Compared to the hidden villages of the Five Great Nations, the Hidden Grass was less a fortress and more a sprawling town. Low-slung buildings were scattered haphazardly among crisscrossing field paths and narrow alleys.
Without the weathered village symbol carved into the entrance gates, one would hardly imagine this was a stronghold for shinobi.
Inside the central administrative building, the leader of the Grass, Koji Kusanagi, sat staring at the two brothers kneeling before him: Mui and Mujō.
"It is time for the Blood Prison to have a new master," Koji stated, his voice low and commanding.
The Land of Grass, along with the Lands of Waterfall and Rain, was separated from the Land of Earth by a narrow strait. Within the territorial waters of the Grass sat a jagged, treacherous island converted into a world-class penitentiary. Because of the sour Hozuki (physalis) berries that grew there, this isolated fortress was known as Hozuki Castle.
The village survived largely on commissions from other nations to incarcerate high-profile prisoners they couldn't handle themselves. Every decade, the castle's governorship rotated, but it was always held by an elite of the "Mui" clan.
This clan possessed a unique Fire Style sealing jutsu: Fire Style: Celestial Prison.
By striking fire-natured chakra into a target, they could bind the victim's chakra pathways like red-hot chains, rendering ninjutsu impossible. Any attempt to mold chakra or escape would trigger the seal, manifesting as literal chains of fire that would bind or even incinerate the prisoner from the inside out.
Mui and Mujō were the brightest stars of their generation in the Mui clan. Young and powerful, they had already mastered the Celestial Prison technique.
However, the Grass was a small village. Sending either of these elite Jonin to rot on a remote island meant losing a top-tier combat asset for the village's defense—a fact that clearly pained Koji.
"Lord Leader, let me go," Mui spoke up, breaking the silence. "As the elder brother, guarding Hozuki Castle is my duty."
"Brother!" Mujō's grip tightened on his knees, his eyes filled with a complex mix of frustration and respect.
Being the master of the Blood Prison was a title, yes, but it was also a life sentence. To be trapped on that island during their prime meant sacrificing the chance to lead the village one day.
"Very well. Mui, you shall be the new master of Hozuki Castle," Koji nodded after a moment of deliberation. "Take your family with you. When Muku reaches the age for the academy, I will ensure he is placed in the elite track."
Koji offered the compensation quickly. The Grass had modeled much of its infrastructure—the Anbu, the Academy, and the medical system—after the Hidden Leaf.
"I live to serve the village's will," Mui bowed his head.
Koji nodded in satisfaction.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the village's morning peace.
Inside the room, the three men scrambled to the window, their faces masks of shock. A pillar of fire erupted from the village center, followed by a thick, rolling shroud of black smoke.
"Ryuzetsu!" Koji roared, summoning his elite guard to the site of the blast.
When they arrived, their horror deepened. It was the Grass Village Hospital that had been attacked. The two-story building was half-collapsed, with smoke billowing from the rubble where countless ninjas lay buried or wounded, their screams filling the air.
Through the haze, a mysterious figure in a black robe and a white three-eyed fox mask emerged. He walked with measured, calm steps, cradling a red-haired woman in his arms.
Beside him, a small girl—also with vibrant red hair—clutched at his cloak.
"Uzumaki Vanilla and her daughter?" Koji's brow furrowed.
He had been meticulously careful to hide these two Uzumaki survivors within the hospital, assigning guards to monitor their every move. Only Chunin and above were allowed to access that specific room for "treatment."
If every Genin were allowed to take a bite and drain their life force, Vanilla would have been dead years ago. Even with such "restraint," her body was failing, a patchwork of scars and hollowed vitality.
"Who are you!" Mui, Mujō, and the Anbu Captain, Ryuzetsu, moved in front of Koji, drawing their weapons.
Grass ninjas swarmed the area, forming a tight perimeter around the hospital. Their eyes were filled with a mix of hatred and fear as they surrounded the intruder.
"You attack our village without provocation! Do you wish to declare war on the Hidden Grass?" Koji demanded, drawing a short sword.
He suspected the intruder was after the Uzumaki, but the man didn't have red hair himself. How did he find them? There had to be a spy.
"Lord Leader! He is the one Cloud is hunting... the 'Shura'!" Ryuzetsu's voice trembled slightly beneath her mask.
"Shura!" Koji stiffened.
Though they were a minor village, they tracked international events. A month ago, the Leaf and Cloud had been hit by a mystery attacker. The 70-million-ryo bounty on Shura's head was no rumor—it was a fortune in cold, hard cash. Any man with such a price on his head was a monster.
"Without provocation?" Menma snorted.
He looked down at the woman in his arms. Vanilla was barely breathing, her arms covered in a sickening lattice of bite marks. Beside him, little Karin clutched her mother's hand, whispering her name in a daze.
Menma felt the familiar, dark surge of violent, negative emotion expanding in his chest. The hypocrisy of the Grass was revolting.
He didn't even bother to negotiate.
"Kill them all."
His voice was a frigid whisper carrying absolute killing intent.
Before Koji or his men could react, the smoke behind the masked man began to churn.
Seiryu, Genbu, Suzaku, Byakko—the Four Masked Beasts erupted from the haze!
The Azure Dragon's massive form crushed the remaining roof tiles as it lunged. The White Tiger's heavy paws flattened several ninjas with a single swipe.
The Black Tortoise's iron-bound body charged like a juggernaut, pulverizing anyone in its path. High above, the Vermilion Bird spiraled down, its talons shredding through Grass ninjas like paper.
The Golden Snake tunneled through the earth, erupting beneath the feet of the panicked defenders, dragging them into the depths.
Behind Menma, the Soutu and Beitu Immortals stood like statues. They slammed their fox-headed staves into the ground, activating a massive sealing array.
Purple runes snaked across the ground, wrapping around the ankles of the Grass ninjas and freezing them in place.
In the air, the Reaper swung its scythe in a crimson arc, sending out countless wind blades to harvest the lives of the trapped men. The Celestial Maiden's silk ribbons pierced through bodies like flexible rapiers.
In an instant, the Hidden Grass was swallowed by a chorus of agony.
Shura was not just an intruder.
One man was an entire army.