However, in the end, Mui made no unusual moves.
According to the plan, it was not yet time to act. They needed to wait for the poison to take effect on Hirakawa Aoshi.
That's right—these poisoned prisoners, and even the entire poisoning incident itself, were all part of the scheme to deal with him.
The poison had been developed and supplied by Orochimaru.
According to his assessment, the medical ninjas of Hozuki Castle truly had no way to neutralize it.
But for Aoshi, who had inherited Tsunade's medical ninjutsu, the difficulty was not great.
It only required several days of careful treatment. So, in a short time, Aoshi had already found a way to counter it.
When he stepped out of the barrier, Mui immediately approached. "Lord Hirakawa, how is the situation? Is there still hope?"
Aoshi answered confidently, "Don't worry. Treating it won't be a problem. I just need to prepare the antidote first."
"That's wonderful." Hearing this, Mui finally let out a breath of relief. He then led everyone to Hozuki Castle's medicine storage room.
"All of the castle's medicinal supplies are stored here. Lord Hirakawa may take whatever he needs." After saying that, he excused himself, citing official duties.
"Kurenai, Rin, Shizune—you three help gather the medicine. Nono, you'll prepare the antidote with me."
Under Aoshi's direction, everyone moved into action at once. Before long, the antidote was successfully completed.
"That's amazing, Aoshi—this fast-acting antidote really works!"
Yakushi Nono, who had personally tested it with a poison sample, was clearly delighted.
Aoshi, however, was not surprised at all. "Next, we need to make more. And quickly."
There were too many poisoned prisoners. The demand for antidote was enormous.
Even with all five of them working together, it took nearly an entire day to produce enough for everyone.
After that, the five put on protective suits and entered the barrier, beginning to administer the antidote.
The moment the patients received it, clear improvement followed. Although their wounds didn't heal instantly, their complexion visibly improved.
They had been unable to move at all before—now they could at least regain basic strength.
Only a lingering weakness remained, caused by long-term malnutrition.
"That's it… we're finally saved." The prisoners who had been drowning in despair now burst into tears of relief.
"Everyone, don't rush," Aoshi said calmly. "For now, we've only detoxified your bodies. You'll still need follow-up treatment to fully recover."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight. After all, if they wanted to live, they had to listen.
So, Kurenai and the other two continued injecting antidotes into the remaining patients, while Aoshi and Nono treated those who had already received them.
[Treatment completed for Yamamoto Ryō. Reward: 1 Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations, you gained 100 Chakra.]
---
[Treatment completed for Tokugawa Nijūkuro. Reward: 1 Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations, you gained 100 Chakra.]
---
After detoxification, the difficulty of further treatment dropped sharply.
Before long, more than half of the prisoners had recovered enough to leave the barrier.
"Thank you… thank you so much." The rescued patients repeatedly bowed in gratitude to Aoshi and his team.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the elders of the Grass Fruit Faction—who had been observing everything—wore grim expressions.
"Orochimaru, didn't you say this poison would take several days to cure?"
According to their original plan, they had secretly added a colorless, odorless neurotoxin to the victims.
On its own, it was harmless and extremely difficult to detect.
But once it reached a certain concentration, contact with another toxin would trigger it instantly.
The result would be immediate nerve paralysis—leaving the victim conscious, but unable to move. A living corpse.
If that plan had succeeded, even someone as powerful as Hirakawa Aoshi would have been helpless.
But reality betrayed them. Aoshi cured the prisoners too quickly. They simply hadn't inhaled enough of the neurotoxin.
"I underestimated Aoshi," Orochimaru said calmly.
Despite the failure, he showed none of the panic visible on the elders' faces.
"Then what do we do now?"
"There's no need to panic. The plan was never meant to rely on only one method." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's time for Mui to act."
To ensure success, he had prepared far more than one contingency.
"I understand." Mui, who had been standing quietly nearby, gave no expression. After replying, he turned and left.
Moments later, he appeared at the barrier with an excited look.
"This is incredible—everyone is saved! Lord Hirakawa, thank you so much for your help."
As he spoke, he stepped forward to assist.
Of course, he wasn't treating anyone—he didn't know medical ninjutsu.
Instead, he helped carry the prisoners who had already received the antidote over to Aoshi and Nono, speeding up the process.
"Thank you, Castle Lord Mui," Aoshi said sincerely.
"Not at all," Mui replied. "I should be the one thanking you. You've helped me keep my position as Castle Lord."
That wasn't an exaggeration.
If Hozuki Castle had failed to resolve this crisis and too many prisoners had died, Kusagakure's leadership would certainly have made Mui take responsibility—at least in name—to appease the anger of other nations.
"Lord Hirakawa is, in every sense, my savior."
With such sincerity in his voice, no one would have guessed that his true goal was to kill Aoshi.
"Castle Lord Mui, you flatter me. Even without my help, you would have found a way," Aoshi replied with a smile.
He accepted the prisoner Mui had brought over and began treatment—completely unguarded.
This eased some of Mui's tension. It seemed Hirakawa Aoshi truly had not discovered their plan.
Aoshi's name now carried enormous weight.
Even Mui, a jōnin, felt pressure just standing before him. Still, no matter how nervous he felt, he showed nothing on the surface.
A ninja, after all, had to be able to act.
As Aoshi finished treating the prisoner, the system's voice sounded as usual.
[Treatment completed for Kawakami Yuki. Reward: 1 Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations, you gained 100 Chakra.]
Everything seemed normal.
Then—In the next instant, a cursed seal suddenly surfaced on Kawakami Yuki's body, freezing Aoshi's movements.
The seal lasted only a moment. But that moment was more than enough.
Mui moved at once. "Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"
A binding technique that every lord of Hozuki Castle was required to master.
Feeling his chakra flow disrupted, Aoshi slowly lifted his gaze toward Mui—his expression calm, unshaken.