Chapter 499: Opening of the Box of Bliss (5k)

Kakashi and the others were working hard to investigate the evidence.

Dragon Gate contacted the higher-ups of Grass Flower to prepare for the upcoming turmoil.

Yokogawa Tsutomu didn’t know that he had already been marked for death in the eyes of Grass Flower.

Currently, Yokogawa Tsutomu was very annoyed, extremely annoyed.

Because recently, Grass Flower had turned into a mad dog, constantly causing him trouble, making Yokogawa Tsutomu suspect that there might be an insider in his faction who leaked information, or that Grass Flower had discovered something.

However, since things had come to this, even if Dragon Gate personally came to the Grass Ninja Leader Office to question him again, Yokogawa Tsutomu would not stop his plan.

He had already gone so far; the entire Grass Ninja Village had entered the war between Konoha and Iwagakure, and it was impossible to easily withdraw. Only by opening the paradise box could he break the deadlock.

“Contact the frontline troops and tell them to send the next batch of Chakra as quickly as possible.” Yokogawa Tsutomu pondered for a moment, deciding that he needed to open the paradise box quickly to avoid further complications.

The Grass Ninja Anbu beside him nodded quickly and carried out the order.

Uneasy, Yokogawa Tsutomu called in his most trusted Wu Chang to discuss the upcoming matters.

“Judging by Grass Flower’s actions, they might have already found out about our cooperation with Iwagakure. It’s just unclear whether someone defected to Grass Flower’s side or if it’s the result of Grass Flower’s own investigation,” Yokogawa Tsutomu said.

He personally leaned towards there being an insider. If Grass Flower had truly investigated and found concrete evidence, Dragon Gate would have already come with the evidence to confront him.

“We have already put in so much effort. Even if Grass Flower knows, we can only continue our actions. As long as the paradise box is opened, everything will be fine,” Wu Chang replied in a deep voice.

Yokogawa Tsutomu nodded; he thought the same.

“Since Grass Flower has already discovered it, there’s no need to hide it anymore. Stop the Grass Ninja Village’s daily work. Have all the Ninja refine Chakra and send it into the paradise box so that the paradise box can be opened sooner,” Wu Chang then suggested.

Yokogawa Tsutomu showed a thoughtful expression. Wu Chang’s decision was undoubtedly very radical.

Doing so would essentially be a complete showdown with Grass Flower, and it would also offend some clients.

“Sure enough, people’s age makes them less decisive. Fortunately, I have you, Wu Chang. You’re right, the most important thing now is to open the paradise box; everything else is not important,” Yokogawa Tsutomu said with a laugh, patting Wu Chang’s shoulder in agreement.

Radical? Their Grass Core’s main characteristic was radicalism!

Yokogawa Tsutomu truly felt that he hadn’t wasted his efforts in cultivating Wu Chang as his successor. Not only was he excellent in strength, but his radical momentum was even fiercer than when he was young.

“This is a life-or-death political struggle. If our Grass Core doesn’t act, then the destruction of Grass Core will come,” Wu Chang said with a serious expression.

“Life or death? Not necessarily. We are all Grass Ninja,” Yokogawa Tsutomu felt that Wu Chang was a bit too radical.

Although their philosophies differed, they were all for the Grass Ninja Village, so it wouldn’t come down to life and death.

“If the paradise box cannot be opened, the Village’s strength cannot be increased. Under Grass Flower’s accountability, Chief Yokogawa Tsutomu, you can only resign. If Konoha gains an advantage in the upcoming war, they will also hold Grass Ninja Village accountable…

Wu Chang seriously analyzed the difficulties that Grass Core and Grass Ninja Village might face for Yokogawa Tsutomu.

“Gather the elders.” Yokogawa Tsutomu decided to act immediately after deep thought.

Since he was gambling, he had naturally considered the consequences of losing. However, Grass Flower’s discovery was much faster than he expected, making his originally ample time somewhat insufficient.

…

In the race to collect evidence, Dragon Gate ultimately had the upper hand, completing the collection of concrete evidence faster than Kakashi and his team.

After collecting the evidence, Dragon Gate first handed it over to Muzuki, and then, under Muzuki’s instructions, took the evidence to the Grass Ninja Leader Office.

“What’s wrong with you all? Why do you all look like you haven’t slept well?” Dragon Gate walked into the office building and noticed that all the Ninja he encountered looked listless and spiritless.

“If clients come and see you like this, can they have confidence in our Grass Ninja’s abilities?” Dragon Gate couldn’t help but scold them.

Other positions were fine, but entrusted missions were the core of a Ninja Village.

“Sorry, Elder Dragon Gate, I had insomnia last night.” A Grass Ninja casually gave an excuse to brush him off.

