Chapter 500: Ninjas Have Their Limits, Raging Sun Mugetsu, I Am No Longer Human!
After the Box of Paradise opened, Mugetsu's real body was the first to step into the underground research base.
"Raging Sun Mugetsu! What is going on? Has Konoha attacked?" A Hidden Grass ninja who had not been sucked into the box looked terrified when he saw the newcomer.
"The Box of Paradise has already opened. Once the wish is granted, even Raging Sun Mugetsu will not be a match for the Chief," a high ranking Hidden Grass ninja said quickly.
In his eyes, the Box of Paradise was the ultimate Six Paths nin tool, something that could grant wishes. Surely it could handle a young powerhouse from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Mugetsu did not bother speaking with them. A casual burst of killing intent and chakra pressure swept out, dropping the Hidden Grass ninjas where they stood. Then he walked straight to Hana Uzumaki.
The shadow clone that had been masquerading as Shu moved on its own toward the pitch black entrance where even light could not reach, and stepped into the Box of Paradise.
From Mugetsu's perception, the box could not block Flying Thunder God, but he was cautious by nature. He needed proof, not assumptions.
A second later, Mugetsu's shadow clone appeared beside Karin.
This time, Mugetsu was truly certain. As long as one had mastered Flying Thunder God, they could leave freely even after entering the Box of Paradise. They would not be trapped.
With its task complete, the shadow clone dispersed on its own, sending its memories back to the main body.
At almost the same moment, Kakashi and Obito rushed in after him.
"Ah, Teacher Mugetsu, you already finished everything?" Obito charged into the underground base full of excitement, only to freeze when he saw the fallen Hidden Grass ninjas.
He had been afraid Teacher Mugetsu was too strong and would end the fight before they arrived, so he had pushed his Breathing Technique to the limit the entire way. Even then, he was still too late.
"Is this the so called Box of Paradise?" Kakashi's gaze lingered on the fallen enemies for less than a heartbeat before locking onto the massive, bizarre box that dominated the base.
"That shockwave that pierced the clouds earlier came from this, right?" Nara Suzaku also studied it carefully. "What exactly is it? A large scale offensive nin tool?"
"The nature of the Box of Paradise is still unclear," Mugetsu replied, shaking his head. "But the mission may not be over. The Hidden Grass leader entered the box."
Shibi Aburame immediately directed a portion of his insects into the black opening to investigate the interior.
"The insects lost contact," Shibi reported tersely.
The instant they entered, they vanished from his control as if the box swallowed their very existence.
"Then we send a shadow clone to check," Obito offered at once.
Hearing that the main target was still alive, his fighting spirit snapped back to full strength.
Still, even he did not want to step into something this strange with his real body.
"This thing screams trap," Kakashi agreed. "We test it with a clone first."
Before either of them could move, a figure began to emerge from the deep darkness.
Kakashi drew a kunai instantly, ready to fight. As the primary target, he recognized the man at once.
Yokogawa Tsutomu.
Yokogawa Tsutomu walked out slowly, and the aura rolling off him felt wrong, twisted and unsettling.
"Shu, I am the Chief…" Yokogawa Tsutomu stared blankly at the scene in front of him.
He was not surprised the Hidden Grass ninjas had fallen. How could they, drained of chakra, resist a full strength Shu?
But why were there eight Konoha shinobi here?
Had he been inside the box for a long time? Had Konoha already launched a direct attack?
Then his eyes landed on the brightest presence in the room.
"Raging Sun Mugetsu." Yokogawa Tsutomu's lips curled. "Good. I will use you to test this power."
Before today, he would have called it a three seven split. Mugetsu would take three moves, and Yokogawa would take seven to lose his head.
But now, everything was different.
He had been enhanced by the Box of Paradise. He believed he had broken through the limits of a shinobi and ascended into a higher existence.
Let alone Mugetsu.
Even if the Yellow Flash and the Three Sannin came together, he claimed he would not fear them.
"I have already sublimated into a god!" Yokogawa Tsutomu smiled, face shining with manic confidence as power surged through his body.
Obito scratched his head, looking genuinely puzzled. Testing his power against Teacher Mugetsu? Did this guy think he was the Sage of Six Paths?
"Hidden Grass Style: Exploding Fist!"
Yokogawa Tsutomu condensed a huge amount of chakra into his fist and launched forward with a sharp whoosh.
Bang!
A violent impact echoed through the base, and Yokogawa Tsutomu flew backward even faster than he had charged, slamming hard into the Box of Paradise.
[Name: Yokogawa Tsutomu (Enlightening)] [Chakra: 111000] [Skills: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 2800/15000)...]
