Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X789]
~ With Shisui, the following day ~
Shisui stood at the exact spot where dense forest gave way to open plains, his Sharingan spinning lazily as it tracked the invisible currents of Ethernano that twisted through the air before him. Two years had passed since he'd first encountered this threshold, and the familiar sight brought back memories of his initial struggle against the crushing magical pressure that had once threatened to drive him to his knees.
Without hesitation, Shisui stepped forward across the invisible boundary.
The pressure hit him immediately, that same overwhelming force of condensed Ethernano that had nearly overwhelmed him during his first visit. But where it had once strained his body and tested his limits, now it felt like nothing more than a mild disturbance.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he continued walking steadily into the plains. The difference was remarkable. Two years of intensive training, countless missions, and the constant push to grow stronger had transformed what was once a significant obstacle into a minor inconvenience.
The realization made him wonder about others who might have attempted this journey. God Serena, the number one ranked Wizard Saint, possessed magical power that supposedly dwarfed even Warrod's considerable abilities. Had the pressure affected him at all when he'd first entered these plains? Had he even bothered to return since his initial investigation, or had he simply noted the anomaly and moved on to other concerns?
Shisui chuckled softly at the thought. Despite his growth, despite feeling stronger than even Warrod at this point, he knew better than to let confidence become arrogance.
Shaking off his thoughts, Shisui focused on the task ahead and began running deeper into the plains. He maintained a steady pace, the kind of sustained speed that Jonin typically used for long-distance travel. His body moved without difficulty, each step covering significant ground without wasting unnecessary energy.
He'd deliberately chosen not to use his Body Flicker technique despite its superior speed. The unknown dangers ahead made chakra conservation a priority, and there was no telling how long this mission might take or what resources he'd need to draw upon at any point in time.
Better to arrive at his destination with close to full reserves than to save hours of travel time.
As he crossed the grassland, his Sharingan remained active, constantly monitoring the Ethernano currents around him while watching for any changes in the environment or potential threats.
Hours passed in steady travel. The sun tracked across the sky above him, marking his progress as he moved deeper into the mountain zone. Gradually, Shisui began to notice changes in his surroundings that didn't match his expectations.
The first difference was subtle. Where the plains had initially been nothing but grass stretching to the horizon, occasional trees now dotted the landscape. Not the dense forest he'd left behind, but scattered trees that seemed almost random in their placement. Some were perfectly healthy, their leaves green and branches strong. Others appeared stunted or withered, as if unable to withstand the volatile ambient Ethernano.
More puzzling was what his Sharingan revealed about the ambient Ethernano themselves. The crushing force that had peaked at the threshold between forest and plains was steadily diminishing as he travelled deeper into the mountain zone.
The pattern made no sense. During his first visit, the pressure had built gradually throughout the forest, reached its maximum intensity at the plains' edge, and presumably should have continued beyond.
But now he was experiencing the exact opposite. The deeper he went into what should have been the most dangerous area, the weaker the magical pressure became. Each mile he covered seemed to reduce the intensity, as if he were moving away from the source rather than toward it.
Shisui slowed his pace slightly, frowning as he tried to understand the phenomenon. His Sharingan could clearly see the Ethernano currents becoming less chaotic.
The mystery gnawed at him, but after several minutes of consideration, he decided that solving the underlying cause wasn't his objective for the moment. His mission was to investigate and document, not necessarily to explain every anomaly he encountered.
Besides, he had more pressing concerns. The sun was noticeably lower in the sky now, probably no more than an hour from sunset. If he wanted to reach the actual mountains before nightfall, he needed to maintain his pace rather than puzzle over magical mysteries he couldn't immediately solve.
An hour more of steady running brought him to the base of the mountain range, and Shisui was pleased to note that he felt no trace of exhaustion despite having maintained Jonin-level speed for most of the day. His conditioning had improved dramatically over the past years, and his chakra reserves remained virtually untouched.
More importantly, the magical pressure had completely disappeared. His Sharingan confirmed that the ambient Ethernano had returned to normal patterns, flowing in the stable currents he'd expect from any natural environment. Whatever force that had created the anomalous conditions seemed to be limited to the forest and outer plains, leaving the mountains themselves mysteriously unaffected.
Standing at the base of towering peaks, Shisui deactivated his Sharingan and looked up at the challenge ahead. The mountain's face stretched far above him, a mixture of rock outcroppings, narrow ledges, and steep slopes.
Without wasting another second, Shisui began his ascent. The mountain's peak awaited, and he intended to reach it before darkness fell.
And just as he'd planned, Shisui reached the mountain's peak as the sun begun to set. The moment he pulled himself onto the summit's flat stone platform, however, all thoughts of the mysterious anomaly of the ambient Ethernano vanished completely.
The view that spread before him stole his breath away.
Mountain ranges stretched in every direction ahead as far as the eye could see. Each range was distinct yet part of a greater whole, creating a landscape of such vast scale and natural beauty that it could have almost dwarfed anything he'd encountered in either world.
The sight immediately reminded him of the mountain ranges that surrounded the Valley of the End, the legendary battleground where the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha had fought their final confrontation. Yet, the differences were still obvious to Shisui. Where the Valley of the End and the surrounding mountain ranges bore scars from that titanic battle, these mountains appeared pristine, as if they'd stood unchanged since the world's creation.
Shisui walked slowly across the summit. The mountain zone was far larger than he'd initially realized. During his approach through the forest and plains, he'd focused on reaching the central range, but now he could see that the area encompassed dozens of separate mountain chains. Some were higher than others, some more rugged, but all were connected by a complex network of valleys and passes.
The sun had nearly disappeared behind the western peaks now. The temperature was dropping quickly at this altitude, though his enhanced physique made the cold barely noticeable. Still, he needed to make a decision about where to spend the night.
A large boulder near the summit's centre caught his attention. The stone formation was roughly the size of a small building, with a relatively flat top that would provide an excellent vantage point for observing the surrounding area. Shisui leaped easily onto the boulder's surface and settled into a comfortable sitting position.
Instead of preparing for sleep, however, he simply closed his eyes and began slipping into the deep meditative state he'd perfected during his ANBU days.
~ End of Chapter 58 ~
(Chapter posted now as I cannot schedule a release for tomorrow for some reason and I won't be around to manually post it. So this chapter is tomorrow's chapter (10th July, Singapore time)