Hearing the legend of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, a look of anticipation appeared on Shion's little face.
"If I could make a wish, I want to become a real priestess!"
As Miroku's daughter, she had grown up watching how her mother was revered by the people of the Land of Demons.
Because of that, Shion's greatest dream was to become a respected priestess just like her mother.
"Not bad."
Kiyohara nodded.
Her wish was exactly what he had expected.
Itachi fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"I want the world to be at peace."
When he said those words, there was not the slightest hesitation in his dark eyes.
On the night of the Nine Tails' attack, he had held Sasuke in his arms as they sat together on the wooden corridor behind their house, feeling that overwhelming chakra ravage the village with enough power to destroy everything.
Even then, he had thought to himself that if this world had no wars, no hatred, and none of the disasters that could make his little brother cry, how wonderful it would be.
"An admirable ambition."
Kiyohara looked at him and gave a slight nod.
Itachi's wish itself was a noble one.
The only problem was that, in the anime, the method he chose to achieve it had gone terribly wrong.
The Uchiha Clan had indeed never staged another coup, and Konoha had continued to enjoy peace.
The price, however, had been the complete annihilation of the Uchiha Clan.
If Tobirama had witnessed that outcome, he probably would have raised a thumbs up and declared that Itachi deserved a direct ticket to heaven.
Kiyohara then turned toward Izumi.
"Izumi, if the Box of Ultimate Bliss could truly grant any wish, what would you ask for?"
Izumi froze for a moment.
She blinked her beautiful peach blossom eyes, and the beauty mark beneath one eye seemed to shift ever so slightly as she pondered the question.
She was completely stumped.
What did she really want?
To become stronger?
Yes.
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted to become someone who could truly help her sensei.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
If any wish could truly be granted...
Then she wished that her sensei could always stay by her side.
Not like now, where they only met every few days.
She wanted to see him every single day.
To hear his voice every single day.
But...
That wish was far too childish.
And saying it out loud would be unbearably embarrassing.
"If I say my wish aloud, won't it stop coming true, Sensei?"
Izumi looked up, a sly glimmer flashing across her peach blossom eyes as she tried to dodge the question.
Kiyohara noticed the faint redness on her face but chose not to pursue the matter.
"That's possible."
He nodded.
Shion's expression immediately changed, her eyes filling with regret.
"Then I shouldn't have said my wish just now!"
Kiyohara chuckled.
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"You can achieve that goal through your own efforts. Why rely on the box?"
"Mhm!"
Shion nodded vigorously.
The regret in her eyes disappeared, replaced by renewed confidence.
The airship continued its flight.
The clouds outside the windows gradually thinned, revealing the grayish blue sea below.
The island where Hozuki Castle stood was surrounded by water on all sides.
Its only connection to the outside world was a stone bridge guarded by shinobi from Kusagakure.
It was practically a natural prison.
Its unique geographical location was precisely what had allowed it to develop into the internationally infamous prison it was today.
"We're almost there."
Fubuki called out from the cockpit.
The airship gradually descended.
Its hull tilted slightly as it slowly approached a secluded reef on the southern side of the island.
That location had been selected by Kiyohara long in advance.
It was far away from the guards stationed at Hozuki Castle's main entrance while also avoiding the island's sensory barrier.
The airship landed steadily.
The hatch opened, and salty sea wind rushed inside.
Izumi was the first to jump out.
Her feet landed on the wet rocks as she curiously surveyed the surroundings.
Itachi followed closely behind.
His eyes rapidly swept across the terrain, memorizing every boulder that could serve as cover as well as every possible retreat route.
Shion came down last.
Her movements were noticeably more cautious than those of the two Uchiha children, but her eyes held the same nervous excitement that came with participating in a real mission for the very first time.
"Wait here."
Kiyohara instructed Fubuki before leading the three children deeper into the island.
Hozuki Castle had been built atop the island's highest rocky plateau.
Gray black stone walls rose straight upward from the edge of the cliffs.
Before long, the prison guards patrolling ahead noticed the group boldly walking toward them.
"Who goes there?"
One of the guards shouted sternly.
"This area is under Kusagakure's jurisdiction. Without proper authorization, no one is allowed to enter..."
"Take care of him, Itachi."
Kiyohara said calmly.
"Yes."
Itachi nodded.
Lowering his body, he drew a kunai and charged forward.
His speed was not particularly impressive.
Among children his age, he was undoubtedly exceptional.
But in the eyes of a true jonin, it was still far from sufficient.
Against ordinary prison guards, however, it was more than enough.
