Xuandou nodded to them in acknowledgment.
The castle's interior held a world of its own.
Cells lined both sides of the corridor, their heavy iron doors fitted with only a palm-sized window.
The cells held serious offenders from various countries.
There were rogue ninja, wandering warriors who had slaughtered civilians, unscrupulous merchants who sold forbidden techniques...
Some rested against the walls with their eyes closed, some muttered curses in the darkness, and others banged their heads against the walls with dull thuds.
As Xuandou walked down the corridor, pairs of eyes watched him through the little windows, filled with hatred, numbness, or pleading.
He walked past expressionlessly, but he already had a plan in mind.
"Take me to the center of the island."
Shisui nodded and led him through the castle to an open area in the middle of the island.
The ground here was flat, surrounded by dense woods.
Xuandou looked around and nodded in satisfaction.
He summoned a number of Uchiha Anbu skilled in Earth Release.
"Use Earth Release ninjutsu to dig down from here. Make a pit deep enough to reach below sea level."
Several Anbu accepted the order and quickly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
The ground shook violently as rock was sliced, raised, and moved aside as easily as tofu.
The ninja took turns repeatedly, working for more than half a day.
An enormous pit gradually took shape in the center of the island, over a hundred meters in diameter and astonishingly deep.
The Anbu worked in shifts, pouring out chakra without pause as the pit grew deeper and wider.
Xuandou stood at the edge, watching the depths below grow darker.
When they finally reached below sea level, seawater surged up from the bottom, quickly forming a