Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 233

Upon closer inspection, slight differences could still be observed.

The sea of white, foam-like skeletal remains differed slightly in posture and form compared to those on the steps.

Some of these bones had scattered apart, while others that remained fully or partially intact were frozen in positions of frenzy and madness.

They seemed to be fending off some kind of threat with all their might or using their twisted, deformed finger bones to claw at their companions' shoulders in gestures of cannibalism or desperate shoving.

All these skeletons bore small bite marks, mostly left by rats, though some appeared to be the gnawings of humanoid creatures. Among these human bones, there were also small rodent remains scattered about.

"What kind of people do these bones belong to?"

Forcing himself to remain calm, Chiriku asked this question as a form of self-consolation.

Yet no one present could answer him, leaving the group in an extended, uneasy silence.

During this cursory investigation, Jiraiya began noticing even more subtle and suspicious details.

If they assumed that this underground cavern was once a subterranean city-state where some underground dwellers resided for unknown reasons, then logically, these human remains should belong to the owners of the surrounding buildings. That was the simplest deduction.

But the issue lay in the sheer number of bones here. Even assuming a minimum of three residents per building, the scattered remains across the ground and along the roadsides seemed insufficient.

If they were to imagine these skeletons with flesh and blood, distributing them evenly among the houses, this settlement wouldn't even meet the most basic housing needs of humans.

The inhabitants would have had to huddle together like livestock just to sleep.

What shocked Jiraiya further was the discovery that every house in this settlement was equipped with a massive stone enclosure.

These enclosures weren't very tall; an adult could easily step over them. They were about the same height as sheep pens.

And it was precisely this resemblance that gave rise to a chilling thought.

These stone enclosures were used for raising animals—but the animals weren't cattle or sheep.

They were people!

The skeletal remains scattered across the ground weren't the owners of this place; they were living humans who had been kept here, penned like animals. At some point, these people must have been confined in these stone enclosures, but hunger and the fear of rats eventually drove them to frenzy, forcing them to break free.

This place must have once been used to keep these beings confined!

They were fed poor-quality vegetables, fattened up like pigs, and crowded into these cramped, oppressive pens.

During this process, their bodies hunched over, devolving from bipedal creatures to quadrupedal ones, crawling on all fours like livestock.

Their minds degraded over twenty or even thirty generations—or perhaps these short-lived, fast-breeding creatures didn't have time to develop intelligence before being sacrificed.

As for who they were sacrificed to, Jiraiya dared not think further.

Yet the grotesque pig herders, the man-eating rats, and the plump, four-legged beasts from his dream seemed to make the answer all too clear.

Somehow, these horrifying "visions" surfaced in Jiraiya's mind.

These chaotic "imaginations" resembled fragmented memories—not continuous, yet vividly clear.

Jiraiya panted heavily, suddenly squatting down and clutching his head with one hand, struggling to process this overwhelming influx of information.

So this... was inspiration?

Even as Jiraiya became convinced of its existence, it was the first time he experienced such an immense and shocking surge of inspiration.

But despite the enormity of this revelation, the story still held countless mysteries to uncover.

"Jiraiya-sama, are you okay?"

Beside him, Chiriku asked with concern. Jiraiya simply feigned nonchalance and replied, "I'm fine."

In truth, Jiraiya didn't want to share his conclusions with the group. With his composure already strained by the mere sight of these bones and the accompanying mental images, he knew others would handle it even worse.

He steadied himself, stood up, and continued leading the group toward the deep green phosphorescent glow emanating from the depths of the cavern.

Perhaps it was the shock of the earlier scene or a numbing adaptation to the horror, but the four proceeded in silence.

The sprawling buildings eventually disappeared at what seemed like a reasonable distance, giving way to a pitch-black, bottomless abyss in the ground.

What was truly horrifying was that in the area where the green phosphorescence seemed brightest from afar, its glow couldn't penetrate the depths of the abyss.

This abyss was a hellish chasm that no one could ever hope to see into, and Jiraiya's instincts screamed that within it lay secrets humanity was never meant to uncover.

At the edges of these deep pits, however, one could clearly see the remnants of sawed-off, stripped-clean bones, as well as skull caps pried open to extract the brains.

The brain matter, muscle, and fat had all been meticulously removed by human hands.

This was undeniably the work of humans. Any rational person would immediately dismiss the notion that this could have been caused by cannibalistic rats. The evidence was irrefutable: these pits were filled with human bones, all deliberately and systematically stripped bare by other humans.

Some of the pits were overflowing, crammed with countless remains. These were bones accumulated over hundreds of years, packed into this ghastly fissure.

Even the intense green phosphorescence couldn't reach the bottom of these pits, which were now filled with human skeletons. How deep were these pits originally? How many bones would it have taken to fill them to the brim?

At this moment, imagination took flight, and the unspeakable darkness of the pits could no longer obscure the truth.

The truth was that the people here had been farmed like livestock—and those who raised them were humans themselves.

Humans herded humans.

Humans slaughtered humans.

Humans sacrificed humans.

The neatly cut remains were the most damning evidence of all. Humans had been confined like cattle, periodically sacrificed and thrown into the pits. Until one day, those responsible for this atrocity, for reasons unknown, could no longer return to this place, and the area was permanently sealed.

The perpetrators of this horrific practice? Historical evidence pointed directly to the infamous Fire Temple! And the time of the sealing coincided precisely with the era when the First Hokage led Konoha to victory against the Fire Temple, marking its downfall.

