The General's Residence has a large underground space.
Located deep underground in a dark, vast space, each room is constructed of solid stone, and at the entrance of each room are steel gates resembling latticework.
Furthermore, numerous talismans were affixed to the stone walls and Steel Cell Door to reinforce their protective power, as if the beings imprisoned inside were absolute taboos and dangers that could not be touched.
There are a total of one hundred such cells. Some cells hold prisoners, and you can hear the crisp echo of chains being dragged in the dark depths of the cells. Others are empty, and there is not a sound coming from inside.
Clearly, the number of prisoners held here is far from saturated.
In addition, a large number of Puppet Samurai patrolled the area day and night, and Puppet Samurai were also stationed to guard each cell and its entrance.
They were like silent stones, their gazes fixed intently on the prisoners in the cells, watching their every move.
Under such tight and cautious surveillance, coupled with the instruments of torture covering their bodies with Sealing Jutsu and Sealing Talisman, prisoners could not even attempt suicide, let alone self-harm. Any attempt to harm themselves would be stopped the moment it began, and escaping from here was simply a pipe dream.
Just then, the sound of leather boots clattering on the hard floor caused a commotion among the prisoners in the cell.
Pairs of eyes opened in the darkness of the cell, looking out into the wide corridor.
The aisle is ten meters wide, wide enough for twenty people to walk side by side.
Under the bright yellow light, a tall figure was moving around.
His muscular body, nearly two meters tall, was covered in a tight-fitting combat suit and a black coat, and his face wore a silver-gray metal mask with large and small pores.
Behind the mask, the eye holes did not reveal any eyes, only two bottomless black pupils.
It was Naraku, the ruler of the vast underground space.
He seemed to have inexhaustible energy and enjoyment, patrolling the underground space 24 hours a day without getting tired of it.
The Prison Area, in particular, was his favorite place to visit.
Because those imprisoned here are either renowned ninjas in the Ninja World or possess special bloodline talents, but they all have one thing in common—they are all experimental subjects.
Moreover, they are not ordinary experimental materials; due to their extremely high value, they receive very good treatment on a daily basis.
Three hearty and delicious hot meals are served every day, along with desserts and fruits.
To prevent them from becoming bored and depressed, they were allowed to learn about the changing times through newspapers, thus preventing them from becoming disconnected from the world.
Occasionally, puppet shows are performed here.
All they need to give up is a little bit of their physical worth and freedom.
Given this situation, Naraku felt that his most beloved father truly deserved the title, as this prison was filled with humanitarian care.
They won't die, they won't be abused, they can rest whenever they're tired, they'll have free food when they're hungry, they can enjoy puppet shows when they're depressed, and the best Medical Ninja in the Ninja World will be there whenever they call when they're sick.
Although they lost their freedom, they embraced everything.
Naraku walked down the spacious corridor, he hummed a lively tune:
"Where is Kinkaku? Kinkaku is here! Kinkaku is in that cage of joy!"
The bizarre and eccentric lyrics emanated from beneath his mask, causing many prisoners in the cell to roll their Byakugan and twitch their lips.
Perhaps this guy was expressing his humor and naivety, but they just couldn't get any humor from the lyrics, only deep silence.
"Oh, Mr. Kinkaku, good afternoon. Would you like a fresh and delicious fruit dessert?"
Naraku, controlling the towering puppet, his boots clicking on the ground, enthusiastically approached the deepest cell, raising his hand in a salute.
The man being stared at by those deep, dark eyes was a wild, middle-aged man with long blond hair and Six Paths whiskers.
It was none other than Kinkaku, the Daimyo ninja who had been the subject of much speculation these past few months for killing two of the Five Kage.
Wanted by Konoha and Hidden Cloud Village, he was fortunate enough to become an extremely dangerous S-rank rogue ninja on the wanted list.
Leaving aside the undefinable Madara Uchiha, Kinkaku can be considered the first officially wanted S-rank rogue ninja in the Ninja World.
Although it only lasted a few months, the various crimes he committed were enough to earn him a series of exaggerated titles such as most dangerous, most evil, and most terrifying.
Konoha and Hidden Cloud Village went into a frenzy, searching the entire Ninja World for his whereabouts to avenge the deaths of the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage.
However, faced with Naraku's irreverent and frivolous question, Kinkaku rolled his eyes, rolled over on the bed, turned his back to Naraku, and adopted a disdainful posture, as if he didn't want to talk to him.
As he rolled over, the chains wrapped around his limbs and body jingled.
At first, he would yell and shout, but he found that no matter how much he yelled and cursed, the other person did not get angry at all. Instead, he would ask him with enthusiastic words if he wanted a glass of water to quench his thirst.
With his Chakra suppressed, his physical abilities were also bound, and his frenzied roars sounded no different from whining to his opponent.
Knowing this, Kinkaku lost interest in dealing with Naraku.
He may have a bad temper, but he's not brainless.
"Mr. Kinkaku, please remember to eat well and rest well. If the quality of your food and rest deteriorates, you won't be able to produce high-quality Tailed-Beast Chakra."
Upon hearing this, Kinkaku, who was lying on his side facing the inner wall of the cell, almost had the veins on his temples bulge with anger.
*****, are you treating him like a dairy cow that produces milk?
"Therefore, even if you are imprisoned, you must not give up hope of survival, Mr. Kinkaku. I will always be watching over you silently."
Naraku spoke gently, showing concern for Kinkaku's life.