Clients? Yokogawa Tsutomu had already ordered that no entrusted missions needed to be completed before the paradise box was opened.

Dragon Gate couldn’t help but frown at the other party’s attitude, but because there was a more important matter, he could only ignore it for now.

When Dragon Gate walked to the entrance of the Grass Ninja Leader Office, the Anbu guarding the door reached out to stop him.

“The Chief is currently handling important matters. No one is allowed to enter,” the Grass Ninja Anbu said expressionlessly.

“Get out of the way! No matter what he’s handling, he must give me an explanation today!” Dragon Gate didn’t give the Grass Ninja Anbu any face.

The Grass Ninja Anbu said nothing more, but also did not move aside.

Dragon Gate didn’t waste any more words and directly struck the Grass Ninja Anbu with a palm. Yokogawa Tsutomu had already made a huge mistake, so the Anbu under Yokogawa Tsutomu’s command would inevitably also have problems.

The Grass Ninja Anbu tried hard to stop Dragon Gate, but he was not Dragon Gate’s opponent to begin with, and he was also physically weak from constantly providing Chakra to the paradise box yesterday. Dragon Gate knocked him to the ground in two moves.

Bang!

“Yokogawa Tsutomu, you have the guts to secretly join the war but don’t dare to see me?!” Dragon Gate kicked down the door of the Grass Ninja Leader Office and cursed loudly.

As the wooden door completely fell, an empty office came into Dragon Gate’s view.

Dragon Gate’s face completely darkened. At this critical moment, not being at work in broad daylight, coupled with the state of the Grass Ninja he had observed along the way, Dragon Gate had a bad premonition.

“This guy wouldn’t be thinking of opening that box, would he?” Dragon Gate thought of the legendary box in Grass Ninja that could grant wishes.

Dragon Gate looked puzzled. He remembered that Yokogawa Tsutomu, like him, didn’t believe in that legend. Why would he so recklessly use his power at this juncture to try and open the paradise box?

“Where is Yokogawa Tsutomu? Take me to him, before he makes a big mistake,” Dragon Gate ordered the Anbu.

Seeing that Dragon Gate had already discovered it, the Grass Ninja Anbu stopped pretending.

“Elder Dragon Gate, please don’t hinder the Chief anymore. Only he can lead our Grass Ninja Village to strength and prosperity,” the Grass Ninja Anbu countered, persuading Dragon Gate not to oppose Yokogawa Tsutomu.

Dragon Gate was speechless. Was this what he wanted to hinder? Konoha’s Raging Sun Mu Yue had even snuck into the Grass Ninja Village.

“Do you think I’m the only one who knows what you’ve done? The Ninja of Konoha have already come, but they just haven’t made a move yet,” Dragon Gate knew that he couldn’t change the minds of Yokogawa Tsutomu’s subordinates with just a few words, so he directly brought up Konoha.

“Raging Sun Mu Yue is currently in Grass Ninja Village, and besides him, there might be other Konoha Ninja lurking in Grass Ninja Village. Now, only if Yokogawa Tsutomu voluntarily confesses is the best way to minimize losses.”

“Raging Sun Mu Yue is in the Village?!” The Grass Ninja Anbu’s face lost all its confidence, and his pupils suddenly dilated.

That was a ruthless individual who had once killed a Jinchuriki on the East Bank Battlefield in the Land of Fire. Even with the help of a Ninja squad, it proved his terrifying strength.

“Why didn’t you report such an important matter to the Chief, Elder Dragon Gate?” The Grass Ninja Anbu seemed to already envision Muzuki rampaging through Grass Ninja Village.

“I should be asking Yokogawa Tsutomu why he didn’t discuss such a major matter as cooperating with Iwagakure with me!” Dragon Gate retorted angrily.

He wasn’t stupid. Informing Yokogawa Tsutomu would mean completely offending Konoha. When Konoha was free, sending even a single Ninja squad would be enough to flatten Grass Ninja Village, and all Grass Ninja would be finished.

“Quickly tell me Yokogawa Tsutomu’s location. Don’t waste time.”

The Grass Ninja Anbu shook his head, “As long as the Chief opens the paradise box, then let alone Raging Sun Mu Yue, even if another Yellow Flash comes, Grass Ninja Village will not be afraid.”

“Elder Dragon Gate, don’t waste your efforts. I don’t know the Chief’s current location at all.”

To prevent insiders, Yokogawa Tsutomu changed locations every day with the paradise box. Except for the Ninja who needed to transfer Chakra on that day, no one else knew where Yokogawa Tsutomu would be today.

However, the Ninja who needed to transfer Chakra on that day could only leave at dawn, so Yokogawa Tsutomu’s whereabouts were almost impossible to expose.

