Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 244

"The Color Out of Space, a type of extraterrestrial being from the depths of the cosmos, appears as a pure color—neither a gas nor a material entity."

"Its larval form descends to the earth in the shape of a spherical embryo. Over the course of a few days, the larva infiltrates the local ecosystem, causing varying degrees of degradation and mutation among the local flora and fauna."

"Once it absorbs enough life energy, it departs this world and returns to its own."

"At that moment, the Color Out of Space drains all life energy within a radius of several kilometers, leaving the land barren and incapable of sustaining vegetation ever again."

"I only survived because someone protected me."

Shikamaru gave a brief explanation of the Color Out of Space. As for how he was protected, it wasn't until after the incident ended and he reflected for a long time that he recalled what had happened.

In the final moments, just as the Color Out of Space was about to leave and take all the life energy with it, Shikamaru saw a figure standing in front of him, trying to block the white light.

That person was Natsuhi.

She had previously mentioned that the moment the second meteorite landed, she had tested it with her chakra and discovered that it not only didn't interact with her chakra but actively repelled it.

Later, as the Color Out of Space wreaked havoc in the village, every villager began to show varying degrees of mutation due to prolonged exposure. The colors even infiltrated the villagers' bodies, causing their skin to emit strange shades of pink and purple.

However, Akahoshi and his two attendants didn't display such symptoms. The Color Out of Space hadn't deeply penetrated their bodies.

This suggested that the unique chakra cultivated by Hoshi through their star training had some degree of resistance to the Color Out of Space.

After Shikamaru decided not to interfere in Hoshi's internal matters, Natsuhi and Akahoshi likely made some sort of agreement, such as exchanging the meteorite for her son Sumaru's safety within the village.

This explained why, on that fateful night, Natsuhi, carrying the first meteorite from Hoshi, was near the training grounds.

At the final moment of the Color Out of Space's eruption, Natsuhi used the Mysterious Peacock Method's light wings to block most of the attack, saving the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and the young genin of Hoshi from total annihilation.

When the Konoha ANBU later investigated Hoshi, they discovered that the first meteorite was completely destroyed. Nearby, they also found a relatively intact set of female remains, further confirming Shikamaru's suspicions.

Even so, he barely managed to escape with his life.

After a year-long recovery, the genin from Hoshi were gradually discharged from the hospital and returned to the Land of Bears to rebuild their village.

Fortunately, before disaster struck, Akahoshi had sent a large number of Hoshi ninjas out on a wild goose chase, searching for Kumo ninja that didn't exist. This prevented the complete extinction of Hoshi.

As for the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, after being discharged, Yamanaka Ino suffered from depression for a while at home.

Although the trio re-formed their team, their missions were all of relatively low difficulty. Additionally, their sensei, Sarutobi Asuma, didn't allow them to participate in the Chunin Exams held a year after the incident.

Currently, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio is the only team from their cohort where all members remain genin.

This was all thanks to the Color Out of Space, a horror Shikamaru could never forget for the rest of his life.

Shikamaru slowly put on his clothes and left the meeting room, while Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro remained in shock, unable to recover for a long time.

Although the events Shikamaru described defied common sense, the signs of aging visible on his body were undeniable.

This inexplicable aging was particularly unusual for someone like Shikamaru, a teenager in the prime of youth.

Without seeing it firsthand, Gaara could not fully imagine the terrifying colors being described. However, he could clearly envision the catastrophic damage such colors would bring to Suna if they ever appeared there.

The "Color Out of Space" would devour all life energy within a considerable range. The less life energy present in this range, the further the Color would expand its reach until the total life energy absorbed was enough to satisfy it and cause it to leave this world.

In other words, for a large ninja village like Suna—several times the size of Hoshi—its sparse vegetation and lack of life energy would amplify the affected area exponentially if the Color appeared there.

At this moment, Tsunade interrupted Gaara's train of thought and said, "Up until now, the strange creatures confirmed to exist in our investigations are just these."

"However, I believe there are far more out there—either undiscovered or hiding beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary events."

"For example, during the Chunin Exams, the creature responsible for the deaths of the Kazekage, the Third Hokage, and Orochimaru was a being known as Hound of Tindalos."

