As Aizen in Naruto and Joined a Chat Group Chapter 422: Fire Lizard

About twelve minutes passed, and they found themselves in the southeastern sector of the Forbidden Forest once more.

"Blast it all, we appear to have circled back to our starting point!" Harry exclaimed, his gaze falling upon the nearby grass with clear frustration. "That twig, I placed it there no more than five minutes ago!"

"Hey, Hermione," Ron addressed the brown-haired girl, his tone laced with complaint. "You're supposed to be guiding us; you should have a better handle on our direction."

"And why don't you take the lead then? Tell me how to find our way," Hermione retorted, flicking a glance his way.

Ron immediately fell silent, the words catching in his throat.

If he possessed any knack for navigation, he wouldn't have ceded leadership to Hermione. He would have eagerly stepped forward long ago.

"If you ask me, this is entirely your fault," Hermione declared after taking a deep breath. "If you hadn't harbored suspicions about the professor, things wouldn't have escalated to this point!"

"What's wrong with suspecting a professor?" Ron shot back, his head lifting. "Remember Quirrell? He was a professor too! Who would have imagined that seemingly timid fellow was actually Voldemort's lackey?"

"Quirrell was simply an anomaly!" Hermione's favorable opinion of Gerald was practically at its zenith, and she defended him without hesitation. "That doesn't imply all professors are like Quirrell. Besides, Professor Zickrein is hardly Quirrell material!"

"Naturally, he wouldn't stoop to Quirrell's level. With his capabilities and grand ambitions, how could Quirrell possibly measure up! His sights are set on being Slytherin's heir, the fourth Dark Lord in the annals of the magical world!"

"Ron, you really shouldn't speak like that." Even Harry Potter found himself shaking his head at Ron's resolute tone. "We only have preliminary suspicions at this juncture; we haven't uncovered any concrete evidence."

"Very well, you're right," Ron conceded, taking a step back and nodding. "We shall unearth the evidence and bring the truth into clear view for everyone."

"Before we do that, we need to find our way back!" Hermione reminded them.

"Look over there!" Ron pointed with his right hand towards flattened grass on the side. "See, that area clearly shows signs of someone having passed through! It must be Professor Zickrein; he's somewhere nearby!"

"It certainly looks that way, Ron. Your eyesight is remarkably sharp," Harry added, a note of happiness in his voice.

To the casual observer, it did indeed appear as though someone had recently traversed the spot, forging a small path through the dense grass. However, several bare trees had obscured this area from their view until now.

"Are we really going to follow it?" Hermione hesitated slightly. "Perhaps those aren't traces left by Professor Zickrein?"

Part of her was intrigued as to why Gerald would venture into the Forbidden Forest. Yet, another part felt that this perilous location was hardly suitable for young wizards like themselves to linger.

"What, are you afraid?" Ron raised his eyebrows at her, a teasing glint in his eyes. "I thought all Gryffindors possessed a spirit of adventure, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Who said I'm scared? I just believe your impulsive actions will inevitably lead to disaster!" Hermione shot back indignantly.

"Hermione, we're probably not going to find our way back on our own at this point anyway," Harry whispered, tugging gently on Hermione's sleeve. "Why don't we just follow that trail and see where it leads? With the Invisibility Cloak's protection, even if it's not Professor Zickrein, it shouldn't pose too great a risk."

"Fine, but no foolishness," Hermione cautioned.

Having reached another consensus, the trio, concealed by the Invisibility Cloak, advanced along the path marked in the grass. Roughly thirty minutes later, a cavernous, dark opening loomed before them.

"Is Professor Zickrein inside?" Ron inquired, his brow furrowed as he looked to his companions.

"Perhaps not. I have a profoundly unsettling premonition," Hermione stated, drawing a sharp breath. "We ought to depart from this place promptly; we truly should leave."

"Look there, are those snake scales?" Harry pointed to patterned scales near the cave's entrance. "Could it be that Professor Zickrein is keeping a Basilisk here?"

"It's settled! We've uncovered the truth!" Ron exclaimed with palpable excitement. "Professor Zickrein is indeed the heir; this fellow isn't..."

Roar!

His words were cut short as a deafening, earth-shattering roar emanated from within the cave.

Rumble, rumble.

Like the engine of an armored vehicle coming to life, the very ground began to tremble. A colossal, terrifying beast, possessing a formidable body and a savage visage, suddenly burst forth from the cave.

Its appearance bore a striking resemblance to a lizard, yet its sheer size dwarfed that of an ordinary lizard by at least a hundredfold. Sharp bone spurs lined the sides of its jowls, and its entire body was adorned with peculiar black and red scales.

It became evident that the scales Harry had observed earlier belonged to this immense reptilian creature, not to the fabled Basilisk.

"Oh, heavens above," Ron gasped in utter disbelief upon witnessing the sight of this creature. "What is that? What on earth is that?"

"Fire Lizard!" Hermione’s eyes widened at the formidable beast before them, her breath catching as she urged, "Run, we need to run fast!"

"Run?" Harry was taken aback, replying, "But, we’re using the Invisibility Cloak..."

His words were cut short as a searing tongue of flame narrowly missed him. The intense heat instantly set a vast expanse of trees ablaze behind them, with fiery tendrils reaching for the sky.

Without a second thought, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hastily discarded the Invisibility Cloak and plunged deeper into the forest.

"Why, how did that massive creature find us?" Harry panted, concealed behind a colossal rock.

Hermione glanced back, her explanation low and steady, "Fire lizards possess incredibly poor eyesight, truly abysmal! They can barely perceive anything beyond two meters. However, their sense of smell is exceptionally acute, allowing them to pinpoint prey buried dozens of meters deep! The Invisibility Cloak only conceals vision; it cannot mask our scent!"

"You truly are remarkable, Hermione, knowing so much," Harry praised.

"I encountered its description in a book about magical array materials," Hermione sighed with relief. "Its heart is a highly prized component for constructing magical arrays. Yet, it’s also a magical creature as perilous as dragons and basilisks. Overcoming one head-on would require at least ten Aurors!"

"Oh, blast it all!" Harry ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "This is truly dire, being targeted by such a monstrosity."

"Fortunately, we are safe for the moment," Hermione stated, nodding. Suddenly, her expression shifted. "Wait, where is Ron?"

"Ron?" Harry’s eyes darted around in surprise. "I thought he was right beside me."

"This is bad," Hermione exclaimed, rising to her feet. Into her line of sight, Ron appeared, staggering towards them. Close behind him, the enormous lizard, adorned with black and crimson scales, stealthily pursued in its hunting posture.

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