The Bliss Box
"Opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss will grant the opener's wish?"
Obito Uchiha frowned, lost in thought after hearing about the Box of Ultimate Bliss in the Land of Grass. The intelligence he received from Zetsu regarding Kusagakure's ambitions and their control over the ancient relic left him skeptical.
For a moment, he entertained the idea of using the box to resurrect the dead—perhaps even reviving Rin—but dismissed it almost immediately. If the box truly held such power, Kusagakure, a minor village, wouldn't have been able to keep it hidden from the Five Great Nations for so long.
Yet, their plan intrigued him. The sheer audacity of Kusagakure to seek dominance over the shinobi world—and to consider manipulating the Akatsuki as mere pawns—was almost laughable.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, Obito turned to Black Zetsu. "How much do you know about the Box of Ultimate Bliss? Can this thing really conquer the shinobi world?"
Black Zetsu smirked dismissively. "It's an artifact of great power, but all who use it become part of it. It's nothing more than a cursed object that consumes its users. It has no value to our plans."
"Tailed Beasts… the Ten-Tails…"
Obito's expression darkened. His recent search for Naruto in Konoha had turned up nothing—the boy wasn't there. If he hadn't known that the leader of Uzushiogakure was Minato Namikaze, he might have suspected Naruto was leading the re-emerging village himself.
Regardless, both Minato and Naruto were roadblocks to the Eye of the Moon Plan. Without the Nine-Tails, even capturing the other eight Tailed Beasts would leave the Ten-Tails incomplete.
This Kusagakure investigation wasn't even Obito's decision—it was Nagato's. After the battle with the Uzushiogakure leader, Nagato shifted his focus from Tailed Beast hunting to expanding Amegakure's influence. He ordered Akatsuki members to gather intelligence on Kusagakure's movements.
At that moment, Black Zetsu's voice interrupted Obito's thoughts. "By the way, Kusagakure plans to ambush Kakuzu and Itachi's teams. Should we warn them?"
Obito scoffed. "Why warn them? Let's just enjoy the show."
Though Obito personally recruited Itachi, the Uchiha was never truly under his control. As for Kakuzu and Hidan—the so-called "immortal duo"—they were expendable.
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Meanwhile, in Kusagakure, the war-hawk elders greeted Akatsuki members Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame Hoshigaki.
As soon as they recognized the infamous rogue ninja standing before them, a cold sweat ran down their backs. Akatsuki might be a mercenary group, but its roster was filled with terrifying figures.
Kakuzu had once attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Itachi Uchiha was an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha. Kisame was a rogue swordsman from Kirigakure who had slain a feudal lord.
Still, the stronger the sacrifices, the greater the ritual's power.
Feigning gratitude, one elder smiled. "We're honored to have the Akatsuki's assistance. Without your help, Kusagakure would be helpless against the threat from Iwagakure."
Kakuzu, uninterested in pleasantries, cut straight to business. "State the mission details. And let's be clear—any bounties from Iwagakure shinobi belong to Akatsuki."
"Of course. In addition to your payment, Kusagakure will provide additional compensation."
Satisfied, Kakuzu nodded. His obsession with money was well known among Akatsuki, and the rest of the team had long since grown accustomed to it. If not for Pain's direct orders, none of them would have willingly worked together.
After brief discussions, the elders led them to a secret chamber, where they handed over a dossier on Iwagakure shinobi targets.
Just then, a Kusagakure shinobi whispered to one of the elders, "Elder, we still haven't located Karin. Could she have escaped?"
"You can't track a girl with no formal ninja training? Useless."
"Our apologies, Elder. Also, Lord Mui is requesting your presence. He says it's urgent."
"Has he completed the preparations?"
The elder's expression flickered before turning back to the Akatsuki members with a polite smile. "Gentlemen, I have urgent village matters to attend to. Please excuse me."
With that, the elders left the room.
Kisame immediately sensed something was off. "Itachi, I don't like this…"
Itachi remained silent but shared Kisame's unease. What could be more important than planning an assassination on Iwagakure's forces?
Rising, he headed toward the door—only to be blocked by Kusagakure guards.
Without hesitation, Itachi cast a genjutsu, forcing the guards to reveal their orders. According to them, Kusagakure had no intention of betraying Akatsuki. Was there truly nothing suspicious happening?
Still, ever since entering the village, Itachi had felt uneasy.
Kakuzu, unimpressed, scoffed. "Kusagakure is a minor village. If they turn on us, we can wipe them out easily."
Hidan grinned, licking the bloodstained edge of his scythe. "If they betray us, that just means more sacrifices for Jashin-sama."
Unlike Itachi and Kisame, who had their own motives for joining Akatsuki, Kakuzu and Hidan were a duo of death.
Kakuzu, once betrayed by Takigakure, trusted only money and was either on a mission or hunting for bounties. Hidan, on the other hand, simply lived to kill, eager to spread his Jashinist faith through bloodshed.
Itachi and Kisame had always kept their distance from these two—dealing with them was more trouble than it was worth.
"If you're scared, go hide," Hidan sneered.
Before he could finish, the room trembled violently. The steel walls slammed shut, and the entire chamber began to descend.
Ten seconds later, they hit the ground.
Kisame slashed through the metal door with Samehada, revealing a massive, bloodstained altar. At its center loomed a massive box—its surface carved with a grotesque human face. Bound sacrifices lay scattered around the altar.
Kakuzu scowled. "So they did set a trap. Kusagakure really has a death wish."
Itachi's sharp gaze turned upward. At the top of the chamber, the elder of the war-hawk faction stood, arms spread wide.
"Welcome, Akatsuki. Soon, you shall become part of the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Enjoy your final moments."
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