The surroundings were shrouded in a deathly silence.
There was no light anywhere, and the role of sight here was diminished to the extreme.
The sound of a giant creature collapsing broke the stillness of the space.
Nagato was still on high alert due to the sudden spatial shift when he sensed someone approaching. Just as his vigilance rose, he relaxed again, letting the person grab his wrist and drag him toward a certain direction in a frantic sprint.
"Run! Don't look back!"
Shisui's lowered voice rang in Nagato's ear. It was faint and weak, sounding like he was either utterly exhausted or fearful of disturbing some dangerous entity lurking in the darkness.
A strong wind howled past them as another giant creature rampaged nearby, swinging its massive fists in their direction.
Nagato felt a familiar presence behind him—a presence as dazzling as the sun in his sensory perception. He was confused.
He keenly noticed that Shisui's caution didn't seem to stem from White Zetsu, who had also arrived in this space with them.
"And what about Yahiko? I don't sense his presence."
"This place is similar to the Pure Land. It's a realm of rebirth. Or you could think of it as being inside a massive, Hollow-like creature.
Yahiko doesn't have a key, so he was excluded from being locked into this space!"
Shisui's speed was so fast that his voice came through to Nagato intermittently, but it was enough for him to piece together some of the situation.
"Then what about White Zetsu and me? How do we have keys?"
Nagato tried his best to keep up with Shisui, not wanting to become a burden. Although he couldn't understand why Shisui was running like his life depended on it without looking back, Nagato trusted him. He could feel the determination in Shisui's heart.
"He absorbed my power, so he carries the aura of a key. As for you..."
Shisui paused for a moment, as if hesitating. But it was only for a brief instant before he continued.
"It's because of your Rinnegan."
"Rinnegan?" Nagato was surprised to hear such an answer from Shisui.
"Kagetsu studied your Rinnegan and made some slight modifications to it. Of course, it's just a shallow level of influence."
"The Rinnegan can be modified?"
Nagato blurted out instinctively. He found some of Kagetsu's techniques astonishingly unbelievable.
"It's said that the Rinnegan can control life and death, and connect to the Pure Land. Kagetsu used the Rinnegan to pinpoint the general location of the Pure Land. Where we are now is the outskirts of the Pure Land, like the connection between the Shinobi World and the moon."
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"Of course!" Shisui answered firmly. "Additionally, because of Kagetsu's modifications, your Rinnegan now has a certain level of authority over this space. If we encounter danger, it increases our chances of survival."
Hearing Shisui's warning, Nagato also scanned the surroundings. Aside from the White Zetsu gradually approaching them, the area around them was an empty void. There was no trace of life and no apparent danger within his perception.
Nagato couldn't even figure out where the danger might come from.
"This place is called Hueco Mundo by Kagetsu! You could also call it hell—a realm where souls are active.
We are currently in a passageway that connects the Pure Land, Hueco Mundo, and the Shinobi World. It's like the seam between life and death.
Any soul or living being with chakra that enters this place will attract immense danger.
If possible, avoid fighting. If a battle becomes unavoidable, it's best to rely on taijutsu. Once a fight begins, it must end quickly. The longer the fight drags on, the greater the danger becomes.
Finally, I hope Kagetsu can locate us soon and get us out of here. This is not a place where the living can stay for long. If we're assimilated, it would be the same as dying in the outside world."
Shisui wrapped himself and Nagato in the power of his Hōgyoku, concealing their presence while moving toward a specific location he had sensed.
That location was a temporary shelter Kagetsu had used here. It had certain protective properties, allowing them to stay safe for a while.
"Something's coming!"
Nagato suddenly warned. From the depths of the darkness behind them, he sensed a massive entity charging toward them at an alarming speed.
"It's the Cleaner, or you could call it the Devourer. It's a monster modified by Kagetsu and placed here—it feeds on chakra," Shisui explained while using Shunpo to quicken his pace even more.
"Clearly, White Zetsu must have alerted it. And, of course, we're also within its hunting range."
"What exactly is Kagetsu trying to achieve by creating such a creature? What else has he modified?"
For the first time, Nagato felt that Kagetsu might not be as reliable as he'd hoped. Especially with these bizarre experiments, he was beginning to feel completely bewildered.
Was this research already delving into the realm of life and death?
"In Kagetsu's words, the Cleaner is designed to compete with the Pure Land for souls. Because of chakra, both ninja and the deceased are guided to the Pure Land after death.
But if a soul is devoured by the Cleaner before entering the Pure Land, and all its chakra is consumed, the Pure Land can no longer guide the soul.
A soul consumed by the Cleaner goes through three stages: being devoured, being re-empowered, and being reborn.
Those who succeed in this process are sent to Hueco Mundo by the Cleaner and become bound to its infernal cycle.
During this transformation, memories may be erased or even merged. Only a few, perhaps elite jonin or above, have the chance to retain their memories."
Shisui relayed everything he knew and then earnestly warned Nagato: "Don't get devoured by the Cleaner. If it comes to that, we might retain our memories, but by then, we'll technically be dead. And once we're trapped in Hueco Mundo's inferno, there's no way to escape."
Nagato now fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Hearing the thunderous crashing sounds behind them and sensing White Zetsu's increasingly faint presence, he pushed himself to move faster.
If even White Zetsu couldn't withstand the Cleaner's devouring ability, then the two of them likely wouldn't fare much better.
At least judging by Shisui's perspective, it seemed they were at a disadvantage against the Cleaner.
Of course, there was also the possibility that Shisui was concerned about them accidentally destroying the Cleaner and ruining one of Kagetsu's experiments.
However, between the two scenarios, Nagato was inclined to believe the first was more plausible.
Nagato did notice something unusual—his Rinnegan seemed much more active in this place.
His ocular powers were stronger, his chakra more abundant, and the strain on his body significantly reduced.
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