After resting for a short while and waiting until Kurotsuchi had calmed down, the two of them set off on their way back.
Before leaving, they naturally had to use Gaara's ability, the Eye of Sand, to check the surroundings for any danger.
Fortunately, the two of them had run far enough, and since they had deliberately fled in the opposite direction from the camp, there was no need to worry that the monster might take the opportunity to locate it.
The journey back was quiet. When Kurotsuchi and Gaara finally returned to the camp, they saw three people who hadn't been there before.
Kamizuki Hikari, Hatake Kakashi, and Maito Gai.
'Has Konoha gone mad? Sending three elite jōnin at once?'
Kurotsuchi sized up the three of them, half-tempted to reach out and pinch their faces to check whether they were impostors using some disguise technique.
"Yo, you're back!"
"I was starting to think you two wouldn't be coming back tonight!"
As he spoke, Hikari winked at Gaara.
In an instant, Kurotsuchi's face flushed red.
Kurotsuchi naturally understood exactly what Hikari's remark implied. But wasn't this a bit too insulting? She was an adult woman. And then looking at Gaara, a little brat—how could she possibly be interested in him?
"Hikari-senpai!"
Gaara's expression remained unchanged as he politely addressed Hikari.
"Aw, Gaara, you're way too mature for your age. I was hoping to see you blush!" Hikari said with a smile.
Gaara: 'That's exactly why I'm not going to blush.'
"Alright, let's get down to business," Kakashi spoke up, cutting Hikari off. He had a feeling that if Hikari kept talking, he might actually manage to infuriate Kurotsuchi enough to kick all three of them out of the camp.
"Kurotsuchi, Gaara—did you discover anything while you were scouting?"
"Wait a second. You Konoha people are really something, aren't you? The moment you arrive, you want to take charge. Don't forget—this is the Iwagakure camp!" Kurotsuchi glared at Hikari, clearly displeased. She was the one in command here.
As the leader of the Iwa-nin forces, she felt the need to establish dominance over Kamizuki Hikari and the others.
Unfortunately, her authority wasn't enough. Not only did Hikari show no sign of deference, even Kakashi and Maito Gai didn't seem particularly impressed by her.
Seeing this, Kakashi subtly stepped back and pushed Hikari forward.
The message was clear: Hikari was the one in charge. If there was anything to discuss, talk to him.
"I know this is the Iwagakure camp," Hikari said calmly, "but Konoha has more information than either Iwagakure or Sunagakure. Besides, the three of us are stronger than you two."
"So—are we really going to argue about camp affiliation right now?"
Hikari's words were extremely blunt—almost domineering.
He might as well have pointed at Kurotsuchi and Gaara and said, "In front of Konoha, you're all just kids."
Though Kurotsuchi felt angry inside, she had no real comeback.
Konoha had only sent three people, but their strength was overwhelming.
"I'll explain," Gaara spoke up. He had matured quite a bit and didn't want the atmosphere to become any more awkward.
"When Kurotsuchi and I went to scout, as soon as we approached the area near Hōzuki Castle, the sky there had already turned pitch-black. I then used the Eye of the Sand to scout ahead and saw a black monster more than ten meters tall.
The moment that thing looked at me, I felt a fear that came straight from the depths of my soul. Then the Eye of Sand was crushed by the monster, and only then did the feeling disappear. After that, we retreated as quickly as possible."
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi quietly let out a breath of relief.
If Gaara had mentioned how she had nearly been instantly killed by the monster, it would have been extremely humiliating.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Gaara with gratitude, but he didn't respond to her look at all. It was like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind person.
Hikari frowned slightly, his mind working rapidly.
The black monster was clearly something released by the "Box of Ultimate Bliss." However, in the original story, that monster was "Satori," which only had the abilities to read hearts and evade attacks at high speed. It didn't possess this kind of oppressive mental attack that struck fear into people.
"In that case, we'll rest for today. Tomorrow, the regular Iwa-nin will move the camp westward. The rest of us will go check the situation again."
Kurotsuchi looked puzzled. "Why wait until tomorrow?"
Hikari explained, "Darkness still affects us shinobi to some extent, especially when facing an unfamiliar monster. We must remain cautious. During the day, with good visibility, we can exert our full strength."
Kurotsuchi pressed further, "Even so, there's no need to evacuate everyone!"
"With the three of you from Konoha here, you could handle an entire small shinobi village on your own. No matter how strong that monster is, it can't possibly stand against all of us combined!"
Hikari waved his hand dismissively. "The monster is huge and its range of attack is wide. If it discovers the Iwa camp, the ordinary shinobi will just die pointlessly. This is a treasured tool passed down from the time of the Sage of the Six Paths. A little caution is only appropriate."
That reasoning was sound, but Kurotsuchi was still young and hot-headed—especially when she remembered how close she had come to being instantly killed by that black monster. A surge of anger rose in her chest.
"You said earlier that Konoha has more information than Iwagakure or Sunagakure. Can you tell us what it is now?" Her eyes lit up as she recalled Hikari's earlier words.
Hikari nodded. "Since we're going to be working together, there's no harm in telling you."
"This tool is called the Box of Ultimate Bliss. It has been passed down since the era of the Sage of the Six Paths. Legend says that whoever obtains it can have any wish granted."
"Tch, that sounds way too dangerous!" Kurotsuchi scoffed, though she didn't fully believe it. "If that's really true, then if Iwagakure got it, we could just wish to unify the entire shinobi world."
"Of course, something that dangerous—I wouldn't try it myself. We have plenty of shinobi in the village. Just send one to test it."
"Use your head," Hikari said bluntly. "If it were really that simple, why didn't whoever obtained it before wish for eternal life or dominion over the entire shinobi world? And why was it sealed away until now?"
Hikari deliberately explained this to discourage them from trying to claim the box for themselves.
This time, he was genuinely trying to warn them—he had no idea what kind of effect the corrupted Box of Ultimate Bliss would have on its user now.
More importantly, he didn't want anyone else to throw their life away and become "fuel" for the box.
"Based on what we've deduced, the Box of Ultimate Bliss might indeed have the power to grant wishes—but it twists them into something grotesque. For example, if someone wishes for power, the Box could turn them into the daimyo of a country, but it could also render the country they desire devoid of people. That way, they would still have power, but no one to rule over.
Or if someone wishes for immortality, the box might turn them into stone—technically immortal, but not alive. If someone wishes for world peace, it might simply kill everyone who could possibly disturb that peace."
"That's also why our predecessors realized something was wrong with this box and sealed it away—so it wouldn't bring disaster upon the world."