Chapter 72: 72.Inside Hōzuki Castle
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-Korron Hightower
-YoungPhxntom
-Dan Trigolden
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After completely trapping Danzo Shimura and his companions, Kaito Uchiha formed hand seals again, and the Sharingan in his red eyes spun.
His immense and pure mental power, activated by the Sharingan, easily eradicated the weak souls of the bugs.
Large swaths of black insects fell from the air, covering the ground beneath his feet.
"How can this be..." Torune struggled to speak, "The Sharingan... killed my bugs directly..."
"It seems you are Kaito who took Sasuke Uchiha away," Danzo tried to probe, "Now that you have obtained the Sharingan, leave quickly. Do you want to face the entire village's siege?"
Kaito sneered, disdainfully looking at the bloodied, one-eyed, and utterly disheveled Danzo Shimura, casually responding, "No need to worry about me, Danzo-sama."
"My subordinates have been unresponsive for so long, it seems you brought reinforcements." Anger surged in Danzo's single eye, "Is it Itachi Uchiha? Or, is it Madara Uchiha?"
"Oh?" Kaito raised an eyebrow, "It seems you know quite a lot. When did you meet that man who claims to be Madara?"
"Of course, it was when the Uchiha clan was annihilated." Danzo provocatively replied, "The destruction of the Uchiha clan was personally carried out by him and Itachi Uchiha. I arrived later only to clean up the aftermath."
"So, you're saying the Uchiha clan's downfall had nothing to do with you?" Kaito asked, his smile implying skepticism.
"Of course. At that time, I was following the Third Hokage's orders, waiting for negotiations with the Uchiha." Danzo claimed boldly, "Unexpectedly, Itachi Uchiha followed Madara's instructions and acted directly, killing all his clan members."
"Is that so." Kaito took a few steps forward, taking a small bottle containing a Sharingan from the tray in his clone's hand to examine it closely, "Then why did they leave these Sharingan eyes for you?"
"That's because I arrived with my men in time; they hadn't had the chance to clear the battlefield."
"Utter nonsense!"
Izuna's condemning voice sounded, and he, along with Chiri, materialized beside Kaito.
He took the bottle containing the Mangekyo Sharingan from the tray, asking darkly, "Kid, why waste words with him? Whose eye is this?"
"I don't know." Kaito shook his head, looking again at Danzo, "Can you enlighten us, Danzo?"
However, Danzo was somewhat surprised by the two new Uchiha figures, one male and one female, each holding a blood-stained long sword, obviously having fought recently, implying the members of the Foundation at the base might already be dead.
What he couldn't accept was that he and his two subordinates hadn't sensed any disturbance.
Moreover, he had no recollection of the male Uchiha, but the woman seemed somewhat familiar.
"Are you... Chiri Uchiha?" He looked at the woman holding the blood-stained long sword with a gentle smile in shock.
"Where did you obtain the Reanimation Jutsu?" He questioned Kaito again, "Did you make a deal with Orochimaru, the traitor, Uchiha's remnants?"
"Whether I did or didn't isn't your concern. I have no intention of telling you." Kaito was running out of patience with the old man's meddling, "You need to understand, you are now the prisoner, Danzo."
"Sorry, I'm not inclined to leave the Leaf just yet." Kaito looked back at his predecessors, "As long as we control these people, we might gain more in the future."
"Whether they live or die doesn't matter to me. Finish it with Danzo, Chiri-sama." His expression was ruthless, "Just make sure the body remains intact."
Chiri frowned slightly, voicing her concern, "Kaito, are you intending to dabble in those forbidden jutsu?"
"Don't worry." Kaito reassured her with a smile, "I won't indulge in such things; after all, I've discovered better techniques."
Chiri nodded, "I believe you."
Her gaze returned to Danzo Shimura, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately she remained silent, simply walking forward silently with her sword.
"What are you doing! Scoundrels!"
"Let go of Danzo-sama! You traitors of the Leaf!"
Torune and Fū struggled and shouted.
"Do you seek to take my life?" Danzo remained relatively calm, "The Uchiha have always been a thorn in the Leaf's side."
