Chapter 605: Hōzuki Castle
"What an incredible Transformation Jutsu." Hōichi, the monk from the Land of Wind, couldn't find any flaws in Zetsu no matter how he looked, and he couldn't help but feel impressed.
Zetsu sneered internally. You frogs in a well, what do you know? Is this a Transformation Jutsu? Open your dog eyes and look...
Sora noticed a problem: "But you're only one person?"
Zetsu said, "No need to worry. I also know... clone jutsu. Give me some time."
"Alright!"
Hōzuki Castle was a massive prison. When the five great ninja villages had prisoners they couldn't handle, they would choose to send them here for centralized detention.
Back then, Utatane Koharu had proposed sending Konan to Hōzuki Castle, but Jiraiya strongly opposed it, so the matter was dropped.
The five great villages provided the funds, and Kusagakure provided the manpower to build this large prison on a remote island.
As night fell, Sora and his allies launched a brazen attack on the prison.
Hōichi, being skilled in sealing jutsu, quietly broke the seal on the prison's main gate and planted numerous explosive tags. The moment the attack began, they blew a three-meter-wide hole in the entrance.
The samurai were incredibly fierce. Wielding their katanas, they charged into the prison, killing everyone they saw, as cold as a group of killing machines.
The prison guards were caught off guard and only began to organize a scattered counterattack after fifteen minutes.
"Kill them! Kill these intruders!"
The two sides clashed.
The guards were familiar with the terrain and had urgently called for reinforcements. They had the psychological advantage. They formed small squads of two and three, using skilled coordination to resist the samurai's onslaught.
Suddenly, disaster struck from within.
A tall, burly guard was fighting two samurai alone with an iron rod. As he called for his comrades to help, a short sword suddenly pierced his back, and the attacker twisted it for good measure.
The burly guard turned in shock, just in time to see the somewhat cruel gaze of his "comrade."
Why? Why would a friend I've known for over ten years kill me?
The same betrayal happened all over the prison. One by one, the brave guards fell into pools of their own blood. The remaining guards descended into chaos, not knowing who the enemy was. All trust between them was gone. They couldn't see through Zetsu's disguises and were forced to fight alone. As a result, they were swarmed by the samurai and hacked to pieces.
"What's going on? These thieves are seeking death!" The warden of Hōzuki Castle was named Mui. He was a former Kusagakure Jonin, skilled in "Fire Release: Fire Prison Technique."
This jutsu could seal the target's chakra pathways. Once activated, the target would be burned to a crisp from the inside out by flames.
The "Fire Prison Technique" was an excellent jutsu combining sealing techniques and Fire Release. Mui's technique gave him absolute control over the prisoners. It was a bit like Hidan's "Jujutsu: Death Controlling Possessed Blood"—a classic one-trick pony. If you didn't know his ability, you would suffer a great loss.
Mui never expected someone to cause trouble on his turf.
Facing the chaotic battlefield, he condensed chakra in his right hand, forming it into a sword. With a casual swing, he killed two fully armed samurai. The samurai's corpses turned to charcoal, a horrific sight.
The chaos Zetsu created made him wary. Friend and foe were indistinguishable. Every guard feared for his life, unable to trust his comrades. Their defeat was already clear.
Mui didn't have Naruto's ability to sense malice. In his haste, he couldn't think of a good countermeasure.
He could only look at the trio leading the chaos.
"Are you three the ringleaders? I'll leave your corpses exposed for ten days!"
The menacing middle-aged man slashed at Sora with his sword. Okisuke parried with his blade. A chakra-conducting iron claw appeared in Sora's hand. Seeing an opening, he thrust at Mui's abdomen. Mui flipped his left hand, his palm glowing red, revealing a large, chain-like chakra pattern. He struck his palm toward Sora's chest.
"Dodge!" As the disciple of the former One-Tail Jinchuriki Bunpuku, Hōichi had a good eye. He realized this move was for control. He immediately plucked his biwa, and two chakra chains wrapped around Sora's arm, saving the young ninja monk at the last second.
"Is that all?" Mui sneered. He had gauged the attackers' level in just two moves. They seemed decent, but they were definitely not his match.
He wielded his flame sword, fighting one against three with ease, even having the leisure to observe the battlefield.
Mui's strength was above that of an elite Jonin, but was he Kage-level? He seemed just a little short. His strength lay in his Fire Prison Technique. Once his formula struck someone, their chakra pathways would be completely sealed, and scorching flames would burn them from within, making them wish for death.
Sora, Hōichi, and Okisuke fought with their hands tied, on the verge of defeat.
Madara Uchiha, hiding in the shadows, was disdainful. He looked at Zetsu. "Are these the trash you prepared to replace Obito?"
Zetsu was silently speechless. Obito wasn't much better. He was arrogant and weak. Do you know how I survived serving Obito for sixteen years?
And these new ones? They're even worse!
He put on an ingratiating smile. "They are just pawns, my lord. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is more important."
Madara snorted, knowing these pawns still had their use.
His right Rinnegan emitted an invisible ripple, and he activated his unique Rinnegan ability.
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
A shadow that no one could see, existing in another dimension, split from his body. The shadow swaggered onto the battlefield and punched Mui square in the back.
"Uwa!" Mui, who had the upper hand, felt a massive impact on his chest and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
He looked behind him in horror. There wasn't even a ghost. Who had ambushed him?
Then, the Limbo shadow kicked him hard in the back of the knee.
Thanks to Madara's secret intervention, the battle at Hōzuki Castle ended fifteen minutes later.
Sora infused his Tailed Beast chakra into his iron claw and, joining forces with Hōichi and Okisuke, the trio killed the heavily injured Mui.
Mui was dead. The "Fire Prison Technique" he had placed on the prisoners automatically dispelled. The prisoners were free. They, along with the samurai and ninja monks, wiped out the remaining guards and occupied Hōzuki Castle.
Sora found the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
This thing was over five meters tall, perfectly square, with four faces on its sides: joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Sora's chakra wasn't enough to open the box. Zetsu looked at Madara. Madara immediately refused. I'm not a nanny! I have to do this kind of thing too?
Madara was also a ninja with a massive "tonnage" of chakra. Just as Ino worried about Madara causing trouble, Madara was equally worried about being cornered by Ino. Neither side was confident of winning an encounter. Madara definitely wanted to maintain his peak condition and didn't want to waste his chakra in this dump.
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