In her cell, Pakura was about to end her life with a kunai.
But the kunai suddenly slipped beyond her control. It felt as though drawn by an unseen force, slipping from her hand and vanishing silently into the dark corner of the prison cell.
How could this happen...
For the first time, Pakura's calm façade cracked.
"Let's go."
The guard at the door hadn't noticed what had just happened. He motioned for Pakura to walk forward. From his aggressive stare, it was clear that any resistance would result in being dragged away.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself forward, step by step, leaving the cell behind.
They walked one ahead of the other, quickly leaving the prison block and making their way toward the center of Hozuki Castle. Finally, they arrived at the Warden's office.
Knock knock.
After knocking on the office door, the guard pushed it open and stepped inside. But to his surprise, there was no sign of Warden Wutian within.
Under Pakura's puzzled gaze, the guard approached the central bookshelf. He located the third blue book from the left and pulled it outward.
Boom.
A mechanism activated, and the shelves split apart, revealing a hidden passage.
"After you," said the guard, standing beside the doorway and gesturing politely.
Pakura peered into the darkness beyond. Her instincts warned her that dangers both unknown and unseen lurked inside.
Still, she had no choice.
Under the cold stare of the guard, she stepped through the hidden passage and vanished into the deep shadows.
As the guard watched Pakura disappear into the darkness, he looked at her like someone already dead. Then, turning away, he walked back to the bookshelf, preparing to close the secret door and complete his task.
At that moment—
Tap tap tap.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside the room—neither fast nor slow, neither heavy nor light—as if someone were strolling casually.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Instantly alert, the guard barked out sharply.
One must understand—this was the Warden's study, the most secure and secret room within Hozuki Castle Prison. No one should be able to approach here without Lord Wutian's permission.
Especially tonight—a night marked for secrecy and silence.
Unless… the surrounding guards had already been eliminated.
Realizing this, the guard immediately drew his ninja blade and pointed it toward the entrance.
But the next second—
Shwip!
His own sword, under the influence of an inexplicable force, turned back and slashed across his throat. Taken completely off guard, blood sprayed as the man staggered backward.
Damn... who is this guy...
Clutching his wound, the guard's consciousness began to fade. Before collapsing, he vaguely saw a tall figure clad in black armor standing at the entrance of the study...
After entering the hidden passage, Pakura discovered a descending staircase before her, leading down toward a dark abyss.
She paused for a moment, then grabbed a nearby torch and descended cautiously down the staircase.
Up until now, she had all but abandoned hope of ever escaping alive. Yet the strange events since arriving at Hozuki Castle had forced her mind awake once more.
This place must be hiding some secret.
Although Pakura didn't know yet how that secret involved her, her past experiences and instinct warned her of one thing—she couldn't let the enemy succeed. Otherwise, something terrible might happen.
Thinking this, she made a decision. Opening her mouth, she leaned forward and violently dry-heaved, eventually producing from her throat a damp storage scroll.
This two-finger-wide scroll contained the Two-Tails Catgirl Armor gifted to her long ago by Heiyan.
Pakura had originally planned to take it with her into Yomi.
"My chakra has been sealed. I wonder if this armor will still function properly. But since I have no other options at hand, I'll go all-in..."
Pakura mused inwardly.
Soon after, she bit her fingertip and dripped blood onto the scroll, unsealing the Catgirl Armor.
As if alive, the moment the armor made contact with Pakura, it automatically attached itself to her body, wrapping her entirely from head to toe.
The tall catgirl with long blue hair reappeared once again.
After trying it out, Pakura was pleased to discover that even though her original body couldn't use any ninjutsu, it wouldn't stop her from using the power of the Catgirl Armor.
This armor had been forged by Heiyan using his Kekkei Tota Terrestrial Release abilities, combined with his own sage cells and natural energy, plus half the chakra of the Two-Tails Matatabi.
Even an ordinary person could achieve Jonin-level power through proficient use of this armor—let alone someone like Pakura, a seasoned ninja with extensive combat experience.
"Come on then. Let me see what exactly is hidden inside this Hozuki Castle."
Pakura murmured softly, her eyes flashing coldly.
Swoosh.
