Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

"The so-called eternal life is nothing but a scam. I just have one question for you—who are you? Where do you come from?"

The people surrounding him moved like stiff puppets, their limbs twisting unnaturally. The unsettling creak of their joints grinding against each other echoed through the silence, making Zixu's teeth ache. Their vacant eyes, devoid of emotion, locked onto him in eerie unison.

The old man scoffed, finding Zixu's question ridiculous. He had expected something profound, something that would shake the heavens—yet this was all? A mere inquiry? To him, Zixu's words were nothing more than an empty provocation.

"Heh... that's hardly a question worth asking. Everyone here can answer it with ease. But after that, you'll have to apologize for your disrespect toward Lady Tagorihime," the old man sneered, the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes twitching as he smirked.

Zixu took a few measured steps toward the stone gate, nodding casually. "Of course. Go ahead, I'm listening."

The old man straightened his hunched back slightly, his voice filled with a prideful nostalgia. "We have lived here since ancient times. To escape the endless wars between nations, our ancestors gathered their families and neighbors and settled in this sacred place, severing all ties with the outside world. Under the benevolent guidance of Lady Tagorihime, we've known nothing but peace and prosperity. There is no war here, no suffering—only a life free from worry."

"So you've been completely isolated from the outside world? You have no knowledge of its changes?" Zixu asked slowly, his gaze shifting subtly as he observed the people around him. They stood eerily still, as if someone had pressed pause on their lives.

"That is correct. The affairs of the outside world do not concern us. Why trouble ourselves with its chaos when we have been granted this perfect peace?"

Zixu chuckled, his smirk laced with sarcasm. "Is that so? Then why are you all dressed like the people outside? And more importantly, why do you bear the forehead protectors of ninja villages?"

"W-what...?"

"You heard me. Do you want me to repeat it?" His eyes gleamed with sharp amusement. "Stop lying to yourselves. You haven't lived here since ancient times. You're not some secluded, untouched people... You're just prisoners trapped in a dream of your own making."

His words were like blades, cutting deep into the illusion they so desperately clung to. The so-called peace and prosperity here were nothing but an elaborate deception—a self-imposed fantasy. Judging from their attire, these people were undoubtedly shinobi who had once come to Ryūchi Cave seeking power. Yet, for reasons unknown, they had completely forgotten who they were.

"Shut up!" someone roared. "We are not shinobi! We... we..."

The previously silent crowd erupted into a storm of chaotic voices. Zixu's words had shattered the calm like a stone thrown into still water, sending ripples of doubt through them.

"Think carefully," Zixu pressed on, his voice steady and cutting. "Why did you come here in the first place? Was it truly your choice to live in this fantasy? Wake up!"

His relentless words were like a battering ram, hammering against the fragile walls of their illusion.

"...I came here to train... Why did I forget that...? Why? Did I fail...? Hahaha... Hahahahahaha!"

Confusion spread like wildfire. The realization struck deep, leaving many in despair.

"I failed... Mizukage-sama, forgive me..."

"No! Why?! Why did you wake us up?! Why couldn't you let us stay in our dream?!"

"It's too late... The village... It must be gone by now... It's too late to go back..."

Some clutched their heads in agony, some collapsed in despair, while others laughed hollowly, their sanity unraveling. It was chaos—utter devastation. The truth was a merciless thing, and not everyone had the strength to face it.

For those who had spent decades in this dream, the thought of returning to reality was more terrifying than staying trapped. After all, to them, this dream was reality.

Zixu, however, had no interest in their suffering. The moment chaos erupted, he slipped away unnoticed. Whatever secrets lay buried here were of no concern to him—he only cared about one thing: clearing this trial. There was no way in hell he was going to waste his life in a fabricated paradise.

Even as he made his way back toward the stone gate, the sounds of despair and madness behind him grew distant. Those who had noticed his escape were far too consumed by their own shattered realities to stop him.

He soon arrived at the familiar stone door. With a deep breath, he placed his hands against its surface and pushed.

This time... he had a feeling.

This would be his last cycle.

Stepping forward, he crossed the threshold once more.

Just before disappearing into the darkness beyond, he cast one final glance over his shoulder.

The sight burned itself into his memory—the expressions of those left behind, ranging from complete devastation to reluctant relief. A gallery of emotions that told the story of those who had been trapped for far too long.

He memorized it all.

And then, without hesitation, he stepped through to the other side.

A familiar sensation of teleportation washed over Zixu, just like the one he had felt when he first arrived here. Panic stirred in his chest. What if he had guessed wrong? Would he have to go back and face those crazed villagers again?

Fortunately, when Zixu opened his eyes, he didn't see those people, nor did he hear the all-too-familiar words:

"Hey, do you want some ramen? It's freshly made and smells delicious."

Instead, what lay before him finally matched the appearance of an actual cave.

The damp, cold air clung to his skin. Darkness coiled around him like a living entity, and whispers slithered through the shadows. Towering stalagmites—jagged and sharp like the fangs of a massive serpent—jutted out from the ground in eerie formations.

But there was one striking difference.

In front of him stood countless crooked, human-shaped stone pillars. Below their heads, their bodies had been completely petrified, and some of their faces bore deep, rock-like cracks. Dark green moss crept over their forms like parasitic fungi, consuming every inch of the stone.

