Golden sands stretched endlessly across the vast desert.
From above, rolling dunes stretched endlessly in every direction. In this boundless wasteland, Sunagakure's main forces were conducting a full-scale search operation.
However, despite a full day of relentless searching, Sunagakure had yet to uncover even a single clue about Shukaku.
Although its massive body should have left unmistakable tracks, the problem was that this was a desert—where even a single gust of wind could send endless waves of sand flying, erasing all evidence.
The Sunagakure ninja led by Fourth Kazekage Rasa were nearly driven mad with frustration.
Another day passed.
Deep in the desert, in a place slightly flatter than the rest,
The giant Shukaku lay on its back atop the sand, belly rounded and rising gently with each breath, clearly fast asleep.
Looking closer, there was a small black dot at the center of Shukaku's stomach. Zooming in revealed Heiyan standing there, red chakra chains extending from his palms into Shukaku's belly, drawing out its seemingly bottomless chakra.
This extracted chakra was immediately fed into the living armor resting beside him.
The process had dragged on for an entire day and was finally coming to an end.
"It's done."
A gleam flashed through Heiyan's jet-black eyes. He retracted the Celestial Binding Chain and stopped "abusing" Shukaku.
What he obtained was a brand-new One-Tail Shukaku armor. It was pitch-black iron plating, its surface floating with countless tiny grains of iron sand. Attached behind was a gray cape bearing a large character "Magnet."
Heiyan removed his Seven-Tails Chomei armor and donned the new one.
With a mere thought, he extended his hand, and iron sand swirled into his palm like a magnetic tide, shifting effortlessly between shapes—triangles, cylinders, cones, spheres.
He felt no disappointment.
Through this armor, he had successfully acquired Shukaku's Kekkei Genkai—Magnet Release.
After practicing with Magnet Release for a while, Heiyan began considering what to do with Shukaku itself. His sensors told him that Sunagakure's ninja were rapidly approaching.
Better return it to them then.
After careful consideration, he made this decision.
He planned to use Shukaku to keep tabs on what happened in Sunagakure.
Alternatively, if they sealed Shukaku inside that cauldron again, for Heiyan, this would be the perfect opportunity to let spores gradually take over.
After all, Shukaku had such a playful and restless nature, always stirring up trouble without pause. Leaving its supervision to Sunagakure spared Heiyan a great deal of trouble.
In the end, Shukaku could never escape from his grasp anyway.
Thinking this through, Heiyan glanced toward the direction from which the Sunagakure ninja were approaching before turning and shooting straight into the sky.
Though Magnet Release couldn't grant him wings, manipulating magnetized iron sand to support his weight allowed quick aerial movement.
His next destination was Hozuki Castle Prison in Kusagakure.
Soon after Heiyan departed.
Rasa and the others, who arrived belatedly, finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Shukaku lying flat in the desert.
So this guy was hiding here, sleeping soundly.
Seeing this scene, everyone was at a loss for words.
"Huh? Why does Shukaku seem smaller now? He's not as big as before," Chiyo asked suspiciously after approaching the beast.
Only after her words did Rasa and the others realize—the once more-than-fifty-meter-tall Shukaku had now shrunk to under twenty-five meters, its colossal body halved.
What was going on?
Although puzzled, nobody could figure out why. In the end, they still joined forces, sealed Shukaku again, and brought it back.
Thus, the Shukaku uprising within Sunagakure came to an end.
One day later.
Hozuki Castle Prison, Kusagakure.
This prison was located on a small island near Kusagakure. Surrounded by sea on all sides, the island was covered with a kind of plant bearing yellow lantern-like berries called "Hozuki," hence its name—Hozuki Castle.
The ruler of Hozuki Castle had command over a forbidden technique known as [Fire Release: Heavenly Prison].
This jutsu involved inserting chains capable of sealing chakra into prisoners' bodies, preventing them from gathering chakra—meaning that with this ability, guilty ninja could no longer use any ninjutsu, becoming no different from ordinary people.
Precisely because of this, Hozuki Castle Prison managed to imprison hundreds of ninja from the Five Great Nations. And so far, not a single prisoner had successfully escaped.
This place was a nightmare for countless ninja.
The sky was gloomy, filled with thick clouds.
Winds howled fiercely across the sea surface while waves towered into the air. Giant whirlpools even churned in the sea, threatening to swallow anyone who got too close.