She dropped the torch in her hand and used the Catgirl Armor's superior night vision to leap swiftly through the darkness toward the end of the staircase.
One minute later.
Pakura reached the underground level at the bottom of the stairs. There, she found a laboratory—the center dominated by an operating table, instruments and various glass vials lining both sides.
Directly opposite the operating table stood a tall door, its surface carved with a massive human face wearing an expression of deep sorrow.
Before that great door stood Wutian, the city lord, together with a group of ninja clad in black cloaks and masks shaped like oxen and horsemen, all lined up and engaged in some kind of prayer ritual directed at the door.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
At Pakura's arrival, the entire group turned in unison, their gazes locking onto her.
"Are you… Pakura?"
Warden Wutian eyed the catgirl before him with suspicion, hesitating slightly as he asked.
"It's me."
Pakura answered calmly, without revealing hostility. She didn't immediately attack but instead tested cautiously. "Warden Wutian, may I ask what this place is? And why have you summoned me here?"
Wutian paused, silent for a moment.
Just when Pakura thought he would give no reply, he suddenly spoke, slowly saying:
"Our family has served generation after generation as guardians—in literal terms, keepers of a certain gate. You've probably already figured it out. This very gate."
While speaking, Wutian gestured toward the carved-faced door.
"Why guard it?"
Pakura asked, puzzled.
"Because behind this door lies a box called the Paradise Box."
Wutian didn't keep Pakura waiting and revealed the greatest secret of Hozuki Castle.
He spread his arms wide and chanted, "Paradise Box, born from Satori, guided by Satori, ended by Satori. This mysterious box can grant one wish—no matter what that wish might be—to whoever manages to open it. Legend has it that during the era of the Sage of Six Paths, our Kusagakure ninja nearly obtained control of the entire world through it."
"So what does all this have to do with me?"
Pakura coldly questioned. A wish-granting box? She didn't buy into such nonsense for a second—she saw right through them, nothing more than a bunch of delusional fanatics.
"The members of our Herb Core organization seek to open the Paradise Box and reshape the world once again! To achieve this, we need massive quantities of high-quality chakra. As an exceptional genius ninja like yourself, you would undoubtedly make the finest sacrificial vessel."
At this moment, Wutian stared intensely at Pakura, openly revealing his thoughts.
In truth,
Years ago, the reason Kusagakure built Hozuki Castle here was not only to hide the Paradise Box but also to use prisoners' chakra to research ways to open the box.
"Wutian, you've chosen wisely this time. I sense an enormous amount of chakra from this woman—it's like a Tailed Beast's!"
"Stop wasting words with her. Hurry up and capture her—begin the ritual. Once we sacrifice this woman, we'll definitely be able to open the Paradise Box this time."
The black-clad men wearing cow and horse masks urged on.
Actually, Wutian had been stalling Pakura just now while his companions silently set up barriers around her during their conversation, leaving her no chance of escape.
"I have absolutely no interest in your boring plan. If you want to catch me—don't dream about it!"
With a clear cry, Pakura opened her mouth and exhaled. A blue fireball flew out, rapidly expanding mid-flight as it hurtled toward Wutian and others.
[Two-Tails · Matatabi's Demonic Flame!]
"Attack!"
The masked men shouted together as well. They used very unique ninjutsu, combining their efforts to create a solid indestructible chakra barrier successfully resisting Matatabi's demonic flame.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Pakura continuously launched fireballs from her mouth, each more powerful than the last, yet all were predictably blocked by that barrier without exception.
"Damn it..."
She couldn't help clenching her fists tightly, frowning.
If Pakura hadn't been sealed by the Fire Release: Skyward Imprisonment Seal, she could mix her Scorch Release flames with Matatabi's demonic fire. Together, they'd unleash unstoppable infernos—these fools wouldn't stand a chance.
"This woman's out of moves. Let's go together and take her! Let her taste the true terror of Kusagakure's Binding Curse!"
At this point, those masked men shifted from defense to attack, rushing toward Pakura all at once.
Pakura's gaze sharpened, ready to fight these enemies to the bitter end—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A sudden whistling tore through the air behind her. It was a storm of countless black iron sand needles, like an unceasing downpour covering the entire underground laboratory.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle.]
