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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 233
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 12:00:03 +0000 UTCChapter 233: Lord Byakuya Is Right
After thoughtfully preparing a smaller chain for Muku, Byakuya threw both father and son together in the same spot, then leapt to the top of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, beginning a serious examination of this treasure from the era of the Sage of the Six Paths.
According to legend, the Box of Ultimate Bliss contains a creature named "Satori." It is said to grant a single wish to whoever opens the box, but the wish is often granted in a way that contradicts the wisher's intentions.
For instance, if a genin wishes to come first in the Chunin Exams, Satori wouldn't help the genin gain strength. Instead, it would eliminate all the other participants, achieving the wish in a twisted way.
However, Byakuya didn't entirely believe the legends that Satori's power is limitless. If the Box of Ultimate Bliss were truly that powerful, Kusagakure would have become the dominant nation and ruled over the entire shinobi world centuries ago.
After all, though Satori is strong, it still requires chakra as fuel. The shinobi world has plenty of creatures with vast chakra, such as the nine tailed beasts separated from the Ten-Tails, as well as native gods like Jashin and Moryo, whose powers are also formidable.
As Byakuya walked toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Jonin Mui moved his lips slightly and reminded him, “Byakuya-sama, using the Box of Ultimate Bliss comes at a price. If anything goes wrong, we could all end up dead.”
Byakuya glanced at Jonin Mui and said, “You’re aware that using the Box of Ultimate Bliss requires a price, so why were you trying to conduct a secret sacrificial ritual to open it? Or perhaps Kusagakure has some method to avoid paying the price?”
Jonin Mui fell silent since he hadn’t considered a way to avoid the price. His plan was simply to use Satori first and deal with the costs later.
As long as he could release Satori, even if his wish couldn't be fully realized, he could still weaken the surrounding nations and give Kusagakure an advantage.
Byakuya knew Mui had no way of avoiding the cost. Otherwise, in the original timeline, Mui wouldn't have opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss twice, paying with both his son's life and his own.
Now, Byakuya was considering how to transport the Box of Ultimate Bliss back to his village. Relying solely on White Zetsu would take at least a month, and using his own Wood Style to transport it would be too conspicuous.
At this point, he still didn’t want too many people to know he had mastered Wood Style.
Collecting his gradually wandering thoughts, Byakuya looked at Mui and asked, “Hey, Lord of Hozuki Castle, are you interested in becoming my subordinate? The reason why the Hawk and Dove factions in Kusagakure are at odds fundamentally comes down to the worsening economic conditions in the Land of Grass. Even shinobi are struggling to make a living. If you agree to work under me, I could consider integrating you into Amegakure’s trade system and even offer protection to Kusagakure.”
Mui instinctively wanted to refuse Byakuya. As an elite jonin of Kusagakure and the lord of Hozuki Castle, he had his pride; how could he surrender to the enemy?
But when he looked over at his son Muku, Mui hesitated. He wasn't afraid to die, but he didn’t want his son to die with him. So, Byakuya’s offer was very tempting.
If the situation in the Land of Grass hadn't worsened so much, he wouldn’t have joined forces with the hawkish elders, nor would he have stirred up internal conflict in Kusagakure.
After a moment of contemplation, Mui spoke up, “I accept your terms. However, the elders and leader of the Hawk faction may not agree, and you must return the Box of Ultimate Bliss to us.”
Byakuya shook his head.
“I can’t give you the Box of Ultimate Bliss. I can sense a massive, malevolent chakra inside, even from outside the box. If you end up releasing the creature inside on a whim, it could destroy Kusagakure at best, but it would be terrible if it also affected Amegakure.”
Mui’s face shifted, but he understood that being able to save his and his son’s lives was already fortunate. He had no choice but to reluctantly accept Byakuya’s terms.
The moment Mui agreed to join the Akatsuki, Byakuya received a notification from his system.
[Hozuki Castle's lord has joined the Akatsuki. You have gained Fire Style: Heavenly Prison, Fire Style: Great Fire Heavenly Prison, and Fire Style: Heavenly Prison Fire Sword.]
Byakuya glanced at the recruitment rewards and casually clicked to claim them.
He had thought all of Hozuki Castle would join the Akatsuki, but it turned out to be just the lord himself. Perhaps Mui’s subordinates were too weak, making the system ignore them entirely.
Moreover, the prisoners didn’t count as members of Hozuki Castle, so Byakuya’s attempt to exploit a bug had undoubtedly failed.
Just as Byakuya was complaining, the ring on his hand suddenly became hot. He raised the ring, and Nagato's projection appeared in the void.
Byakuya could vaguely see the scene on Nagato's side; it seemed he was standing near the Kusagakure building, talking to him, with several defeated grass ninjas lying nearby.
Through the projection, Nagato spoke, “Byakuya, I’ve run into some trouble here. How are things on your end? I might need your help.”
As soon as he finished speaking, another grass ninja appeared behind Nagato, forcing the projection to shut down.
Seeing this, Byakuya's expression changed, and he began to worry about Nagato.
Could Yahiko's prophecy really be coming true? Nagato couldn’t possibly be losing to the ninjas of Kusagakure, could he? The Rinnegan could not be bested by a bunch of jonin; if that happened, both the Sage of the Six Paths and Uchiha Madara would rise from their graves in disbelief.
Mui and Muku also understood the situation from the projection, and they were filled with shock.
The grass ninjas defeated by Nagato looked like random passersby, but in reality, they were some of the few elite jonin in Kusagakure. The emergence of demigods like Jiraiya and monsters like Byakuya in Amegakure was one thing, but why did such powerful figures also exist in Kusagakure? Why couldn’t Kusagakure have such strong individuals? The heavens were unfair to Kusagakure.
Byakuya noticed Mui's expression and realized he might have overthought it; Nagato's strength should be sufficient to handle the situation in Kusagakure.
However, he had already secured control over the lord of Hozuki Castle and the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
There was no need to stay in Hozuki Castle any longer; it was time to head to Kusagakure and see the results of Nagato's efforts.
With that in mind, Byakuya looked at Mui and Muku and said, “We’re about done here in Kusagakure. Do you two want to come with me to take a look?”
“Can we refuse?” Muku, as the son, spoke quietly.
As the father, Mui knew they had no choice. He looked at Byakuya and said, “Everything is up to Byakuya-sama. We can do whatever you say.”
Byakuya nodded, then picked up Mui and Muku, heading toward the ground.
He also left behind a Wood Clone to set up a sealing array in this place, temporarily sealing the Box of Ultimate Bliss. It would be better to keep this thing in the organization for research rather than letting it out into the world.