Flying low over the waves, Heiyan moved like a black phantom, drifting with the currents, vanishing between surges until he smoothly bypassed the guards' sightlines at the island's coastline, slipping undetected onto land.
As soon as he stepped onto the island, Heiyan spotted from afar a towering complex at its center, exuding an aura of severity and coldness.
On the periphery of the prison grounds grew numerous Hozuki plants. Among lush green leaves, large plump red fruits had sprouted, seemingly delicious.
Crunch—he bit into it.
Heiyan casually picked several berries and tossed them into his mouth. Mmm, indeed quite tasty.
These Hozuki berries often got blown into the prison by wind. Ordinary red ones were harmless to eat, but the white ones caused full-body paralysis after being eaten—prisoners commonly used these to sneak into the medical ward, where the effects lasted for a whole day before wearing off.
Out of curiosity, Heiyan also found a few white Hozuki berries, tossed them into his mouth, and chewed.
Soon enough,
a numbness spread from his tongue throughout his entire body, making him feel as though his arms and legs had lost sensation.
However, this numbness lasted only a few seconds—thanks to the overwhelming power of Sage Transformation, the effect quickly faded without causing Heiyan any real discomfort.
After personally experiencing the effects of the white Hozuki berry, he thought this fruit might serve as a raw ingredient for anesthesia.
Since he had nothing better to do anyway, Heiyan decided to carefully select several Hozuki berry plants to bring back to Penglai for the villagers to cultivate and grow.
Not long after finishing this task—
Someone arrived.
Suddenly sensing multiple presences stepping onto the island, Pakura quickly recognized one familiar chakra signature—Heiyan's.
On the road leading to the prison, four Anbu ninjas from Sunagakure carried an iron cage taller than a man. Inside sat a green-haired teenage girl on her knees, her hands bound behind her back with chains locking them in place.
Pakura's eyes were lifeless.
She remained kneeling, still for long stretches at a time, her gaze unfocused, indifferent to her surroundings and unmoved by what lay ahead.
Because her heart was already dead.
A few days ago, when she first heard that Heiyan had died on the battlefield in the Land of Iron, she froze in shock, her mind going completely blank.
What devastated her even more was that while still drowning in grief, Rasa—the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage—accused her of colluding with foreign enemies.
Overnight, Pakura went from being Sunagakure's prodigy kunoichi to a traitor despised by all, accused of aiding in the murder of the Third Kazekage.
These double blows finally broke her; she could no longer hold herself together.
Faced with the village elders' relentless persecution and lies, Pakura chose not to fight back—she had already lost the will to live.
Everything seemed meaningless now.
The escort team responsible for bringing Pakura soon arrived at Hozuki Castle and requested entry through the prison gates.
Along with Pakura, this batch of prisoners included several ninja from other villages who had committed crimes. Before entering the prison, they would traditionally have to listen to a speech from the master of Hozuki Castle as part of the admission ritual.
Pakura's arrival immediately caused a stir among the prisoners.
"This chick is so young and beautiful, her figure's top-notch too. Tsk tsk."
These convicted men were all burly, muscular, and full of energy. Once they saw Pakura, their eyes lit up like wolves eyeing a helpless lamb.
One especially dark-skinned bald brute—a muscle-bound ninja from Akagakure—shamelessly sized her up and gave a teasing whistle before saying,
"Hey there, sweetie, how 'bout bein' my woman? If you treat me right, I'll protect ya. Otherwise, once you step into this joint, the rest of these guys'll tear you apart—leave nothin' but bones."
However, faced with such lewd words, Pakura kept her head bowed as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
"Pretending to be high and mighty, huh, you damn bitch!"
Seeing his flirtation ignored, the bald brute flew into a rage, cursing angrily as he prepared to charge forward, completely forgetting his status as a captured prisoner.
Just then—
"Silence!"
Two prison guards wearing military uniforms and steel helmets pointed firearms at the bald brute, aiming their gun barrels directly at him, seemingly ready to fire at any moment.
"You trash better shut up and listen! Our lord, Lord Wutian of Hozuki Castle, has something to say!"
Another senior prison guard approached, shouting roughly at the group of prisoners.
As his voice faded away, a middle-aged man with long black hair, wearing extravagant garments and a flowing cape, strode out from the prison.
