Naruto: From Fake to Real, Deceiving the Ninja World.

'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.

Chapter 121 The Hidden Dangers of the Uchiha Clan

The sky outside the window was perfectly clear, and inside the Hokage's office, the white mist created a scene resembling a fairyland.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished processing today's documents. He took a tired puff of his pipe and exhaled, but the smoke could not dispel the worry between his brows.

So much had happened during this period; the rollercoaster of emotions had almost exhausted him.

He was initially overjoyed by the news of victory from the battlefield in the Moon Kingdom.

With his exquisite tactics and lightning release ninjutsu, Hyuga Kumokawa annihilated over a thousand elite Kumogakure soldiers on the battlefield of the Land of the Moon.

Even Yugito, the two Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails from Lianyun Village, and Samui, the overall commander of the battlefield, were taken prisoner. What a glorious achievement this was!

Then, at his suggestion, Jiraiya proposed to Kumogakure to exchange prisoners for a promise of ceasefire. Peace seemed within reach, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi's tense nerves relax.

However, when he heard the urgent report from the ANBU ninja at the memorial monument, informing him that Sunagakure had used tailed beasts to attack the border of the Land of Fire, his heart leaped into his throat.

What happened next confirmed his unease.

The Hidden Cloud Village's reaction was chillingly swift.

One second he was arguing with Jiraiya at the negotiating table, and the next second he received news that Sunagakure was attacking the Land of Fire.

The Fourth Raikage flipped the table, decisively overruling all objections and swiftly responding to the Sand Village's offensive, dispatching troops once again to attack them from both sides.

This resulted in Jiraiya's main force, which had not yet had time to withdraw from the Land of the Moon, being instantly surrounded and unable to advance or retreat.

The war situation in Konoha took a sharp turn for the worse.

"Fortunately, Yun Chuan used this to boost morale at the time, otherwise it would have caused panic again, and it would have taken a lot of effort to mobilize support troops."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gently rubbed his temples, feeling both annoyed and relieved.

It was thanks to the fervent fighting spirit that Hyuga Kumokawa had aroused that he was able to issue orders at the fastest speed.

He urgently dispatched countless elite troops to the border to fight against Sunagakure, barely managing to hold back Sunagakure on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, preventing them from harassing Jiraiya's main force which had retreated to the Land of Hot Springs.

The current war situation mainly involves fighting against Kumogakure in the Land of Hot Water and against Sunagakure in the Land of Rain. The battle has returned to a quagmire of intertwined forces, with Iwagakure also watching closely.

"Cough! Cough cough! But why hasn't Hanzo made a move yet?"

While coughing from the choking, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly, "It's a pity that we wasted the great opportunity that Yunchuan and the others worked so hard to gain."

He hadn't expected Sunagakure to dare attack the Land of Fire directly through the Land of Rain's territory, and so far, Hanzo from Amegakure hadn't made any move.

Facing the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Cloud Village alone, the constant reports of casualties from the front lines weighed heavily on his mind.

However, when he thought of that exceptionally talented, even perfect, young man, a touch of gentleness appeared on his worried face.

Whether it was dominating the Jonin meeting, bringing brilliant results on the battlefield of the Land of the Moon, or inspiring morale and fighting spirit as a "hero" after learning that Sunagakure had breached the border defenses...

Hinata Kumokawa has done an excellent job more than once or twice.

As long as Konoha's spirit remains intact, the war will continue.

All of this made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel proud, believing that it was his keen eye that had led him to discover Hyuga Kumokawa.

"It's a pity that such a young man, who has abandoned the prejudices of his clan and possesses the Will of Fire, is choosing to split up the family." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed regretfully.

During this period, he considered grooming Yun Chuan as his successor more than once.

But every time I think of Hyuga Kumokawa, I realize that he is a member of a branch family of the Hyuga clan, and I think that Kumokawa's life is ultimately in the hands of the Hyuga clan.

He could not allow the Hokage position to become the private property of any ninja clan, and naturally, he could not allow Yun Chuan to succeed him as Hokage.

Unless, the entire main branch of the Hyuga clan is wiped out...

As the thought popped into his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but smile and shake his head somewhat helplessly.

