waiting for instructions.
Upon seeing Shinichi lift the curtain and enter, everyone looked up, their gazes filled with amazement, curiosity, and above all, respect.
The news has been sent back.
The fourth independent battalion unit led by Shinichi Higashino had penetrated deep behind enemy lines and successfully destroyed the important supply depot of the Village Hidden in the Cloud.
More importantly, B, of the previous A-B Combo of Village Hidden in the Cloud, B Yotsuki, had been personally slain by Shinichi Higashino.
Orochimaru stood in front of the map, his long shadow stretched out by the light. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around. Those iconic golden snake-like pupils fell on Shinich while a curve formed at the corner of his lips.
"Very good."
"You did an excellent job, Shinichi."
"Not only did you successfully complete the mission of destroying the Village Hidden in the Cloud supply depot, but you also conveniently killed B Yotsuki, who was present at the time."
"This is a truly big fish, Shinichi-kun! The strategic value of this victory, and the blow it dealt to the morale of the Village Hidden in the Cloud, far exceeds the destruction of the warehouse itself."
"Your mission this time has significantly reduced the pressure on us going forward."
At this point, Orochimaru took a short step forward, looked at the calm young boy who had just returned up and down, and couldn't help but lick his lips.
"Shinichi-kun always brings such surprises, hehe… it truly makes me more and more curious, where exactly is Shinichi-kun's limit and how many unknown surprises are still waiting to be uncovered? Hehe…"
Here we go again!
Shinichi frowned inwardly, but didn't show it on his face, only bowing slightly.
"Orochimaru-sama, you flatter me. The mission was accomplished thanks to the concerted efforts of the entire team. The credit belongs to every member of the fourth independent battalion unit."
"Hehe... Shinichi-kun, still so humble and impeccable."
Orochimaru chuckled softly. Those snake-like eyes lingered on Shinichi for a moment before he reached out, picked up a document prepared earlier from the table, and lightly waved it.