If I Had a Genius Son, I'd Sacrifice Him to Open the Box of Paradise

After hearing Katsushiro's report, Mui furrowed his brow.

The Box of Paradise was a treasured relic of Kusagakure. They had thought their secrecy was impeccable, but somehow word had gotten out, and now Konoha had its eye on it.

"Hmph."

The Grass ninja elder wearing a dog mask snorted and said angrily, "This is too much! Absolutely outrageous."

"Mui, Konoha won't give up just because it didn't get the Box of Paradise. It's time to make a decision."

The ox-headed elder beside him let out a long sigh, his meaning clear.

At those words, Mui's expression stiffened slightly.

A year ago, Kusagakure's research into the Box of Paradise had made a breakthrough.

The four elders' theory was that sacrificing Muku might give them a chance to open the Box of Paradise.

But Mui was unwilling to sacrifice his son.

The matter had dragged on until now.

With Konoha setting its sights on the Box of Paradise, they could come back at any time.

Mui knew he had to make a decision, but he was a father. What father in the world could bear to sacrifice his own son?

"Mui, the Box of Paradise is Kusagakure's only hope of revival."

"If I had a genius son, I'd sacrifice him to open the Box of Paradise."

The monkey-headed elder's voice was shrill.

He said something so shameless with such righteous conviction that you would think he really had a genius son to sacrifice.

"The three of you should go back for now."

The oldest and most senior elder, the sheep-headed one, waved the three away.

"Heh. Mui, don't forget your duty as our leader. And don't forget that you're not the only one who gets to decide what happens in all of Kusagakure."

Before leaving, the monkey-headed elder remarked meaningfully.

After the others had left one after another, the sheep-headed elder dropped to his knees before Mui.

"Elder, what are you doing?" Mui hurriedly helped him up.

The sheep-headed elder waved him off, his face stricken with grief.

"Mui, just let me kneel."

"Do you know? I've never hated myself as much as I do now."

"A few months ago, the other three agreed to use extreme measures against your son. When they asked me to join them, I refused outright."

"But now... I'm wavering."

At that, Mui coldly withdrew his arm and turned his back on the sheep-headed elder.

"Mui, you have to believe me. If there were any other choice, no one would want to go down that road."

Mui replied coldly, "So what exactly did my son do wrong? Why does he deserve to be sacrificed?"

"He was wrong to live in Kusagakure. He was wrong to be your son."

"..."

Mui shut his eyes in pain. "If I refuse, are you planning to take me down first?"

Pfft.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

Mui spun around and saw that the sheep-headed elder had somehow produced a kunai and driven it into his own chest.

Squish!

The sheep-headed elder pulled out the kunai and stabbed himself twice more.

Warm blood spattered across Mui's face, leaving him at a loss.

"Mui, I deserve to die. I truly deserve to die. The other three deserve to die too."

"But I hope you'll put the greater good first... Open the Box of Paradise, destroy Konoha, and lead... lead Kusagakure to dominate the Shinobi World."

Mui stood frozen, staring at the body lying in a pool of blood.

After a month of traveling, with several stops along the way, Neji and the others finally made it back to Kumogakure.

After temporarily arranging for Kana and her mother to stay at Yugito's home, Neji and Yugito went to the Raikage Building to report that their mission was complete. They then went straight to see Fourth Raikage A and report everything that had happened during their trip to Kusagakure.

When he heard that opening the Box of Paradise could grant a wish, Fourth Raikage A scoffed, saying the people of Kusagakure were daydreaming.

But when he learned that Neji had rescued a mother and daughter from the Uzumaki clan, Fourth Raikage A excitedly smashed the desk with one punch.

Dodai could only stare speechlessly and order someone to replace it with a reinforced iron desk.

After careful consideration, Fourth Raikage A classified the trip to Kusagakure as top secret and sealed the report in a file that only the Raikage could access.

Fourth Raikage A looked at Neji and said with a chuckle, "Neji, what would you like as a reward?"

Neji sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'd like a house... somewhere to put them up."

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Neji's awkward expression, Fourth Raikage A burst out laughing.

Dodai's lips curled slightly. He then took out a deed and handed it to Neji. "This is a building owned by Lord Raikage. It's secluded and quiet. Here, take it."

"Thank you, Lord Raikage. Thank you, Senior Dodai." Neji accepted the deed gratefully.

Property in the Shinobi World was incredibly expensive.

In the original timeline, Sakura was still struggling with mortgage payments after she got married.

One reason was that Sasuke was never home and spent all his time wandering around.

Another was that property prices in Konoha were sky-high.

Kumogakure was built on a plateau, where every inch of land was precious. Natural resources were scarce, but property was expensive all the same.

If Neji had to earn enough from missions to buy a house on his own, it would take forever.

"The deed is a personal gift from me. This, on the other hand, is the village's real reward for you."

Neji was surprised.

There was more?!

Fourth Raikage A took out a scroll. As chakra flowed into it, an oval jade vessel appeared before Neji.

"What's this?!"

When Yugito saw it, her pupils contracted and her face filled with shock.

"The Amber Purifying Pot. It's a ninja tool left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, and the most powerful one of all. It's said to be the ultimate weapon, capable of sealing anything in the world. After the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku died, the Amber Purifying Pot was put away. It belongs to you now."

Fourth Raikage A explained slowly as he looked at Neji.

"Nice."

Neji didn't stand on ceremony. He patted the pot and put it away.

Neji was a little surprised that Yozuki A had given him a Six Paths ninja tool, but, honestly, he wasn't shocked.

Never mind the Tenseigan—bringing someone with the Uzumaki bloodline back to the village was already a great contribution, worthy of a valuable reward.

Besides, even the best ninja tool was useless if it sat gathering dust.

Neji wasn't bragging, but the Amber Purifying Pot could only be put to full use in his hands.

Dodai suddenly spoke up. "Neji, be careful over the next few days."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Is someone going to give me trouble?"

Fourth Raikage A sighed. "Every family has its own problems. I may be the Raikage, but I can't do whatever I want within my own clan. A while ago, the clan head, Yozuki Fengmu, came to me and asked me to find you a group of... I politely turned him down, saying you were too proud to be interested in the women of the Yozuki clan."

Neji's mouth twitched.

And you call that a polite refusal?

Neji rubbed his temples. "So the Yozuki clan head is going to give me trouble?"

Fourth Raikage A waved his hand. "It won't come to that. I know Fengmu. He wouldn't use his status to bully someone younger. It's just that some short-tempered young women in the clan are planning to come after you."

Neji let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

Dodai reminded him, "The Raikage can't get involved in matters between young people. If things get out of hand, you can come to me."

Neji grinned. "Don't worry, Senior Dodai. I can handle it."

Fourth Raikage A would certainly prefer it if Neji could settle this on his own.

If Neji asked Dodai for help, Fourth Raikage A would be disappointed—and Neji would be disappointed in himself, too.