Battlefield of the Land of Wind
Inside the meeting tent, powerful shinobi like Chiyo, Rasa, and Pakura had gathered. At the center of their table lay four pale, eerie masks, each distinctly ominous.
"Are these Hollow Masks (Void Masks)?" Chiyo asked, her right hand extending five chakra threads, each connecting to one of the masks on the table.
Under her control, the mask hovered in midair, seemingly lifeless yet exuding a chilling aura.
"It's peculiar," she observed. "It devours and disrupts chakra flow while simultaneously corroding the user's mind. And the medium for all this is... the shinobi's chakra!"
As Chiyo continued to study the mask, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
A master puppeteer of Sunagakure, she was accustomed to controlling numerous puppets in the heat of battle, often with little effort. Yet manipulating this single mask demanded far more chakra and focus than any of her previous creations.
What struck her most, however, was the intrusive force that seemed to seep along the chakra threads, attempting to invade her mental world. It felt oddly familiar, though she couldn't immediately place why.
Chiyo frowned, deep in thought. Her gaze drifted toward the corner of the tent, landing on an elderly companion who had accompanied her here. The sight of the old man triggered a realization.
From the intel provided by Rasa, the mask's amplifying effects and the corrosive mental intrusion bore a striking resemblance to the berserk state of an uncontrolled Jinchūriki.
More unsettling was the sinister energy emanating from the mask—an unnatural mixture of Yin Release, spiritual forces, and natural energy. It was as though the mask itself housed malevolent intent.
"Only four were recovered? Where on earth did those barbaric Kumo shinobi get their hands on these masks?" Chiyo asked, withdrawing her chakra threads and allowing the mask to drop back onto the table.
She highly doubted the masks had originated in Kumogakure. As someone who had lived through the Second Great Ninja War and had both children and grandchildren, Chiyo knew more of the shinobi world's secrets than most.
Longevity and a high position brought certain privileges, including access to obscure knowledge and intelligence.
"Could these be spoils from Kumo's raids on the Uzumaki Clan back then?" she murmured, suspicion flashing in her eyes.
The Uzumaki Clan seemed to have a jutsu involving masks.
But… wasn't that just an ordinary jutsu?
Chiyo instinctively connected it to a possibility. Back when the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out, the group that gained the most spoils of war was the Kumo-nin, who had been the main attackers. Who knew what they might have obtained from the Uzumaki Clan?
After all, in terms of history, the Uzumaki Clan was one of the few that could rival the Hyuga, Uchiha, and Senju. It wouldn't be surprising if such a clan had unique ninja tools or treasures passed down.
Rasa's response made Chiyo look up. The very mention of Konoha sparked disgust deep in her heart. If she had any choice, she wouldn't have allied with Konoha in any way.
Of course, the death of the White Fang was some consolation to her.
"According to intel extracted from a captured jōnin, Kumo once sent a delegation to Konoha to obtain the Healing Tag technology developed by their Technology Development Department.
Besides that, the delegation also brought back a special mask." Rasa shared everything he knew with Chiyo.
"A single mask?" Chiyo nodded at first but then looked at Rasa in surprise. Her gaze shifted to the four masks laid out on the table before her.
"They're all real." Rasa immediately addressed Chiyo's doubts. He had tested all four masks—they were identical in every way.
"Those Kumo brutes figured out how to make these masks?" Chiyo's expression grew serious as she temporarily set aside the issue of the Healing Tags.
On the battlefield, the impact of these masks was second only to that of a tailed beast. In some cases, they were even more useful than a tailed beast.
If the war hadn't reached such a critical point, she wouldn't have brought what remained of the village's forces here to provide support. Check latest chapters at NoveI-Fire.ɴet
One of the main reasons behind this desperate situation was the masks! They had completely unbalanced what was once a relatively even battlefield.
"It's worse than that!" Rasa's face showed a mix of complexity and even a hint of fear. "They're splitting!"
Chiyo's gaze sharpened instantly.
"They're feeding on souls! The masks consume the souls of the ninja they kill, corrode, or influence. All of these souls establish some sort of connection with the masks."
"When the mask devours enough souls, it begins to split. From one, it becomes two!" Rasa's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, clearly unsettled by the topic.
He had seen firsthand what happened to those who wore the mask and became corrupted by it. Once the mask was removed, they were left paralyzed by fear, their bodies disintegrating into nothing but drifting ash.
The battlefield of the Ninja World War had become the perfect breeding ground for the mask to gather power.
Chiyo and the jōnin gathered in the tent stared silently at the four ghastly pale masks lying on the table, each bearing a different, eerie expression.
Rasa didn't know what all of this signified, but his instincts screamed at him to keep his distance from the masks.
"What about Konoha? Do they have anything to say about this? I recall that Orochimaru, who is on the front lines, is the founder of their Technology Development Department, right?" Chiyo's sharp gaze fell on Rasa.
"I sent someone to ask, but Orochimaru's response was cryptic. He only mentioned that the masks were tied to the soul and nature, and that they had some connection to the Uzumaki clan's masks." Rasa shook his head.
He was certain that Orochimaru knew far more than he let on, but whatever additional knowledge he had, he clearly wasn't willing to share it easily.
"However," Rasa added, his expression growing somber as all eyes in the tent turned toward him, "Orochimaru did reveal one crucial piece of information: the power of the masks can grow."
Everyone froze at the statement, and then their expressions changed drastically.
The masks' current power was already terrifying, but if they could evolve and grow stronger, would their final power rival that of a tailed beast?
"What are the conditions?" Chiyo, ever sharp, immediately honed in on the critical point. The dire state of Sunagakure left her willing to consider any means to bolster their strength.
She was fully aware that the ever-sinister Orochimaru wouldn't information out of kindness. There had to be some hidden agenda she couldn't yet discern. But even so, she couldn't afford to ignore this opportunity.
Sunagakure was at its breaking point. If they succeeded, the village could endure. If they failed, the village might survive for a time, but it would no longer stand among the Five Great Ninja Village.
Even if this path led to poison, Sunagakure had no choice but to drink it.
Chiyo's resolve was evident. She had even brought along the jinchūriki of the One-Tail for this meeting. She had come prepared to stake everything on this gamble.
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