As the ten beams of light formed the barrier...
"What's happening?"
The entire Hidden Grass Village was plunged into confusion.
Watching their village sealed off by the barrier, the hearts of all its inhabitants grew heavier.
"What's going on?"
A sense of foreboding settled in their minds.
Some Grass ninjas quickly gathered toward the elders' location, while others, confident in their abilities, rushed toward the sealed barrier.
When a group of Grass ninjas reached the barrier's edge...
They saw Rain ninjas standing outside the glowing dome, their hands pressed against the barrier.
But the Grass ninjas couldn't identify them.
The Rain ninjas now wore standardized black attire—black flak jackets over black bodysuits, with no forehead protectors. Only the insignias on their backs indicated their respective battalions.
But the Grass ninjas could only see their fronts.
A Grass Jōnin stepped forward and demanded:
"Who are you?! What are you doing?! Do you realize what you've done?!"
"Hidden Grass will not let this slide!"
"Release the barrier now, and we might show you leniency!"
Unbeknownst to them, the barrier also blocked sound transmission.
The ninja outside was Muzhi, a member of this mission's squad.
He only saw the Grass ninjas' mouths moving, but no sound reached him.
Most ninjas could read lips, but Muzhi, a former rogue ninja, lacked this skill.
Even if he could, he wouldn't have cared. Though unaware of the mission's specifics, his job was simple: follow orders. The rest didn't concern him.
In fact, his mind was elsewhere:
"This mission offers great merits. With them, I can exchange for all three basic jutsu—maybe even an elemental one. Which should I choose?"
Seeing Muzhi's indifference, the Grass ninjas abandoned persuasion.
They tried to break the barrier, probing it for weaknesses but finding none.
Next, they resorted to brute force.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Gun Technique!"
"Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
A barrage of jutsu slammed into the barrier, the chaotic attacks stirring up a white mist that engulfed the dome—and Muzhi's figure.
Still unsatisfied, they hurled shuriken and kunai with all their might.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of metal striking the barrier rang out incessantly.
When the mist cleared, the barrier stood unscathed.
The Grass ninjas stared at it, their expressions grim.
Muzhi, however, exhaled in relief. Though he'd known the barrier's strength, seeing countless attacks aimed his way had been nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, the barrier held firm, blocking everything.
The Grass ninjas, undeterred by their failed assault, continued attacking.
Panic simmered in every heart.
What's their goal? Why seal off the entire village?
The implications were too dire to dwell on.
Everyone sensed Hidden Grass was on the brink of catastrophe.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
The elders had gathered.
Seven elders sat in silence, awaiting reports from their scouts.
Soon, a ninja who'd gone to the barrier burst into the room.
"Elders! It's bad! The village is completely sealed—no way out!"
His words deepened the gloom in the room.
Things were spiraling toward the worst possible outcome.
A relatively calm elder asked, "Did you try the Underground Movement Technique?"
Some barriers didn't extend underground.
"We did! It's useless—there are seals below too!" the ninja replied urgently.
They'd tried every jutsu they knew to escape.
Nothing worked.
Unless they had stronger techniques—but Hidden Grass lacked such power. If they did, they wouldn't have needed to learn from other villages.
Their strongest jutsu, by major villages' standards, barely ranked as B-tier.
If they'd stolen an A-tier jutsu from any major village, they'd have faced its wrath long ago.
If they'd had that courage, they wouldn't have abandoned their original village to settle here.
"They're targeting all of Hidden Grass," one elder said gravely.
"Everyone, our infighting over disagreements has gone on too long. Now, our village's survival is at stake. If we don't unite, Hidden Grass will truly perish."
His words moved the other elders and ninjas present.
Hidden Grass had long been divided into two factions, plagued by internal strife.
The Land of Grass's political climate had fostered cliques, embezzlement, and nepotism, throwing the village into chaos.
But now, continuing their squabbles would only give their enemies an advantage.
The other elders fell silent.
They tacitly agreed.
Without cooperation now, they were doomed.
"But where are the enemies?" one elder asked the critical question.
The village was sealed, yet no sounds of battle echoed anywhere.
Apart from their own people, the village was eerily quiet.
The elders exchanged glances. Whoever had sealed the village had grander plans.
But aside from the barrier-users outside, no other hostile ninjas were visible.
This baffled them.
"Could their target be... that?"
One elder voiced the thought.
Hidden Grass had only one thing worth such covetous attention.
An artifact once wielded by the Sage of Six Paths.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss.
It was hidden here.
"The prison!"
Someone uttered the key location.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu wore a puzzled expression.
Countless black threads erupted from his body, ensnaring the Grass ninjas in the prison. With a flick of his wrist, he slammed them into the ground.
"Bastard!!"
The Grass ninjas who'd just arrived were furious at the sight.
"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Sword!"
One ninja gathered flames into a sword shape and charged at Kakuzu.
In the next moment, a tidal wave of black threads swallowed the attackers whole.
When no more opponents appeared after a while, Kakuzu began retracting the threads into his body.
He devoured the ninjas one by one.
Under his black cloak, something squirmed. Soon, flesh, bones, and tattered clothing spilled out, forming a growing pile beside him.
He lifted his head and stared at the massive box before him.
"Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?"
(End of Chapter)