Shimoku approached the Box of Paradise and began carefully examining it.
On the four sides of the box were four hideous facial expressions representing "happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy." At this moment, only the face of 'happiness' had its mouth wide open.
Inside that large mouth was pitch black darkness,
as if leading into an endless abyss.
Shimoku could clearly sense the intense malice radiating from within that gaping maw, along with an insatiable greed for chakra...
Naturally, Shimoku wouldn't be foolish enough to go take a look inside.
Curiosity kills the cat, after all.
Although Shimoku didn't believe this box could actually kill him,
what if it led to some other dimension or Pure Land?
Once entering, there might be no way back.
That would be troublesome too.
He had no desire to risk his life unnecessarily or invite trouble without cause.
First, try closing the box; or see whether it can be sealed into a scroll to take away.
Shimoku pulled out a sealing scroll and prepared to give it a try.
Just at that moment,
a sudden shout rang out from behind:
"Watch out!"
Madam Huīyī cried urgently.
At this time, Lord Mui—who had left earlier—
suddenly darted in from outside the shattered conference room.
With a ruthless snarl, he unleashed the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison in a surprise attack on Shimoku.
In his eyes,
no matter who this suddenly appearing brat was?
He wouldn't allow anyone to lay hands on his Box of Paradise!
After all, that box represented not only the revival of Grass Hidden Village but also his sole hope of resurrecting his son!
However, Shimoku remained completely calm.
With his Spirit Transformation Technique,
he possessed extremely precise perception of any living beings nearby.
He had already detected Lord Mui sneaking up long ago.
As for the so-called sneak attack—
if someone like him were to fall victim to a Grass ninja such as this, he might as well go home and throw himself against a block of tofu to die.
"Bang—"
The moment Lord Mui was about to strike Shimoku,
he couldn't even see how that little brat struck him.
He merely felt a tremendous force suddenly smashing heavily into his chest.
In an instant, Lord Mui shot backward like a kite with its string cut, once again crashing hard into the wall.
"Cough cough—"
"What are you?"
Muttered Mui with blood spilling from his mouth, struggling to ask.
He simply couldn't wrap his head around it.
Himself being considered the strongest expert in the entire Hozuki Castle for many years,
he had rarely ever tasted defeat.
Yet what had happened today?
Being defeated repeatedly…
Fine, the previous two Konoha ninjas were one thing—but now, even a mere child had beaten him instantly.
What the hell was going on in this world?
...
Shimoku turned, fixing the man with his gaze.
[Ninjutsu: Letter Binding Technique - Control]
With a flick of his right hand, Shimoku wrote the word "Control."
The cursed seal quickly sank into Lord Mui's forehead, taking control of his body—and shutting his mouth.
This kind of foe wasn't even worth activating his Sharingan for.
Naturally, Shimoku didn't see any urgency in killing Lord Mui right away.
This fellow,
though greedy and shortsighted.
But the Sealing Technique he had mastered, [Fire Release: Heavenly Prison], was still quite useful.
Definitely worth learning.
After all, as Homura Hidden Village continued developing in the future, they would inevitably capture more ninja from other villages.
Few prisoners meant easy control.
Too many prisoners though, and things could get messy fast.
If these reliable sealing techniques could be used to seal the chakra of those prisoners,
then it would be safe to make use of a large workforce.
Makes perfect sense, really.
As for Hozuki Castle? Or Grass Ninja Village's ambitions?
Not that it's any of his damn business! They can go fuck themselves if they wanna try settling scores.
And conveniently, Homura Hidden Village desperately needed more slave laborers anyway...
Meanwhile, watching this scene unfold, Shinyu and her mother were also greatly shocked.
Especially Huīyī.
She clearly understood Mui's power and status;
even the elders of the Grass Ninja Village held deep respect for him.
Yet who would have thought, he'd been defeated in just one move by that young boy?
That brat must've reached a terrifying realm already!
Have my mother and I finally grabbed hold of a mighty mountain to lean on?
Now that was certainly good news!
Besides Mui, Shimoku also sensed something.
Outside the building, there were several bound ninja criminals with their hands and feet tied up.