What was even more grotesque was the sight atop each stone pillar. A small green snake, no longer than a human forearm, coiled tightly around their heads, its jaws opening and closing at an unnerving angle. The creatures swallowed most of their victims' skulls whole, their sharp fangs glistening in the dim light.

Zixu remained still, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings. Some of these human-shaped pillars bore a striking resemblance to the people he had seen in the city before.

His gaze shifted to a broken pillar directly in front of him, shattered into countless pieces. Among the rubble was a red substance that bore an uncanny resemblance to blood.

His expression darkened.

He didn't need to think too hard to recognize that this pile of shattered stone once belonged to the ramen vendor—the very man who had warned him at the beginning.

The so-called "delicacies" from before had also revealed their true forms.

The grand buildings he had once seen were nothing more than massive stone pillars, thick serpents coiled around them like grotesque ornaments. As for the food... the plates that once carried gourmet dishes now held nothing but the rotting remains of rats, their corpses mixed with bloody gravel.

Countless small green snakes, identical to the ones wrapped around the stone pillars, lay coiled nearby. Their fierce eyes gleamed with hunger, their forked tongues flicking out rapidly, as if they hadn't eaten in ages.

"Isn't it better to immerse yourself in a world of illusion?"

A clear, feminine voice drifted from behind Zixu.

Her words came so suddenly that they sent a chill down his spine, as if she had appeared out of thin air without the slightest warning.

Zixu turned around stiffly, his gaze locking onto the source of the voice.

She was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman with long, flowing green hair. Upon her head sat a golden crown adorned with round golden orbs, delicate green ribbons draping from either side. Her eyes were pure black, framed by dark eyeshadow, and her skin was unnaturally pale. She wore a simple white gown, a green magatama-shaped ornament resting on her chest. But it was her mouth—her sharp teeth and her unnervingly long, blue tongue—that sent a creeping sense of unease through Zixu.

His pupils shrank slightly.

This attire...

It immediately reminded him of the so-called Tagorihime Goddess the villagers had spoken of.

"A false peace is still false," Zixu said calmly, his voice steady despite the oppressive aura she emitted. "Reality is reality, and an illusion will always remain an illusion. If you betray reality, then the illusion will never truly manifest in this world."

Though Tagorihime (天心神姫) showed no signs of hostility, lazily floating in the air, Zixu remained cautious.

He could sense the terrifying chakra surging within her.

This level of power... no human could possibly possess it.

"Well... it's your choice," Tagorihime said, yawning lazily. "Either way, you've passed this stage of the trial. Just don't come crying later when you regret not choosing to stay in the dream."

Her tone was indifferent, as if she had already foreseen his future despair.

Zixu's gaze swept over the cave once more, landing on the fresh red stains among the rubble and the countless petrified humans in the distance.

He had always hated illusions.

"Since I've passed the trial, can I leave now?"

"That's not an option."

Tagorihime's expression twisted slightly.

"You either continue with the trial and complete your Sage Arts training... or you become nutrients for Ryūchi Cave (龍地洞). Those are the only two ways to leave."

As she spoke, a wicked glint flickered in her pure black eyes.

Then, in an instant, her entire demeanor shifted.

Her pupils elongated into thin golden slits, her mouth stretching unnaturally wide to reveal four razor-sharp fangs. A deep, unsettling blue hue coated her forked tongue. Fine scales sprouted across her once-pristine pale skin, giving her an eerie, inhuman presence.

Zixu narrowed his eyes slightly but showed no fear.

If anything, the sheer intensity of her aura only strengthened his resolve.

"...Fine, I'll continue with the trial."

The oppressive force pressing against him was overwhelming, but Zixu stood firm. The Haki coursing through his body bolstered his will, making it nearly impossible for illusions or fear to shake him.

Tagorihime tilted her head slightly, then—just as quickly as she had transformed—she returned to her previous youthful form.

"Then keep moving forward and push open the stone door," she said nonchalantly, lazily pointing toward the cave's depths.

She no longer seemed interested in him, her expression completely indifferent.

Zixu studied her carefully before turning away and walking toward the stone gate.

His mind buzzed with thoughts.

"...That level of pressure. If I undergo Sage Mode training, will I be able to become that strong?"

He couldn't help but yearn for it.

At first, he had only agreed to Orochimaru's proposal out of caution, wary of the threat the snake sannin posed.

But now?

Now, he genuinely wanted to learn Sage Mode (仙人モード).

If he could wield the power of Haki alongside it...

A fire lit up in his chest.

He had to master it.

Behind him, Tagorihime watched his retreating figure, amusement flickering in her dark gaze.

"For someone so young, he already possesses such an exceptionally strong physique," she murmured to herself.

"And... though faint, I can sense a trace of dragon power within him. It's nearly imperceptible, but it's there. This boy is far from ordinary..."

A slow, mysterious smile curled at her lips.

"With a body like that, he's naturally suited for Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts (龍地洞仙術). Let's see if he survives the training."

Her figure gradually faded, dissolving into the darkness once more.

She still had unfinished business.

After all, those foolish villagers had begun regaining their memories.

She had to erase them again.

Watching the dreams of those failures was one of her few pleasures, after all.

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