Mugetsu lightly shook his fist and inwardly sighed.
This man had fewer than ten mastery level skills, and even those were only average. Yet he called himself a god. Mugetsu was almost worried he might kill him by accident if he hit too hard.
Obito wore an expression that said, of course it ended like that.
Kakashi's mouth twitched. Yokogawa's speed had been real. He had nearly activated Transparent World on instinct, but Yokogawa chose Teacher Mugetsu as his opponent.
After Yokogawa Tsutomu staggered up, rage twisted his face.
This was not right.
He was so strong, yet he still could not even react to Mugetsu's taijutsu.
"Raging Sun Mugetsu has skill after all," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, dodging Kakashi's attack as he forced himself to calm down. "You are worthy of witnessing the true form of a powerhouse."
The power from the box had not been fully unleashed yet. No matter how strong Mugetsu was, he was still human. A mortal could not compare to divine might.
"A shinobi has limits as a human. Come and feel the power of a god!"
Yokogawa Tsutomu roared, and his body began to distort grotesquely.
Long black hair, thicker than any human's, erupted across his flesh. His muscles swelled, his frame ballooned, and the black hair spread like a plague. In moments, he transformed into a massive monster covered in dark bristles, with enormous wings.
Rumble!
His new size smashed through the ceiling. Chunks of debris rained down as the underground base was torn open.
With only a few flaps of his arm wings, the shattered base became open to the sky.
At the same time, his chakra surged wildly in Mugetsu's perception, climbing at a frightening speed.
"The real battle has only begun!" Yokogawa Tsutomu laughed loudly, voice booming through the wreckage.
Now, he was far stronger than before. Speed, strength, defense, all of it had undergone a qualitative leap. He refused to believe any shinobi could surpass him now.
"Die!"
He beat his wings and became a black blur, diving straight at Mugetsu.
Despite his massive body, his speed was not slow at all. The wind from his wings blasted debris off the ground and sent dust spiraling through the air.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Kakashi and Shisui attacked at once, with Obito following, hand seals snapping into place. Their ninjutsu tore forward, but Yokogawa Tsutomu twisted past them, dodging cleanly.
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
"Secret Technique: Insect Tornado!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Nara Suzaku and Kosuke followed up, attacks layering one after another.
Whoosh!
Before Shadow Imitation could fully catch him, Mugetsu flashed above the enlightened monster and drove a chakra loaded fist down.
"Exploding Fist!"
Boom!
Yokogawa Tsutomu's massive body slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it. He could not control himself and spat a huge mouthful of blood.
Pain exploded through him. Fear and confusion surfaced together as he stared at Mugetsu.
"Flying Thunder God…" Yokogawa Tsutomu's mind raced. "It can be used like this?"
He knew Mugetsu had mastered Flying Thunder God like the Yellow Flash, but he had never understood it at this level.
Even worse, Mugetsu's taijutsu terrified him.
His current body was a hundred times stronger than before, yet one punch had nearly folded him. What kind of monstrous power was this? Splitting a mountain would not look much worse.
At that moment, Shadow Imitation finally latched on, locking Yokogawa Tsutomu in place. Water Dragon Bullet and the Insect Tornado crashed into him head on.
Oddly, that helped Yokogawa Tsutomu regain a shred of confidence.
It was not that he was weak.
Mugetsu was simply inhumanly strong, far beyond what any normal shinobi should be.
Relying on brute strength and overwhelming chakra, Yokogawa Tsutomu tore free of Shadow Imitation and roared, "Box of Paradise, devour Raging Sun Mugetsu!"
Flying Thunder God was too troublesome. He had no way to counter it directly, so he turned to the box that had empowered him.
Inside the Box of Paradise, the enlightened being went silent.
If it could devour Mugetsu that easily, why would it have needed to assimilate Yokogawa Tsutomu at all? It would have assimilated Mugetsu first, then forced him to smash the box to pieces and free it.
Ever since it had been sealed by the Sage of Six Paths, Mugetsu was the first person who had managed to damage the Box of P from the outside.
Still, the enlightened being decided to try.
It had nothing else to do.
Even if it no longer had the power to assimilate another enlightened being, it could attempt to seize control of a human.
The other three masks on the Box of Paradise shifted. All the masks opened their mouths to the limit.
A horrifying suction erupted from within, all of it aimed at Mugetsu.
Because some of the fallen Hidden Grass ninjas were in the path, they were dragged in as well, pulled helplessly toward the darkness. Mugetsu himself began to slide toward the box under the force.