"No, this is personal." Chiri raised her sword towards his heart, "I'm merely seeking revenge for myself."
Danzo's pupil dilated slightly, "I remember you died in the Uchiha clan's internal strife, what does that have to do with me!"
"It does." Chiri's sword precisely pierced his heart, "Because of the Mangekyo's special ability, I didn't go to the Pure Land after death but became a ghost wandering in the clan, thus knowing everything."
"Danzo..." As blood soaked the white paper enveloping him, Danzo tried to speak, blood continuously spilling from his mouth, "Everything I did... was for... the Leaf..."
"Maybe so, but what does that have to do with us?" Kaito stepped forward, looking puzzled.
With a cough, more blood spurted from Danzo's mouth, and he slumped, motionless.
"Danzo-sama!!"
"Danzo-sama! You bastards! Traitors!"
Torune and Fū watched helplessly as Danzo was killed, only able to shout in vain.
"Eh? Traitors?" Kaito pointed at himself in surprise, then quickly waved his hands, "No, no, I was never a ninja of the Leaf, so I can't be called a traitor. And Chiri-sama and Izuna were summoned by me, so they don't count either."
"Hmph, you sure talk a lot." Izuna gave him a contemptuous look, "And I was never a Leaf ninja."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Kaito raised his hands in surrender, "Let's make it quick for them."
Then he prepared to form hand seals again.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two flashes of white light, and both Torune and Fū's necks bore a line of blood.
"You two..."
Did you have to be so eager?
And why didn't you act earlier?
Waiting until I was all set up just to act first, what's the meaning of this?
Kaito lowered his hands with a resigned look, "Having fun?"
"Fun." Izuna answered decisively.
Chiri, on the other hand, returned to her gentle smile.
In the Northern Sea, there was an isolated island surrounded by turbulent waters and jagged rocks, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach.
On this precipitous island stood a towering city piercing the clouds.
It was a cloudy day with dark clouds hanging low.
Around the solitary island, massive currents created whirlpools, driving wave after wave to crash against the jagged rocks jutting out of the sea.
In the sky, a gigantic owl swiftly maneuvered through the dark clouds, creating streams of air as it moved.
"Gurē Gurē... Kaito, is this Hōzuki Castle?" Gurē asked, looking down at the majestic city below through the clouds.
"Yes, this is Hōzuki Castle, the ninja prison managed by the Grass Village under commission from all major ninja villages," Kaito's voice came from its back. "The Box of Bliss is hidden here."
"Are you planning to make a big scene here, Kaito?" Gurē asked, somewhat excitedly.
"To avoid wasting time dealing with unnecessary trouble, it's better to sneak in before I find the Box of Bliss," Kaito observed the layout of Hōzuki Castle carefully.
"That's boring, Gurē."
"Then I'll go down first, and you'll be in charge of support from the air, Gurē."
After instructing Gurē, Kaito jumped off its back, gliding gracefully toward the rocky edges of the island.
Upon landing, he slapped a talisman on himself and walked unhurriedly toward the city.
Passing through lanterns that illuminated the island, Kaito reached the massive walls of the city.
He looked up, lightly tapped his toes on the ground, and leapt over the wall with ease.
Once inside, he accelerated his pace, moving like a shadow to avoid patrolling guards, and made his way to a corner of a building.
"Let's see where the Box of Bliss is hidden."
He crouched down, placed his right hand on the ground, and closed his eyes.
His senses spread through the ever-present streams of the Ryūmyaku, enveloping the entire island and extending underground.
His sensory tendrils passed through layers of underground spaces, finally sensing an anomaly in a room that resembled a laboratory deep below.
"Found it."
A smile appeared on Kaito's face. That twisted, evil presence must be the Box of Bliss.
That location, he looked up, was directly beneath the central square of the city.
Around noon, the prisoners of Hōzuki Castle were gathered in the cafeteria for lunch.
"Hey, is that guy new?" A prisoner by the window turned his head toward the figure that suddenly appeared in the middle of the square.
"Who is that? Looks like someone I've never seen before," another man across him commented.