Seeing that he couldn’t get any useful information from the Grass Ninja Anbu, Dragon Gate had no choice but to gather all the Ninja of Grass Flower to search, and at the same time, he informed Muzuki about Yokogawa Tsutomu’s situation.

As it was the final stage of the operation, Muzuki used the Flying Thunder God Technique to halt the ongoing investigations of Kakashi’s team and Nara Suzaku’s team, stating that intelligence gathering was complete and they could proceed to the next phase.

“So, Teacher Muzuki, you’ve successfully brought over the conservative faction of Grass Ninja Village, and now all we need to do is eliminate the radical faction led by the Leader of Grass Ninja Village?” Kakashi analyzed.

Kakashi hadn’t expected Muzuki to accomplish such a crucial task so quietly while acting alone.

Following Muzuki’s plan was far better than simply going on a rampage for revenge; it not only reduced the workload but also yielded greater benefits for Konoha.

“Then let’s quickly go find Yokogawa Tsutomu! As long as we defeat him, the mission will be complete.” Obito’s spirits lifted; he was finally at a part he was good at.

He was confused by intelligence gathering, but when it came to combat, he hit hard.

“Shibi, can you sense the location of the bugs on Karin?” Muzuki looked at Shibi Aburame.

Hearing Muzuki suddenly mention Hana-rei Uzumaki, a light bulb instantly went off in Kakashi’s mind, and he understood why the Leader of Grass Ninja Village had left Hana-rei Uzumaki behind at that time.

Although he didn’t know what the paradise box was, it required Chakra, and members of the Uzumaki Clan all possessed impressive Chakra.

Kakashi once again felt the meticulousness of Muzuki’s planning; if Muzuki hadn’t worried about Hana-rei Uzumaki’s safety and had Shibi Aburame place special bugs on her, then finding Yokogawa Tsutomu now would likely not have been an easy task.

Shibi Aburame concentrated his Chakra, formed hand seals, then nodded and began to lead the way.

…

Underground Base.

“All of you, refine and input your Chakra with all your might! Every bit of Chakra you output will become a cornerstone for the rise of Grass Ninja!” Yokogawa Tsutomu encouraged the Ninja of Grass while feeding the delivered corpses into the paradise box.

As the sacrificer, Yokogawa Tsutomu could clearly feel the Chakra within the paradise box gradually growing stronger.

It was almost ready to open, just a little more.

As time passed, one by one, the Grass Ninja lay on the ground, panting heavily due to excessive Chakra depletion, and soon most of them looked exhausted.

At the same time, Yokogawa Tsutomu’s Ninja corpses were also depleted, yet the paradise box remained stuck at that awkward bottleneck.

Yokogawa Tsutomu remained calm; he hadn’t become furious because of this. He had made ample preparations to open the paradise box, so no accidents would occur.

“At this most crucial moment, you just happened to arrive at Grass Ninja Village. Perhaps this is fate.” Yokogawa Tsutomu smiled as he looked at the unconscious Hana-rei Uzumaki.

If Hana-rei Uzumaki hadn’t been here, he might genuinely not have had enough time to open the paradise box before Grass Flower discovered it.

At that point, to protect his existing achievements, he would have been forced into a civil war with Grass Flower to force them to submit, but this current outcome was much better.

“Karin, is it? I will remember this name. Thank you for your contributions to Grass Ninja Village and Land of Grass.” Yokogawa Tsutomu activated a secret technique and began to sacrifice the Chakra within Karin’s body.

Feeling the Chakra inside the paradise box rapidly strengthening, Yokogawa Tsutomu was incredibly pleased. He even thought that if he had a granddaughter in the future, he could name her Karin, as a way to thank her for her contribution to Grass Ninja, even though Karin was not willing.

“They found me so quickly?” Yokogawa Tsutomu was somewhat surprised to feel the perimeter defenses of the underground base being triggered.

He had done such a good job with his secrecy, yet Grass Flower had managed to find him so quickly. Was this to be expected of his lifelong rival, with whom he had been entangled for half his life?

Yokogawa Tsutomu increased the speed of the sacrifice and prepared to feed Hana-rei Uzumaki’s entire body into the paradise box.

“Wu Chang, go out and intercept them. This is a critical moment; I don’t want to be disturbed.” Yokogawa Tsutomu turned to Wu Chang and said.

Now that it was the most important step, Yokogawa Tsutomu didn’t want any accidents.

However, something that shocked and confused Yokogawa Tsutomu happened: Wu Chang seemed not to hear his command, didn’t even look at him, and kept examining the paradise box.

