Chapter 429: Side Story Part 9: Redaku Arc: Release of Umibozu
Later at nearly midnight.
The townsfolk retreated to the safe shelter homes after getting drunk or washed out from the conclusion of the seven-day-long Shirodo festival.
In a luxurious room in the Uzu clan inn, Izuna silently gazes out of the window.
It was nearly midnight, and the night sky was picturesque. A black-to-navy gradient was the backdrop for a full moon; the night sky so clear you could almost see every crater on the surface of the moon. The giant blue moon casts a large, loomed ethereal glow on the surroundings.
The ocean waves lapped lazily at the shore, a jumble of navy and royal blue that glistened in the night. White foam crested the top of the waves as they approached, spilling onto the sand like a net being cast.
Izuna raises his head and glances in a direction.
"So, it's about to start." He mumbles to himself.
On the outskirts of Shirodo town.
Whoosh... whoosh...
Multiple masked black-robed figures gather at a gulf close to the town. A tall figure with a bozu mask leads the group.
"The century-long wait is about to end. Finally, our sacred priest will rise from his slumber."
He bows and makes a praying gesture. The rest of the black-robe figures follow his gesture.
The bozu masked priest produces a harp and plucks its strings. The melody of the harp paired with the gentle sound of the waves hitting the beach sounded almost like a lullaby.
Soon, the tune of the harp echoes through the entire Shirodo town.
Creak... Creak...
One by one, the tightly closed gates of various houses and inns open, and the townsfolk slowly walk in the direction of the gulf with a mesmerized looks in their eye. The bozu priest vigorously plucks the strings of the harp.
Fwish...
A black curse seal in the shape of an anchor appears around the neck of the townsfolk. The curse seal activates and dark red energy seeps out from the bodies of the townsfolk and enters the gulf.
Wham...
A gigantic Fuinjutsu seal appears on top of the gulf. With every note, the gentle lullaby slowly turns into a bloodthirsty rhapsody that slowly draws the soul of the townsfolk.
The blood energy from the people enters the seal and slowly corrupts it.
In the Uzu clan inn,
Akai, Yuri, Viktor, and a few other Uzu clansmen are assembled in the secret meeting room.
Akai and Yuri have a grave expression on their face as they stare at the gigantic Fuinjutsu seal in the gulf.
"So, it has started. Those vile people..." Viktor grits his teeth.
"To think they will use the innocent people as a sacrifice!" Akai clenches her fist.
"I have already sent our clansmen to intercept them. Now our only hope lies with lady Yuri."
He glances at Yuri, who is purifying and strengthening the seal by sacrificing a portion of her blood with other clan members.
Back at the gulf...
Hmm...
Izuna, who is also among the townsfolk, slowly opens his eyes and looks around.
'That's quite a crude method of breaking a seal.' He remarks as the bozu priest uses the blood energy of the townsfolk to slowly corrupt the essence of the seal.
'This seal is a product of the Blood Fuinjutsu. Its strength depends on the purity of the bloodline of the caster. So, using the impure blood of this townsfolk will dilute the restriction imposed by the power of the bloodline of the Uzu clan. However, the amount of blood required to break this seal... I am afraid none of them will survive.' Izuna glances at the bozu priest.
Soon, a tug-of-war starts between the two sides. The bozu priest corrupts the seal in an attempt to break it while Yuri strengthens the seal by sacrificing her blood.
"Stop them! We mustn't let them break this seal." The members of the Uzu clan reach the mouth of the gulf. They immediately get into a formation and attack the members of the evil cult.
"KILL... KILL THEM! We can't let these heretics disrupt the plans of our holy priest." The masked members of the evil cult attack the Uzu clan members in a frenzy.
Both sides are engaged in a heated battle as casualties start to appear. With Izuna's sneaky aid, the Uzu clan members avoid the fate of death. However, injuries start to pile up on them.
'Hmm... looks like it's about time I make my move.'
Izuna draws a few fuinjutsu seals in mid-air. He infuses his chakra into the seal and sends them toward the giant Fuinjutsu seal.
'The purifying force of the blue moon and the corruption of the blood energy have reached an equilibrium. I will just shatter this frail balance with some explosive chakra.'
The seal enters into the gigantic pool of energy and just like a spark of flame in gasoline, it explodes in contact.
BOOM... Rumble... rumble....
A surge of violent blood energy shrouds the entire gulf and pushes away the nearby onlookers.
Bleurgh...
Yuri and the rest of the Uzu clan members who are strengthening the seal spits out a mouthful of blood from the backlash.
"YURI!"
Akai and Viktor hurriedly rush toward Yuri to support her.
"YURI! My daughter... are you alright?" Aksi holds Yuri in her arms.
"Mmm... Mom... we... we failed!" Yuri slowly opens her eyes. Tears flow from them.
Back at the gulf, the massive storm of blood energy morphs into a vortex. The giant Fuinjutsu seal cracks in multiple places and shatters into fragments.
Shuaa...
Multiple dark black shadows eject out of the gulf and envelop the blood vortex. Violent winds blow across the gulf as the shadows and the blood mingle with each other.
"Hahaha... I did it! I finally did it." The bozu priest cackles in laughter as the giant vortex slowly condenses into a giant humanoid form.
"That... that's Umibozu!"
The eyes of Akai, Viktor, and the rest of the Uzu clan members widen as they recognize the figure of Umibozu from the legend. A feeling of despair and helplessness overwhelms them as all of their past efforts and hardships are all for naught.
YAAa!!
The evil shadow releases a powerful scream. Ripples spread across the water in the gulf as the Umibozu slowly opens its deep red bloodshot eyes.
Crackle... crackle...
Dark black clouds with red lining suddenly appear on the horizon. Red bolts of lightning strike down from the sky as a massive surge of curse energy rises from Umibozu's body and enters the sky.
Hmm...
Izuna curiously sizes up the enormous figure of Umibozu.
'It's almost the same size as a tailed beast. And this energy it's neither chakra nor nature energy. It is sinister and is almost similar to the negative chakra. However...'
Izuna ponders for a while.
'The only being with a similar nature that I might think of is the Zero-tails. I have yet to come across it since it has been avoiding my pursuit for a while; however, wraith has managed to get some fragments of its body. So, does it have the same origin as the Zero-tails?'
Izuna erects a barrier and protects the nearby civilians from the violent energy of the Umibozu.
"Hey, who are you?" The members of the Uzu clan and the evil cult notice his action.
"Now isn't the time to question who I am. We have to evacuate these people." Izuna replies to the Uzu clan members.
"Haha... give up. These people are under my control. As long as I have this harp, I can control them as I see fit." The bozu priest smugly holds the harp in his hand.
Swish... slash...
Izuna throws a wind-infused kunai toward the bozu priest and slices the harp in half.
"Thanks for the reminder!"
"Ah!" The bozu priest is stunned by the sudden action of Izuna. Before he could comprehend what happened; Izuna dispels the trigger for the authority seal.
"Argh... where are we?" The townsfolk slowly open their eyes in confusion.
"Why do I feel so weak? I was on my first round." One of the semi-naked person mumbles.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan," Izuna casts a large scale genjutsu on the villagers. He orders them to move towards the town square.
"This... this... who are you?" The eyes of the bozu priest widen.
"There is no need for you to know everything."
YAAa!!
The Umibozu releases another scream and aimlessly attacks everything in its surroundings.
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