After the underground caves of the Fire Temple were fully sealed, the shortage of food forced the starving creatures in the pits to emerge from the darkness. A horde of ravenous rodents swept through the caves, devouring all remaining livestock and every living creature in sight.

For decades, the seal remained intact. Only two years ago, during renovations to the Fire Temple, was the seal accidentally loosened, allowing the flesh-eating rats to resurface.

But why? Why hadn't these rats starved to death after so many years? How had they survived in the barren, lifeless underground environment?

As the group grappled with their shock, fear, unease, and anger, a faint light began to flicker in a cave on the opposite cliff face of the abyss.

The sight of that glowing cave seemed oddly familiar to Jiraiya.

Within the dimly illuminated cave, a figure was poised, ready to strike.

Jiraiya and the others were still marveling at the massive pit filled with piles of bones, completely oblivious to the green phosphorescence in a nearby cave gradually transforming into a sinister crimson glow.

The bottomless pits left them with countless indescribable imaginings. No one could fathom what terrifying sights might await if one accidentally fell into this hellish abyss.

Almost as if responding to Jiraiya and the others' thoughts, a faint sound emanated from the depths of the pit.

The noise resembled the murmurs of some malevolent force or the rustling of giant rats lurking in the abyss.

There was an inexplicable allure in the sounds from the pit. The intense curiosity it aroused compelled anyone nearby to edge closer to the rim, trying to hear the sound more clearly.

Even Jiraiya, whose willpower was supposed to be the strongest among them, now had a vacant look in his eyes. He began shuffling toward the edge of the bottomless pit.

But just as if the story had reached its climactic moment, the sounds from the pit suddenly changed.

At that instant, everyone could perceive something within the pit—a pair of clumsy, indeterminate figures fumbling with enormous flutes, producing chaotic and discordant notes.

In this cacophony, a lead presence akin to a vocalist unleashed aimless, guttural roars.

The horrific sound instantly filled Jiraiya and the others with restless unease, which quickly spiraled into fear as the roaring intensified.

Their bodies reacted instinctively, all of them covering their ears in desperation. But the sound had already imprinted itself deep within their minds, making it impossible for their terrified hearts to escape its grip, no matter how hard they tried to block it out.

While everyone clutched their ears in agony, a new development unfolded.

Through the pain, Jiraiya glanced up at the cliff face before him and immediately noticed one of the caves emitting a ghastly crimson phosphorescence, that grew brighter and brighter. Along with it emerged an ancient and malevolent figure.

The figure was draped in a gray robe, tainted with various filth. Beneath its body lay knee-high pools of putrid, foul-smelling sludge.

After Jiraiya, Chiriku also noticed the shadow of a figure within the cave on the mountainside. His eyes widened instantly.

There was no doubt it was a human figure. However, no matter how hard Chiriku tried, he couldn't fathom why a living person would appear in the underground of the Fire Temple. This place had been sealed off for nearly a hundred years—how could someone have survived here all this time? 

Before Chiriku could ponder the reasons, the shadow in the cave swung the wooden staff in its hand. Immediately, the stench at its feet surged upward like a tidal wave, rushing toward the four people on the ground.

And from this swamp of resentment emerged creatures that Jiraiya had previously seen in his dreams—pale, swollen, tumor-covered, four-legged human-beast hybrids clawing their way out of the filth. 

These grotesque beings surfed on the foul sludge, gliding toward Jiraiya and his companions in a scene that was almost identical to what had appeared in his nightmare. 

Witnessing this horrifying spectacle, he was reminded of that nightmare again, finally recalling how, in his dream, his legs had been submerged in the swamp, leaving him immobile. 

This dreadful memory made him reluctant to stay and fight. He immediately shouted orders to the others around him. 

"Don't let these things entangle you! Run!" 

Whether it was Jiraiya's roar that broke through their haze or simply the primal instinct to avoid the nauseating wave of filth surging toward them, everyone seemed to regain their senses in an instant. Following his command, they quickly turned and fled along the path they had come. 

Despite their ninja-level speed, the grotesque abominations continued to pursue them relentlessly, showing no signs of letting up.

However, the roars that had been echoing around them suddenly stopped at one point. This brief reprieve lessened the oppressive fear in the group and allowed them to discuss their strategy.

"Jiraiya-sama, what do we do now?" Chiriku asked, glancing at Jiraiya. Jiraiya looked ahead at the exit, which was already quite close, and said,

"No matter what, we can't let these things reach the surface. We'll make our stand here."

"Understood!"

Jiraiya and Chiriku immediately turned to face the horde of abominations surging toward them like a tidal wave, among which shadowy, four-legged creatures were faintly visible.

"Fire Style: Flame Bombs!"

Chakra gathered rapidly in Jiraiya's mouth, transforming into oil, which he then ignited with Fire Release upon expulsion.

This technique was a more powerful and complex version of a standard Fire Release. The addition of fuel oil ensured a longer and more intense burn compared to a normal explosive fire jutsu.

A curtain of oil spread across the cursed swamp within a range of over ten meters in front of him. When ignited, it instantly transformed into a raging sea of flames.

The four-legged beasts in the blaze couldn't escape in time and were engulfed, their wretched cries echoing through the fire.

Though these creatures were far from human, their shrieks as their bodies burned were disturbingly human-like. This left the four ninja with a faint sense of discomfort in their hearts.

However, now wasn't the time for compassion. In the areas untouched by flames, more foul-smelling, grotesque abominations continued to advance toward the group.