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

Chapter 120 Pandora’s Box
"what happened??"

Caught off guard, Wuwei braced himself on the table to steady himself, and looked out the window at the darkness with surprise and uncertainty.

Such a huge display of force, could it be...?

"Lord Wuwei!"

Just then, a figure burst in, shouting in terror, "Attack... attack..."

Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Wuwei's mind. He could no longer care about the intelligence report. Before his subordinate could finish speaking, he rushed out of the office without hesitation and shouted, "Enemy attack! High alert!"

Outside the door, the corridor was completely unrecognizable. Some of the walls had collapsed, rubble blocked the passage, smoke and dust filled the air, and a shrill alarm sounded!

Amidst the thick smoke and dust, the surviving prison guards ran around and shouted like headless flies, their cries mingling with the frantic howls of countless prisoners and the agonizing screams of those struck by falling rocks.

Along the way, the prison was in a mess, with many key facilities damaged. The defense system of Ghost Lantern City, which had stood for many years, was as fragile as paper under the attack just now!
"Don't panic! Maintain order! Don't let the prisoners escape in the chaos!"

Wuwei suppressed his inner shock, his unwavering tone slightly calming the chaos. He grabbed a disheveled, staggering jailer and asked in a deep voice, "Where is the enemy?"

Such a huge commotion must mean a large-scale invasion by foreign enemies, but why are there no enemies in sight?
"No, Lord Wuwei!" The man's voice was distorted with fear, pointing far into the dim night sky, "Three people, only three people..."

what?
three people?
How could just three people tear through the defenses of Hozuki Castle?
Wuwei's pupils contracted involuntarily. Following the direction the jailer pointed, he finally saw the "enemy" through the gap in the collapsed wall.

The cold, pale moonlight shone like a giant spotlight on the three figures suspended in mid-air!
Two of the three figures were dressed in black robes with red clouds on them. One of them had one hand outstretched with his palm facing forward, clearly indicating that the impact just now came from his power.

"How could one person create such terrifying power?" Wuwei's heart sank.

Just then, the figure seemed to sense something. Its purple eyes, devoid of any emotion, shifted and locked onto Wuwei's face.

"You are Wuwei?"

Nagato's cold voice reached Wuwei's ears, making him instantly realize that the other party had come for him.

"Who are you people?" Wuwei asked in a deep voice.

"We've come to invite you to become a member of 'Akatsuki'."

Nagato looked down at Wuwei, his tone indifferent, as if stating a given fact: "Your ninjutsu is quite good, and we can use your power."

On his way here, he had already learned about the special features of Wuwei from 'Shadow'.

The special ninja clan that controls the "Heavenly Prison" can use "Fire Release: Heavenly Prison," and their role seems similar to that of the Uzumaki clan.

A ninja who has been marked will have their chakra completely locked and unable to be mobilized in the slightest. Any attempt to forcibly break the seal will trigger the mark to turn into flames and burn the body.

It can even be triggered if the distance from the caster is too far.

Most importantly, it is useful for Jinchūriki.

According to the 'Shadow', even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki cannot break through the mark in a short period of time once it is placed on them.

Although Nagato didn't know how the 'Kage' obtained such accurate information, he was already very convinced of the 'Kage's' abilities and naturally had no doubts.

Given this, Wuwei, with his unique abilities, will be of great use to the Akatsuki organization in carrying out their plan to collect the Tailed Beasts, and is therefore worth recruiting.

"Xiao? I've never heard of this organization."

Wuwei's face was ashen as he looked up at the three figures, attempting to exert pressure in the name of the five great powers: "This is a prison jointly funded by the five great powers. I advise you to leave quickly, otherwise..."

"So, we still have to fight?" Kakuzu said indifferently beside Nagato.

Upon hearing this, 'Shadow' took a half step back and laughed, "You guys do it, I'll go see what this so-called Box of Bliss is."

Upon hearing this, cold sweat instantly seeped from Wuwei's temples and slid down his cheeks. A storm raged within him, shattering his last shred of hope.

These three people weren't just looking for him; they actually knew about the existence of the Box of Bliss?
Neither Kakuzu nor Nagato paid any attention to the 'Shadow's' actions, and the 'Shadow's' figure vanished silently into the air like an ink droplet merging into water.

"Where is he?" the jailer beside Wuwei blurted out.

The next moment, on the ground, 'Shadow' appeared at the entrance of the dungeon.

"Stop him!" Wuwei roared, and the dozen or so prison guards who had just gathered nearby instinctively rushed towards 'Shadow'.

