July 1st.
Standing on a boat, Natsuki activated Clairvoyance.
Hozuki Castle in the distance came into view.
Hozuki Castle was an isolated island surrounded by the sea.
Yet, it was indeed located within the borders of the Land of Grass.
From this perspective, the climate and geography of the ninja world were truly miraculous.
The Land of Grass had abundant sunlight, so there was a vast grassland within its borders.
Besides the grassland, it also had an inland sea.
Yet the neighboring Land of Rain saw no sunlight all year round and rained every day.
Thinking of the grassland, Natsuki thought of animal husbandry.
He felt he could also bring the Land of Grass under the control of the Akatsuki organization.
Anyway, he had no good feelings toward Kusagakure.
In the original work, Kusagakure committed inhumane acts, treating Karin and her mother as mobile blood banks, ultimately leading to their tragic fate.
If not for Orochimaru, Karin would probably have died by having her blood sucked dry, just like her mother.
As for the person to control the Land of Grass and Kusagakure, he felt Mui was a good choice.
Mui possessed considerable strength.
In his early years, he was obsessed with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, hoping to open it and let Kusagakure rule the ninja world.
It wasn't until his son, Muku, died because of the Box of Ultimate Bliss that he woke up, solely desiring to open the box to resurrect Muku.
Unfortunately, the wishing mechanism of the Box of Ultimate Bliss was twisted.
Muku was resurrected, but he was actually transformed into Satori.
In the end, Mui sacrificed his life to help Uzumaki Naruto and the others defeat Satori.
It's worth mentioning that Muku also had a childhood friend named Ryuzetsu.
She mastered a forbidden jutsu called Dragon Life Reincarnation, which was a life-for-a-life resurrection jutsu.
But it was too early now. Neither Muku nor Ryuzetsu had been born yet.
Natsuki and his group soon docked.
Having stayed in Hozuki Castle for a long time, Yahiko and the others had already figured out the situation.
They chose the weakest point in Hozuki Castle's defense, so they easily infiltrated.
In fact, Hozuki Castle's defense was not strict.
This was related to the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison mastered by Mui.
It was a combination of Fire Release and Fuinjutsu.
Once a target, or rather a prisoner, was hit by Fire Release: Heavenly Prison, they could no longer use ninjutsu.
If they attempted to escape, the curse mark left by Fire Release: Heavenly Prison would turn into chains of fire and burn them.
Furthermore, moving too far away from the user would also cause it to ignite automatically.
This resulted in none of the prisoners held in Hozuki Castle daring to escape.
Hozuki Castle was also a public prison for various hidden villages, so there weren't many ninjas attempting prison breaks.
And even if a prison break was successful, they couldn't take the prisoners away.
Unless they dispelled Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.
After landing on the island, Natsuki and the others headed toward Hozuki Castle.
But they didn't take the main entrance. Instead, they went to the back of Hozuki Castle.
Its back was a high cliff, with the ocean right below.
While a ninja's physical strength was indeed high, jumping down while restricted from using ninjutsu by Fire Release: Heavenly Prison would most likely result in death.
Natsuki looked around and raised his hand.
Concealment Barrier!
Chakra surged out, forming an invisible barrier.
Soon, this area was covered by the barrier.
From the outside, Natsuki and the others would be completely hidden by the barrier.
"I'll go lure Mui over. You guys hold him off, and I'll go find the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Natsuki said.
Fighting within this barrier would minimize the commotion as much as possible.
And Konan and the others wouldn't end up surrounded by prison guards.
"Natsuki-sensei, you can leave it to us with peace of mind!"
Yahiko said confidently.
All four of them possessed the strength of Tokubetsu Jonin, and their abilities were unique. Even a Jonin could easily slip up against them.
After all, ninja battles were battles of intelligence.
"Watch out for his Fire Release."
Natsuki nodded and said.
He still had great faith in Yahiko and the others.
Mui's current strength hadn't reached its peak yet.
And if a combination like Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Hyo-onna couldn't defeat him, that would truly be illogical.
After exiting the barrier, Natsuki entered Hozuki Castle.
Following the map provided by Yahiko and the others, he quickly found Mui's office.
Natsuki reached out and flicked a burst of chakra, hitting his window.
"Who's there?"
Mui immediately stood up and gave chase.
Natsuki left a view of his back for him, then ran outward.
Mui pursued without hesitation.
Upon reaching the back of Hozuki Castle, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Because Natsuki had vanished without a trace.
Right at this moment, a wave of freezing air swept toward him.
