A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Hozuki Castle, a prison for high-security criminals, was located in the Land of Grass. Sealed with a special technique, it was said that no one had ever escaped from it.

Of course, no sane person would want to visit such a place. This made the castle even more eerily silent.

In this isolated environment, a plan was quietly brewing.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss which origins were unknown to all. Rumor had it that this artifact was once used by the Sage of Six Paths, and it was said to be the most powerful of its kind.

However, no one truly knew the truth behind it.

The Land of Grass had safeguarded this box for many years and had gradually discovered how to use it.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss could communicate. Not that it had a will of its own, but during contact, the user would receive some sort of feedback.

If one fulfilled the box's needs, it would, in turn, fulfill the user's desires.

What the box needed was a vague concept, it required emotions.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss had four sides, each representing one of four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. These emotions were the keys to opening the box.

When all four emotions were satisfied, the box would open, granting a wish.

However, it had never been used successfully over the years, undoubtedly because people who had tested it learned that opening the box led to no good outcomes.

In truth, in Aoba's impression, this box likely had no connection to the Sage of Six Paths' tools.

First, its design didn't align with the Sage's style. The Sage left behind many powerful tools, but they were all inclined towards neutrality or benevolence.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss, on the other hand, was clearly some kind of cursed artifact. It didn't align with the Sage's supposedly righteous image. Of course, it could also be argued that this artifact revealed the Sage's true nature, but who could say for sure?

Regardless, this was an item that brought death to whoever opened it, while also releasing the monster sealed inside, known as Satori.

The warden of Hozuki Castle, Mui, obtained the Box of Ultimate Bliss years ago. However, due to improper handling, his son was swallowed by the box.

Determined to rescue his son, he began secretly feeding the box emotions, hoping to open it. Of course, outwardly, he claimed he sought the power to unify the ninja world.

Hozuki Castle, being a prison, was an ideal place to generate various emotions. Isolated from the outside world, Mui could manipulate the prisoners however he liked to extract the emotions he needed.

After years of effort, he could feel the box was nearly full.

Once its enormous power was unleashed, not even the Hidden Leaf would be able to stand against it.

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf, following the daimyo's official document, the village remained quiet for several days. This pleased the Fire Country's daimyo greatly. After all, he was still the daimyo, and those lowly ninjas were still under his control.

Unfortunately, his good mood didn't last long. The Hidden Leaf issued another public statement.

This time, the statement was more specific, directly declaring that the Grass Ninja Village was hiding a weapon of mass destruction in Hozuki Castle.

Moreover, the target of this weapon was the Hidden Leaf. Thus, they demanded to investigate the castle.

The Grass Country's daimyo wasn't concerned. His thoughts were simple: The Hidden Leaf just wants some benefits, right? Fine, I'll approve some funds. Grass Ninja Village, you deliver the money.

Being a subordinate came with responsibilities, and the "big brother" had taken care of them for many years. Giving them some money was entirely reasonable.

As for Hozuki Castle, the daimyo was well aware of it, it was just a prison, after all. Let the Hidden Leaf investigate. What could they possibly do?

The Grass Country's daimyo was unconcerned, but the Fire Country's daimyo was growing restless. He had clearly instructed them to let this matter go, so why was the Hidden Leaf's Hokage being so disobedient?

He understood clearly that the Grass Country would never dare attack the Fire Country. If it were the Water, Earth, or Lightning Countries, he might believe it. But the Grass Country? They were the Hidden Leaf's most loyal underlings, how could they possibly rebel?

Before he could take action, however, the Hidden Leaf's detailed report arrived.

In the report, Tsunade used highly formal language to inform him of the Hidden Leaf's intel. It stated that Hozuki Castle absolutely housed a secret base, manned by ninjas harboring anti-Leaf sentiments.

This made the Fire Country's daimyo hesitate.

The report seemed formal, but some parts were deliberately vague. For example, it never directly stated this was an official operation by the Grass Country.

It merely claimed that within the Grass Country's territory, a group of ninjas was conspiring against the Hidden Leaf. This gave the daimyo a false impression.

The Grass Country might have an issue, but it wasn't a problem with their leadership, it was a few rogue elements.

This made perfect sense. The loyal underlings themselves were fine, but some lower-level operatives had caused trouble. It was only natural.

This time, the Fire Country's daimyo refrained from reprimanding the Hidden Leaf. Instead, he directly wrote to the Grass Country, asking them to investigate Hozuki Castle themselves. Additionally, the Hidden Leaf would send a team to supervise the investigation.

The daimyo didn't approve a full-scale entry into the Grass Country, giving his subordinates some face. Letting them investigate on their own was a way to save them some dignity. If there really was a problem, they could handle it themselves. If they couldn't, then there was no other choice.

This action was entirely within Aoba's expectations. It demonstrated the Grass Country's strong diplomacy. Over the years, they had flattered the Fire Country's daimyo so effectively that even now, he was giving them face.

It also highlighted the daimyo's view of the Hidden Leaf's ninjas. He seemed more inclined to protect outsiders than to show trust to his own subordinates.

In the daimyo's eyes, the Hidden Leaf's ninjas were probably just a notch above dogs, mere tools of war with less standing than a well-behaved underling.

"Alright, now that we have the daimyo's official approval, we can enter Hozuki Castle legitimately. The question is, who will go? Aoba, since this is your plan, you'll lead the team. Pick your personnel. Any objections?"

"Of course not," Aoba replied without hesitation. He was curious to see what the Box of Ultimate Bliss truly was.

Of course, it might not even exist, after all, it hadn't appeared in the original storyline.

But regardless of whether it existed, Aoba had ways to ensure its presence. The plan targeting the Grass Ninja Village served multiple purposes.

One of the most important was to pave the way for the Hidden Leaf's expansion.

The saying goes: the first step is the hardest. After preaching peace for so many years, the concept was deeply ingrained. Launching a war out of the blue wasn't a good idea. It had to be done gradually, starting with small moves to test the waters and gauge public reaction.

The aim was to guide public opinion and set the stage for further expansion.

But just as Aoba was making preparations, another piece of news spread across the ninja world.

The Grass Ninja Village issued a strong statement rejecting the Hidden Leaf's joint investigation team, declaring they had never harbored any intent to harm the Hidden Leaf.

At the same time, they emphasized that Hozuki Castle was under their jurisdiction, and they would absolutely not allow Hidden Leaf ninjas to enter.

Their words were firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

The announcement caused an uproar across the ninja world.

Most people's first thought was:

"Damn, could it really be true?"

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Currently on Chapter 196 - Kirigakure's Path