Clearly, Mui had gone out briefly earlier
just to fetch some criminals from the prison.
To throw them into The Box of Paradise.
Testing his luck—would the divine artifact chill out once it gorged on chakra?
Then letting him keep chasing his ambitions.
As for insufficient chakra?
Absolutely no issue.
This was the Hozuki Castle prison, holding thousands of ninja criminals.
More than enough for The Box of Paradise...
Shimoku made no move to save them.
The ninja locked up in this prison were almost all monsters.
Rape, torture, slaughter, arson – those were considered minor crimes...
He gave zero fucks whether they lived or died.
...
After subduing Mui, Shimoku continued pulling out scrolls, attempting to seal The Box of Paradise inside one.
Unfortunately, it failed again.
Like storage scrolls, the box probably used space-time mechanics internally.
They couldn't be nested together like Russian dolls.
Otherwise,
Mui's clan wouldn't have buried it underground for decades,
using multiple layers of seals to reinforce it.
However,
if sealing the box wasn't possible, the only alternative was finding a way to close it.
After all, he couldn't possibly bring back an open box all the way home.
Regarding how to shut the box, Shimoku considered several ideas:
Feeding it enough chakra?
Stuffing that demon beast Satori inside?
Or simply beating it up? See if brute force could tame it?
Shimoku mulled over the three choices for a moment before picking the second.
Just as he was about to call off the Kunbeast outside from playing around,
and recapture that Satori,
before Shimoku stood... The Box of Paradise.
But suddenly, it erupted with a powerful suction force.
Trying to pull in every living being nearby to devour more chakra!
Whether it was because too much chakra had been fed to the beast Satori,
It caused The Box of Paradise to suddenly mutate.
Yet this immense suction force indeed acted on Shimoku instantly.
Attempting to swallow this nearest "big chakra cake" outright!
"You've got a death wish!"
Shimoku arched an eyebrow, snarling furiously.
He immediately abandoned his initial strategy.
And went for his final move.
Though he knew this Box of Paradise was extremely tough.
Normal attacks were utterly useless against it.
However, as long as one possessed enough power, nothing in this world was indestructible!
If even the Ten-Tails could be slain, how could this mere box stand a chance?
"Clang—"
A sharp metallic ring filled the air.
Shimoku unsheathed the K'unwu Divine Sword, activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and unleashed his full strength.
One strike sliced through like a streak of lightning!
Instantly cleaving straight into The Box of Paradise.
The Dragon-Weaving Blade's razor edge, combined with Shimoku's might,
One strike alone had more than enough force to split Hozuki Castle in two.
...
"Tch!"
At this moment, Mui—who had been pinned against the room's wall, unable to move—let out a sudden mocking sound.
Even though his body was immobilized,
Regarding Shimoku's actions, he still looked utterly disdainful.
He scoffed at the idea that any attack could harm The Box of Paradise.
Too bad. The next instant—
"Dang—"
Sparks scattered, metal screeching!
That dazzling blade actually cut over twenty centimeters into The Box of Paradise,
Shattering sizable pieces of ancient bronze from its surface.
Seeing this,
Mui stood frozen in disbelief.
He absolutely couldn't believe it.
His family's ancestral divine treasure chest... could actually be destroyed!
How was that even possible?!
...
Shimoku drew back the blade, letting out a low whistle.
So this box really was extraordinarily hard!
To withstand a slash from the K'unwu Blade—it truly was no ordinary item.
But if one slash wasn't enough to break it,
Shimoku wouldn't mind delivering a few more.
At worst, he'd hack it apart and haul the pieces back—they'd still be worth studying.
Thinking this, Shimoku prepared to swing again.
However, The Box of Paradise—its corner now hacked off—suddenly changed.
As if letting out a mournful wail, it withdrew all hostility.
Instantly stopping the suction force.
Closing its 'Joyful Face' mouth, sealing the entrance shut.
Returning to its previously "harmless" appearance...
Seeing this, Shimoku hesitated momentarily.
Then spat in disgust:
"Pfft! Just like that damned beast Satori—you respect nothing but brute strength too."
Indeed, any problem solvable by force wasn't really a problem at all.
Not obeying?
Beat it until it does.
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