On either side of Kogaku Temple's mountain gate stood two statues of oni deities. According to legend, one was called Zenki, the other Goki. They were said to be demon gods commanded by the great ascetic En no Gyōja, whom Kogaku Temple enshrined. Now that night had fallen, under the dim glow of the lanterns, the two statues appeared even more ferocious than usual.
At this moment, their bulging eyes glared angrily, as though they had foreseen the arrival of an unwelcome guest.
"Honored guests, are you heading out?"
Two monks armed with naginata stood guard at the mountain gate. Seeing Kyoichi's group emerging in force, they immediately showed surprise and stepped forward to ask. They then gently advised:
"The mountains are filled with fierce beasts and venomous insects and snakes. Though all of you are highly skilled shinobi, this humble monk still recommends that you refrain from going out at night. Encountering wild beasts would be one thing, but poisonous creatures could prove dangerous."
Kogaku Temple's ability to survive for centuries in these mountains was not due solely to the protection of the ascetic En no Gyōja.
It was because of the naginata held in the monks' hands.
More precisely,
Kogaku Temple itself was a ninja power. Every monk here had refined chakra. Even the two guarding the gate possessed strength comparable to chūnin… and such forces were far from rare in the Land of Fire. No, in fact, throughout the entire shinobi world.
To put it bluntly, the so-called ninja villages might very well have been modeled after these ninja temples.
Even after the Five Great Nations were established and the Five Great Ninja Villages rose to prominence, not all shinobi forces were absorbed into the villages. To this day, many ninja clans and ninja temples still existed. Kogaku Temple was one of them.
"Thank you for your concern, masters,"
Nara Shikaku replied gently. "We do not intend to venture into the mountains at night. We came to the gate only because an unidentified guest is approaching."
"At this hour, someone's coming?"
One monk widened his eyes in disbelief. "Really? We didn't see anyone at all."
The other monk frowned slightly, reached out to pull his companion back, and said, "If that is the case, we won't disturb you further. Please, go about your business."
Shikaku nodded and said nothing more.
A brief explanation was sufficient. There was no need to waste words with the monks. What mattered now was identifying the sudden arrival and clarifying their relationship.
The group passed through the mountain gate, crossed the platform before it, and stopped at the entrance to the winding mountain path below.
Behind them, only one monk remained at the gate. The other had likely gone to inform the temple.
But at this moment, no one paid any attention to the monks' movements.
Everyone's focus was fixed on the pitch-black mountain road below.
Less than two minutes later,
A slowly approaching figure emerged into view. By the lantern light hanging from wooden poles on either side of the path entrance, they could make out the person's attire: a bird-beak-shaped mask covering the face, and a pitch-black cloak draped over the body.
In the darkness, he looked as though the Grim Reaper itself had descended into the mortal world.
Shikaku's heart skipped a beat. Judging by appearances was never the mark of a wise man, yet this person's getup… truly did not look like that of a benevolent soul. Still, no matter how he searched his memory, he could not recall any missing-nin dressed like this.
As the figure silently drew closer,
Shikaku had no choice but to steel himself and speak.
"Please stop, sir."
"What is it?"
The visitor halted and asked.
The voice,
Sounded rather young.
But that proved nothing. Altering one's voice was hardly a sophisticated technique for a shinobi. It would be rash to draw conclusions based on that alone.
"I am Nara Shikaku of Konoha. What I am about to ask may be offensive…" Shikaku said solemnly. "But I must inquire as to who you are, and what business you have coming to Kogaku Temple at this hour. If you cannot prove that you are not our enemy… then we can only ask you to return the way you came."
Beside him, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza stood ready, fully alert.
"…Are Konoha shinobi always this overbearing?"
Uchiha Hatoha stood on the mountain path, looking up at the six guarding the entrance. "Since when did Kogaku Temple become Konoha's territory? This place… is not somewhere Konoha ninja get to issue orders."
As his gaze fell upon one familiar face among them, a savage killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Hearing these words, Shikaku's expression grew heavy.
This man had come with hostile intent.
"So you're saying you have no intention of cooperating?"
Shikaku made one final attempt. "If possible, I would rather avoid conflict. Once blades are drawn, it's hard to hold back."
"I have neither the obligation nor the necessity to cooperate with Konoha shinobi,"
Hatoha replied coldly.
At the same time, he stepped forward once more, continuing up the path.
"Inoichi!"
Shikaku shouted.
"Ninjutsu: Mind Distruction Technique!"
Inoichi acted decisively.
Both thumbs spread, one hand up and the other down, forming a rectangle with the tiger's mouth of his grip, aiming directly at the intruder below.
In an instant, an invisible, intangible surge of mental energy slammed into the uninvited guest.
This was the Yamanaka clan's secret mental technique. It disrupted the target's consciousness. Even if the victim remained mentally aware, their body would fall out of their control, performing actions they never intended to do. Hence the name: Mind Distruction.
During the Third Great Shinobi War,
Inoichi had used this very technique to make countless enemies turn on one another in battle, earning a fearsome reputation alongside Shikaku and Choza, establishing the renown of the new generation Ino–Shika–Chō.
However—
This nearly unfailing method met with failure today.
The intruder hesitated for less than a single second before continuing upward as if nothing had happened, showing no visible effect at all.
"Shikaku—this guy is an Uchiha!!!"
Inoichi's face changed drastically as he shouted.
Though the technique had failed, the clash of mental energies had allowed him to probe certain details. He sensed an extraordinary power residing within the intruder's eyes.
That unmistakable fluctuation—
It was the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.
And when one spoke of the Uchiha,
It was impossible not to think of the mysterious Uchiha who had killed Sarutobi Takeo and the others, triggering massive upheaval within the village, whose identity remained unknown to this day.