Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 119 The Second Door to the Underground Palace

Near the Land of Grass, in the middle of a turbulent sea, stands a solitary island.

This island is none other than Hozuki Castle, infamous throughout the entire ninja world.

The island is dotted with countless jagged, sharp rocks that pierce the sky like the fangs of a giant beast.

The island is constantly battered and eroded by the turbulent waves, which roar endlessly like the low growl of a giant beast, and surge towards the shore layer by layer with deep shimmering light.

It's not just an island, a city, but also a prison.

"Has the intelligence gathering on the ninja world been completed during this period?"

"It's already in your office, Lord Wuwei."

A man named "Wuwei" walked through the narrow and secluded stone corridor, followed closely by a jailer with a respectful demeanor.

"Hmm." Wuwei replied expressionlessly, without turning his head.

He wore the distinctive red and black robes of the city lord, who was also the warden. His footsteps echoed slightly on the stone slabs, and his eyes gleamed with a cold, hard light in the dim light of the wall lamp.

On both sides of the stone corridor were rows of heavy iron-barred prison cells, with light sparingly penetrating the bars and casting dense, barbed shadows on him.

All around were eerie low moans and wails, the voices of men, women, the old and the young, intertwined like cotton wool, making the lights on the stone wall flicker and threatening to go out.

This sound is not a scream of pain, but more like a low howl from a patient suffering from an illness on their deathbed, filled with negative emotions of losing all hope for life.

boom!
As Wuwei passed through some of the cells, several filthy, withered arms suddenly stretched out from the gaps in the iron bars, their five fingers convulsively grabbing at Wuwei.

In one cell, a small, thin figure huddled in the shadows of a corner, head buried deep in his knees, body trembling slightly, emitting a whimper like a dying animal.

A pair of bloodshot eyes, numb, crazed, resentful, empty...

However, Wuwei's steps did not falter in the slightest, nor did he even glance out of the corner of his eye. As if walking through a forest built of negative emotions, he continued forward expressionlessly.

Because no one knew better than him who was imprisoned in this so-called Ghost Lantern City.

Hozuki Castle is a prison built with funds from various countries and managed by Kusagakure Village, specifically for holding serious ninja criminals.

Those imprisoned here are ninjas from various countries in the ninja world who have committed "unforgivable crimes".

What is "unforgivable"?
Slaughtering civilians, stealing secrets, assassinating nobles, researching forbidden arts...

A madman who slaughters hundreds or thousands of people, even skinning and dismembering them, is a common sight here.

Each of these people's crimes was enough to warrant immediate execution.

However, execution is sometimes not the best option.

Some prisoners possess secrets, some are involved in complex political relationships, and some are simply a deterrent or a bargaining chip in their very existence…

Thus, Ghost Lantern Castle came into being, a "garbage can" that confines filth and danger, making it invisible to all nations.

Each lord of Hozuki Castle is a member of the clan who can use "Fire Release: Heavenly Prison," a ninjutsu that can restrict a prisoner's ability to gather chakra by injecting it into their body.

Therefore, there are no intense ninjutsu battles within Hozuki Castle; instead, there are only the most primitive and savage physical fights, mental torture, and silent despair.

Because without the ability to use chakra, and given the whirlpools that fill this sea area, no one could possibly swim out of this sea alive.

A ninja who has lost his power is like a tiger whose claws and teeth have been removed. He can only eke out a living in an endless time in a cold cage, relying on his remaining ferocity and will to survive.

In Wuwei's view, this was the best punishment for these inhuman madmen.

Of course, the reason why Kusagakure accepted the request was not out of any goodwill...

Click.

Wuwei walked to the end of the stone corridor, pushed open the heavy door, and the hinges made a dull groan.

Inside the door was his office.

"If there's nothing else, you can leave now." Wuwei said to his subordinates behind him, then stepped into the office and closed the door.

Compared to the damp cold outside, it was only slightly drier here, but at least it kept out those nauseating sounds and sights from outside.

The oil lamp cast a flickering halo, illuminating the huge desk and the mountain of files piled on the bookshelves.

"call……"

Wuwei took off his outer garment, casually draped it over the back of the chair, and then sat down, letting out a barely audible sigh of exhaustion. His gaze fell on the scroll placed on the corner of the table.

It's a routine monthly intelligence gathering. On this isolated island, this is the only way to learn about what's happening in the outside world. The downside is that the intelligence is delayed.

He picked it up casually, unfolded it, and quickly scanned the lines of text, which were mostly trivial matters.

However, as he continued to flip through the pages, the next piece of information made his eyes narrow.

A large number of unidentified individuals have entered the Land of Hot Springs. Sources indicate this is because the Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Leaf Village, and Hidden Stone Village jointly explored a dungeon located a thousand meters underground.

The few survivors took away several powerful, unknown ninja tools. This news, leaked through unknown channels, attracted countless greedy individuals, like vultures smelling carrion.

[The Land of Hot Springs was beyond our ability to seal off, but the underground palace was shrouded in mystery. We ventured in, only to find a colossal stone statue within a vast, empty cavity, a sight that sent shivers down our spines. Nothing else was there.]

However, intelligence sources claim that another strange door has been discovered behind the statue, embedded in the stone wall, which may lead to a deeper level of the underground palace.

[Many people have attempted to open this gate by force, by testing it with their chakra, or by touching it with their flesh. Anyone who gets close to it, regardless of who they are, has their chakra drained by the giant gate, their body visibly withering and shriveling, and in an instant, they turn to ashes. The sight is extremely gruesome. Living people should not approach.]

This gate has been dubbed the "Cannibal Gate." Although people covet the treasures within, no one dares to approach it anymore; it has become a forbidden zone that everyone fears.

"The cannibalistic sect, which feeds on chakra and flesh..."

Wuwei repeated the words from the intelligence report slowly and deliberately, his voice dry and hoarse as if sandpaper was rubbing against his throat.

Others who saw this information would only find the door somewhat strange, but to him it seemed strangely familiar.

Because beneath his feet, beneath the Hozuki Castle, lies something that feeds on chakra and flesh.

—Legend has it that the Box of Elysium can grant any wish of its opener.

The reason why Kusagakure chose to accept the commission to manage Hozuki Castle was to kidnap prisoners and extract their chakra into the Box of Bliss, thereby opening the Box of Bliss and realizing the wish of Kusagakure to revive the village.

The two are so similar; both exploit human desires to lure people into giving up their lives and chakra...

"Could that underground palace be something similar to the Box of Bliss?"

Wuwei's eyes flickered as he pondered the possibility of this conjecture.

In that moment of deathly silence.

boom! !

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth, as if an entire island in the sea had been slammed down by a giant hand!
The heavy stone table suddenly jumped up, and the pile of files was lit by the oil lamp, flying up and scattering like a rainstorm!

The ceiling groaned under the strain, and large amounts of dust and gravel fell down!
　PY: "We agreed to experience life, fairy, how did you end up doing it?"

　　I became the Holy Son of the Wan Dao Sect and debated with the Holy Maiden Miao Lian. As a result, her heart was broken and she grew thousands of black hairs.

　　I became a down-and-out scholar and saved a white snake. I helped her successfully overcome the calamity and transform into the last real dragon in the world, but she said that she would never let me go in this life.

　　I became an elder of the Longquan Sword Sect, accepted a disciple, and trained her to become the world's number one swordsman, but she hated me to the core.

　　In the book "Hundred Generations," I create different characters and experience wonderful lives.

　　Then one day...

　　A huge white dragon head poked out from the clouds and stared at me.

　　Isn’t it said that it’s good to experience life?
　　Why did everything become real?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)