After all, these guards were only responsible for watching over prisoners whose chakra had already been sealed.
Without chakra reinforcing their bodies, most shinobi were no different from ordinary people.
Even many taijutsu techniques relied upon chakra circulation.
The moment chakra began flowing inside a prisoner's body, Hozuki Castle's special fuinjutsu technique, Fire Release: Heavenly Prison, would immediately punish them.
Thud.
The handle of Itachi's kunai slammed into a guard's temple.
The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply to the ground.
The second guard finally reacted, thrusting his hooked spear toward Itachi.
But he was far too slow.
So slow that Itachi had enough time to casually sidestep the attack before chopping the guard across the back of the neck with the edge of his hand.
Both guards collapsed almost simultaneously.
Neither even managed to sound the alarm.
Itachi sheathed his kunai.
His breathing became slightly heavier.
This was the first time he had truly fought a real enemy.
It was completely different from sparring with his companions on the training grounds.
He could clearly feel that his heartbeat was faster than usual.
'So... this is real combat?'
Itachi thought to himself.
"Let's keep moving."
Kiyohara said.
The group continued advancing.
Elsewhere, another guard finally managed to blow an alarm whistle.
The shrill sound echoed continuously throughout the prison.
"Intruders!"
"Stop them!"
Shion halted in her tracks.
She watched a prison guard charging toward her and quickly formed hand seals.
"Seal!"
She let out a soft shout.
A layer of chakra flames appeared over her palm.
This was the basic fuinjutsu technique Kiyohara had taught her.
It could immobilize a target's limbs.
The guard's body instantly froze.
He remained locked in his running posture, unable to move even an inch.
Fear spread across his face.
Izumi rushed in from the side.
Borrowing the momentum of her sprint, she drove a powerful kick straight into the guard's chest.
The man flew backward, crashing heavily into the wall behind him.
By the time he slid down to the ground, he had already lost consciousness.
Landing lightly, Izumi exchanged a glance with Shion.
The two girls nodded at each other at the same time.
Their teamwork was flawless.
Kiyohara watched everything unfold.
All three of his disciples had performed beyond his expectations.
If he had come alone, he could have bulldozed straight through the prison and finished everything within minutes.
But if he did that, there would be no point in bringing them along for training.
After all, he could not possibly solve every problem in the shinobi world personally.
The world was far too vast.
Even Kiyohara would eventually work himself to death.
"How insolent!"
A furious shout came from ahead.
Every prison guard immediately stopped fighting and stepped aside, opening a clear path.
The warden of Hozuki Castle, Mui, slowly emerged from the prison entrance.
Inside the prison, the inmates also noticed the commotion outside.
One after another, they climbed onto the walls to watch what was happening.
Yet not a single one dared to escape.
The moment they crossed a certain distance, the Heavenly Prison Curse Seal would transform into blazing chains that would burn them alive until nothing remained but charred corpses.
The technique, however, became ineffective in water.
If someone could reach the sea immediately, they could theoretically escape by following the ocean currents.
Unfortunately, the waters surrounding the island were unimaginably violent.
Even if a shinobi somehow managed to flee the prison itself, they would still die in the raging sea, unable to maintain their footing upon the waves.
Since Hozuki Castle had been established, not a single prisoner had ever escaped alive.
"And who might you be?"
Mui frowned as he looked at Kiyohara.
He had long black hair, with a single lock hanging beside his stern face, giving him an appearance that was both refined and imposing.
Glancing briefly at the unconscious guards lying on the ground, he quickly focused all of his attention on Kiyohara.
In his eyes, the children Kiyohara had brought with him were not worth mentioning.
Only Kiyohara himself gave him the unmistakable feeling that he was facing a truly formidable opponent.
"I merely came here to seek justice."
Kiyohara answered calmly.
Konoha's prisoners were still Konoha's people.
Who had given Hozuki Castle the right to torture them however it pleased?
Of course, Kiyohara only used that excuse so that he would have a legitimate reason for attacking.
After today, the entire shinobi world would hear the news that Hozuki Castle had been assaulted.
"You forcefully invaded territory under Kusagakure's jurisdiction and injured my subordinates."
Mui nearly laughed from sheer disbelief.
"And now you claim you're here to seek justice?"
He had remained stationed at the prison throughout the Shinobi War and had never personally participated in it.
As a result, he had never met Kiyohara before.
The only thing he knew was that Konoha possessed an extraordinarily powerful Hokage.
"Sensei, please allow me to fight him."
Itachi volunteered without hesitation.
He understood perfectly well that the gap between himself and Mui was enormous.