“Wu Chang!” Yokogawa Tsutomu thought Wu Chang was being influenced and shouted loudly.

He had never thought Wu Chang would betray him; after all, Wu Chang was his successor, and his interests were Wu Chang’s interests. Wu Chang couldn’t possibly betray himself, could he?

Wu Chang turned to look at Yokogawa Tsutomu, then nodded and walked away.

Just as Yokogawa Tsutomu relaxed and continued sacrificing Hana-rei Uzumaki.

Bang!

As Wu Chang passed by Yokogawa Tsutomu, he suddenly swung his fist, sending Yokogawa Tsutomu flying with a single punch.

Yokogawa Tsutomu, flying backward, slammed hard into the rigid paradise box.

Yokogawa Tsutomu looked at Wu Chang with eyes full of anger and confusion. He didn’t understand why Wu Chang would betray him at this moment.

Whether from a standpoint of interests or emotions, he could find no reason for Wu Chang’s betrayal.

The only plausible explanation was that he had misjudged Wu Chang, that Wu Chang was not loyal to Grass Ninja, and he had an incredibly strong desire to fulfill.

After punching Yokogawa Tsutomu, Muzuki did not pursue further but instead began healing Hana-rei Uzumaki.

If Yokogawa Tsutomu continued the sacrifice, it might have adverse effects on Hana-rei Uzumaki’s body.

Muzuki’s actions made Yokogawa Tsutomu even more bewildered. After betraying him, instead of quickly finishing him off, he turned to heal Hana-rei Uzumaki.

An absurd thought appeared in Yokogawa Tsutomu’s mind: Wu Chang had fallen in love with Hana-rei Uzumaki at first sight and couldn’t bear to see her die, which led to the betrayal.

Yokogawa Tsutomu was speechless; no matter the reason, he felt he had misjudged, how could he have chosen such a successor?

“Wu Chang, how could you betray the Chief! Your current strength and status are all due to the Chief’s cultivation!” The Grass Ninja nearby couldn’t help but curse loudly.

If his Chakra hadn’t been exhausted, even if he couldn’t win, he would have fought to the death with a treacherous person like Wu Chang.

More Grass Ninja didn’t even have the strength to curse and could only stare at Muzuki with angry eyes.

Among so many Grass Ninja present, Yokogawa Tsutomu had given Wu Chang the privilege of not needing to input Chakra, and yet Wu Chang had betrayed him like this.

Muzuki looked indifferent; they were cursing Wu Chang, what did that have to do with him, Muzuki?

Seeing this, Yokogawa Tsutomu silently poured all his Chakra into the paradise box, completing the last bit that was needed.

Now he didn’t have time to think too much; as long as he could open the paradise box, everything would be fine.

Whether it was Dragon Gate, who opposed him, or Wu Chang, who betrayed him, he would have many options to deal with them then.

Boom!!

After absorbing enough Chakra to activate, an incredibly powerful Chakra erupted from the paradise box. A towering pillar of energy burst through the ceiling of the underground base, shooting straight into the clouds.

Kakashi and the others, who were already near the base, quickened their pace. Dragon Gate and other Grass Flower members also rushed over upon seeing this scene.

“paradise box, open.” Yokogawa Tsutomu stood in front of the paradise box, carefully watching Muzuki, and used the slight connection from the sacrifice to convey his intention to the paradise box.

Rumble!!

Accompanied by a huge roar, the massive paradise box, which had been sealed for an unknown number of years, began to shake. Some parts of the human-faced mask fell off, and its mouth expanded upwards and downwards like a demon opening its maw, revealing a darkness so profound that no light could be seen within.

Yokogawa Tsutomu couldn’t see the interior of the box through the opening. Although it looked like just a large box, he felt as if an boundless dark world existed within it.

“Make me strong, supremely strong!” Yokogawa Tsutomu said in a deep voice.

This was his plan all along: he wanted to become strong, stronger than Ninja Master Sōsuke, who had defeated the demigod Hanzō. Then, Grass Ninja Village and Land of Grass could develop peacefully under his protection.

Yokogawa Tsutomu didn’t know how to use the paradise box, but after the box opened, he had an intuitive feeling that this was how it was used, that this box had consciousness.

As the person who opened the box, the paradise box would grant his wish.

Whoosh!!

Suddenly, a powerful suction came from inside the paradise box, and Yokogawa Tsutomu, being the closest, was directly pulled inside.

Muzuki, holding Hana-rei Uzumaki, moved a little further away, then sensed his Flying Thunder God Mark. It was inside the paradise box and had not lost its sense, unlike Uzumaki Naruto’s previous experience.

PS: Today is 5k; I feel like if I push hard tomorrow, hitting 8k shouldn’t be a problem.