Sacrifice

"The City Lord is wise!"*4

The four elders shouted in unison, dropping to one knee as they lowered their heads deeply, seemingly not daring to look at Mui's expression.

Mui looked at the four elders kneeling on the ground, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

He knew that making this decision meant sacrificing his own son. How difficult was that?

But for the future of the Land of Grass, it seemed he had no other choice.

"Rise." Mui's voice was slightly hoarse. "This matter is of great importance. There can be no mistakes whatsoever. If we can truly open the Box of Ultimate Bliss and allow the Land of Grass to dominate the Ninja World, then everything will be worth it."

The four elders rose to their feet and nodded solemnly.

"City Lord, what should we do next?" Elder Sheep-Head asked.

Mui frowned slightly, but since he had already made his choice, he would not hesitate any longer. After thinking for a moment, he spoke.

"First, send people to closely monitor Muku's movements and ensure he remains under our control. At the same time, continue preparing the ritual to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Once the time is ripe, carry out the sacrifice immediately."

The four elders nodded in acknowledgment before withdrawing one after another to carry out Mui's orders.

The secret chamber fell silent once more. Mui stared at the utterly motionless Box of Ultimate Bliss, his heart full of expectation and unease.

He did not know whether this decision was right, but he had no way back. He could only gamble everything on the future of the Land of Grass, even if it meant sacrificing his own son.

Two days later.

In this little-known secret chamber, City Lord Mui and the four elders wearing animal masks gathered once again.

"Is everything ready?" Mui asked.

"Ready!" Elder Monkey-Head nodded. "All that remains is Young Master Muku."

Mui stood there in silence for a moment, then turned to Elder Horse-Head.

"Then go. Bring Muku here. This time, success is the only option!"

Elder Horse-Head acknowledged the order and quickly left the secret chamber.

Not long afterward, Elder Horse-Head reappeared at the entrance to the chamber.

He was gripping a young man, whose face was filled with terror as he looked at everyone in the chamber and the mysterious Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Seeing the scene before him, the young man felt a powerful sense of dread rise within him.

"Father, what is this? Why did you bring me here?" Muku asked in a trembling voice.

Mui looked at his son, pain flashing through his eyes before it was swiftly replaced by resolve.

"Muku, for the future of the Land of Grass, this is a necessary sacrifice."

Muku's eyes widened. He could not believe what he had just heard.

"Father, you want to sacrifice me? Why? I'm your son!"

Mui turned his head away, unable to bear meeting Muku's gaze.

"This is your mission. Only by opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss can the Land of Grass truly break free from the shackles of Konoha and Iwagakure and once again dominate the Ninja World."

Muku struggled desperately, but Elder Horse-Head held him firmly, leaving him no way to escape.

"No, I don't want this! Father, please, don't do this to me!"

The other three elders stood to one side without expression, their hearts utterly unmoved.

They had already spent immense time and effort on this illusory dream.

Now that success was within reach, they naturally would not give up so easily.

Besides, it was not them who would die!

"The ritual begins!"

At Mui's command, Elder Horse-Head directly tore off Muku's clothes and threw him onto a long table nearby.

Elder Sheep-Head and the Ox-Mask Elder swiftly stepped forward, their hands rapidly forming seals as they firmly restrained him and prevented him from moving.

Elder Monkey-Head then walked over to Muku and continuously inscribed seals onto his body.

Their movements were highly practiced. Clearly, this was not their first time doing such a thing.

A moment later, all preparations had been completed.

Just as Mui was about to order the chakra within Muku's body extracted, the secret chamber suddenly began to shake violently.

Fine, spiderweb-like cracks appeared across the ceiling in vast numbers at an astonishing speed, as though an invisible giant hand were wantonly tearing apart this fragile space.

At first, the cracks were merely faint lines, but within mere seconds, they rapidly spread, constantly widening and deepening.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chunks of stone fell from overhead like meteors, crashing down all around them.

The instant the stones struck the ground, deafening booms rang out. The immense impact kicked up huge clouds of dust, instantly shrouding the entire secret chamber in gray haze.

Some of the larger rocks collided with one another as they fell, shattering into countless fragments that sprayed in every direction like a terrifying rain of stone.

Mui dodged the falling stones in several flashes, frowning deeply as he asked, "What exactly is going on?"

The four elders were equally bewildered. Even as they avoided the falling stones, they tightly guarded Muku, who lay motionless on the table.

At this moment, the cracks in the ceiling spread like wildly growing vines, multiplying in number and widening by the second.

An eerie glow even faintly shone from some of the cracks, as though foretelling an even greater disaster about to descend.

As the cracks continued to widen, more and more stones crashed into the ground with tremendous force, leaving the secret chamber riddled with craters.

Boom!

Another deafening blast rang out. Under the immense external pressure, the secret chamber rapidly collapsed, rubble and dust spraying everywhere like surging waves.

Revealing a pitch-black sky, and...

Half of an enormous black-and-white head.

Its entire body emanated a chilling aura. Its pair of scarlet eyes burned like flames as they stared fixedly at Mui and the others within the secret chamber.

Faintly, a great deal of blood trickled down along the cracks, adding a bloody hue to the horrifying scene.

Mui and the others were stunned by the sudden sight.

They stared blankly at the enormous head, their hearts filled with fear and confusion.

Then, for some unknown reason, Mui took a step forward and stammered out a question.

"Th-this, sir... may I ask what brings you to Hozuki Castle?"

Yan ignored Mui's question. Instead, he controlled Susanoo to lower itself slightly, then extended a huge hand toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss in the secret chamber.

At this moment, Mui and the four elders finally realized.

The other party had come for the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Elder Monkey-Head immediately roared, "You've got some nerve, coming to wreak havoc in Hozuki Castle! Die!"

Grass Style: Hair Blast Palm!

With that, he struck out with his palm.

Seeing the other party's actions, Yan, standing within Susanoo's forehead, was rather puzzled.

Seriously, are all the people here this brave?

He's just an ordinary jonin, not even an elite jonin, while I came here piloting a Gundam over two hundred meters tall.

Over two hundred meters, and you still dare attack me.

Have you seriously never died before?