Chapter 499: Opening of the Box of Paradise
Kakashi and the others worked hard to gather evidence.
Drag contacted the higher ups of Grass Flower, preparing for the storm that was about to hit.
Yokogawa Tsutomu had no idea he had already been marked for death in Grass Flower's eyes.
Right now, Yokogawa Tsutomu was furious, truly furious.
Recently, Grass Flower had acted like a rabid dog, snapping at him from every direction and causing trouble nonstop. It made Yokogawa Tsutomu suspect either that someone inside Grass Core had leaked information, or that Grass Flower had uncovered something on their own.
But things had already reached this point. Even if Drag personally stormed into the Hidden Grass leader's office to question him again, Yokogawa Tsutomu would not halt his plan.
He had gone too far.
Hidden Grass Village had already thrown itself into the war between Konoha and Iwagakure. There was no clean way to withdraw anymore. Only by opening the Box of Paradise could he break the deadlock.
"Contact the frontline units," Yokogawa Tsutomu ordered after a moment of thought. "Tell them to send the next batch of chakra as quickly as possible."
He needed the box opened as soon as possible. The longer this dragged out, the more variables could appear.
The Hidden Grass ANBU beside him nodded quickly and went to carry out the order.
Still uneasy, Yokogawa Tsutomu summoned his most trusted subordinate, Shu, to discuss the next steps.
"From Grass Flower's recent moves, they may have already learned about our cooperation with Iwagakure," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, voice heavy. "What I cannot tell is whether someone defected to their side, or whether they discovered it through their own investigation."
He personally leaned toward the existence of an insider. If Grass Flower truly had solid evidence, Drag would have come straight to confront him with it already.
"We have invested too much," Shu replied in a low voice. "Even if Grass Flower knows, we can only continue. As long as the Box of Paradise is opened, everything will be fine."
Yokogawa Tsutomu nodded. He thought the same.
"Since Grass Flower has already noticed, there is no need to hide anymore," Shu continued. "Stop the village's daily operations. Have every shinobi refine chakra and pour it into the box. Open it faster."
Yokogawa Tsutomu fell silent, eyes narrowing.
Shu's suggestion was radical. If he did that, it would be a direct showdown with Grass Flower, and it would also offend clients whose missions would be abandoned.
Then Yokogawa Tsutomu laughed and slapped Shu's shoulder.
"Age really does make people hesitant," he said. "Fortunately, I have you. You are right. The only thing that matters now is opening the Box of Paradise. Everything else can wait."
Radical?
Grass Core's defining trait was radicalism.
Yokogawa Tsutomu truly felt he had not wasted his effort grooming Shu as his successor. Shu was not only strong, his momentum was even more vicious than Yokogawa's had been in his youth.
"This is a political struggle where we either live or die," Shu said solemnly. "If Grass Core does not act, then Grass Core will be destroyed."
"Live or die? Not necessarily," Yokogawa Tsutomu replied, frowning slightly. "We are all Hidden Grass shinobi."
Even if their ideals differed, they were still doing this for the village. He did not believe it had to come to bloodshed.
Shu did not argue. He simply laid out the reality, point by point.
"If the box cannot be opened, the village's strength cannot rise. Under Grass Flower's accountability, you will be forced to step down. And if Konoha gains the advantage in the coming war, they will also hold Hidden Grass Village responsible…"
His analysis was cold and precise, outlining the pressures that Grass Core and the village itself would face.
Yokogawa Tsutomu's eyes darkened.
After a long pause, he made a decision.
"Summon the elders."
Since he was gambling, he had always considered the consequences of losing. But Grass Flower had moved faster than he expected. Time that once felt ample suddenly felt painfully tight.
…
In the race to secure concrete evidence, Drag ultimately won.
He finished faster than Kakashi's team.
After obtaining what he needed, Drag first delivered the evidence to Mugetsu. Then, following Mugetsu's instructions, he carried the evidence straight to the Hidden Grass leader's office building.
The moment he entered, Drag noticed something wrong.
Every shinobi he passed looked drained, listless, as if they had not slept at all.
