He did not strike and did not slow his pace. At his side, the Claw Shadows moved like loyal executioners, without flashy Ninjutsu, relying only on pure and brutal technique. Each flash of their claws cut through muscle, tendon, and bone, clearing the way with mechanical efficiency.
At last, Shadow reached the end of the passage and saw a room resembling a laboratory. On the wall before him was a carved face, twisted between a smile and a snarl.
This was the so-called Box of Ultimate Bliss. Each of its four sides bore a face of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, and the one before him was only a single aspect.
Shadow could clearly feel that this thing was alive. A cold and Greed gaze pressed against him, almost tangible. Beneath it was a subtle temptation, like a whisper urging him to offer his Chakra and speak his wish.
"All-powerful?" Shadow smiled faintly.
The lure was crude and obvious. Anyone who dared make a wish would see it fulfilled in a twisted way. Any wish, whether for wealth, status, or power, would ultimately be forced into the form of strength.
And that strength was the monster sealed within Box of Ultimate Bliss, known as "Satoru."
Even knowing the truth behind it, Shadow showed nothing. He walked up to the face and placed his hand on the cold stone surface.
A vast flood of Chakra poured from his palm into Box of Ultimate Bliss. The carved face shuddered violently as cracks spread across it like a web, stone fragments falling away. The expression grew disturbingly vivid, tinged with Greed desire.
Just as the power neared a critical point, as if release was imminent, Shadow calmly withdrew his hand and cut off the flow.
The face froze, its false vitality vanishing into rage and frustration. A stronger wave of temptation surged toward Shadow, trying to ignite desire within him. What answered it was not Chakra, but darkness.
The shadow beneath Shadow spread and climbed the wall, covering the face. Blackness that could seal Chakra seeped through the cracks. The stone face trembled, showing clear shock as its body was gradually locked down.
The chamber shook violently as Box of Ultimate Bliss struggled, rock walls cracking under the strain. It was like a living thing fighting desperately to escape.
"You understand human speech. I will give you two choices."
Shadow spoke with a hint of amusement. "First, come with me, and I will release you. Second, be Sealing Technique by me and remain buried here for hundreds or thousands of years."
"As a creation of Otsutsuki Hagoromo, you know I can do this."
At the mention of that name, the violent shaking abruptly stopped. Silence fell over the chamber as the face froze in disbelief and confusion. How could this person know Sage of Six Paths?
The shadows continued to tighten, pressing in with cold certainty. At last, a deep, rhythmic thudding echoed from within Box of Ultimate Bliss, like the beat of a massive heart. It carried the sound of reluctant acceptance.
"Good choice," Shadow said softly.
Then he added, "But you are too big to carry like this."
The box fell silent again. Moments later, a low hum began as its structure compressed and reshaped itself. The massive form rapidly collapsed, shrinking in plain sight.
In a few breaths, the terrifying face vanished. In its place hovered a cube the size of a puzzle block above Shadow's palm. Four distorted faces of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure were etched upon it.
It no longer tempted, instead radiating suppressed malice. Like Pandora's box.
"This will do."
Shadow grasped Box of Ultimate Bliss and turned his wrist, letting it sink silently into the shadows of his robe. "Now all that remains is Orochimaru's side," he thought.
Before that, the box would need some adjustments. His body melted into the ground, becoming a streak of shadow racing toward Land of Fire.
In the passage above, the sounds of battle and screams still echoed. Yet no one knew that in the stone chamber, only bare walls and scattered Gravel remained to tell of what had just occurred. The most valuable treasure of Hozuki Castle had already changed hands.
Outside the window the weather was clear, and Hokage Office lay wrapped in pale mist like a quiet painting. The light filtered in softly and settled across the room. It should have been a calm scene.
"Whew…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished handling the day's documents, and he drew on his pipe with a tired face before exhaling. The smoke drifted out, but it did nothing to ease the worry pressed between his brows. Too many things had happened lately, and the rise and fall of events had almost drained his strength.