Wutian stood rooted to the spot, his hands clasped behind his back as he scanned the row of prisoners before speaking calmly.
"You were escorted here, which means your villages have completely lost faith in you. Therefore, remember that you no longer hold any value.
If you fools are dreaming of leaving this place, there are only two ways. First, if your ninja village formally requests your release. The second way is death..."
Before he could finish speaking, his words were suddenly interrupted by a rude voice.
"Wrong! There's a third way, and that's to fight your way out!"
The bald ninja laughed fiercely, suddenly straining both arms and snapping his chains. Without another word, he charged straight at Wutian.
"Protect Castle Lord Wutian!" The surrounding prison guards shouted in unison, raising their firearms.
Yet Wutian gestured for his subordinates not to open fire, watching calmly as the bald man rushed toward him.
Peng peng peng!
They quickly engaged in battle, punches landing with heavy, dull thuds.
The bald ninja used Kumogakure's Lightning Release Taijutsu techniques, while Wutian was equally impressive, using Kusagakure's unique body technique "Breaking Palm Art," exchanging blows evenly.
Suddenly—
Shua!
Wutian seized an opening, slapping toward the opponent's chest. In an instant, his palm turned blazing red, erupting into roaring flames.
Peng!
Careless in his arrogance, the bald man was struck full in the chest and sent flying backward dozens of meters.
"You bastard!"
He roared furiously, his hands forming hand seals rapidly, attempting to unleash a powerful Lightning Release Jutsu. However, just as he finished forming the seals, dizziness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed onto the ground with a loud thump.
It turned out that after receiving Wutian's palm strike, the bald man's chest now bore a fiery chain pattern — a sealing mechanism binding his chakra.
Tat tat tat.
Wutian walked toward the bald man, standing tall before him with fearful eyes watching, and announced in a condescending tone:
"Every prisoner entering Hozuki Castle Prison gets branded by my [Fire Release: Celestial Cage Sealing Formula], stripping you of all ninja abilities. Don't even dream of escaping because once you move too far from me, these infernal curses upon you will ignite, burning you alive. So accept your fate."
After finishing his words, under expressions of despair from the prisoners, Wutian proceeded to imprint each of them with the inferno curse.
Pakura was no exception.
Chi chi chi.
A hissing sound filled the air as Wutian traced the sealing formula onto her forehead. His eyes flashed with sharp light, revealing a meaningful glance.
Then, giving stern orders to the nearby guards:
"Prepare a private cell for Pakura. Keep her well-guarded, and absolutely don't let any other prisoners come near her. If she gets hurt, I'll hold you responsible."
"Yes, Castle Lord Wutian!"
Although confused why their lord was showing special treatment toward Pakura, the guards obeyed nonetheless.
Soon, under the escort of the guards, this batch of prisoners entered the prison cells.
The moment they entered the dark prison, a wave of musty dampness and foul stench hit them head-on.
Beyond that, prisoners locked inside individual cells stretched their hands out and continuously slapped the bars, letting out waves of ravenous laughter.
"Hey, another newbie arrived!"
"Isn't that Pakura, the one with Scorch Release from Sunagakure? How did she end up in a place like this?"
"It's been a while since we've had any women, especially such a pretty one. I'll definitely visit her cell tonight to give her some loving."
Cruel, vulgar voices echoed from every corner.
Pakura was led deep into the prison to a relatively secluded and quiet cell.
"Get in."
The guard coldly said while unlocking the iron door with his key.
Upon hearing those words, Pakura entered slowly like a soulless corpse. The interior was extremely simple, containing only a straw mat on the floor and a moldy quilt.
She glanced at the guard by the entrance, then sat down without a word.
The first night inside the prison was long.
The night grew deep.
A pale moonlight filtered through the prison window, shining onto Pakura's body. This teenage girl appeared frail and pitiful under its glow.
Suddenly—
Thud thud thud.
Footsteps approached steadily, and a senior guard arrived outside Pakura's cell.
"The Warden wishes to see you. Come with me," he said to Pakura, then ordered the guards to unlock the cell.
After hearing him, Pakura remained silent for a moment before rising up slowly.
Giving up on life didn't mean she'd let herself be humiliated. From the moment she stepped into this prison, she'd decided to take her own life if necessary.
A Kunai quietly appeared in Pakura's palm.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>