Not good.
Faced with this sudden attack, Pakura's eyes widened in shock. She seemed about to be the first victim swallowed by the iron sand rainstorm. Yet, strangely enough—
The iron sand needles appeared to have eyes of their own, all veering away from her and flying past both sides of her body.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In a series of crashing sounds, equipment, beakers, and test tubes inside the lab were all destroyed without exception, turning into shards and fragments scattered across the floor.
At the same time, Wutian and those black-cloaked minions with ox heads and horse faces were also forced back in shock by the onslaught of iron sand needles.
Then,
Under everyone's astonished gaze, a tall figure clad in black armor floated midair, slowly emerging from the darkness as he glided forward.
Swish.
The figure descended directly next to Pakura, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her facing the enemies. Behind him, a gray cape drifted down bearing the character for "magnet" clearly marked upon it.
"You are..."
Instinctively stepping back two steps, Pakura's eyes turned cautious. Although this suddenly appearing mysterious person had helped her, she couldn't see at all where he came from, so she remained at maximum alert towards him.
Inside the armor was Heiyan.
Actually, Heiyan could've rescued Pakura earlier. However, upon noticing Lord Hozuki's intentions, he spontaneously decided to use Pakura temporarily as bait.
The purpose, naturally, was the "Paradise Box."
After all, this was the ultimate weapon from the era of the Sage of Six Paths—an artifact of legend.
Looking at Pakura, Heiyan was just about to open his mouth to hint at his identity when an angry and surprised voice interrupted from the opposite side.
"Magnet Release? Are you a ninja from Sunagakure?"
Wutian glared at Heiyan, after questioning him; he quickly whispered to the companions around him, "We might have fallen into a trap—an elaborate plan by Sunagakure. They deliberately sent Pakura to this prison just to locate the Paradise Box and then steal it."
Everyone on the scene stood stunned upon hearing this—Heiyan included.
Admittedly, Wutian figured things out quickly, and his explanation sounded very plausible.
Is that really how it is?
Pakura herself was even more dazed because she truly had no knowledge of such a scheme.
Moreover, according to what she knew, only two people from Sunagakure possessed Magnet Release abilities—the Third Kazekage and Rasa. Now, the Third was already dead, while 'Rasa's technique' involved manipulating gold dust, which was completely different from this man's style.
Could this armored enigmatic figure possibly be one of the hidden experts within the village?
Thinking thus, Pakura intently fixed her eyes upon Heiyan and swiftly spoke up:
"Who exactly are you? If you truly belong to Sunagakure, provide some evidence convincing enough for me to cooperate in battle alongside you."
"Don't rush. We'll talk after I deal with them."
Maintaining eye contact with Pakura, Heiyan replied in a deep voice laced with a metallic resonance.
Once he finished speaking, he strode toward Wutian and his group.
"Kill him!"
"No one will prevail? That's what you claim?" Wutian's voice cut through the air like steel, murder gleaming in his eyes.
His words still ringing out, fire chakra coalesced into a roaring blade of flames in his hand. Without hesitation, he charged forward and thrust the blazing sword toward Heiyan.
Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.
"Bring him down!"
The other black-clad warriors roared in unison at their leader's command, weaving an imprisonment barrier that crashed down upon Heiyan like thunder.
Yet in response to this overwhelming assault, Heiyan simply halted mid-step and slowly spread his arms wide.
The instant that followed…
Shshshsh!
Blades of iron sand sliced through the air, weaving at lightning speed to form an impenetrable barrier that instantly engulfed the entire underground laboratory.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method]!
This ultimate Magnet Release technique brought the iron sand's offensive power, density, and range to an unprecedented level.
Days earlier on the snow-covered plains of the Land of Iron, the Third Kazekage had briefly restrained Heiyan in Sage Mode using this very technique, creating the opening for Onoki to unleash his Dust Release attack.
But now drawn directly from Shukaku's chakra, this version eclipsed even the Third Kazekage's formidable skill—especially when combined with Heiyan's Sage Transformation.
Therefore, when Heiyan unleashed this move, the battle ended before it truly began.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In one second.
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