"What is wrong with all of you?" Drag snapped. "Why do you look like corpses walking around?"
"If clients see you like this, how can they trust Hidden Grass shinobi to complete missions?" he scolded.
Other work could be delayed, but entrusted missions were the foundation of a shinobi village.
"Sorry, Elder Drag," one Hidden Grass shinobi said lazily. "I had insomnia last night."
Clients?
Yokogawa Tsutomu had already issued an order. Until the Box of Paradise was opened, no entrusted missions mattered.
Drag's brow tightened, disturbed by the attitude, but he forced himself to move on. He had something more urgent to deal with.
When he reached the entrance to the Hidden Grass leader's office, an ANBU guarding the door raised a hand to stop him.
"The Chief is handling important matters," the ANBU said flatly. "No one is allowed inside."
"Move," Drag growled. "No matter what he is doing, he owes me an explanation today."
The ANBU did not respond, and he did not step aside.
Drag did not waste another breath. He struck with his palm.
Yokogawa Tsutomu had already made a disastrous mistake. Anyone under his command was likely part of the problem.
The ANBU tried to block him, but he was not Drag's match to begin with. Worse, he was physically weak from continuously supplying chakra to the box yesterday.
Drag dropped him in two exchanges.
Bang!
"Yokogawa Tsutomu!" Drag kicked the door open and roared. "You had the guts to secretly join the war, but you do not dare to face me?"
The wooden door crashed down.
An empty office greeted him.
Drag face turned grim.
At a critical moment like this, Yokogawa Tsutomu was not at his post in broad daylight. Combined with what Drag had seen on the way in, a terrible premonition rose in his chest.
"He is not seriously trying to open that box, is he?" Drag thought.
The legendary box. The one people claimed could grant wishes.
Drag did not understand. He remembered that Yokogawa Tsutomu, like him, did not truly believe those rumors. So why would he recklessly use his authority now to attempt it?
"Where is Yokogawa Tsutomu?" Drag demanded, turning back toward the ANBU he had knocked down. "Take me to him, before he makes an irreversible mistake."
Seeing that Drag had discovered enough, the Hidden Grass ANBU stopped pretending.
"Drag," he said, grim and stubborn, "please stop obstructing the Chief. Only he can lead Hidden Grass Village to strength and prosperity."
Drag nearly choked.
Obstruct?
Konoha's Raging Sun Mugetsu had already infiltrated Hidden Grass Village.
"You think I am the only one who knows what you have done?" Drag snapped. "Konoha shinobi have already arrived. They simply have not moved yet."
Then he dropped the name like a blade.
"Raging Sun Mugetsu is inside Hidden Grass Village. And besides him, there may be other Konoha shinobi lurking as well. If you want to minimize the damage, the best option is for Yokogawa Tsutomu to confess voluntarily."
"Raging Sun Mugetsu is in the village?" The ANBU's face drained of confidence. His pupils widened.
That was the kind of ruthless monster who had once killed a jinchuriki on the eastern bank battlefield in the Land of Fire. Even if it had taken a squad's coordination, it still proved how terrifying he was.
"Why did you not report something this important to the Chief, Elder Drag?" the ANBU asked, voice shaking, as if he could already picture Mugetsu carving through Hidden Grass Village.
"I should be asking Yokogawa Tsutomu why he never discussed something this serious with me!" Drag shot back.
He was not stupid.
If he informed Yokogawa Tsutomu, that would mean fully turning against Konoha. Once Konoha was no longer tied down, a single squad would be enough to crush Hidden Grass Village. Every Hidden Grass shinobi would be finished.
"Tell me where he is," Drag said sharply. "Now. Do not waste time."
The ANBU shook his head.
"As long as the Chief opens the Box of Paradise, then even if Raging Sun Mugetsu comes, even if another Yellow Flash appears, Hidden Grass Village will not fear them."
He stared at Drag, stubborn to the end.
"Do not waste your effort, Elder Drag. I do not know the Chief's location at all."
To prevent betrayal, Yokogawa Tsutomu moved the Box of Paradise to a new location every day. Only the shinobi assigned to transfer chakra that day knew where it would be. No one else.