Kinkaku laughed in anger. He really wanted to curse, but then he thought that if others saw his behavior as just acting cute, it would be no different from him whining.
He could only take a few deep breaths, suppressing the surging anger within him, and lay on the bed like a dead man, ignoring Naraku's words.
Ultimately, he is nothing more than a powerless prisoner who allows himself to be bullied by others.
Naraku, thinking that Kinkaku must have been moved by his words and was too excited to speak.
So he put down the stack of newspapers he was holding, stuffed them into the cell where Kinkaku was, and then walked away.
He then moved to the other cell doors and stuffed the remaining newspapers into them one by one.
In the Land of Night, even prisoners have the right to open their eyes and see the world.
◎
The battle between Hidden Rain Village and Hidden Grass Village ended more quickly than anyone had imagined.
The fact that Hidden Grass Village attacked the Land of Rain was not a secret that was difficult to obtain in the eyes of the surrounding major powers.
It's even possible that before the Hidden Grass Village attacked the Land of Rain, it had secretly made contact with some major powers.
Considering this, it's highly likely that Hidden Grass Village's plan to attack the Land of Rain was not Hidden Grass Village's own initiative, but rather something orchestrated behind the scenes by a major power.
As for which major power it is, it could be one, it could be two, or more likely, the Hidden Grass Village and the three major powers of Fire, Earth, and Wind had all communicated in advance before the Amegakure-Kusagakure War.
Hidden Grass Village, just like his name suggests, is not a tenacious weed, but rather a resilient reed that sways in the wind.
They invaded the Land of Rain in September and advanced all the way to the heart of the Land of Rain in just half a month. The ninjas of Amegakure were completely powerless to stop them.
There was even a faction within Hidden Rain Village that became a guide for Kusagakure in the Land of Rain.
In early October, Hidden Grass Village captured several core cities of the Land of Rain.
Although a group of Hidden Rain shinobi resisted, they were completely unable to stop the Hidden Grass Village's conquest.
If this continues, the entire Land of Rain may be torn apart by the fierce attacks of Hidden Grass Village in less than six months, and eventually be gradually devoured by the surrounding countries.
In this precarious situation where the country is on the verge of collapse, a ninja emerges out of nowhere. He is like a ray of light, single-handedly piercing through the thick darkness that hangs over the Land of Rain.
By the time the surrounding major powers reacted, in less than half a month, the previously unimpeded Kusagakure strategically shifted its focus to the Land of Grass, launching a massive war to defend the Land of Grass.
The speed and intensity of Hidden Rain Village's counterattack startled the three major neighboring countries.
Even if Kusagakure is weak, it is still a ninja village that has preserved its strength well.
With Hidden Rain Village in a fragmented state, it has no chance against Hidden Grass Village.
But this seemingly impossible thing was forcefully reversed by one person.
It would be a lie to say that the surrounding major powers were not surprised. A ninja with the ability to reverse the course of the battlefield is extremely rare, even among the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
These are not the kind of ninjas that a small country like Hidden Rain Village could produce.
Or is this actually a secret alternate account secretly set up by some major power?
--Night Nightview City, Tenshu Tower.
"Mediate a war?"
As the battle between Hidden Rain Village and Hidden Grass Village intensified, Yayoi, far away in the Land of Night, received a top-secret letter from Iwagakure.
The letter contained a simple message: Hidden Grass Village was requesting assistance from Iwagakure, hoping to mediate the war between Amegakure and Kusagakure.
Then, Iwagakure wanted to involve the Land of Night in the conflict. As a price for mediating the war, the Land of Grass would share half of the spoils it received from the Land of Rain with the Land of Earth and the Land of Night.
Making a fortune just by talking is a sure-fire way to make money.
Yayoi was not surprised at all by the alliance between Iwagakure and Hidden Grass Village.
He has also been paying attention to the Amegakure-Kusagakure War recently, and knows that the main driving force behind this war is Iwagakure.
While Konoha and Hidden Sand Village were also involved, they largely ignored the outbreak of war, waiting for the best opportunity to step in and reap the benefits.
With Iwagakure's own strength, they could easily mediate the war between Amakusa without outside intervention. The reason for bringing in the Land of Night was to strengthen interpersonal relationships.
Of course, it's also possible that the changes on Hidden Rain Village's side made Konoha and Hidden Sand Village a bit restless, prompting them to prepare to place bets, which attracted the attention of Iwagakure.
It's unclear which side Konoha and Hidden Sand Village intend to support during the Amegakure-Kusagakure War.
Yayoi didn't hesitate for long before deciding to cooperate with Iwagakure and intervene in the war.
" Irori, prepare to convene a meeting with higher-ups."
Yayoi turned to Irori and instructed him to summon all serving Jonin and Upper Samurai within Nightview City.
Once the decision to cooperate is made, specific plans need to be prepared.
If it's a major issue, Yayoi will only convene High-Level Meeting, gathering the core personnel from each department.
However, in Yayoi's mind, the war between the Rain Grass and the Night Country was not enough to warrant the attention of the Land of Night.
"Oh, right, recall that kid Doichi too. Let him go and broaden his horizons this time."
After standing up, Yayoi remembered something and decided to transfer Doichi back from outside.
As the next generation of generals, Doichi will always have to face all sorts of complex matters.
This conflict between Yucao and Daoyi is a perfect opportunity for Doichi to practice his skills.