Land of Hot Water.
Naruto sat cross-legged, arms folded, gazing at the scroll placed on the low table, a thoughtful expression on his face. Ever since Future Sasuke and Boruto had departed, he had returned to his residence in the Land of Hot Water.
"Have you decided?" Kurama's voice sounded.
Naruto nodded slightly. "Like you said, if it doesn't work out, I'll just take it out. There's no real cost, anyway."
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Several shadow clones exchanged glances and quickly vanished.
Naruto removed the eyepatch from his left eye. He wasn't sure if there would be any complications from transplanting Otsutsuki Urashiki's eye, so he was being cautious, arranging several shadow clones to stand guard around him.
For an ordinary person, transplanting an eye involved many considerations, but for him, who had already mastered Yang Release, it wasn't much more difficult than putting on a piece of clothing. Two steps: replace the necrotic eyeball, and implant Otsutsuki Urashiki's eye.
His left eyelid instinctively closed. A large amount of life energy rapidly surged into his left eye, the nerves in the socket quickly connecting with the nine-tomoe Rinnegan.
Sizzle~
An itching sensation intensified, and tears flowed uncontrollably. Naruto instinctively covered his left eye. This feeling of wanting to scratch but being unable to was truly unbearable.
Several minutes later, he hesitantly opened his left eye. Through the mirror's reflection, he clearly saw the golden Rinnegan in his eye socket. "The nine tomoe are gone... Did it enter a protective mode due to the change of host?" he wondered inwardly.
"How does it feel?" Kurama asked.
"A very novel visual experience. There's a sense of seeing every detail with utmost clarity." Looking through the window at the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard, he could even adjust the focal length of his left eye like a microscope.
"What about the consumption?"
"...It's terrifying. If a regular Jonin transplanted this eye, they'd probably need to dedicate all their chakra just to maintain its daily consumption," Naruto couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Tch, just that much consumption." Kurama pouted. The amount of chakra he generated and consumed in a minute was more than a Jonin's entire reserve.
"And this is just for daily maintenance. If a fierce battle occurs, the geometric increase in consumption is still an unknown," Naruto shook his head. "Furthermore, this is just a Rinnegan, not a nine-tomoe Rinnegan."
"Are you confident you can open the nine-tomoe Rinnegan?"
"I'm not too sure at the moment. The nine-tomoe Rinnegan is too high-level. I'll nurture it with Yang Release for a while first. Once this eye and I have adapted to each other, I'll try to see if I can open it."
"While nurturing it, you can try 'flushing' it with my chakra. That pinkish-white turtle could use my chakra, so there's no reason this eye can't."
"Alright."
...
Time flew. A year had passed since the convening of the new generation's Five Kage Summit. During this year, the Five Great Shinobi Villages had entered an unprecedented period of ambiguity, and the joint ninja squads they had formed had made a renowned name for themselves in the shinobi world.
Inside a restaurant in the Land of Hot Water.
"Ho, the Jashinists were actually wiped out by the ninja squad!"
"What's that? My cousin who serves as a ninja in Konoha told me that Uchiha Sasuke 'Kiwame' single-handedly took care of the Jashinists this time."
"Wasn't the bloodline merchant Goryo also taken care of by Deidara 'Bakujin' alone?" someone immediately retorted.
"Are these two organizations on the same level?" The Uchiha Sasuke supporter was instantly displeased and retorted loudly, "Can a mere merchant be compared to the Jashinists?"
"What do you know?" The Deidara supporter, seemingly aware of some truths of the shinobi world, lost interest in arguing upon hearing the mindless rebuttal.
"What did you say?" But he didn't know how much his attitude had provoked the other person.
At an adjacent table, a man with golden hair, his left eye covered by long, slanted bangs, listened to their argument with great interest.
"Your Miso Ramen, sir." The waitress placed the breakfast before him.
"Thank you." The man expressed his thanks and began to eat while listening to the two groups argue.
"Your standards for life are really quite low," just then, a man dressed in a white, open-chested robe with a longsword at his waist sat down beside him. On the back of his white robe, the embroidery of a red and white Uchiha fan was particularly striking.
"Tell me, if people found out that the esteemed leader of the Dragon Heritage organization was sitting in a dingy streetside eatery, having a meeting with no regard for appearances, would it become next month's headline in the Shinobi World Report?"
"It's fine. I'm honored to share the blame with 'Kiwame' of the ninja squad," Naruto chuckled. The Shinobi World Report was a monthly newspaper jointly published by the Five Great Shinobi Villages, arguably the most influential newspaper in the current shinobi world. From the Five Kage down to the leaders of small ninja villages, all were frequent subjects of this monthly. Just imagine, being able to learn about the daily lives of the Five Kage, the gossip of small village leaders—as an ordinary person, would you begrudge fifty ryo for a copy?