"Since we still cannot observe any traces of its existence, I won't include it in our current list. But I am certain that the number of such strange creatures in this world far exceeds what we currently imagine."

"Setting these creatures aside for now, my greater concern is whether even more terrifying entities will appear in the future. The increasing reappearance of monsters that have not been recorded in the thousand-year history of the ninja world is no coincidence."

"That is why, before an even greater catastrophe strikes, I propose strengthening the alliance between Konoha and Suna—establishing shared intelligence and mutual combat support to form a true alliance."

"What do you think?"

When Tsunade finished speaking, every eye in the conference room turned toward Gaara.

After a moment of silence, Gaara gave his answer.

"I agree with your proposal. Let Suna and Konoha form a true alliance." Gaara's response brought visible delight to Tsunade, though the expressions of Temari and Kankurō were less than optimistic. 

After all, his position as Kazekage was not yet entirely stable. Such a significant decision should at least have been discussed with Suna's higher-ups first. Yet Gaara had unilaterally made the call.

"To demonstrate our commitment to this alliance, I will also share an important piece of intelligence you."

"In truth, Orochimaru is not dead."

The moment Gaara spoke these words, the eyes of every Konoha ninja in the room widened in shock.

"How is that possible? Wasn't he sealed alongside Hiruzen and the Fifth Kazekage during the Chunin Exams?" Homura asked incredulously.

Gaara explained gravely, "During our internal Chunin Exams, we discovered Orochimaru disguised as a genin from another village, wandering in the Demon Desert."

Next, he began recounting the events that had occurred during the Chunin Exams in detail.

Originally, he had invited Konoha to co-host the last Chunin Exams as a joint event. However, Konoha declined the invitation, citing poor timing.

As a result, Suna was only able to invite a few smaller ninja villages to participate in that round of the Chunin Exams.

Orochimaru had disguised himself as a genin from another village to take part in the exams. After passing the first written test, he entered the survival round in the Demon Desert, where his disguise was seen through by Gaara.

However, it seemed that Orochimaru had already achieved his objective for appearing at the Chunin Exams by that point. So once his identity was exposed, he quickly retreated without causing too much chaos in Suna.

Afterward, the senior members of Suna decided to keep the fact that Orochimaru was still alive a secret and chose not to inform Konoha.

But this time, to show his sincerity, he decided to share this critical piece of intelligence with Konoha.

After hearing Gaara explain the entire story, Tsunade immediately fell into deep thought.

Orochimaru… is still alive?

And why would he go to the Demon Desert?

---

Deep within a dark forest, a cave that should have been pitch black shimmered with flickering light.

Under the candlelight, Orochimaru sat, holding a heavy red-covered book, reading it with great interest. As he read, he explained the contents to Kabuto beside him.

"According to legend, there exists a tranquil and vast lake in a place called Mnar. Although this lake isn't connected to any external body of water, its water remains vividly green."

"In this lake lies a city-state named Ib. Built from massive grey stones, this ancient city is home to a grotesque species as old as the lake itself. These creatures are bizarre and hideous in appearance. Their skin is the same clear green as the lake, with bulging frog-like eyes, protruding lips that can't close, and strangely shaped ears incapable of making any sound."

"They seem like primitive creations from the dawn of time, crudely formed. Since they've always lived in their lake-bound city, rarely stepping outside, they came to be known as the Thuum'ha. Though repulsive in appearance, they have their own idol—a large cylindrical statue carved from a sea-green stone."

"This statue was sculpted in the image of their revered entity: the great water lizard, Bokrug."

"Every full moon, the Thuum'ha gather around the statue to perform horrifying dances in devotion to Bokrug. Over time, ancient humans began mining areas rich in precious metals, eventually expanding into the region, reaching the lakeshore near the Thuum'ha's domain."

"There, the humans founded the prosperous city of Sarnath, which faced the city across the lake. When the Sarnathians saw the Thuum'ha appearing in the middle of the lake, they were amazed. But they didn't want such grotesque beings wandering into the human world after dusk, so their awe was mixed with a touch of revulsion."

"The humans of Sarnath disliked both the hideous Thuum'ha and the strange green statues that adorned their city. It was as though part of that place existed in the waking world, and part in some dream-realm."

