The Land of Grass, near Kusagakure, there was a small island surrounded by the sea on all sides.
This place was known as Hozuki Castle.
It was a prison established by various countries, entrusted to Kusagakure, specifically for detaining criminal ninja.
In the castle's central mansion, the newly appointed warden of Hozuki Castle, Mui, sat in the main seat.
Below, a Kusagakure ninja stood respectfully in the center of the hall.
"Warden Mui, the Kusakage has ordered you to select several ninja from the prison to accompany me to the Land of Fields," the Kusagakure ninja said respectfully to Mui.
"Select ninja from the prison? I'm afraid that's against the rules. If the major ninja villages learned of this, how could Hozuki Castle maintain its standing in the ninja world?" Mui frowned.
"That is your concern, Warden Mui. I am merely responsible for conveying the Kusakage's orders," the Kusagakure ninja's voice remained respectful.
The hall fell into a momentary silence.
After a short while, Mui spoke again, "In that case, wait in the castle for two days. Once the personnel have been selected, I will hand them over to you."
With that, Mui stood up and turned to walk towards the back of the hall.
In the hall, the Kusagakure ninja's expression was indifferent, his eyes showing no emotion as he watched Mui's departing figure.
"Father!"
As soon as Mui reached the back of the hall, a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy greeted him.
"It's Mukō! You've finally returned. Rest at home for a few days!" Seeing the boy, Mui's face broke into a warm smile.
The boy's name was Mukō, Mui's son, who had been training in Kusagakure for the past year.
Hearing Mui's words, Mukō's face showed a hint of hesitation. He said hesitantly, "Father, is the village asking you to select several powerful prisoners for the village to use?"
At this, the smile on Mui's face abruptly vanished. He stared at his son, saying word by word, "Who told you this?"
Young Mukō said softly, "It was Inoue-sama who told me on the way back."
After a moment of silence, Mui said, "Stay away from that insidious guy in the future."
With that, Mui prepared to leave.
"Then what are you going to do, Father?" Mukō asked from behind.
"I will select a few people for him to take away," Mui said, stopping in his tracks.
Mukō said, "Father, let me go with them!"
Mui turned around, frowning deeply at Mukō. "Do you know what they're going to the Land of Fields for? That Ansei Hall is said to have the backing of Konoha and Sunagakure. This trip is very dangerous; you can't go!"
"Father! It's precisely because there might be powerful ninja from Konoha and Sunagakure that I must go! Only our clan can control the Fire Style: Heavenly Prison ninjutsu. If these prisoners escape, Hozuki Castle will lose all standing in the ninja world. If I go with them, I can subdue these guys at a critical moment," Mukō's voice raised slightly.
Looking at his son, Mukō, Mui was silent for a moment before sighing. "I will send a Heavenly Prison squad to accompany you."
"Thank you, Father!" Mukō was overjoyed.
...
One day later, a special fifteen-member squad departed from Hozuki Castle and headed for the Land of Fields.
...
Kusagakure, Kusakage's Office.
Whoosh!
"Kusakage-sama, Inoue-sama and the others have already departed from Hozuki Castle," an ANBU ninja from Kusagakure appeared in the office, reporting respectfully to the Kusakage behind the desk.
"Oh? How many people did Hozuki Castle send?" Hearing the ANBU ninja's report, the Kusakage looked up.
A young face was revealed beneath the Kage hat, appearing to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old.
The Kusakage's name was Kyosuke, the newly appointed Kage of Kusagakure.
Although he was called Kage, by the standards of the Five Great Ninja Villages like Konoha, he was only a Jonin.
"Hozuki Castle sent eleven people. Five of them are prisoners from the prison, and the remaining six are Mukō and a Heavenly Prison squad," the Kusagakure ANBU ninja reported.
"He even sent Mukō! That's quite a strong force!" Hearing this, Kusakage Kyosuke murmured softly.
"Kusakage-sama, that Ansei Hall is said to have Konoha and Sunagakure backing it. Why are we interfering in this matter? If we anger Konoha and Sunagakure, our Kusagakure will be in danger!" Seeing the Kusakage murmuring softly, the Kusagakure ANBU ninja couldn't help but advise.
As an elite of Kusagakure, this ANBU ninja was well aware of the power gap between Kusagakure and the Five Great Ninja Villages like Konoha and Sunagakure.
In his opinion, the Kusakage's order this time was very unreliable!
It was very likely to backfire!
Kyosuke smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think I want to get involved in this mess? If the Daimyo hadn't suddenly slashed the village's budget by two-thirds, how could I have resorted to such a desperate measure? Without sufficient funds, the village probably won't even last half a year, let alone have a future!"
Hearing this, the Kusagakure ANBU ninja fell silent.
...
The Land of Waterfalls, Takigakure Leader's Office.
"Yuito, Suien, I have a confidential mission for the two of you. If successful, our Takigakure might see the opportunity to rise again!"
Takigakure's leader, Shibuki, handed a mission scroll to the two ninja in front of him.
In front of Shibuki, the two ninja named Yuito and Suien were both dressed in Takigakure ninja attire, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
They were both Jonin of Takigakure, the highest fighting force in the village besides the leader, Shibuki.
Yuito, in particular, had a very special status.
He was the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki!
In the ninja world, Takigakure was the only ninja village besides the Five Great Ninja Villages to possess a Tailed Beast.
Its strength could be considered decent in the ninja world.
After all, it had once produced an old monster-level figure like Kakuzu, and Takigakure's ninjutsu and secret techniques had their own unique characteristics.
Coupled with its unique geographical location, this had allowed Takigakure to never be invaded by other countries.
Takigakure also rarely participated in external battles.
"Rest assured, Leader! We will ensure that Ansei Hall is firmly under the village's control," Yuito, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, confidently guaranteed.
Beside him, Suien seemed thoughtful.
"Yuito, remember! Your main mission this time is not to cooperate with Kusagakure in taking down Ansei Hall, but to prioritize securing the secret recipe for the Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pill! With this miraculous medicine that can quickly replenish life energy, our Takigakure ninja can use the Hero Water without fear. At that time, our Takigakure will become the sixth great ninja village in the ninja world!"
Hearing Yuito's words, Shibuki was not happy, but instead, he solemnly and seriously instructed in a grave tone.
When he said the last sentence, Shibuki's eyes were bloodshot, and his face was flushed with excitement.
"Yes!"
Hearing Shibuki reveal the true purpose of the mission, both Yuito and Suien were shocked, and they accepted the order with excited expressions.
However, there was a difference: Yuito was simply excited about the bright future of Takigakure, while Suien was excited because of his swelling ambition.
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