"Could it be..." the first prisoner lowered his voice excitedly, "an intruder?"
"Hey there! Turn around!" Two patrolling guards also noticed the young man in the square and hurried over.
The young man with black hair turned around, his eyes flashing a shade of crimson, and the two guards collapsed limply.
Beep!!!
A sharp alarm sounded, and guards from the distance began to converge.
"An intruder!!"
"Quick, go inform Lord Mui!"
A plump official hurried over, loudly demanding, "Who are you?"
Kaito ignored the crowd, simply looking down and whispering, "Susanoo."
A giant blue skeletal torso emerged from the ground, encasing him within.
"What is... that..." The plump official's eyes widened in terror.
Clang!
Many guards dropped their weapons, and those who had gathered began to retreat hastily.
"It's rare to see an intruder," a man with long hair and a uniform, carrying his hands behind his back, approached calmly.
"Lord Mui!!"
"Lord Mui has arrived!"
Upon his arrival, the guards seemed to find their backbone, clustering behind him.
Mui looked at the intruding youth, locking eyes with those crimson pupils. A ripple of emotion finally crossed his stoic face as he asked solemnly, "Those eyes... Are they the Sharingan?"
"What?" the plump official stuttered, "Could it... could he be that legendary S-rank criminal, Uchiha Itachi?"
"Hey, hey, hey." Kaito shifted his gaze to the official, "Don't lump me in with that guy; it annoys me."
The official, trembling under his gaze, quickly retreated behind Mui.
"No matter who you are, what are you doing invading Hōzuki Castle?" Mui stepped forward, raising his voice.
"My purpose?" Kaito manipulated Susanoo to raise its right hand, "is to retrieve something."
"That's not good."
His target is the Box of Bliss!
Mui's expression changed drastically as he charged forward.
Boom!!
Susanoo's fist slammed into the square's ground, sending chunks of rock flying and blocking Mui's advance.
Kaito looked at the large crater his attack had created and controlled Susanoo to jump down into it.
"Stop him!" Mui shouted as he followed, leaping down after Kaito.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kaito maneuvered Susanoo through the underground, quickly reaching the deep subterranean room he had sensed earlier.
His gaze swept across the various machinery filling the room until it settled on a massive demonic face embedded in the rock wall.
"It looks like this is the Box of Bliss."
Susanoo extended its right hand and swung its fist toward the wall.
"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!" Mui's voice rang out as he pressed his right hand against Susanoo's back.
"The game is over. Those caught by the Heavenly Prison can no longer draw out chakra."
"Is that so? Unfortunately, that technique won't work on me," Kaito said calmly.
"What?" Mui was taken aback as his Heavenly Prison technique indeed had no effect.
"You'd better not interfere with me," Kaito said, turning his stern gaze back at Mui.
Mui immediately stepped back, alert and cautious.
"Mui! We must not let him take the Box of Bliss!"
"We cannot let it happen! It belongs to our Hidden Grass Village!"
From behind, aged voices emerged, and four figures wearing animal masks and black robes suddenly appeared.
"Ah, this is bothersome," Kaito frowned. "Now that you've all shown yourselves, don't blame me if you end up dead."
Boom!
The aura around Susanoo intensified, shattering the ceiling layers above until its head emerged above ground, transforming from a skeletal torso into a hundred-meter-tall giant with a long nose.
Large chunks of debris fell as Mui and the masked figures scrambled to dodge.
Kaito's body began to rise, and armor plates appeared one by one on Susanoo until it was fully encased in samurai armor, complete with a pair of wings on its back.
In the chaos of falling masonry, Mui and the others struggled to find cover.
"It's an intruder of unusual strength," one of the masked figures shouted as they regrouped.
"We need a plan, fast!" another voice echoed in urgency.
Meanwhile, Kaito, now perched in the headspace of the armored giant, looked down at the disarray he had caused. His plan was clear, and his control over the imposing Susanoo was absolute.
"Now, let's end this quickly," Kaito murmured, ready to descend once more into the depths of the fortress to retrieve the Box of Bliss, the source of untold power he was determined to claim.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone