~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
<><><><>
Misfortunes never come singly.
While the envoys of the four great nations were busy explaining the Fire Games Joint Declaration to their respective daimyo, a barrage of metaphorical Tailed Beast Bombs—the lottery, the tulips, and the Iki / Forest Reader articles—were launched against their villages.
The world of the living was being bombarded by Konoha's influence, and the world of the dead… was also facing a crisis.
❁❁❁❁
Kumogakure — Underground Cemetery.
Black Zetsu diligently excavated, embodying the principle of hard work being rewarded by the Heaven.
His voice was cheerful, humming a tune he'd picked up somewhere:
"In what kind of cemetery, dig, dig, dig a hole~"
"What kind of ninja, what kind of corpse will bloom~"
"In a small cemetery, dig, dig, dig a hole~"
"Plant a Jonin's corpse, a Jonin's corpse will bloom. In a big cemetery, dig, dig, dig a hole~ Plant a Raikage's corpse, a Raikage's corpse will bloom~"
"A bountiful harvest!"
Black Zetsu's shovel struck something… extraordinary.
A heavy coffin was slowly pried open—
Purple lightning crackled, and the air crackled with thunder!
A golden legend!
Unlike the unfilial Konoha, Kumogakure adhered to tradition, eschewing the disrespectful practice of cremation. Their dead were buried in cemeteries.
Perhaps because they were primarily taijutsu users, often utilizing Lightning Release Chakra Mode… aside from the First Raikage, the bodies of the Second and Third Raikage were relatively well-preserved, suitable for Edo Tensei resurrection.
In other villages, even the remains of the previous generation's Kage were often too decomposed for Edo Tensei.
"If only Hashirama and Tobirama hadn't fallen victim to Konoha's cremation practices… their bloodline should have preserved their bodies."
What one couldn't have, one always desired. The Senju brothers had become Black Zetsu's unattainable white moonlight.
After opening the Kage's coffins, he turned his attention to the numerous graves of elders and elite ninja.
The Third Raikage's foster father, known for his Lightning Release: Black Panther jutsu; the Gold and Silver Brothers, infamous rogue ninja who'd consumed the Nine-Tails' chakra; the previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B…
…not a single one was spared. Black Zetsu claimed them all.
Kumogakure, truly a land of blessings!
Black Zetsu, immensely satisfied, sealed the bodies within his storage scrolls.
"Thus concludes the corpse retrieval operation for the four villages!"
"From Sunagakure, I've acquired the bodies of the Third and Fourth Kazekage."
"From Kirigakure, the Second Mizukage."
"From Iwagakure, the Second Tsuchikage."
"And from Kumogakure, the Second and Third Raikage—four Kage-level ninja!"
"A total of ten!" Black Zetsu smacked his lips.
This was fewer than he'd anticipated, but still acceptable. Once he returned to the hideout with the bodies and had Kabuto revive them, the organization's plan could proceed to the next stage.
The Shinobi World was becoming increasingly unstable—
This was advantageous for Akatsuki. The more chaos, the better!
Ideally, the war between the Allied Shinobi Forces and Konoha would escalate into a bloody stalemate, allowing Akatsuki to reap the benefits. By the time the villages realized their folly and united to protect the remaining Tailed Beasts, it would be too late.
"Excellent~"
"But first, let's give Nagato a little… motivation. He should be in the Land of Grass, preparing to rendezvous with Fūka and Pakura after they capture the Tailed Beast in the Land of Earth."
"Those… compromising photos of Lady Konan and Gojo Kaigetsu… I wonder how he'll react? This will be most entertaining~"
Black Zetsu sank into the earth, vanishing without a trace.
❁❁❁❁
Land of Grass – Hōzuki Castle…
"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"
Mui, the warden of Hōzuki Castle, his hands flashing through seals, slammed his gloved hand onto the Asura Path's chest.
Whoosh!
The Asura Path went flying, crashing into a brick wall, the impact sending dust and debris swirling.
Mui, retracting his hand, dusted it off, his expression impassive. "Judging by your appearance… you're one of Sunagakure's puppeteers. But once caught in my Heavenly Prison, you're finished."
"The moment you gather chakra, the seal on your chest will ignite, burning your very will, inflicting unimaginable pain."
"Give up. You can't defeat me."
The Asura Path, looking down at the glowing red brand on its chest, said nothing, simply rising and walking towards Mui.
Suddenly, its head opened, and a laser beam shot forth, pursuing Mui relentlessly.
Mui dodged, the laser beam exploding, creating craters throughout Hōzuki Castle.
"Damn it…" Mui's expression turned serious. Looking at the glowing brand on the Asura Path's chest, he realized his Heavenly Prison Jutsu had taken effect.
Normally, the Heavenly Prison was indiscriminate.
Whether Kage or Jonin, once you mobilized chakra, they would experience the agonizing pain of their soul being burned.
In such a state, forget using jutsu, even gathering chakra would be excruciating, reducing them to the level of ordinary people. A ninja unable to gather chakra was no different from a civilian, even weaker than a seasoned samurai.
"But why… is it ineffective against him?"
"No matter. Even if your will can withstand the pain, it's futile." Mui's hands moved quickly through seals. As he did, the brand on the Asura Path's chest glowed brighter, its heat intensifying, engulfing the Asura Path in flames.
The Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Jutsu could be detonated remotely by the caster.
It was also one of the few fire jutsu capable of killing. It was this jutsu that had secured Mui's position as warden of Hōzuki Castle, giving him the authority to operate independently of the Land of Grass, as the warden of a prison shared by the five great nations.
Thump—
The seemingly invincible Asura Path collapsed.
Perhaps it still had hidden weapons, technological marvels beyond the Shinobi World's understanding, but without intel, once caught in Mui's Heavenly Prison, death was inevitable.
"Is it over?" Mui's expression softened.
Truly, a bizarre attack.
While Hōzuki Castle nominally belonged to the Land of Grass, it was located on an island surrounded by treacherous currents, at the heart of a region bordered by the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and the Shinobi Arc. It was the Shinobi World's designated maximum-security prison.
It was accessible only by boat.
But this… creature, clad in a black cloak with red clouds, had seemingly flown across the sea, arriving directly at Hōzuki Castle.
"Since when could ninja fly?"
A cold sweat broke out on Mui's brow; his legs felt weak.
He looked up, and his eyes widened in shock.
Five pairs of purple eyes gazed down at him from the sky. They had arrived at Hōzuki Castle unnoticed.
The Six Paths of Pain, clad in their black cloaks with red clouds, descended, landing gracefully before the seemingly lifeless Asura Path.
These… creatures… exuded an unprecedented level of menace. Even a simple glance from those cold eyes made his soul tremble.
The Naraka Path clapped its hands.
The ground trembled, and the King of Hell, with the kanji for "King" on its forehead, emerged. It opened its massive maw and swallowed the Asura Path whole.
Then, it opened its mouth again, and the Asura Path, completely healed, stepped out.
Mui stared, dumbfounded.
The Deva Path, offering him no time to recover, stepped forward. "Where is the ultimate weapon left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?"
They were here for the Box of Ultimate Bliss?!
Mui's eyes widened in terror. The Box of Ultimate Bliss was his greatest trump card!
According to ancient texts, the Box of Ultimate Bliss could grant the wish of whoever opened it. It was the ultimate weapon of the Sage of Six Paths' era. It was said that, during the Sage's time, Kusagakure had nearly conquered the Shinobi World with it.
"Who are you?!"
<><><><>
Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters.
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!