Hozuki Castle

The next morning.

Yan had already arrived at the border of the Land of Waterfalls, near the Land of Grass.

Aside from handing Kabuto and the others over to Orochimaru for training, his reason for coming out this time was, to put it bluntly, to collect them all.

There was the Box of Ultimate Bliss in Hozuki Castle, Karin and her mother in Kusagakure, the star in the Land of Bears, Moryo in the Land of Demons, the Chakra Armor and Environment Modifier in the Land of Snow, and the Dragon Vein in the Land of Wind, among other things.

Thinking it over, it seemed like he had quite a lot to do. The only question was whether a year would be enough.

His first stop was Hozuki Castle, an international prison.

Its warden was named Mui. His original dream had been to use the Box of Ultimate Bliss left behind by the Sage of Six Paths to make a wish: for the Land of Grass to rule the Ninja World. In the end, he even sacrificed his own son.

Going by the timeline, Mui's son Muku probably hadn't been sacrificed yet, though it was likely only a matter of time.

Could kindhearted Yan really pretend not to notice?

Of course not!

In that case, he would do a good deed and, with great reluctance, take the Box of Ultimate Bliss away to prevent father and son from being separated!

With that thought, Yan picked up his pace toward Hozuki Castle.

It was just a shame that running there on foot was a bit undignified, and his research into flight ninjutsu had hit a snag.

Still, this was within Yan's expectations.

After all, if flight ninjutsu were that easy to master, there wouldn't be only a handful of people in the Ninja World who could fly.

In the underground chamber of Hozuki Castle.

Several mysterious figures wearing animal masks stood around a long table. A person covered from head to toe in seals lay on it, struggling incessantly.

"The ritual begins."

A mysterious figure wearing an ox mask stepped forward. Ignoring the prisoner's pleading expression, he emotionlessly extended his right hand and pressed it against the man's exposed chest.

As chakra flowed from his hand, the seals on the prisoner's body were activated, glowing one after another.

Immediately afterward, a large amount of chakra poured from the prisoner's chest and gathered above the table.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"I don't want to die! Please, let me go!"

The pain of having his chakra drained forced the prisoner to let out a scream, and his body began to tremble violently.

Ignoring the screams ringing in their ears, the mysterious figures began forming Hand Seals.

It wasn't long before the prisoner's chakra had been swiftly drained away.

It transformed into a crimson pillar of energy that poured into the black box beside them, which was carved with a demon's face.

At the same time, many other prisoners in this mysterious underground chamber were having their chakra drained in the same way, their life force rapidly fading.

As time passed, more and more chakra was poured in, and the demon face gradually began to glow.

The mysterious figures looked at the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which seemed on the verge of opening, their expressions full of excitement.

The dream of the Land of Grass once again ruling the Ninja World seemed within reach!

But soon, all the chakra drained from the prisoners had been poured into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

The box merely shuddered a few times, and the glow on the demon face slowly faded, as if it had run out of power.

"We failed again!" an elder wearing a sheep mask sighed. "Damn it, we were so close."

"Isn't that what we expected?" the Ox-Mask Elder reassured him.

"We must be missing something!" Elder Monkey-Head said, narrowing his eyes. "Could it be that we need to sacrifice a genius?"

"A genius?" Elder Horse-Head frowned. "We already tried the gifted prisoners in Hozuki Castle. It didn't work for them either!"

Elder Monkey-Head shook his head, a strange smile tugging at his lips, then continued.

"If prisoners won't do, why don't we try one of our own?"

Elder Horse-Head frowned even more deeply. He seemed to have thought of someone and hesitated.

"Are you talking about... Muku?"

"That's right!" Elder Monkey-Head said with a smile and nodded. "My Grass Fruit has been suppressed too severely by Grass Flower. There are few geniuses, and the most talented of them is Lord Mui's son."

"If the Box of Ultimate Bliss really needs a genius to be sacrificed, then he's the perfect choice!"

"But..." Elder Sheep-Head said, clearly hesitant at the suggestion. He seemed somewhat unable to bear the thought.

"..."

Just then, the door suddenly flew open with a bang, and a young man walked in. He wore a red uniform and a black cloak, and had long black hair.

Mui first scanned the elders in the chamber, then looked at the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which showed no sign of life. He frowned and asked, "How much longer until the Box of Ultimate Bliss can be opened? We've waited long enough."

Elder Sheep-Head answered, "Soon. We're just a little short! We can't rush this. The more hurried we are, the more likely we are to make a mistake. We need to keep those cowards from Grass Flower from coming here and stopping us."

"But we're running out of time!" Mui said sharply. "Grass Flower seems to have noticed what we're doing. A few days ago, they said they would send someone to investigate!"

"Let them come!" Elder Horse-Head snorted. "They want to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss and rule the Ninja World too. They just refuse to admit it because they're lackeys of the great nations!"

Mui clearly didn't want Grass Flower getting involved. He turned to Elder Sheep-Head and asked, "You said just now that we were a little short, didn't you? So what exactly are we missing?"

Faced with Warden Mui's question, Elder Sheep-Head suddenly grew hesitant, stumbling over his words.

"Th-that... we're..."

He stopped halfway through. Seemingly unable to bring himself to say it, he closed his eyes.

"Let Elder Monkey-Head explain. He was the one who proposed it!"

Mui turned to Elder Monkey-Head, his gaze carrying a hint of authority. His uniform fluttered despite the still air.

Feeling Mui's gaze, Elder Monkey-Head's heart tightened. But for the future of the Land of Grass, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Warden, we've tried many methods, but none have succeeded in opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

"In my estimation, we're still missing a genius to use as a sacrifice."

"And the most gifted person in Grass Fruit is Young Master Muku. If we sacrifice him, the Box of Ultimate Bliss will surely open, and the Land of Grass will soon rule the Ninja World."

Mui's expression instantly darkened. Chakra gradually began to pour from his body, and an invisible pressure bore down on the elders in the chamber, making them break out in cold sweat.

"Muku is my son. How dare you suggest something like that!"

No one in the room dared to respond.

The atmosphere in the chamber grew unbearably tense. The elders watched Mui nervously, waiting for his decision.

After a long while.

"Muku is my son..." Mui repeated, his voice low and hoarse. "I never wanted to involve him in this, but..."

His eyes revealed his struggle and anguish, but in the end, ambition won out. He gave a soft sigh.

"Forget it. If this is the only way, then we'll do it."

"..."