How could such a thing be possible?

dong dong...

A knock on the door interrupted his wandering thoughts.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could even speak, the person standing outside the door pushed the door open and entered.

Without a doubt, there was only one person in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who dared to barge directly into the Hokage's office.

"Danzo, Koharu?"

Looking up at the two of them, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"What, can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"

Xiaochun, who had just changed dorm rooms, replied irritably and then sat down leisurely in a chair by the window.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained noncommittal, bringing the cigarette holder to his lips. The tobacco in the cigarette lit up with a flame, and as he exhaled, wisps of white smoke rose and were carried out of the window by the wind.

"Ahem, Hiruzen, have you been smoking too much lately?"

Koharu, choked by the smoke, coughed and fanned away the drifting smoke, reminding him, "I know you're under a lot of pressure right now, but you should still take care of your health, right?"

"I heard you've been staying here all this time and haven't even gone home, not even for Konohamaru's first birthday."

Ignoring her reminder, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Danzo standing in front of him and asked directly, "Alright, just say it, what is it?"

If Xiaochun came alone from the new dormitory, it might be out of concern and worry.

But Danzo is the kind of guy who only comes for personal gain; he never visits a temple without a reason. How could he just be here to take a look?

"Hiruzen, are you aware that the Uchiha clan has been holding clan meetings at the Naka Shrine more and more frequently lately?" Shimura Danzo asked bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously frowned.

To be honest, he didn't really know much about the Uchiha clan.

He's been preoccupied with things outside lately, so he's naturally been neglecting things inside Konoha.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't show it, his expression remaining unchanged as he calmly asked, "I know, so what do you want to say?"

"From what I understand, dissatisfaction with Konoha is growing stronger within the Uchiha clan, and there are more and more complaints."

Danzo Shimura said in a deep voice, "Hiruzen, don't you understand what this means?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly knew what this meant.

Since the "Nine-Tails' rampage" incident, the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village has widened.

On one hand, it was because when the "Nine-Tails' Rebellion" occurred, the Konoha leadership gave instructions to the police force to strengthen the village's security duties.

This led the Uchiha clan to believe that the higher-ups suspected they had released the Nine-Tails.

On the other hand, after the "Nine-Tails' Rebellion" occurred, a meeting was convened with the major ninja clans of Konoha to reorganize the village's administrative divisions and move the police force to the edge of the village.

Furthermore, the conflict between the secret service and the police force has remained unresolved for a long time...

It could even be said that if it weren't for the war, the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village would have been the most troublesome problem for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The problem has never been solved; it has simply been temporarily ignored by him.

At this moment, the problems of the Uchiha clan were once again placed before him.

Chapter 122 Don't disappoint me, Lord Orochimaru!

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently smoked his cigarette, the smoke rising and enveloping his wrinkled face.

After a long silence, he looked up at Shimura Danzo and said calmly, "So, Danzo, what do you want to say?"

"Or rather, what do you want to do?"

When confronted with Hiruzen Sarutobi's question, Danzo Shimura did not answer directly. Instead, he slowly walked to the window and looked out at the seemingly peaceful and serene Konoha.

"Hiruzen, this is not the time for me to do anything."

With his back to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he said, "Instead, we must do something."

"You should already know that Kusagakure was destroyed by 'vengeful spirits' not long ago."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers, which were holding the pipe, trembled slightly, and ash fell in a flurry.

He narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Has the credibility of the information been confirmed?"

They had received intelligence not long ago that the Hidden Grass Village had been wiped out by an unknown entity, but the details mentioned in that intelligence were vague and somewhat inexplicable.

The idea of ​​vengeful spirits killing people or the dead seeking revenge is utterly absurd.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't take it too seriously at the time, but Danzo's words revealed that the matter was actually true.

"Yes, I have already sent someone to verify the authenticity of the intelligence."

Shimura Danzo's tone was completely flat: "Most of the core strength of Kusagakure was completely destroyed overnight by some inexplicable force."

"There were very few survivors; only a few dozen Kusagakure ninjas who were on missions elsewhere escaped the disaster."

"Who did this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was slightly hoarse. "They almost wiped out the entire Kusagakure village overnight..."