The Fall of Hozuki Castle

Facing Kusagakure's secret taijutsu, Yan curled his lips into a cold smile.

The giant hand reaching for the Box of Ultimate Bliss suddenly changed direction and struck Elder Monkey-Head with an unstoppable force.

Elder Monkey-Head's muscles tensed all over, his eyes filled with resolve and madness. Like a cannonball leaving the barrel, he charged toward Susanoo's giant hand, moving as fast as lightning.

However...

Before Susanoo's overwhelming power, his attack seemed utterly insignificant.

When the two forces collided, there was a deafening bang, and Elder Monkey-Head's body was instantly blown apart.

Flesh and blood flew everywhere, while a mist of blood filled the air.

The monkey-head mask on his face shattered in the explosion, its fragments scattering in every direction.

His ruined body, like fallen leaves swept up by a gale, fluttered down across the ground, staining a wide stretch of land red.

Mui and the others were filled with shock and fury at the sight.

They all knew how powerful their opponent was, but there was no way they could simply watch the Box of Ultimate Bliss be taken away.

If they had to die, they would die before the Box of Ultimate Bliss!

Thus, they all charged forward, unleashing various ninjutsu.

Mui rapidly formed hand seals and shouted.

"Heavenly Prison Fire Sword!"

In an instant, blazing fire surged into the sky. A massive flaming sword condensed in midair, radiating terrifying heat as the surrounding air warped from the scorching temperature.

The flaming sword slashed viciously toward Yan's Susanoo with fierce momentum.

The temperature around them rose sharply. The ground baked dry and cracked, while the air filled with a pungent burning smell.

At the same time, the other three elders did not stand by idly. They rapidly formed hand seals and shouted.

"Earth Style: Rock Spike Technique!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"..."

As the three elders unleashed their techniques, countless sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground. A massive water dragon coiled upward beside the Ox-Mask Elder, while Elder Sheep-Head spewed out an enormous fireball.

The three immensely powerful ninjutsu surged together toward the giant hand with seemingly world-destroying force.

Yan's eyes remained filled with disdain in the face of these attacks.

What the hell? Can't they see the gap between us?

At that moment, a black longsword suddenly appeared in Susanoo's right hand and slashed down at the incoming ninjutsu.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Mui's Heavenly Prison Fire Sword was the first to be effortlessly severed by the black-and-white longsword. Its blazing flames immediately went out, leaving only wisps of black smoke drifting slowly through the air.

The water dragon was cleaved in half by the power of the black longsword, turning into countless droplets that rained down onto the ground with a crackling sound.

The stone spikes shattered one after another as well, their fragments flying everywhere and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Great Fireball Technique was like a fragile balloon being punctured. The fireball instantly dispersed, leaving behind only a faint red glow.

"What?"

Mui and the others stared at the scene before them, their eyes full of disbelief.

These were already the most powerful ninjutsu they could use, yet they had still been crushed with a single blow.

At that moment, the black longsword in Susanoo's hand did not lose any momentum after shattering the several ninjutsu, and came crashing down upon them.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, Mui and the others were instantly cut to pieces by the black-and-white longsword's overwhelming power before they could even beg for mercy. Their blood blossomed through the air like flowers.

A bloody mist filled the air, giving off a pungent stench of blood.

The surrounding area had become a complete mess.

The ground was covered in traces of destruction. Rocks lay shattered, water spread everywhere, and black smoke curled up from the extinguished flames.

Only Muku, who had regained his freedom after the deaths of the technique's users, stepped down from the long table and collapsed onto the ground. He stared despairingly at everything in the secret chamber as two clear tears unconsciously streamed down his cheeks.

Amid the ruins, Susanoo's massive figure stood like an unshakable mountain, radiating a fearsome majesty.

"You bastard!!!"

Muku leaped up from the ground and charged straight at the towering Susanoo. His hands moved without any form or order, and he had not even refined any chakra.

Seeing this, Yan raised an eyebrow and immediately understood.

"Seeking death?"

"Then I'll grant your wish!"

He then controlled Susanoo and slapped down with one hand.

Smack!

When the enormous palm lifted from the ground, a pool of blood and shattered bones had been added to the cracked underground chamber.

"What a waste of good intentions!"

Yan shook his head with a sigh, though his expression was utterly cold.

Immediately afterward, Yan grabbed the Box of Ultimate Bliss, straightened up, and headed toward the entrance of Hozuki Castle.

He was not worried in the slightest about excessive consumption.

Under the effects of the Bloodline Resonance Jutsu, Susanoo's strength was constantly increasing, while the ocular power it consumed was jointly borne by the Uchiha Clan.

In other words, unless it was an intense battle that dragged on to the point where Yan needed to replenish it with his Mangekyou ocular power—

Under normal circumstances, he could keep it activated all day without consuming much ocular power at all.

Thus, Yan controlled Susanoo, holding the palm-sized Box of Ultimate Bliss as he walked out step by step.

Every step left a deep crater in the ground, sending large amounts of rubble flying.

The prisoners around him watched this scene in terror, their hearts filled with unease, afraid that the giant might suddenly get a whim and stomp on them.

Although the seals on their bodies had been released after Mui's death, they had personally witnessed how Yan had slaughtered those Kusagakure prison guards.

Therefore, even without the seals, they did not dare move, much less run.

Yan had no way of knowing what the prisoners were thinking, and even if he did, he would not have cared.

Gradually, that towering figure vanished beneath the sunlight.

Only after a long while did the prisoners seem to awaken from a dream. They fled from the prison, now completely devoid of defenses, scattering in every direction.

Not long after leaving Hozuki Castle, Yan dispelled Susanoo and stored the Box of Ultimate Bliss inside a sealing scroll.

Honestly, walking around in a Gundam was undeniably cool, but it was also undeniably ostentatious.

Yan was still too thin-skinned to make a spectacle of himself like that.

As for the Box of Ultimate Bliss—

To be honest, Yan was not particularly interested in the monster Satori inside.

Although it could sense the fear in other people's hearts, its combat power was only so-so.

Originally, Yan had wanted to have it guard Konoha's gates, but on second thought, he decided against it.

There was no other reason... it was too ugly!

How many people would something like that scare away if it stood at the entrance?

Better to toss it to Orochimaru or Senju Tobirama for research!

If that did not work either, he could use it as a power bank.

After all, opening it required a massive amount of chakra. It would be a waste not to make use of that!

And now, Yan was sprinting toward Kusagakure.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss was already in hand. Next came Karin and her mother from Kusagakure.

As long as her mother was not dead, even if she only had half a breath left, Yan could save her.