"Boring," Uchiha Sasuke snorted lightly. Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with his widely circulated 'reputation' in the shinobi world. Influenced by the Uchiha clan's traditional views and his brother Uchiha Itachi, he still believed that ninja should be people who dwelled in darkness and bore its burdens.
"It can also be considered a relatively positive attempt at reform by the Five Great Shinobi Villages." Naruto put down his chopsticks. "Have you had breakfast?"
"If not, you can have it here. This place's Miso Ramen is no worse than Ichiraku's."
"I don't think completely exposing ninja to the public eye is a positive attempt," Uchiha Sasuke held a different opinion.
"Before the results of any reform attempt are out, no one knows if it's right or wrong," Naruto said. "At least from what we see now, the attempt to turn you all into ninja stars has indeed increased the mission volume for the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
"Do you really think this kind of attempt is right?" Uchiha Sasuke looked at him doubtfully. Over the past year, he had interacted with this guy hundreds, if not thousands, of times and had a general understanding of his way of thinking. Logically speaking, this guy shouldn't approve of such an inconsequential reform, right?
"Is my opinion really that important?" Naruto asked. "You're the future star of Konoha, the one most likely to become the Sixth Hokage. You are among those who have the most say regarding the current state of the shinobi world."
Uchiha Sasuke was speechless.
"Alright, let's not talk about these digressions. What did you need me for?" Naruto said.
"I wanted to ask you something. Do you know about the Box of Ultimate Bliss?" Uchiha Sasuke asked.
"No idea." Naruto thought for a moment and shook his head decisively.
Uchiha Sasuke came clean. "According to my investigation, the Box of Ultimate Bliss was once the ultimate weapon of the Sage of Six Paths' era. Do you want to ask the Nine-Tails?"
"If you want to ask Kurama, just say so. Why ask me?" Naruto rolled his eyes.
"I've heard of it," Kurama's voice appeared in both their minds. "It's said that this box can grant one wish of the person who opens it."
"Can it really grant the opener's wish?" Uchiha Sasuke looked at him nervously.
"I don't know," Kurama shook his head. "But someone once caused such a commotion with this box that it alarmed the Old Man."
"That terrifying?" Both were stunned. The "Old Man" Kurama referred to wasn't some elderly fellow chatting about household matters on a park bench, but the Sage of Six Paths who created the ninja world. To be able to alarm him already spoke volumes about the significance of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Thank you." Uchiha Sasuke nodded slightly and was about to get up and leave.
"Wait," Naruto suddenly stopped him. "Would you recommend bringing an observer?"
"If you're not afraid of being hunted by the ninja squad, it's no problem," Uchiha Sasuke said indifferently.
"Check, please." After paying for the meal, Naruto followed Sasuke, heading towards the Land of Grass.
On the way, Uchiha Sasuke told him the cause of the matter. Several days ago, Yugito Nii from Kumogakure had suddenly appeared in Iwagakure and attempted to assassinate the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. To appease the Third Tsuchikage's anger, Kumogakure had sent Yugito to Hozuki Castle. To prevent the cooperative relationship between the Five Great Shinobi Villages from breaking down, the joint ninja squad formed by the Five Great Shinobi Villages was assigned to investigate the reason.
"Has the mastermind been found?" Naruto asked curiously. Such methods were too clumsy; basically, anyone with a brain could sense something was off.
"It's suspected that Hozuki Castle itself is the mastermind, but sufficient evidence hasn't been collected yet."
"So Yugito became an undercover agent?"
"That's right. She has already been escorted to Hozuki Castle."
"How interesting..."
...
Hozuki Castle, a prison specially built by Kusagakure at the request of various countries to incarcerate offending ninja, was located on a small island near Kusagakure. It was surrounded by the sea on all sides and named after the "Hozuki" (Ground Cherry) fruit that grew abundantly on the island.
"You are Mui, the warden of Hozuki Castle?" Yugito Nii sized up the middle-aged man before her.
"Indeed." Mui nodded. "Yugito Nii of Kumogakure, I've long heard of your esteemed name." He walked over to Yugito, Fire Release chakra gathering in his right hand, and struck her heavily on the abdomen. "Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"
Yugito Nii grit her silver teeth, enduring the discomfort, and allowed him to place the restraining jutsu on her. If not for Lord Raikage's instructions, she would have definitely slapped this insolent fellow to death.