But it was precisely because of that overwhelming difference that he wanted to experience it firsthand.
Only by standing before a truly powerful opponent could he understand just how far away he still was from reaching that level.
Kiyohara nodded.
The next instant, Itachi charged toward Mui.
Mui raised his right hand.
A crimson flame ignited in the center of his palm.
"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison."
He activated his clan's unique Fire Release technique.
The flames transformed into countless scarlet chains that shot toward Itachi.
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.
He forcefully twisted his body, attempting to block the attack with his kunai.
Clang!
The foremost chain was knocked aside.
But almost immediately, several more chains curved around from the side, wrapping toward his ankle.
The scarlet chains tightened violently.
They yanked him out of the air and slammed him heavily into the ground.
A shallow crater appeared in the stone pavement as fragments of rock scattered everywhere.
"Itachi!"
Izumi cried out in alarm.
Mui gave Itachi no opportunity to recover.
His figure blurred.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the young Uchiha and thrust his palm toward Itachi's chest.
Grass Style: Shattering Palm.
The force of the strike penetrated through his chest and directly assaulted his internal organs.
Itachi was blasted backward.
He crashed into the prison wall before sliding down.
"...I'm not hurt?"
Itachi muttered in confusion.
Looking down, he discovered swirling currents of wind surrounding both his back and abdomen.
Kiyohara-sensei!
He immediately realized what had happened.
At the very instant of impact, Kiyohara had used wind chakra to cushion the collision.
"So fast."
Mui had actually seen Kiyohara form the hand seals.
'Those brats are getting in the way. I'll dispose of these children first.'
He made his decision immediately.
He would eliminate these troublesome youngsters before giving his full attention to facing Kiyohara.
The instant it happened, Mui lunged toward Izumi.
Cold sweat broke out across Izumi's palms.
Every instinct in her mind screamed at her to run.
But Mui was simply too fast.
Her body could not react in time.
Just as Mui was about to seize her, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly grabbed his wrist.
"And what exactly do you think you're doing to my beloved disciple?"
Kiyohara asked calmly.
Crack.
Mui's wrist bent at a horrifying angle.
A section of white bone bulged beneath the skin before tearing through as Kiyohara ripped his entire arm off in one brutal motion.
"AAAAAH!"
Mui let out a miserable scream.
His body staggered backward as he desperately clutched the mangled stump of his right shoulder with his remaining hand.
Blood gushed through the gaps between his fingers, flowed down his robes, and quickly pooled into a dark crimson puddle on the stone floor.
What terrifying physical strength!
In Mui's eyes, Kiyohara's level of danger rose yet again.
Someone with this kind of power was absolutely no ordinary shinobi.
As the lord of Hozuki Castle, Mui was already stronger than many elite jonin.
Even some Kage would have to treat him seriously in battle.
And yet...
Kiyohara had effortlessly torn off one of his arms in a single exchange.
Several drops of blood splattered onto Izumi's clothes.
Her beautiful peach blossom eyes widened in shock.
"Izumi, Shion, Itachi."
"If the sight of blood makes you uncomfortable, you can close your eyes."
Kiyohara spoke in his usual calm tone.
Izumi simply raised her hand and wiped the blood from her clothes with the back of it.
"It doesn't bother me at all."
She shook her head.
The moment Kiyohara had stepped in to protect her, every trace of fear had completely disappeared.
She lowered her head and looked at the blood she had just smeared across the back of her hand.
For some reason...
Her heart was beating incredibly fast.
Mui continued stumbling backward.
The prison guards behind him exchanged uneasy glances.
They were all shinobi from Kusagakure.
But none of them were anywhere near Mui's level.
If even Mui had been defeated in a single move...
What chance did they possibly have?
"You..."
"There must... be some misunderstanding..."
Mui looked at Kiyohara, attempting to settle things peacefully.
"A misunderstanding?"
Kiyohara's tone remained indifferent.
"You've been secretly disposing of prisoners."
"You've been using them as sacrifices."
Mui's entire body trembled violently.
The color instantly drained from his face.
A trace of panic flashed across his eyes.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
His lips quivered as he forced himself to remain calm.
"The Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Kiyohara spoke the name directly.
"...!"
Mui's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
He had never imagined that Kiyohara knew about that secret.
In the entirety of Hozuki Castle, fewer than ten people knew the truth.
The prisoners who had been sacrificed were always reported to the outside world as having escaped or died from illness.
The higher ups of Kusagakure had personally helped conceal everything, successfully hiding it from every major shinobi village.
So where had Kiyohara learned about it?
Could there be a traitor within Kusagakure?