Wherever the freezing air passed, the ground completely froze over.
Mui immediately retreated backward.
The sound of wind breaking rang out.
A demonified Konan appeared behind him.
Rankyaku!
She delivered a kick.
The terrifying force transformed into a vacuum wave, slashing toward his body like a sharp blade.
Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Fire Sword!
Mui sensed danger, but as a Jonin, his reaction speed was very fast.
With a twist of his right wrist, Fire Release chakra formed into a sword, clashing against the vacuum wave in reverse.
The air current distorted, and sparks flew everywhere.
After the sword exploded, it turned into a sea of fire, surrounding Konan instead.
Geppo!
Konan narrowly avoided the sea of fire, taking to the air.
Without even looking at the result, Mui used the Body Flicker Technique.
He instantly dodged the freezing air created by Yahiko.
Just as Mui landed, he saw a water dragon descending from the sky.
He looked up and saw Nagato.
Mui hurriedly formed hand seals.
He opened his mouth and spat out a fierce stream of fire.
But before it even reached the water dragon, an ice wall surfaced in front of him.
The ice wall blocked the flames, and the water dragon swerved, bypassing the ice wall and crashing toward Mui.
"Two Ice Release ninjas?"
Mui noticed Hyo-onna, his heart jolting.
Grass Secret Jutsu: Explosive Palm!
But facing the incoming water dragon, Mui chose to strike out with a palm.
Chakra covered his palm, which then hit the water dragon's head.
The water dragon let out a mournful sound, and its head immediately shattered into pieces.
Nagato clearly hadn't expected Mui's taijutsu to be this strong as well, subconsciously revealing an expression of surprise.
But Yahiko had already seized this opportunity, using chakra to create a massive amount of blood.
Blood Demon Art: Wintry Icicles!
Sharp icicles plummeted from mid-air, enveloping Mui.
At the same time, Konan took out the Sorcery Clima-Tact.
Thunderstorm Rod!
A large number of black spheres emerged from the top of the Sorcery Clima-Tact.
They connected together, making the Sorcery Clima-Tact longer, like a long whip.
Konan raised the Sorcery Clima-Tact.
A long whip flashing with lightning lashed toward Mui.
Mui felt increasingly bewildered.
Where did these four geniuses come from? And why were they attacking him?
But he didn't have time to think too much right now.
The coordinated attacks of the four left him somewhat overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Natsuki had already arrived at Mui's residence.
He stepped forward and stepped on one of the floorboards.
The floorboard abruptly parted, revealing a downward passage.
Natsuki walked down.
At the end of the passage was a basement.
Right in the middle of the basement sat the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
It was a cube, with a human face on each of its four sides, representing joy, anger, sorrow, and joy.
This was why Natsuki said Satori was a Yin Release monster.
Emotions were spiritual power, which was Yin Release.
And Yin Release could create forms out of nothing, which fit the wishing mechanism of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Natsuki reached out and placed his hand on the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
A chilling aura swept over him.
The Nfirea template's Innate Talent immediately took effect.
Natsuki felt that he could open the Box of Ultimate Bliss whenever he wanted.
He thought for a moment and didn't open it immediately.
After all, this place wasn't suitable.
Natsuki took out a summoning storage scroll.
But he quickly found that the Box of Ultimate Bliss couldn't be placed inside it.
No wonder Mui kept the Box of Ultimate Bliss in the basement instead of carrying it around in a summoning storage scroll.
Thinking of this, Natsuki used the Door-Door Fruit.
An Air Door appeared.
He pushed forcefully, shoving the Box of Ultimate Bliss into the Air Door.
Subsequently, he and the Box of Ultimate Bliss arrived on the boundless grassland of the Land of Grass.
Natsuki thought for a moment, left a Shadow Clone behind, and returned to Hozuki Castle.
Although he believed Yahiko and the other three could defeat Mui, he still worried they might get injured.
Moreover, Mui couldn't be killed by them. Otherwise, he'd have to find another person in charge.
Before Natsuki even got close, he felt intense chakra fluctuations.
He looked toward the five people in combat.
Because he hadn't been gone for long, the victor had not yet been decided.
But judging from the situation, Mui had already fallen into a disadvantage.
Lightning flashed.
Under Konan's control, a thundercloud in the sky immediately released a dazzling bolt of lightning.
Mui's speed instantly soared.
But the next second, Nagato blocked his path.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!
Nagato, wielding the Kusanagi Sword, swung his blade.
A massive amount of chakra transformed into a water flow, frantically attacking Mui.
