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"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X787]
~ The following day ~
The group of five were currently walking through a densely forrested area within the Mountain Zone. Shisui was leading the way, his steps nearly silent compared to Sting's heavy tread behind him.
They had been walking for hours already, following a path that seemed to twist endlessly into the heart of the mountain zone. Despite their steady pace, the forest showed no signs of thinning. If anything, the trees grew closer together the further they ventured, as if deliberately hindering their progress.
Shisui stopped beside a massive oak tree, its trunk wider than two men standing side by side. Without a word, he drew a kunai from his pouch and carved a small, distinctive mark into the bark, the fifth such mark he'd made since they'd entered the forest that morning.
"Is that really necessary?" Rogue asked, watching Shisui's actions. "Won't they just lead others to follow us?"
Shisui finished the mark before answering. "It's for navigation," he explained, sliding the kunai back into its holster. "When we decide to leave, we'll need markers to find our way out. This forest doesn't seem to follow normal rules."
What he did not mention was that he had also imbued a miniscule portion of his Chakra so as to be able to tell which general direction they had to follow in order to leave the forest. If random passerby's stumbled upon one of his markers, they would not know which direction to go next and would likely end up circling the forest for days on end if they were lucky.
Rogue nodded thoughtfully, glancing back the way they'd come. The path behind them seemed unfamiliar somehow, though they had just walked through it moments before.
"Are we there yet?" Sting's annoyed voice cut through the relative quiet of the forest. He stood a few paces behind them, hands on his hips, a bored expression on his face.
Rogue sighed, turning to his partner. "No, we're not. And that's approximately the thirtieth time you've asked that question."
"I'm counting thirty-two," Lector added helpfully from his perch on Sting's shoulder.
"Fro thinks so too," Frosch agreed from Rogue's shoulder, though it wasn't clear which statement he was agreeing with.
"Well, I'm getting bored," Sting complained, kicking at a small stone near his foot. "We've been walking for hours and haven't seen anything interesting. No demons, no monsters, not even a Vulcan. Just trees, trees, and more trees."
Shisui's lips quirked in amusement, but he didn't comment on Sting's impatience. Instead, he simply resumed walking, forcing the others to hurry after him or risk being left behind. The Dragon Slayer's complaints reminded him of a certain young budding shinobi from his original world, Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha.
Another hour passed in much the same way, with periodic complaints from Sting, quiet observations from Rogue, and occasional commentary from the Exceeds. The forest remained unchanging around them.
Then, suddenly, Shisui felt it. A subtle shift in the air, like the slight pressure change before a storm. He stopped mid-step, extending his senses outward. Something about the forest had changed, though nothing visible indicated what.
He glanced back at his companions, surprised to see no reaction from them. Sting was absently adjusting his glove, while Rogue seemed lost in thought. Neither Dragon Slayer showed any sign of sensing the same disturbance that had set Shisui's nerves on edge.
'Dragon Slayers are known to have keen senses, yet they're unable to pick up whatever I'm sensing?' Shisui thought, finding this detail particularly troubling.
Was it because he wasn't native to this world? Did his outsider status somehow grant him perception of things hidden from Earthland's natives? Or was the disturbance itself beyond the current capabilities of even enhanced Dragon Slayer senses?
The questions multiplied, but remained unanswered. What mattered was that something had changed, and only Shisui seemed aware of it. That alone was reason enough for caution.
"From this point onward," Shisui said, his voice cutting through the relative silence with unexpected authority, "all of you are to stay alert and stay close to me. Do not stray too far from the group, and if you sense anything, you call it out immediately."
His tone left no room for argument as he added, "This is non-negotiable, understood?"
The abrupt shift in Shisui's demeanor caught everyone's attention. Sting and Rogue exchanged puzzled glances, while Lector and Frosch looked around nervously, as if expecting enemies to materialize from behind the trees.
"What's wrong?" Sting asked, all traces of boredom vanishing from his expression.
"For the moment, nothing," Shisui replied calmly, "but I can pick up a sudden change in the atmosphere, and the fact that neither of you can sense it only raises alarm bells for me."
His admission landed like a boulder among them. If two Dragon Slayers with enhanced senses couldn't detect what Shisui could, something was clearly wrong. The implication wasn't lost on any of them. They were walking into territory where even their natural advantages might not help them.
Lector immediately flew to Sting's shoulder, pressing close to his partner's neck for reassurance. Frosch did the same with Rogue, his small paws clutching the fabric of Rogue's cloak. Both Dragon Slayers reached up automatically to steady their companions.
Without further explanation, Shisui channeled chakra to his eyes. The familiar warmth spread through his optical nerves as his ordinary vision shifted, darkening briefly before the world came into sharp, enhanced focus. The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun into existence, transforming his eyes from their natural dark color to a vivid crimson as he looked at their surroundings.