Mui's first thought was that another nation had successfully planted a spy inside the village.
"Fire Release: Great Heavenly Prison!"
Mui suddenly attacked.
He refused to accept this.
He refused to watch the years of effort he had invested...
The only remaining hope of saving his son, Muku...
Disappear before his eyes.
This time, he unleashed the enhanced version of the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.
Crimson flames erupted from the palm of his remaining left hand.
They burned even more fiercely than when he had fought Itachi.
The flames condensed into dozens of blazing chains before shooting toward Kiyohara.
Slash.
Before those chains could even reach their target...
Mui's remaining arm was severed cleanly at the elbow.
The cut was so smooth it looked like a polished mirror.
Blood erupted violently from the wound, instantly soaking half his body red.
Mui slowly lowered his head.
He stared blankly at his now empty left shoulder.
Wind Release...
He had not even seen when Kiyohara had attacked.
"Mui."
"You're far too weak."
"Just give up."
Kiyohara shook his head.
With both of his arms gone, Mui could no longer perform ninjutsu.
Kiyohara then turned toward Shion.
"Seal him."
"We still have a use for him."
Shion blinked in surprise before quickly stepping forward.
A fuinjutsu formula appeared in her palm before landing on Mui's body.
In an instant, the seal completely suppressed both his remaining chakra and his ability to move.
Kiyohara then dealt with several prison guard captains who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.
"Let's go."
After stopping Mui's bleeding, Kiyohara instructed Itachi to carry the severely wounded man on his back.
The group then entered the prison.
The prisoners inside all looked at Kiyohara with fear written across their faces.
No one dared approach him.
Instead, every pair of eyes remained fixed upon the wide open prison gates.
"Can we finally escape?"
"If you try, you'll die."
"Didn't you see that Mui is still alive?"
The prisoners whispered among themselves.
Although they desperately longed for freedom...
Their own lives were far more precious.
Not long afterward, Kiyohara found Mui's accomplice.
Following what he remembered from the movie, he located the hidden mechanism.
Click.
The stone floor slid to one side, revealing a staircase descending underground.
At the bottom stood an enormous stone door.
Kiyohara pushed it open.
Beyond it lay a vast underground hall.
The ceiling towered so high overhead that it hardly felt like an underground chamber at all.
At the very center of the hall rested an enormous chest.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss.
It stood roughly two stories tall.
Its entire body was forged from a dull metallic material, its surface covered with countless strange and mysterious engravings.
Each of its four sides bore a grotesque human face.
Joy.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Happiness.
Their twisted expressions looked utterly inhuman.
Beneath the chest rested a massive stone pedestal.
Dark brown stains covered much of the surrounding floor.
Itachi slowly raised his head.
His dark eyes stared at the four grotesque faces.
"Kiyohara-sensei..."
"Is this the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
"It is."
Kiyohara walked toward it.
"It is said that this object is completely indestructible."
Drawing his sword, he swung it at the chest.
Bang!
A shower of sparks burst forth.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss remained completely unharmed.
"If it were melted down and reforged into shinobi tools..."
"It would probably produce extraordinarily durable weapons."
Kiyohara thought to himself.
He remembered how the movie had ended.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss had ultimately been sealed beneath the deepest part of the ocean.
It had never been destroyed.
It was not because Naruto and the others had been unwilling to destroy it.
Rather...
They simply could not.
Unable to break it apart, they had chosen to sink it into the deepest seabed so no one could ever retrieve it again.
Kiyohara lightly tapped the surface with the flat of his blade.
Only a deep, dull echo answered him.
"Sensei..."
"This box looks really sinister."
Izumi commented softly.
Could something like this really grant wishes?
"Hehehe..."
"This is not an object that people like you can casually control."
Still draped across Itachi's shoulder, Mui let out a cold laugh after seeing Kiyohara's interest in the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Born through awakening."
"Moved through awakening."
"And ending only when awakening is complete."
"It is said that the Box of Ultimate Bliss can absorb captured enemies and transform them into puppets."
"It can also read the hearts of men."
"Isn't that correct?"
Kiyohara glanced toward Mui.
Mui was actually quite powerful.
In the movie, he had only suffered defeat because he had carelessly lowered his guard and was caught in a surprise attack that left him gravely wounded.
"You certainly know quite a lot."
Mui looked at Kiyohara with surprise.
Even so, he was not worried.
There simply was not enough chakra to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
If there had been...
He would have already wished for his son Muku to return.
"So it really can read people's hearts?"
Shion asked curiously.
"Yes."
Kiyohara nodded.