And those shinobi could only leave at dawn, meaning Yokogawa Tsutomu's position was almost impossible to expose in time.
Drag realized he would get nothing useful from the ANBU.
With no choice, he gathered Grass Flower's shinobi to search, while also sending word to Mugetsu about Yokogawa Tsutomu's situation.
Since the operation had reached its final stage, Mugetsu used the Flying Thunder God Technique to halt Kakashi's team and Nara's team mid investigation, stating that intelligence gathering was complete and it was time to move.
"So, Teacher Mugetsu," Kakashi said after a quick analysis, "you successfully brought the conservative faction to our side. Now all we need to do is eliminate the radicals led by the Hidden Grass leader."
Kakashi had not expected Mugetsu to accomplish something so decisive in silence, while acting alone.
Following Mugetsu's plan was far better than charging in for revenge. It reduced their workload and produced greater benefits for Konoha.
"Then we should hurry and find Yokogawa Tsutomu," Obito said, his spirits rising at last. "As long as we beat him, the mission is over."
He was lost when it came to investigation, but when it came to fighting, he knew exactly what to do.
"Shibi," Mugetsu said, turning toward him, "can you locate the special bugs you placed on Hana?"
At those words, a light went off in Kakashi's mind.
So that was it.
He did not know the details of the Box of Paradise, but it clearly required chakra. And Uzumaki chakra was notoriously powerful.
Kakashi felt, once again, how meticulous Mugetsu's planning was. If Mugetsu had not considered Karin's mother's safety and had Shibi place special bugs on her, locating Yokogawa Tsutomu now would be far harder.
Shibi focused his chakra, formed hand seals, then nodded and stepped forward to lead the way.
…
Underground Base.
"Everyone!" Yokogawa Tsutomu roared as he fed delivered corpses into the Box of Paradise. "Refine chakra and pour it in with everything you have! Every bit of chakra you give becomes a cornerstone for the rise of Hidden Grass!"
As the sacrificer, Yokogawa Tsutomu could feel it clearly.
The chakra inside the box was growing stronger, heavier, more oppressive.
It was almost open. Just a little more.
Time passed.
One by one, the Hidden Grass shinobi collapsed onto the ground, panting, their bodies trembling from severe chakra depletion. Before long, most of them looked half dead.
At the same time, Yokogawa Tsutomu's supply of corpses was exhausted.
Yet the box still sat at an infuriating bottleneck.
Yokogawa Tsutomu remained calm. He did not explode in anger. He had prepared extensively for this day. He would not allow an accident.
"At the most critical moment, you happened to arrive in Hidden Grass Village," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, smiling as he looked at the unconscious Hana Uzumaki. "Perhaps this is fate."
If Hana had not been here, he might truly have run out of time before Grass Flower discovered everything.
[TL: I'll change Karin's mother's name to Hana]
Then, to protect what he had built, he would have been forced into civil war to crush Grass Flower into submission.
Compared to that, the current outcome was far better.
"Hana, is it?" Yokogawa Tsutomu murmured, recalling the name she had given. "I will remember it. Thank you for your contribution to Hidden Grass Village and the Land of Grass."
He activated a secret technique and began extracting the chakra within her body, sacrificing it into the box.
As the chakra inside the Box of Bliss surged, Yokogawa Tsutomu's delight deepened. He even thought that if he ever had a granddaughter, he could name her Hana, as a gesture of gratitude for what this girl had contributed, even if she was unwilling.
Then his expression shifted.
Perimeter defenses had been triggered.
"They found me this quickly?" Yokogawa Tsutomu was genuinely surprised.
He had been meticulous with secrecy. Yet Grass Flower still located him.
Was this simply what he should expect from a rival who had tangled with him for half his life?
Yokogawa Tsutomu increased the speed of the sacrifice, preparing to feed Hana Uzumaki's entire body into the box.
"Shu," he ordered, turning, "go intercept them. This is the critical moment. I will not be disturbed."
Now, at the final step, he could not tolerate any variables.
But something shocking happened.