At that moment, Drag arrived with more Hidden Grass ninjas, only to see the box devouring their comrades and the hideous winged monster looming above.
"Quickly, save them!" Drag ordered at once.
He did not understand what was happening, but saving the village's shinobi was always the right move.
He underestimated the suction.
A chunin tried to pull an injured shinobi away, only to be dragged into the Box of Paradise along with him.
Mugetsu watched for a beat, then shook his head.
He raised a hand, stopping his disciples from rushing forward, and allowed himself to be pulled into the box.
Mugetsu was not afraid of a place he could leave at any moment with Flying Thunder God.
If he activated Transparent World and Byakugan, and reinforced his reactions with Lightning Release chakra, then even the slightest disturbance, even a single hair shifting, would be detected instantly. He could escape immediately.
There were beings in the shinobi world he could not defeat, but there was no one who could prevent him from retreating.
The moment Mugetsu entered, the suction vanished.
The Box of Paradise returned to a deathly calm.
Yokogawa Tsutomu watched Mugetsu disappear into the darkness and burst into laughter.
No matter how powerful Raging Sun Mugetsu was, could he really surpass a treasure left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?
"You are laughing pretty hard," Obito said, rubbing his hands as he stepped forward. "Anyone watching would think you already won."
He was not worried about Mugetsu. Teacher Mugetsu had clearly gone in on purpose. That meant he was confident he could handle the box.
"Be careful," Kakashi warned, eyes sharp. "This guy is strong. He only looks like he is getting bullied because Teacher Mugetsu is stronger."
Kakashi did not know if Yokogawa Tsutomu could still use ninjutsu, but even if he could not, his current body alone was enough to be lethal. Strength and speed like that made simple beast like combat terrifying.
Drag scanned the scene, tense and bewildered.
"Where is Yokogawa Tsutomu?" he demanded. "Has he been captured?"
"The big guy in front of you is the Hidden Grass leader you are looking for," Shisui explained.
He stopped feeding chakra into the bent spoon and began rapidly refining chakra instead.
Against enemies, there was no need to talk about morality. Win first.
Drag stared at the huge, ugly monster in disbelief.
He had thought it was some kind of summoned beast, but it was Yokogawa Tsutomu himself.
"Drag," Yokogawa Tsutomu sneered. "It seems I overestimated you. You are only this capable. You cannot even recognize your lifelong enemy after defeating him."
Drag went silent.
This was not just a small change in appearance. Even if Yokogawa Tsutomu had turned into ashes, it would not have been this drastic. How was anyone supposed to recognize him?
"Yokogawa," Drag said, forcing his voice steady, "surrender. Everything you have done is already known to Konoha. If you keep pushing this farce, Hidden Grass Village will be destroyed."
At this point, Drag only wanted to cut losses and protect as many Hidden Grass shinobi as possible.
"How ridiculous," Yokogawa Tsutomu spat. "So what if Konoha knows? Raging Sun Mugetsu has already been dealt with by me. I have surpassed humanity. Hidden Grass does not need to fear Konoha."
Now, Yokogawa Tsutomu wanted only one thing.
He wanted the Box of Paradise to devour more nourishment, to assimilate more Hidden Grass shinobi who had surpassed humanity. Then Hidden Grass would rule the shinobi world.
"All Hidden Grass shinobi, obey my command!" Yokogawa Tsutomu thundered. "Kill the Konoha shinobi, now!"
The commotion had been enormous, so Drag had summoned every shinobi he could. Not everyone here belonged to Grass Flower.
Shibi and Kosuke immediately shifted their stance, watching the surrounding Hidden Grass shinobi carefully while shielding Kakashi and the others behind them.
The Hidden Grass shinobi exchanged looks, hesitating.
If Yokogawa Tsutomu had issued that order in his normal form, they would have followed without question. But his current state was too bizarre, too monstrous.
Whoosh!
Yokogawa Tsutomu's body flickered, and he appeared in front of a Hidden Grass shinobi in an instant.
His massive claw swept out.
The shinobi was cut into pieces on the spot. Blood sprayed across the broken floor.
"Only those who betray me will die," Yokogawa Tsutomu said coldly, shaking blood from his claws.
Drag stared at him, stunned.
"You are not Yokogawa," Dragon Gate said, realization crashing into him as he looked at the monstrous body. "The real Yokogawa is already dead."
The Yokogawa Tsutomu Drag knew would never butcher comrades like this.
This was nothing but a monster wearing Yokogawa Tsutomu's memories.
As if grateful for Drag buying time, Shisui, now fully recovered, glanced at Obito and Kakashi.
It was time to move.
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Germany: The Thousand Year Empire
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