Those controlled by the Box of Ultimate Bliss would transform into monsters known as Satori.
As long as fear existed within someone's heart...
Satori could read their thoughts and predict every action before it happened.
"Tell me the seal."
Kiyohara said.
Mui slowly looked up at him.
"Even if I tell you, you still won't be able to gather enough chakra. The box has already consumed countless sacrifices but it's still nowhere near enough..."
"That's not something you need to worry about."
Kiyohara interrupted him.
Even ten years later, after Naruto had grown up, Mui still had not managed to accumulate enough chakra.
Left with no other choice, he had eventually stolen the Nine Tails' chakra from Naruto before finally succeeding.
But Kiyohara was different.
After multiple fusions and devouring the flesh of the Three Tails, the amount of chakra within his body had already surpassed that of ordinary Tailed Beasts.
Purely in terms of chakra reserves...
He alone possessed enough to rival everything the Box of Ultimate Bliss had accumulated over an entire decade.
After all...
The quality of the prisoners confined here varied greatly.
Most of them were hardly exceptional shinobi.
"Tell me the seal."
A crimson glow slowly emerged within Kiyohara's eyes.
The intricate pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan began rotating inside his pupils.
The instant Mui's gaze met those eyes...
His pupils immediately lost focus.
His lips twitched.
Then, without the slightest resistance, he began reciting the complete fuinjutsu formula used to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
He poured out every detail in one breath.
After listening to the entire technique, the crimson faded from Kiyohara's eyes.
Just then, a noisy chorus of hurried footsteps echoed from above.
With Mui captured, Hozuki Castle's guards had fallen into complete disarray.
Seizing the opportunity, the prisoners had begun rioting, hoping to break free from the prison's control and escape this living hell.
"Izumi."
"Itachi."
"Shion."
"Go deal with the remaining guards outside."
"And stop any prisoners trying to force their way in."
"Be careful."
"Don't push yourselves."
Kiyohara instructed.
None of the guards here were particularly strong.
Furthermore, every prisoner remained unable to use either chakra or ninjutsu.
"Yes, Kiyohara-sensei!"
The three answered in unison before turning and sprinting toward the entrance.
After they had left, Kiyohara faced the Box of Ultimate Bliss once more and slowly raised his right hand.
His palm rested gently against the chest.
He began pouring chakra into it.
With his back turned toward everyone else, the darkness within his eyes gradually disappeared.
In its place emerged a pair of pale white eyes.
The Byakugan.
Its penetrating vision pierced straight through the Box of Ultimate Bliss and revealed its interior.
Inside lay a chaotic alternate dimension.
It had no boundaries.
No sky.
No ground.
Only endless black mist rolled ceaselessly through the void.
And deep within that sea of darkness rested an enormous mass of Yin Release chakra.
"So it really is Yin Release."
Kiyohara stroked his chin with his free hand.
The Byakugan gradually faded, returning his eyes to normal.
Now he finally understood why this shinobi tool was said to grant any wish.
Yin Release itself possessed the power to reshape reality.
Take Izanagi, for example.
It could transform injuries suffered by the user, even death itself, into nothing more than an illusion, manipulating the boundary between fantasy and reality.
The true essence of the Box of Ultimate Bliss...
Was another form of Izanagi.
An Izanagi powered not by the user's own chakra...
But by the chakra of countless other people.
At that moment, the vacant look in Mui's eyes slowly disappeared.
As consciousness returned, his eyes suddenly widened in horror.
Mui could clearly sense it.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss, which had taken him ten full years and the lives of countless sacrifices to fill to barely a third of its capacity, was now filling at an unprecedented speed.
The four faces carved upon its surface gradually began to glow.
The expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness twisted within the radiance as though they had suddenly come alive.
"Impossible..."
"Your chakra..."
"How can you possibly have this much...?"
Mui stared at Kiyohara in disbelief.
Could the man before him be a jinchuriki?
That had to be it.
Only a jinchuriki could possess such an overwhelming amount of chakra.
Kiyohara ignored the stunned Mui behind him.
After injecting what he judged to be enough chakra, he slowly withdrew his hand.
Then, with one hand, he grabbed the lower edge of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The stone beneath his feet cracked into a web of fractures.
The enormous chest, several meters tall, was lifted effortlessly into the air with a single hand.
'It's a little heavy.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
With the physical strength he possessed now, anything heavy enough for him to actually notice had to possess an astonishing density.
No wonder nobody had been able to destroy it in the movie.
The material used to forge this tool had probably come from some ancient mineral that had long since disappeared from history.
His figure shot upward.