Body Flicker Technique!
Mui dodged to the left.
Konan predicted his movement, and another bolt of lightning struck down from the thundercloud.
With nowhere to hide, Mui immediately formed hand seals.
Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Fire Sword!
A scorching aura spread.
A burst of flame took the shape of a sword and clashed against the lightning.
With a boom!
The flame exploded.
With a wave of his hand, Mui sent the flame flying toward the approaching Nagato.
Seeing this, Hyo-onna formed hand seals and used Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness.
Although she had two Blood Demon Arts, neither could be used in combat, so she could only use Ice Release.
Her strength was quite a bit inferior to Yahiko and the others.
An ice wall rose up, blocking the flame.
Nagato stepped on the ice wall and leaped into the air.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
The Kusanagi Sword spun and slashed toward Mui.
But what was even more astonishing was his majestic chakra.
Streams of Water Release chakra surrounded him, quickly weaving into a giant water dragon in the air.
Mui's heart jolted at the sight.
This teenager Nagato's chakra was actually this astonishing?
It felt like it was even more than his own as a Jonin.
The terrifying offensive made Mui feel unprecedented pressure.
Fire Release: Great Heavenly Prison!
Mui raised his hands.
The chakra in his entire body turned into flames.
Under his control, the flames directly bound the water dragon.
In the original work, he used Fire Release: Great Heavenly Prison to bind the Tailed Beast-level Satori.
Although the water dragon was massive, it still couldn't compare to Satori.
Seeing this, Nagato, amidst his astonishment, immediately changed his attack method.
Rankyaku!
He kicked toward Mui.
The vacuum wave transformed into a slash, intending to slice Mui in two.
Grass Secret Jutsu: Explosive Palm!
Mui hastily struck out with a palm.
The immense force forced him backward.
At the same time, a bloody gash appeared on his palm.
Ice Release Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!
Ice mirrors appeared all around him one by one.
Hyo-onna appeared in one of the ice mirrors, and with a flick of her hands.
A massive amount of ice shurikens flew toward Mui.
Mui hurriedly steadied his footing and threw out a dense barrage of shurikens in response.
But Hyo-onna immediately slipped into the ice mirror and vanished.
Moreover, she wasn't fighting alone.
Yahiko's ice shurikens also arrived behind Mui.
Nagato even raised his hand and thrust it toward him.
Mui couldn't dodge in time.
The ice shurikens hit his back.
Nagato's Shigan pierced through his shoulder.
Konan seized this opportunity, using the Sorcery Clima-Tact to generate several cloud balls.
Upon touching Mui, the cloud balls rapidly expanded, entangling him.
Natsuki used Soru and appeared in front of him.
Although Mui was injured, he still had some strength left.
Just as he was about to resist, he met Natsuki's eyes.
Figure Eyes!
He immediately fell into a daze.
Natsuki then extended his hand.
A drop of blood flew toward Mui.
"Release him."
Natsuki took a step back and said.
Konan nodded and dispelled the cloud balls.
Mui fell to the ground and was quickly transformed into a demon.
Unlike Hiruko and Nadare Roga, he was chosen to be one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Although only a Lower Rank.
The reason Natsuki chose him to be one of the Twelve Kizuki was because he needed him to control Kusagakure and the Land of Grass.
Mui was a Kusagakure ninja himself, and his strength was formidable. Having him control Kusagakure would be relatively convenient.
And given his talent and strength, he was qualified to become one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Although only a Lower Rank.
Making him a Lower Rank was because he wasn't willingly loyal to Natsuki.
Mui's panel quickly floated before Natsuki's eyes.
[Name: Mui]
[Race: Human, Demon]
[Ability 1: Half-Demonification — LOCKED]
[Effect: Half-human, half-demon. Increases attack, speed, and regeneration capabilities]
[Unlock Condition: Self-comprehension]
[Ability 2: Blood Demon Art: Illusory Flames — LOCKED]
[Effect: Mixes genjutsu into flames to interfere with the target]
[Unlock Condition: Self-comprehension]
[Note: After unlocking, you will also obtain this Blood Demon Art]
Natsuki thought carefully.
This Blood Demon Art: Illusory Flames came from Kamanue, one of the Twelve Kizuki in Demon Slayer, leaning toward fire and genjutsu interference. It sounded impressive, but it was actually just average.
The effect also stated it was for interference.
How should he put it?
It was quite fitting for Mui.
He was already very skilled in Fire Release.
In a sense, he even countered the weakness of demons.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
He noticed that the progress for his Hatake Kakashi template's First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates had increased by one-third.