At first, the good news from the battlefield in Land of Moon had filled him with rare joy. Ryuji Hyuga had relied on sharp tactics and Lightning Release to wipe out over a thousand elite troops from Kumogakure in a single campaign. Even the "Two-Tails Jinchuriki" of Kumogakure, Yugito Nii, and the overall commander Samui had been captured, an astonishing victory by any measure.
After that, following his suggestion, Jiraiya proposed an exchange of prisoners to Kumogakure in return for a ceasefire. Peace had seemed within reach, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi had felt his tightly wound nerves loosen. For a brief moment, it looked like the worst might be over.
But then, in front of the Memorial Stone, urgent news sent back from the border by ANBU reached his ears. When he learned that Akatsuki in Sunagakure had deployed Tailed Beasts to attack the border of Land of Fire, his heart jumped to his throat. Everything that followed only proved his unease was justified.
Kumogakure reacted with chilling speed. One moment they were still arguing with Jiraiya across the negotiating table, and the next they received news of Sunagakure launching an attack on Land of Fire. Fourth Raikage flipped the table, pushed aside all objections, and made a swift decision to respond to Sunagakure's offensive, sending troops to attack from both front and rear.
As a result, the main force under Jiraiya that had not yet withdrawn from Land of Moon was instantly trapped in a desperate situation. The war situation around Konoha took a sharp turn for the worse. The change came so fast it left no time to breathe.
"At least Ryuji used that moment to rally morale," Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered softly. "Otherwise the panic would have spread again, and mobilizing reinforcements would have taken far more effort."
He gently rubbed his temples, feeling both frustration and relief. It was precisely because of the fierce fighting spirit ignited by Ryuji Hyuga that his orders could be sent out at top speed. Elite units were rushed to the border to face Sunagakure, barely managing to tie them down on the Land of Rain front so they could no longer harass Jiraiya's main force retreating toward Land of Hot Water.
At present, the war had settled into a grim balance. Fighting continued in Land of Hot Water against Kumogakure and in Land of Rain against Sunagakure, while Iwagakure watched closely from the sidelines. The battlefield had sunk back into a tangled stalemate.
"Cough, cough. Still, why hasn't Hanzo made a move yet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, coughing as smoke caught in his throat. He sighed helplessly and added, "What a waste of the advantage Ryuji and the others worked so hard to secure."
He had not expected Sunagakure to dare attack Land of Fire directly through Land of Rain. Even now, the figure in Amegakure, Hanzo, had shown no clear response. With Konoha facing Sunagakure and Kumogakure alone, the casualty numbers sent back from the front weighed heavily on his heart.
Still, when he thought of that unusually outstanding, almost flawless young man, a trace of warmth appeared on his troubled face. Whether it was dominating the floor at the Jonin Council, achieving brilliant results on the Land of Moon battlefield, or inspiring morale as a "hero" after learning that Akatsuki in Sunagakure had broken through the border defenses, Ryuji Hyuga had performed exceptionally every time.
As long as Konoha had not yet lost its breath, the war could still be fought. All of this made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a quiet sense of pride, believing it was his own judgment that had discovered Ryuji Hyuga. The thought brought him a rare measure of comfort.
"It's just a pity," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly, "that such a young man, who sets aside clan bias and truly carries the Will of Fire, is from the Branch Family."
More than once during this period, he had considered grooming Ryuji as his successor. Yet every time, he was reminded that Ryuji Hyuga belonged to the Hyuga Clan Branch Family, and that Ryuji's life was ultimately held in the hands of the Hyuga Clan. He could never allow the Hokage to become the possession of any single clan, and so he could not allow Ryuji to succeed him.
Unless the Hyuga Clan Main Family were wiped out completely. The thought surfaced in his mind, and he could not help but smile faintly and shake his head. Such a thing was impossible.
Knock, knock.