"The longer they observed the Thuum'ha, the more the Sarnathians grew hateful and resentful. They also discovered that the Thuum'ha were weak—jelly-like beings with bodies that couldn't withstand spears or arrows. So, one night, under the cover of darkness, the young warriors of Sarnath silently crossed the lake in boats, reaching the Ib at its center."

"That night, the warriors of Sarnath massacred the Thuum'ha. No one wanted to touch the corpses of such foul creatures, so they used spears to lift their bodies and cast them into the lake.

"As for the strange statues in Ib, the Sarnathians found them too ugly to loot and saw no value in keeping them. So they were thrown into the lake as well, along with the corpses. But when the Sarnath warriors saw the grand idol of Bokrug, they believed the rare stone would make a fine trophy from their conquest of Ib. So they brought the statue back to Sarnath and placed it in their temple as a symbol of their victory."

"But on the very night the statue was enshrined in Sarnath's temple, strange and eerie things began to happen…"

"The waters of the great lake began to glow with an eerie green light, and by the next morning, the water lizard statue inside the temple had vanished without a trace. Only the high priest of the temple was found lying dead on the ground, his face twisted in terror, and his bloodstained fingers had written a symbol on the stone slab that meant '1000'."

"Over the centuries, many high priests came and went in Sarnath, but none were ever able to find the vanished statue of the water lizard."

"In the meantime, the Sarnathians prospered immensely from their excavation of precious metals. Rare silks, spices, gemstones, books, tools, and all kinds of luxuries poured into the city as trade routes expanded. The strength, beauty, and knowledge within Sarnath grew day by day. They sent out armies and conquered every city-state across the region, with the ruler of Sarnath claiming the only throne in the land."

"That era marked the pinnacle of human glory. The palaces and temples of Sarnath, the king's gardens, and the nobles' coliseums were all more lavish than anything seen before. However, this didn't mean the Sarnathians forgot their distant past. Each year, they held grand banquets and celebrations to commemorate the destruction of Ib, paying tribute to the brave warriors of Sarnath who had wiped out the Thuum'ha."

"Thus, under the brilliance of their miracle, the Sarnathians thrived for a thousand years, eventually arriving at the millennium anniversary of Ib's destruction."

"That day, people from across Mnar gathered in droves. Beneath the marble walls of Sarnath, the landscape was dotted with opulent pavilions and travelers' tents—everyone had come bearing gifts to honor the King of Sarnath."

"One traveler brought an unusually large fish as a gift, caught from the lake beside the city—once the site of Ib. The royal chefs cooked the fish with great care and served it on a golden platter inlaid with rubies, presenting it to the King of Sarnath."

"That night, while music and dance filled Sarnath, a thick green mist rose from the lake and enveloped the entire city. The travelers outside the palace were the first to notice something was wrong. In terror, they burst through the bronze city gates, not even sure themselves what they were running from."

"At midnight, the bronze gates opened again, and foreign guests who had come for the celebration fled from Sarnath with horrified expressions."

"They spoke in rushed, panicked tones, recounting the horrors they had witnessed inside the palace. The people in the grand banquet halls no longer looked human—their eyes bulged, their lips curled outward, and they had strange, misshapen ears. They were dancing bizarre dances."

"Those creatures rampaged through the palace, clutching the ruby-inlaid platters with their forelimbs—platters now burning with an unfamiliar fire!"

"By morning, the green mist receded back into the lake. A few brave travelers returned to the city and found that all 50 million inhabitants of Sarnath had vanished overnight, along with all the precious metals the city had ever mined."

"But they also discovered something new: half-buried in the grass before the palace was the long-lost statue of Bokrug, worshipped by the Thuum'ha, missing for a thousand years."

"From then on, the statue became an object of worship across the entire Mnar region. But over time, the statue was stolen by desert thieves, and eventually lost within the ruins of some ancient site deep in the sands."

At this point, Kabuto's eyes widened suddenly. He muttered, "Could it be..."

"Exactly," Orochimaru replied. "The statue I brought back from the Demon Desert… is that very same statue, carved in the likeness of Bokrug."