The head guard looked at the Grass Ninja dignitaries before him, especially their leader at the front, and muttered inwardly.
Open the gates?
Opening the gates to lock up a single prisoner was perfectly normal, but Kusagakure's entire leadership had come flocking here to turn themselves in?!
What was this supposed to be?
He was rather bewildered, unsure whether to follow procedure and open the gates or first figure out what was happening.
"Boss," a young guard beside him whispered, leaning closer when he saw his dilemma, "this is strange. So many people turning themselves in? Should we ask the lord of the castle to decide?"
The head guard immediately nodded.
Right!
Something like this definitely needed the lord of the castle's decision!
He promptly nodded to the group surrendering themselves. "Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll ask the lord of the castle to come in person!"
With that, he turned and ran into the castle.
Mui, the lord of Hozuki Castle, was standing before a box that exuded an ancient, ominous aura.
This box was the legendary Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss was an extremely ancient and mysterious treasure, said to be one of the ultimate weapons from the Sage of Six Paths' era.
Its four enormous sides were carved with four distinctly different facial expressions: joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.
A legend had long circulated that whoever opened this box could have one wish granted, gaining the power to change everything and boundless joy.
Behind that legend, however, lay a cruel truth unknown to the world.
The box held no power to grant wishes at all. All that filled it was pure destruction and fear.
Mui pressed his hand against the box's icy wall, his gaze fanatical.
He belonged to Kusagakure's Grass Fruit faction.