He smashed straight through the ceiling of the underground chamber, burst out into the open sky, and landed in the clearing outside Hozuki Castle.
The instant the Box of Ultimate Bliss struck the ground, the entire earth shook violently.
Its four faces were now directed toward the heavens.
Under the sunlight, the expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness appeared even more grotesquely distorted.
Standing before the chest, Kiyohara calmly looked at those four faces.
"Now..."
"I command you."
"Box of Ultimate Bliss."
His voice was not loud.
Yet every word clearly reached the depths of the box.
"Make me..."
"...the second Sage of Six Paths."
He made his wish.
Not because he genuinely believed the Box of Ultimate Bliss could transform him into the Sage of Six Paths in a single step.
Rather...
He wanted to see exactly what this legendary shinobi tool, said to grant any wish, was truly capable of accomplishing.
Show me your limits...
Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Crack.
The masks covering the four faces of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness fell away.
The four doors of the Box of Ultimate Bliss opened simultaneously.
Its corners stretched all the way to its ears in impossibly twisted smiles.
Behind each open mouth lay nothing but absolute darkness.
A tremendous suction force erupted from within.
It was not directed at the body.
It was directed at chakra.
Kiyohara could clearly feel the Box of Ultimate Bliss attempting to pull both his chakra and his consciousness into its depths.
At the same time...
Countless whispers echoed beside his ears.
It sounded as though hundreds, even thousands of people were speaking simultaneously inside his mind.
Their overlapping voices searched relentlessly for the smallest crack within his consciousness, trying to invade it.
Kiyohara gave a cold snort.
An immense surge of spiritual energy exploded from within him.
Like an invisible wall, it shattered every single whisper.
With his current mastery over Yin Release...
This level of mental corruption was not even enough to count as scratching an itch.
Immediately afterward...
A massive quantity of black chakra began pouring out of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The chakra resembled liquid ink.
It flowed from the mouths of the four faces, streamed down the surface of the chest, and surged directly toward Kiyohara's body.
Kiyohara made no attempt to resist.
He simply allowed the black chakra to enter him.
"So this..."
"...is the chakra of the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
His brows furrowed slightly.
He carefully felt the foreign chakra flowing through his chakra pathways.
It was even more sinister than the Nine Tails' chakra.
It carried nothing but pure malice.
Yet at the same time...
He could also sense his own chakra reserves increasing.
Compared to before, they had risen by roughly another fifty percent.
"So it really does have some substance."
Kiyohara silently mused.
His chakra continued to grow.
The black chakra was merging with his cells, gradually transforming into power that belonged solely to him.
But simultaneously...
That overwhelming malice attempted to influence his consciousness.
It sought to plant something inside his heart.
Kiyohara casually swept his hand backward.
The portion of chakra that still retained its own will was forcibly gathered together.
He ripped it out of his own chakra network before flinging both it and the accompanying malice onto the open ground nearby.
The instant the black chakra struck the earth, it erupted into a dense cloud of smoke.
As the smoke gradually dispersed...
A monster appeared.
It was a humanoid creature with enormous black wings.
Its torso was unnaturally thin, little more than a spine supporting an oversized head.
Long fangs protruded from its mouth.
Cold and sinister chakra radiated endlessly from its body.
It was none other than...
Satori.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Satori threw back its head and let out a deafening howl.
The sound waves shook the ground hard enough that loose stones began bouncing into the air.
Kiyohara looked at it.
A trace of disappointment flashed through his eyes.
As expected...
The power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss had its limits.
It truly could grant wishes.
But the method by which it fulfilled them was fundamentally twisted.
Mui had wished to see his son again.
His wish had indeed been granted.
Only...
His son had become Satori.
Kiyohara had wished to become the Sage of Six Paths.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss had indeed strengthened him.
It had granted him additional chakra.
But compared to the true Sage of Six Paths...
The gap remained unimaginably vast.
His own Yin Release chakra had already been extraordinarily powerful.
The enhancement provided by the Box of Ultimate Bliss was therefore relatively limited.
Still...
If this object were reforged into another tool...
The result would undoubtedly be exceptional.
Its durability would likely make the resulting weapons virtually indestructible.
While Kiyohara was still contemplating this...
Satori attacked.
Its enormous black wings spread wide.
Its razor sharp claws slashed directly toward Kiyohara's head.
Kiyohara remained perfectly still.
Within his eyes, the pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotated.
"Hayatama Sonko."
Kiyohara spoke softly.
In the very next instant...
The entire world slowed to a crawl.
The waves crashing upon the distant sea became drawn out before his eyes.