"This is our clan's secret ninjutsu. Those marked by this jutsu will be unable to knead chakra in their bodies. This is also the basis for why the Five Great Shinobi Villages entrusted our Kusagakure to establish this prison," Mui explained. "Even if you are a renowned ninja in the shinobi world, without the ability to knead chakra, you absolutely cannot escape from Hozuki Castle, with its perilous terrain and heavy guards."
Can't knead chakra? Yugito's expression flickered. She tried to draw on the Two-Tails' chakra. Just as she had thought, the Heavenly Prison's restraint was only applied to her body; the Two-Tails' chakra was not within the scope of this ninjutsu's confinement. It seems this guy has never seen a perfect Jinchuriki. Yugito thought to herself, looking at the Hozuki Castle warden speaking with assurance and confidence before her.
"The rules of Hozuki Castle: One, here, the head guard is the rule. Two, don't you dare forget the first point, even in death." The surrounding Kusa-nin appropriately revealed cruel smiles.
Listening to Mui's words and feeling the psychological pressure from the surrounding noobs, Yugito couldn't help but pout inwardly. He sure dares to talk big!
Under the escort of the prison guards, Yugito was locked into a cell.
"Who's this chick? A private cell, such special treatment?" some surrounding prisoners complained upon seeing her special treatment.
"Could she be Mui's little lover?" The male prisoners all revealed lewd smiles.
"If you don't want to die, then shut your mouths." A prisoner from Kumogakure recognized Yugito and reached out to restrain his cellmate who was about to jeer.
"You know her?" The cellmate was stunned.
"Believe it or not," the Kumogakure prisoner snorted, not bothering with the fools outside, and returned to his bunk to lie down. Yugito memorized the faces of the troublemakers. If she remembered correctly, this prison had yard time.
Nightfall.
White smoke drifted into the cells. The prisoners who had been boisterous during the day all fell into a deep sleep after inhaling the white smoke. Yugito frowned slightly but didn't act out of the ordinary, pretending to fall unconscious like the other prisoners.
After a long while, several figures wearing animal masks appeared outside her cell. They opened the cell door, carried her out, and placed a lifelike doll on her bunk.
"Couldn't wait even for the first night?" Yugito's eyelids lifted slightly, allowing the figures to carry her away. "It's good to get this cleared up sooner. Daring to frame me!" As she thought this, a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
The animal-masked figures carried her into a secret room and tied her to a bed.
"The Tailed Beast's chakra should be enough to fill the Box of Ultimate Bliss," said the figure wearing a horse-face mask.
"Mui, do it!" said the ox-faced figure.
"Learning from our ancestors' lesson, Kusagakure will definitely rule the shinobi world this time."
"We must make the Akatsuki and Iwagakure pay the price!" said the rat-faced figure. A year ago, Iwagakure had surrounded and annihilated the Akatsuki in the Land of Grass. The battle between the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the Akatsuki leader had brought an undeserved disaster upon Kusagakure; nearly a third of the village was destroyed. The number of dead and injured villagers was countless. After that incident, they had secretly sworn to make the Five Great Shinobi Villages pay! The Box of Ultimate Bliss, which had been almost forgotten, once again entered their sights.
Mui said nothing. He looked at the Two-Tails Jinchuriki bound to the bed, formed hand seals, and released the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison he had set earlier that day.
Yugito felt all this, her heart filled with doubt. What exactly did these guys go to such lengths to bring me to Hozuki Castle for?
Buzz!
Just then, a wall engraved with a strange face mask entered her peripheral vision. "What is this?" The question had just arisen when a strange, dark black light connected her to the eerie wall. Under a powerful suction force, her chakra involuntarily surged towards the nearby wall.
Yugito instinctively tried to struggle, but to her horror, she found that under the strange suction force, she had completely lost her ability to move. "Damn it!" That black light was absorbing not only her chakra but also Matatabi, the Two-Tails', chakra.
"It seems your secret medicine isn't as effective as you thought." Seeing her state, Mui understood that her earlier unconsciousness had been faked.
"It doesn't matter. The restraining power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss is much better than the secret medicine's effect," the horse-faced figure shook his head slightly.
Yugito let out pained, muffled groans, glaring deadly at the figures before her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As if it had absorbed enough chakra, the Box of Ultimate Bliss began to shake violently.
"I can move!" Yugito was overjoyed. The dark light's restriction on her was no longer as strong as before. Dark red Tailed Beast chakra instantly covered her body.
Boom!
To the astonishment of Mui and the others, she broke free from her shackles and leaped up.
Splurt!
Blood instantly filled the small, secret room. But the shaking of the Box of Ultimate Bliss did not stop because of their deaths.
Rumble~
A massive pillar of light broke through the rock layer and shot towards the sky.
"What is that thing?" Yugito's pupils contracted. She felt a life-threatening danger from this pillar of light.