However, the 'shadow' did not turn around, and a bizarre scene unfolded.

The deep shadow beneath his feet seemed to suddenly come alive!
Like ink dripping onto the surface of water, creating ripples, it surged and spread rapidly like waves, instantly expanding into a deep black area!
Silhouette-like human figures emerged silently from the surging black space, like ghosts!

puff!puff!puff!

The chilling sound of flesh being cut rang out in rapid succession, like countless sharp knives simultaneously slicing through tough leather!
Blood bloomed like crimson flowers in the darkness!

The prison guard at the forefront felt a chill in his waist and abdomen. Looking down, he saw that his lower body had separated from his body, and the momentum of running caused his upper body to fall forward.

Similarly, the other guards were also cut open. Those who did not die immediately crawled on the ground with their broken bodies, screaming and howling in agony.

"Ugh!"

"My foot!!"

"Monster... Ah!"

The dozen or so prison guards who rushed forward were already lying scattered and bloodied, like harvested wheat!
Severed limbs, splattered blood, a head with its eyes wide open in death, a gaping chest cavity...

The entire area was transformed into a horrific hell on earth, with the heavy stench of blood overwhelming the acrid smell of smoke and dust!
"What it is?!"

The crowd's expressions turned horrified as they watched the thing emerge from the shadows.

The humanoid shadows were tall and wiry, with hands as sharp as claws and feet as sharp cones. They moved with lightning speed and without a sound!
Shadow Legion - Blade Squad - Claw Shadow.

Unlike the "Ghost Shadow" that appeared before Luo Sha earlier, the "Claw Shadow" does not use a variety of weapons and does not have the versatility of the "Ghost Shadow".

The only thing they're good at.

It's all about killing.

His entire body was covered in weapons.

Extremely strong close-combat ability and exceptionally agile speed.

Silent! Swift! Efficient! Deadly!
Like a dancer stealing lives in the darkness!
"Was that a ninja tool he obtained from the underground palace, or his own ability?" Nagato narrowed his eyes slightly, unable to hide the surprise in them.

It feels a bit like that White Zetsu guy.

This is much more practical than any shadow clone technique.

'Shadow' didn't even move a single finger from beginning to end.

He simply stood there, and the shadow beneath his feet was like an open gate to hell, from which hyenas emerged and instantly slaughtered more than a dozen lives.

Ignoring the shocked Wuwei and the jailer, he headed straight for the deepest part of Ghost Lantern Castle, the underground where the Box of Bliss was located.

Seeing this, Wuwei finally snapped out of his shock and instinctively tried to stop him.

The Chest of Ecstasy! They absolutely must not get their hands on it!

"Your opponent is us."

Kakuzu's indifferent voice reached his ears, and his arm, connected by black lines, slammed out with a loud crash. Meanwhile, 'Kage' stepped underground, sensing the malevolent aura emanating from him, his eyes flickering slightly beneath the shadow of his hood.

Behind and in front of him, prison guards kept surging forward, trying to stop him.

However, he did not make a move, nor did he stop for even a moment; his steps remained steady.

Beside him, "Claw Shadow" was like the most loyal killing squad, with no superfluous movements or fancy ninjutsu, only the purest and most primitive killing skills!
The blade flashed like a leaping venomous snake, each flash bringing with it a spray of scalding blood. The sharp claws easily sliced ​​through muscles, ligaments, and bones!
Each precise puncture and cut was accompanied by an abrupt scream and a body falling to the ground, like a cold machine efficiently clearing the path ahead.

Finally, the 'Shadow' reached the end and saw the room that resembled a laboratory.

On the wall of the room in front of him, a ferocious face, seemingly both smiling and angry, was carved.

This is the so-called "Box of Bliss". Each of the four sides has a face, namely joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. The face in front of you is only one of them.

At this moment, 'Shadow' could clearly sense that this ghostly thing was alive, and the cold and greedy gaze it felt was almost tangible.

At a deeper level, there is an extremely subtle temptation, like a demon whispering in your ear: Offer up your chakra, speak your wish, and I will do anything.

"All-powerful?" 'Shadow' couldn't help but chuckle.

This method of seduction is far too crude.

Without a doubt, if anyone dared to make a wish upon this thing, the wish would surely be fulfilled in some distorted way.

It's like an ant making a wish to a human: "I love another ant very much, but it completely ignores me and disregards me. Can you make me the only one in its eyes?"

Then, the human will only choose to single out this ant and the ant it mentioned, then pour a pot of boiling water into the ant nest, killing all the other ants.