Every tiny movement seemed to stretch into countless individual frames.
Satori's claws froze in midair.
Even the dust drifting through the atmosphere appeared motionless.
Kiyohara could clearly feel the immense air resistance compressing around his body.
Empowered by the dojutsu.
His physical speed had broken beyond its previous limits.
Even the air itself, something that normally could not impede him, had now become tangible resistance.
He immediately formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken."
Pale wind chakra gathered within his palm.
It rapidly condensed into a gigantic shuriken measuring more than two meters across.
Its four blades spun at astonishing speed.
A piercing shriek echoed through the air as the surrounding atmosphere itself was shredded into visible white torrents.
With a simple flick of his wrist...
The Rasenshuriken flew.
Within Satori's pupils...
The pale spinning shuriken grew larger and larger.
Its mind instantly perceived Kiyohara's intention to attack.
Its body instinctively attempted to evade.
Its wings folded inward.
Its torso twisted sideways.
But...
It was too slow.
Under the effects of Hayatama Sonko...
Everything Kiyohara did had become incomparably faster.
Naturally...
Any ninjutsu he launched also inherited that overwhelming speed.
The spinning Wind Release shuriken struck Satori squarely in the chest.
BOOM!
Wind chakra transformed into countless chakra needles, each smaller than an individual cell.
From the cellular level, they began shredding Satori's body apart.
Half of its torso...
Along with its enormous right wing...
Disintegrated instantly.
Its body crumbled into particles finer than dust itself.
The sea breeze scattered those microscopic fragments into the sky until nothing remained.
The remaining half of its body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Black blood poured continuously from the massive wound.
Satori slowly raised its head.
The lone green flame still burning within one eye socket flickered weakly.
"Why..."
"I clearly sensed your attack..."
"...why couldn't I avoid it?"
Satoru, too, possessed consciousness.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss never erased the minds of the puppets it created.
Instead...
It merely compelled them to endlessly absorb chakra, gradually strengthening the Box of Ultimate Bliss itself.
"You sensed it."
"But sensing it doesn't mean your body can keep up."
Kiyohara answered bluntly.
Satori possessed the ability to read people's hearts.
As long as an opponent harbored hostile intent...
It could predict their next move in advance.
However...
That ability had one fatal weakness.
Knowing what was about to happen meant nothing if the body itself could not react quickly enough.
Unlike Naruto...
Kiyohara did not need to empty his mind or eliminate his killing intent.
His speed had already exceeded the limits of Satori's reactions.
At that very moment.
Itachi had just defeated another prison guard attempting to ambush him.
Suddenly, he noticed the gigantic monster standing within the clearing.
His heart tightened.
He instantly realized what must have happened and immediately rushed toward Kiyohara.
At the same time...
Shion and Izumi also noticed the disturbance.
After quickly finishing off the enemies before them, they hurried toward the clearing as well.
The island itself was not particularly large.
Hozuki Castle occupied most of its surface.
The remaining space consisted primarily of the open ground surrounding it.
Before long...
The three of them arrived.
They witnessed the scene before them.
Kiyohara stood calmly where he was.
The monster before him had already lost half its body and was barely clinging to life.
Satori let out one final unwilling roar.
Flapping its remaining wing, it desperately charged toward Kiyohara in one last struggle.
Kiyohara's expression never changed.
He had already lost any interest in continuing this fight.
He brought his hands together.
A tremendous surge of Wood Release chakra erupted.
Countless emerald green branches burst from the ground.
Like living vines, they tightly wrapped around Satori's body, leaving it completely unable to move.
"Wood Release: Silent Strangle Technique."
The earth split apart.
Massive tree branches erupted upward.
Their surfaces were covered in countless sharp wooden thorns.
They completely restrained Satori.
Kiyohara walked to it, a black "Seal" character appearing in his right palm.
He bent down and placed the "Seal" character on Satoru's forehead.
Its body immediately began twisting and shrinking.
It transformed into a cloud of black smoke before flying back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
'It doesn't feel nearly as strong as it was in the movie.'
Kiyohara thought to himself.
He wondered...
Had he absorbed too much of the Box of Ultimate Bliss' chakra just now?
With that thought in mind, he examined the Box of Ultimate Bliss once more.
Its four doors remained open.
However...
The black chakra still pouring from within had become noticeably thinner.
Kiyohara could clearly sense that more than half of the Yin Release chakra inside the chest had already been consumed.
"Izumi."
"Come here."
He beckoned toward Izumi.
Izumi quickly walked over.
"Make a wish to it."