Its unlock condition was to defeat three Taijutsu Jonin.
Does this mean Mui is also a Taijutsu Jonin?
Natsuki thought for a moment. He did use taijutsu just now.
Grass Secret Jutsu: Explosive Palm, a taijutsu unique to Kusagakure.
Natsuki thought to himself, it's a good thing he used Figure Eyes to control Mui at the end.
Only then did the system determine that he had defeated Mui.
However, the First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates wasn't actually of much use to him.
He wasn't in a hurry either.
Being able to increase the progress by one-third could be considered an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Mui regained consciousness.
He quickly understood his situation, and for a moment, he stood blankly in place.
To him, this was a bit of an unprovoked disaster.
After all, he had been staying perfectly fine in Hozuki Castle, not even going out.
As a result, Natsuki and the others suddenly appeared.
Not only did they beat him up, but they also transformed him into a demon.
Mui couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation in his heart.
Although he didn't want to be controlled by Natsuki, he was now powerless to resist.
The Blood Curse was just that overbearing.
"Welcome to the Akatsuki organization of the Land of Rain."
Natsuki looked at him and spoke.
"..."
Mui responded with silence.
"You should actually thank me."
Natsuki chuckled and said.
"You control me, and you want me to thank you?"
Mui laughed out of anger.
"What you pursue is opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Natsuki said unhurriedly. "But the Box of Ultimate Bliss is not the omnipotent wishing machine you imagine."
"Your goal is the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
Mui realized.
"Not just the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Natsuki shook his head and said. "I need you to become the leader of Kusagakure and control the Land of Grass."
Mui couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.
He hadn't expected this Akatsuki organization's ambitions to be so grand, wanting to control the Land of Grass and Kusagakure.
"Although I have a say in Kusagakure, becoming the leader is almost impossible."
Mui said very calmly.
"You naturally can't do it alone."
Natsuki pointed to Yahiko and the other three and said. "The Akatsuki organization will help you."
"Does the Akatsuki organization have that much power?"
A look of doubt appeared on Mui's face.
Although he was stationed in Hozuki Castle, he had always paid attention to the outside world.
He had never even heard of this Akatsuki organization.
"Don't underestimate our Akatsuki organization!"
Yahiko instantly said unhappily. "Don't forget we just defeated you!"
"..."
Mui's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
But Yahiko did make sense.
Judging from the battle just now, the strength and talent of Yahiko and the other three were terrifying.
Let alone Natsuki.
A single Blood Curse could encroach upon Kusagakure.
Hearing this, Natsuki didn't say much more.
It wouldn't be easy for Yahiko and the other three to help Mui take control of Kusagakure.
But this suited Natsuki's intentions.
Because completing this task would serve as a great training exercise.
As he said before, blindly training makes it difficult to grow.
And the ninjas who joined the Akatsuki organization also needed training.
"Alright, next we go open the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Natsuki reached out and opened an Air Door.
"Space-time ninjutsu?"
Mui couldn't help but widen his eyes, but then he thought of something and said. "Just you and I alone cannot open the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"You're wrong. I don't need you. I can open it alone."
Natsuki walked into the Air Door.
"That's impossible!"
Mui subconsciously denied it.
"Hmph, you haven't seen Natsuki-sensei's skills."
Yahiko followed closely and entered the Air Door.
"Natsuki?"
Mui frowned slightly, only feeling that this name was very familiar.
When he walked out of the Air Door and saw the Box of Ultimate Bliss, his body suddenly jolted as he remembered.
Natsuki was Konoha's super genius, Orochimaru's student.
Why would he run off to the Land of Rain to establish an organization called Akatsuki? And even plan to control the Land of Grass and Kusagakure?
Is Konoha trying to start the Third Great Ninja War?
Natsuki ignored what Mui was thinking. He placed his hand on the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The Black Grail was activated, and a massive amount of chakra was inputted into it.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss abruptly began to tremble.
A gloomy aura spread out.
At the same time, a voice appeared in everyone's minds.
"Born with Satori, moving with Satori, ending with Satori. Make your wish."
Mui stiffened in place.
Natsuki actually opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss all by himself?
"Mui."
Natsuki thought for a moment and said. "You make the wish."
For this kind of twisted wishing, it was safer to let someone else do it.
"Me?"
Mui looked utterly incredulous.
"Yes, you."
Natsuki withdrew his hand and said.
"I wish to become the strongest in the ninja world!"
Hearing this, Mui said without hesitation.
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