Mukkade

The starry sky above the desert was always so dazzling.

But to the Roran Residents living here, no matter how beautiful that brilliant river of stars was, it could not compare to a piece of bread in their hands that could fill their stomachs.

For Saji's family, today had been a day of harvest.

Looking at the lavish spread on the dining table, Saji felt even more fortunate that he had taken a liking to Mr. Wolf at first sight and volunteered to be his guide.

Generous guests deserved respect.

"Where's Mr. Wolf?" Saji's daughter-in-law placed the last dish of lizard meat on the table and asked.

"Who knows? Maybe he went home." Saji had everyone sit down to eat, but his head involuntarily turned toward the Ryūmyaku Ruins.

Maybe he had gone there.

He should have reported something like this to Queen Sara, but as he watched his grandsons wolfing down their food, he chose to remain silent.

So many people had come looking for the Ryūmyaku, only to arrive full of hope and leave disappointed. Mr. Wolf was probably just taking a look.

That was what he thought.

Deep beneath the domed building.

Mukkade moved through the pitch-black passage, skillfully avoiding one obstacle after another.

As he looked at the floating altar, his heart began to race. Though it was not his first time seeing it, whenever he thought of standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world and looking down upon all living things, his heart could not stop trembling.

At the four corners of the altar stood four stone statues with solemn faces. Not only did they fail to suppress his rebellious ambition, they were like a teacher's outfit on a girlfriend, sending his emotions soaring to new heights once more.

Mukkade gently stroked the raised section at the center of the altar. He knew that this was the core of the Ryūmyaku's energy.

The reason he could not sense the Ryūmyaku's power was entirely because of the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Kunai embedded above it—or rather, the Sealing Formula inscribed on the kunai.

Nervously, Mukkade placed both hands on the Sealing Formula. He did not know whether his idea was right: sealing the Ryūmyaku and its seal into his own body, just like the symbiotic relationship between a tailed beast and a Jinchuriki.

But this was undoubtedly the most efficient method he could think of for lifting the Ryūmyaku's seal.

Perhaps he was now about the same age as the Fourth Hokage had been when he set the Ryūmyaku seal, yet he could not even undo a Sealing Jutsu that the man had placed nearly twenty years ago.

Sometimes, he truly wondered whether the gap between people could really be this vast.

"I can feel it! I can feel it!!"

A stream of pale purple chakra spilled from the slightly loosened seal. To Mukkade, it was no different from a beacon in the darkness.

It had been years!

He had spent nearly two years investigating and learning everything about the Ryūmyaku.

After he had learned it all and believed he could rule the ninja world, the Fourth Hokage's Ryūmyaku seal had appeared, firmly blocking the entrance to his grand ambitions.

For his ideals, for the chance to reach the pinnacle of life, he had no choice but to continue burying himself in study and practicing Sealing Jutsu amid flattery so nauseating it disgusted even him.

Life was short.

But Mukkade felt that his suffering had lasted longer than anyone else's.

But none of that mattered anymore. The hardships of the past would become the medals of a victor. As Mukkade watched the Ryūmyaku Chakra gradually loosen, his eyes were filled with excitement.

After unifying the ninja world, what should I do?

Use precious materials I had never even dared dream of before to create the ultimate puppet?

Or marry Temari?

Just as he began fantasizing about his future, a repulsive force suddenly burst from the Ryūmyaku seal and hurled him away.

Mukkade hurriedly came back to his senses. Looking at the bottomless abyss behind him, he felt as though an icy hand had fiercely clenched his heart.

"Why? Why did it fail? Every part of the design was clearly reasonable..."

How could brushing past death compare to the agony of years of effort being destroyed in an instant? Mukkade clutched his head with both hands, his eyes vacant as he stared at the seal in the distance and muttered to himself.

Above him, Naruto, who had concealed his presence, watched the Sunagakure ninja below in thought.

Though he did not understand Sealing Jutsu either, his chakra perception, far beyond that of ordinary people, allowed him to see why that Sunagakure ninja had failed.

That Sunagakure ninja's method and reasoning for undoing the Ryūmyaku seal had both been correct. But he had failed because he did not have enough chakra to sustain it.

His weak follow-up chakra input had given the Sealing Formula the ability to resist, leading to his failure.

Of course, that was from Naruto's perspective.

Among ordinary ninja, Mukkade's chakra reserves were not considered especially large, but they were not among the worst either. His middling chakra reserves had already put him ahead of many others.

A ninja's strength was not judged by chakra reserves alone.

But ample chakra reserves were something every powerful ninja needed. You might not use the fuel in the tank, but you could not afford to have none.

Tap~

Mukkade turned around and saw a young man slowly leap down from above, then walk toward him.

"Who are you?" Mukkade stared warily at the newcomer, quickly pulling out two Sealing Scrolls and releasing the puppets sealed inside.

Crow and Ibuse.

Before Sunagakure's puppet masters reached a certain level, most of them used these two puppets.

Perhaps to their creator, Sasori of the Red Sand, puppets of Crow and Ibuse's caliber had merely been transitional products.

But to commoner puppet masters like them, they were masterpieces among masterpieces.

Mukkade had dared to touch the Ryūmyaku seal largely because of the strength these two puppets gave him.

"Don't be nervous. I just want to help you." Naruto merely glanced at the two puppets before losing interest. To other ninja, puppets like these might be extremely threatening.

But to him, the only difference was whether he needed one more slash or one less.

"Now that's interesting. We don't know each other, so why would you want to help me for no reason?" Several strands of chakra thread shot from Mukkade's fingertips and connected to the bodies of the two puppets.

"I don't think I need help from a weakling."

With weapons in hand, Mukkade's tone became much more forceful.

Naruto said nothing more. His left hand lightly gripped the scabbard, and his thumb gently pushed forward. Kusabimaru's gleaming silver blade added a splash of brightness to the dim underground space.

They were all adults. Words alone were powerless. When you could not talk someone into submission, the best way to make them yield was—beat them into submission.

Clack! Clack!

Mukkade immediately controlled the two puppets to charge forward while he swiftly hid behind a stone statue.

Clang! Clang! The blade flicked, knocking aside the incoming senbon. As Crow rushed toward him, chakra instantly gathered beneath Naruto's feet, and he delivered a kick.

Boom!!

The tremendous force shattered Crow, a puppet famed for its sturdiness, with a single kick.

Senpou Temple was not only exceptional in fist techniques—its kicking techniques were first-rate too!

Mukkade's pupils shrank. It seemed he had provoked someone he should never have provoked.

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