"Wish for something specific."
"For example, increased strength."
"If your wish is too abstract..."
"It won't be able to grant it."
Kiyohara pointed toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Looking at the four grotesque faces, Izumi slowly closed her eyes.
She clasped both hands before her chest.
Her lips moved softly.
Only by increasing her strength could she better help her teacher and stay by his side.
This was Izumi's wish.
Among the four faces, the one representing Joy suddenly lit up with eerie green light.
A stream of black Yin Release chakra flowed from the corner of its mouth.
It touched the center of Izumi's forehead before slowly sinking into her body.
Izumi's body trembled slightly.
She could feel that yin chakra traveling through her chakra pathways.
Eventually...
It gathered around her eyes.
Then...
Crimson appeared within her black pupils.
The first tomoe emerged.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Three tomoe slowly revolved within her eyes.
"Your eyes turned red!"
Shion exclaimed in surprise, pointing at Izumi.
Izumi blinked.
She immediately noticed that the world looked completely different.
Everything had become far clearer.
Even tiny specks of dust floating through the air...
And every movement Shion made while speaking...
Were perfectly visible.
This was the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Yet at the same time...
She also sensed something else hidden within that black chakra.
While it granted her power...
It also whispered into her ears.
She could not understand the words.
But instinctively...
A chill crawled up from the base of her spine.
Just as Izumi began wondering what she should do...
A hand rested gently upon her shoulder.
Kiyohara's palm touched her.
Warm chakra flowed into her chakra network.
He carefully separated the remaining black chakra carrying its own will from within her body.
Then...
He guided it back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
The whispers immediately disappeared.
"Sensei..."
"I really awakened my Sharingan!"
She looked up excitedly.
The three tomoe within her crimson eyes continued rotating slowly.
Kiyohara nodded.
His gaze shifted toward Itachi.
Itachi stepped forward.
Standing before the Box of Ultimate Bliss, he quietly closed his eyes.
His wish...
Was identical to Izumi's.
He desired greater strength.
Black Yin Release chakra emerged once again and entered his body.
Itachi could feel the power gathering around his eyes.
A familiar burning sensation spread deep within his eyeballs.
Crimson bloomed.
When it was over...
Two tomoe had appeared.
"Only two tomoe?"
Kiyohara felt that Itachi's aptitude seemed slightly inferior to Izumi's.
Perhaps...
He simply had not fully matured yet.
As before...
Kiyohara removed the excess Yin Release chakra carrying its own will from Itachi's body.
Finally...
It was Shion's turn.
She stood before the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Hands clasped before her chest...
She slowly closed her eyes.
"I wish..."
"...to obtain great power."
Black chakra entered her body.
Shion could clearly feel her chakra reserves increase in an instant.
It was not an enormous amount.
But for someone whose chakra had always been her greatest weakness...
It represented a qualitative leap.
Kiyohara repeated the same process.
He removed the Yin Release chakra carrying its own consciousness before turning back toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Most of the Yin Release chakra within the chest had now been exhausted.
The four doors slowly closed.
The masks once again covered the twisted faces of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
The true nature of the Box of Ultimate Bliss...
Was that of a converter.
It transformed ordinary chakra into a unique form of Yin Release chakra.
Then it used that specialized chakra to "grant" wishes.
Kiyohara took out a sealing scroll and spread it open.
He was just about to seal the Box of Ultimate Bliss inside.
However...
The moment his hand touched the chest...
He suddenly stopped.
He could clearly sense that an extremely faint connection had suddenly formed between himself and the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
Curious, he casually beckoned toward it.
The massive chest, several meters tall, suddenly trembled.
Then...
It actually jumped into the air.
It flipped over once.
As it descended, it rapidly shrank.
Finally...
It became a tiny box no larger than the palm of his hand and landed steadily within it.
"Is it because most of the chakra inside has been consumed..."
"And because part of the chakra I poured into it remained inside before it could be converted..."
"So it developed an affinity toward me?"
"Or..."
"Is it because of my bloodline?"
Even Kiyohara found himself somewhat puzzled.
According to legend...
This artifact had been the ultimate weapon of the Sage of Six Paths' era.
The most likely explanation...
Was that it had somehow reacted to his bloodline.
After all...
Akakaku Kiyohara's bloodline allowed him to freely wield the Six Paths Shinobi Tools.
Looking at the tiny box resting in his palm...
Kiyohara began considering what to do with it.
Originally...
He had planned to dismantle it and reforge it into a weapon.
Now, however...
It seemed that perhaps it could continue serving him in its original form for a very long time.
(End of Chapter)