The effect on the group was immediate and unexpected. As soon as the Sharingan activated, a wave of calm seemed to wash over them. Not because of any technique Shisui used, but because his confident, controlled demeanor in the face of unknown danger provided a steadying influence. His presence suddenly felt stronger, more present.
Sting, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch stared at Shisui with wide eyes, taking in the strange transformation. None of them had ever seen eyes like his before—the crimson color and distinctive pattern unlike any magic they were familiar with.
With his Sharingan active, Shisui could now see what had triggered his earlier unease. The ambient Ethernano—usually flowing in gentle, consistent currents like air eddies—was behaving strangely. Instead of its normal patterns, it pulsed erratically, concentrating in certain areas while becoming unnaturally thin in others. Some currents seemed to flow against their natural direction, while others twisted in spiral formations he'd never observed before.
He couldn't explain exactly what was wrong, but the Ethernano itself seemed "off". Almost as if it were responding to some external influence that disrupted its natural state. Whatever was causing this disturbance would require further investigation, possibly with external help. Shisui mentally noted to report these findings to Warrod upon their return. Turning back to face the group, Shisui offered what reassurance he could.
"Don't worry," he said, his voice steady and confident. "If things get too much to handle, I'll get us out of here."
With that simple promise, he turned and continued forward, his pace noticeably slower and more cautious than before. The others followed close behind, their earlier complaints forgotten in the face of this new tension. Even the Exceeds, though clearly frightened, stayed quiet, their eyes darting nervously from tree to tree as the group proceeded deeper into the increasingly strange forest.
The forest finally began to thin after what felt like an eternity of walking. Shisui remained in the lead, his Sharingan still active, tracking the increasingly disturbed patterns of Ethernano that swirled invisibly around them. Behind him, Sting and Rogue walked with heightened alertness, their earlier casual attitudes replaced by tense vigilance as they followed Shisui's silent progress toward what they hoped was the forest's edge.
The gradual brightening of their surroundings confirmed they were reaching the boundary of the forest. Through gaps in the trees ahead, patches of open space became visible, a stark contrast to the dense woodland they'd been traversing for hours.
Suddenly, Sting stopped mid-step, his body going rigid. Beside him, Rogue froze as well.
"Wait," Sting called out. "There's something... wrong."
Shisui turned back, noting the change in both Dragon Slayers' demeanor. "You can sense it now?"
Rogue nodded slowly, his red eyes narrowed. "It just hit me all at once. The air feels... heavy. Unnatural." He pressed a hand against his chest, as if the very act of breathing had become more difficult. "How long have you been feeling this?"
"For several hours now," Shisui replied, watching their reactions carefully. "It's been getting progressively stronger as we approach the edge of the forest."
Sting's face showed a mix of confusion and concern. "But that doesn't make sense. Our senses are enhanced—we should have picked up on it before you did."
"Fro is scared," the little green Exceed whispered, pressing closer to Rogue's neck.
"It's okay, buddy," Rogue assured him, though his own expression remained troubled. "We'll be careful."
Shisui considered their situation. The fact that the Dragon Slayers could finally sense the disturbance suggested they were approaching its source. Or at least a place where its effects were too intense to remain undetectable even to this world's inhabitants.
"Can you continue?" Shisui asked, his tone making it clear that turning back was a valid option.
The Dragon Slayers exchanged a glance before Sting answered for both of them. "Yeah," he said, though with less confidence than usual. "We've come this far. Might as well see what's ahead."
Shisui nodded once, then resumed leading them forward. The last stretch of forest seemed to take longer than it should have, as if the trees themselves were reluctant to release them from their cover. Finally, they reached the definitive edge of the woodland, where the dense tree line gave way abruptly to an expansive open plain.
The change was jarring. From enclosed, shadowy forest to exposed, sunlit grassland in a single step. The plains stretched outward for what looked like miles, tall grasses swaying in a breeze that somehow didn't reach the forest where they stood. In the far distance, the central peaks of the mountain range rose majestically against the blue sky.
'So we're not even close to the Mountains and yet something like this is happening...'
Shisui paused at the threshold, studying the open area beyond. Through his Sharingan, he could see that the erratic behavior of the Ethernano became even more pronounced beyond the forest's edge. Currents of magical particles flowing in unnatural patterns, concentrating and dispersing in ways that defied normal magical laws.
After a moment of assessment, Shisui took a deliberate step forward, crossing from the forest onto the open plain.
The effect was immediate and overwhelming.
An invisible force slammed down on him like a physical weight, as if gravity had suddenly multiplied tenfold. The pressure bore down on his shoulders, compressed his lungs, and seemed to push against his very cells. Every muscle in his body tensed automatically, chakra rushing to reinforce his structure against the crushing sensation.
"Stop!" he called out sharply, one hand extended behind him to halt the others. "Don't follow!"
~ End of Chapter 22 ~
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