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Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 190
🕑 Added 2024-12-28 01:19:01 +0000 UTCFaced with the Haunter of the Dark, Kagari, Mubi, and Oboro stood frozen in place.
The gigantic and surreal form of the entity immobilized the three ninjas who had spent their lives in the isolated Ame.
A torrent of intense emotions—shock, terror, and awe—overwhelmed their rational minds. The black form of the Haunter of the Dark filled their pupils.
From the fluid-like humanoid body, a massive tentacle swelled and shrank repeatedly. This tentacle resembled a human arm but was a thick black limb that lightly pressed against a towering tree.
The black hand gripping the tree revealed seven "fingers" when contrasted against the brown bark.
These finger-like structures twisted in unison, curling and uncurling with the same curvature, slithering like black serpents or flowing streams, extending and retracting intermittently.
At the base of the Haunter of the Dark, a jet of black "liquid" surged forth, quickly taking shape before the three members of Ame.
In seconds, this black substance transformed into a human.
"This is…"
Kagari, standing at the forefront, retained a sliver of sanity, enough to recognize the figure.
The figure was him.
An exact replica of Kagari stood opposite him, mirroring his build, face, and even the placement of his personal belongings. It was like looking into a mirror.
This humanoid form was far beyond the crude transformation techniques of Ame that even Sasuke could see through. It was a perfect duplicate of the original body.
The Haunter of the Dark could morph into any form it desires, be it a person or object. This shapeshifting ability resembled that of a Shoggoth, but with notable differences.
A Shoggoth transformed according to its master's will and did not initiate changes itself. The Haunter of the Dark, on the other hand, shapeshifts based entirely on its own "interests," unaffected by external forces.
Moreover, Shoggoth transformations were permanent, lasting thousands or millions of years unless its master's will changes.
The Haunter of the Dark, however, only maintained its transformations for a brief time. Once it losed interest in a particular form, it reverts to its original state.
As a result, its transformed bodies couldn't separate from its main body, unlike a Shoggoth, which can split into multiple entities. This is why a black, cable-like structure connected the doppelgänger Kagari to the main body of the Haunter of the Dark.
Finally, while Shoggoth transformations involve internal structural changes down to cellular replication, the Haunter of the Dark merely mimics external appearances. Its internal structure remained an unknown material constituting its original form.
In summary, the Haunter of the Dark's transformation ability was an inferior version of a Shoggoth's, or perhaps a deliberate, crude imitation by Nyarlathotep.
Even so, its amorphous black form and visible transformations evoked an unparalleled terror in any who witness them.
Even through the central tower monitors, Anko couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
The Forest of Death was often used as a training ground for the Chunin Exams and ninja drills. Although its harsh environment frequently results in the death of participants, this didn't mean the organizers simply abandon those inside to their fate.
Within the Forest of Death, a closed-circuit surveillance network was built around a central tower. This system primarily served to observe the performance of examinees in the forest and to dispatch rescue teams to those in need of medical attention.
Of course, if an examinee died before the rescue team can reach them, the waiver signed prior to the exam takes effect.
However, with the forest spanning a 10-kilometer radius, it's impossible to monitor every corner, even with surveillance equipment. The monitored area covered only about 30% of the forest.
At this moment, the Ame trio's current predicament is displayed on the surveillance screens, witnessed by Anko, the proctor of this exam phase, from within the tower.
Before the surveillance screens, Anko and a group of Konoha's ANBU and Root ninjas stared in silence at the Haunter of the Dark on the display. For a moment, no one could utter a word.
The eerie and horrifying forms of these dark entities projected an undeniable sense of fear—even through the surveillance screen. Every ANBU ninja watching could feel the terror creeping into their hearts.
The group remained silent for a long time, their minds shackled by rationality as they struggled to process the reality before them. Only after their eyes adjusted did they exclaim in shock.
"What on earth is this?"
"I've never seen anything like this either..."
"This is... a monster."
As they stared at the horrifying scene, shock and fear were evident on everyone's faces. No one could make sense of it.
Though Root ninjas didn't need to participate in the Chunin Exams to advance, they often used the Forest of Death for training.
Thus, everyone present was quite familiar with the forest and had participated in exercises there many times. Yet, none had ever encountered anything like this before.