Shu acted as if he had not heard him at all.
He did not even glance at Yokogawa Tsutomu. He simply continued staring at the Box of Paradise, studying it in silence.
"Shu!" Yokogawa Tsutomu barked, thinking Shu had been affected by something.
He had never once believed Shu would betray him. Shu was his successor. Yokogawa's interests were Shu's interests.
How could Shu betray him?
Shu finally turned to look at him.
Then he nodded and walked away.
Yokogawa Tsutomu relaxed, turned back, and continued the sacrifice.
Bang!
As Shu passed by, he suddenly swung his fist.
One punch sent Yokogawa Tsutomu flying.
Yokogawa Tsutomu slammed hard into the rigid Box of Paradise, pain exploding through his back.
He stared at Shu, eyes filled with fury and disbelief.
He could not understand it.
No matter how he searched, he could find no reason, not in interest, not in loyalty, not in emotion.
The only explanation he could grasp was that he had misjudged Shu entirely, that Shu was not loyal, and that Shu carried an overwhelming desire of his own.
After striking Yokogawa Tsutomu, "Shu" did not pursue him.
Instead, Mugetsu moved immediately to heal Hana Uzumaki.
If Yokogawa Tsutomu continued the sacrifice, it could cause damage to her body.
Mugetsu's actions only made Yokogawa Tsutomu more confused.
A ridiculous thought even surfaced in his mind.
Had Shu fallen in love with Hana at first sight and betrayed him because he could not bear to see her die?
Yokogawa Tsutomu felt sick.
No matter the reason, he had chosen a disastrous successor.
"Shu, how could you betray the Chief?" a Hidden Grass shinobi nearby cursed, voice hoarse. "Your current strength and status exist only because the Chief nurtured you!"
If his chakra was not already exhausted, he would have fought Shu to the death even if he could not win.
More Hidden Grass shinobi could not even summon the strength to curse. They could only glare with hatred.
Among everyone present, Yokogawa Tsutomu had granted Shu the privilege of not needing to provide chakra at all.
And yet he still betrayed him.
Mugetsu's expression stayed indifferent.
They were cursing Shu. What did that have to do with him?
Yokogawa Tsutomu did not waste time arguing.
He silently poured all his remaining chakra into the Box of Paradise, forcing the last piece into place.
Now was not the time to think.
As long as the box opened, everything would be fine.
Drag, Shu, Grass Flower, all of it could be crushed afterward.
Boom!
After absorbing enough chakra to activate, an overwhelming surge erupted from the Box of Paradise. A towering pillar of energy blasted through the ceiling of the underground base and shot straight into the clouds.
Kakashi and the others, already close, immediately accelerated.
Drag and the members of Grass Flower also rushed toward the scene the moment they saw the pillar.
"Box of Paradise, open," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, standing before it. He kept his eyes on Mugetsu while using the thin connection formed through sacrifice to convey his intent.
Rumble!
With a thunderous roar, the massive box, sealed for an unknown number of years, began to shake.
Pieces of the human faced mask fell away.
Its mouth stretched open like a demon opening its jaws, revealing a darkness so deep that no light existed inside.
Yokogawa Tsutomu could not see the interior, but he felt as if an endless black world lay within.
"Make me strong," he said, voice low and trembling with obsession. "Make me supremely strong!"
That had always been his plan.
He wanted power. Power greater than Ninja Master Sosuke, the man who had once defeated the demigod Hanzo.
Only then could Hidden Grass Village, and the Land of Grass, develop peacefully under his protection.
Yokogawa Tsutomu did not know the precise method to use the box, but the moment it opened, an instinctive certainty rose within him.
This was the way.
The box had consciousness.
And as the one who opened it, he would receive what he desired.
Whoosh!
A terrifying suction burst from within.
Yokogawa Tsutomu, standing closest, was pulled straight into the darkness.
Mugetsu held Hana Uzumaki and moved farther back. Then he sensed his Flying Thunder God mark.
It was inside the Box of Paradise, and the connection had not been severed, unlike what Uzumaki Naruto had experienced before.
.....
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