Whatever you wish for in the "Box of Bliss"—whether it's wealth, status, power, or anything else—it will inevitably be forcibly distorted into "power."

If you have power, can't you have wealth, status, and authority? Then what is power?
Of course, it's the monster locked inside the Box of Bliss—"Sage".

However, even though it already knew the details of this strange thing, 'Shadow' did not reveal a single thing.

He simply walked slowly toward the face, then reached out and gently pressed his hand against the cold stone surface...

hum! !

A torrent of chakra, as vast as the sea, instantly surged from the 'Shadow's' palm into the Box of Elysium!

The faces on the wall seemed to come alive, the stone surface began to tremble violently, fine cracks spread out like a spider web, and stone chips kept falling off.

The expression on that face seemed to become even more "vivid," even revealing a hint of greedy desire!

However, just as this power was about to reach a critical point, as if it were about to break free at any moment...

Without warning, 'Shadow' casually withdrew her hand, interrupting the input of chakra.

"..."

The face on the Box of Ecstasy suddenly froze, the "vibrancy" that had just appeared instantly solidified, replaced by a furious rage of unfulfilled desire that had been forcibly interrupted.

It's as if a greedy diner has suddenly had their delicious meal snatched away!
An even stronger seductive intent surged towards 'Shadow' like a tidal wave, attempting to reignite the fire of desire within him.

But what responded to it was not chakra, but a spreading darkness!
The shadow beneath 'Shadow's' feet flowed and expanded silently, like living ink, quickly covering that hideous face.

The dark shadow capable of sealing chakra gradually seeped in through the gaps!
Sensing its body being gradually sealed off, the stone-like face suddenly trembled, revealing a visible look of surprise and doubt.

Click! Kaka! !
The Chest of Bliss shook and vibrated incessantly, causing the entire underground stone chamber to tremble and shatter the surrounding rock walls, as if a living thing was struggling frantically, trying to get rid of the dark shadow.

"You should be able to understand human speech. Now I'll give you two choices."

'Shadow' said with a hint of a smile, "First, come with me, and I will release you."

"Second, I sealed it away and left it in this dark and sunless underground for thousands of years."

"As a creation of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, you should know very well that I have this ability."

"..."

As if upon hearing that familiar yet unfamiliar name, the violent shaking of the "Box of Elysium" suddenly stopped.

The entire stone chamber fell into a deathly silence. The faces on the walls were frozen, lost in a state of immense shock and disbelief.

How is this possible? This guy in front of me actually knows the Sage of Six Paths' name?!

And this chakra... why does it feel so familiar...?

As it watched in astonishment, the shadow of 'Shadow' did not stop its encroachment. Instead, it continued to spread and tighten like a living thing, with a chilling aura constantly seeping in.

Finally, under the silent oppression of the shadows and the immense impact of that name, a dull sound, like the beating of a giant heart, emanated from inside the Box of Ecstasy.

Boom...boom...boom...

The voice was no longer frantic; instead, it carried a sense of compromise.

"Hmm, very sensible."

'Shadow' smiled and pondered, "However, isn't it too big? It's not easy to take with me."

Upon hearing this, the "Box of Bliss" fell silent once again.

That frozen face seemed to be silently weighing the pros and cons, or perhaps digesting the vast amount of information contained in 'Shadow's' words.

But the silence didn't last long. A moment later, the entire enclosure began to emit a low hum, as if its internal structure was undergoing violent reorganization and compression.

The enormous box seemed to be kneaded and shaped by an invisible giant hand, collapsing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a few breaths, the once terrifying and ferocious face had vanished.

Instead, there was a cube, only the size of a Rubik's Cube, quietly floating a few inches above the 'Shadow's' palm.

On its surface, four distorted faces are outlined, representing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness shrunk countless times.

It no longer tries to bewitch people as it did before; instead, it exudes a chilling and resentful aura of suppression.

It's like Pandora's box.

"That's good enough."

'Shadow' grasped the box of ecstasy that exuded an ominous aura, and with a flick of its wrist, it plunged into the bottomless pool of ink, silently disappearing into the shadow of its wide robes.

"Now, only Orochimaru's side is left to deal with," he thought to himself.

However, before that, we need to modify this "Box of Bliss".

With this in mind, his figure gradually sank into the ground, turning into a shadow, and swiftly sped towards the Land of Fire.

The roar and screams of battle above still echoed in the passage leading to the ground.

But no one knew that inside the stone chamber, only empty walls and scattered rubble remained, silently recounting the extraordinary "subjugation" that had just occurred.

The most valuable thing in Ghost Lantern Castle has changed hands.

(End of this chapter)