---
Outside the tower, the air was filled with incessant wailing from the forest. The cries spread unease and terror, audible even through the thick walls of the tower.
Anko, the proctor of the second exam phase, decisively issued her command, "Report this situation to the Hokage immediately! I declare the second survival test temporarily suspended. Head to the Forest of Death to rescue the examinees!"
With her commanding voice, the high-ranking ninjas regained their composure. "Understood!"
At her order, the ninjas vanished from the control room as dozens of shadows.
Fortunately, in preparation for a possible appearance by Orochimaru, Danzō had stationed far more ninjas in the tower than during previous Chunin Exams. This included elite ANBU and Root operatives—more than enough to handle the rescue effort.
However, while most ninjas were purely focused on the dark, amorphous creatures in the forest, Anko had a different thought.
In her fragmented memories, she recalled having seen something similar before.
Six years ago, in a cave, those red, crustacean-like creatures had taken her brain. Later, Tsunade had enlisted Orochimaru to reconstruct her body.
Although she regained sensory perception afterward, she could no longer see the materials that composed her body.
But someone else who shared her fate wasn't so fortunate.
The body Orochimaru reconstructed for Heiji had completely lost control, transforming into a mass of amorphous black material.
Anko vividly recalled how those things had surged out of the cave, and how it was only after Jiraiya unleashed his vast array of fire jutsu that they were finally eradicated.
Now, Anko saw these black, amorphous entities again. The surveillance footage revealed that these materials could transform into any shape they desired.
This shapeshifting ability immediately reminded Anko of the materials composing her own body. After all, it was almost impossible to imagine another black substance in this world with similar properties.
The previous black substance had been under Orochimaru's control, and now a similar entity had appeared in the Forest of Death.
Could it mean that he had already arrived in the forest?
Whether out of a desire to finally settle the unresolved history between master and apprentice, or to fulfill the village's orders to capture the Sannin, she decided to enter the Forest of Death herself to seek him out.
Before departing, Anko glanced at the surveillance footage of the Ame trio once more.
The dark humanoid creature had extended multiple tendrils, tightly wrapping around the three Ame ninjas. No matter how frantically they stabbed at the tendrils with kunai, it was all in vain.
Among them, a genin named Kagari was lifted high into the air by the tendrils of the dark figure. Then, like a fish being slammed against the ground, he was violently smashed into the rocky surface. His neck snapped instantly, and his bloodied face, with blood streaming from all seven orifices, was chilling to behold.
Conventional physical attacks were entirely ineffective against these creatures. Unfortunately, genin-level ninjas generally knew only a limited repertoire of ninjutsu, most of which relied on physical attacks.
"Let's hope more of them can survive," Anko thought grimly.
---
Elsewhere in the Forest of Death, it wasn't just the Ame trio encountering the Haunter of the Dark. Other teams, attempting to flee toward the central tower, were also being ambushed by the shadowy creatures.
The vast majority of genin, with their mediocre skills, stood no chance against them.
The wailing emitted by the faceless, cone-shaped heads of these creatures struck fear and unease into the hearts of their victims, disrupting their ability to perform even basic techniques. This psychological attack was a deadly weapon in itself.
Moreover, the Haunter of the Dark could generate tendrils and appendages of various forms at will. These appendages could extend up to 20 meters in an instant, becoming long tentacles or limb-like structures capable of attacking.
Once caught by these tendrils, it was nearly impossible to break free without extraordinary physical strength.
As a result, most genin, when facing a dark entity, would instinctively turn and flee. But they were often caught by the suddenly extending tendrils, their bodies treated like toys as they were slammed repeatedly against hard rocks by the Haunter of the Dark.
"Ahhh!"
"Run!"
"Help me! Someone, help!"
"Ahhhh!"
The genin's screams of terror mixed with the howls of the Haunter of the Dark.
No one could count how many people in the Forest of Death fell victim to these creatures that night. The forest was filled with human screams echoing from every direction.
However, when facing these Haunter of the Dark, there were always a few individuals who carried a monster within their hearts. For them, seeing other monsters diminished the sense of fear and reverence they might have felt.
At this moment, in a clearing somewhere in the Forest of Death, Gaara's team had just encountered one of the Haunter of the Dark.
