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Chapter 63: Ryūzetsu
"Please don't hurt me!" A small figure stepped from behind the tree, hands raised to show she meant no harm. She wore a pale green hood with a black cloth over the face; her gender was indistinct.
Konan's face did not change.
"Remove your mask and hood."
"I will. Please don't attack."
The newcomer's voice quavered. She quickly tore off the hood and mask to reveal herself.
"Grass shinobi..." Konan's cold gaze fell on the Land of Grass forehead protector on the woman's brow. Another Grass shinobi meant killing.
Sensing Konan's intent, the woman hurriedly said, "You're going to Hōzuki Castle, right? I can help. I know the Box of Ultimate Bliss's location. If you want the box, I can help you get it."
"My name is Ryūzetsu. I once served in Hidden Grass's ANBU. I know many secrets!"
She spoke fast, her heart in her throat.
A sharp paper slice flashed across her right cheek and left a fine cut. A strand of gray-white hair fell to the ground. She breathed out.
That attack had been redirected. She had value enough to be spared for now.
Konan's voice was cold. "Tell me what you know."
Ryūzetsu replied in a rush. "The Box of Ultimate Bliss lies on the lowest level of Hōzuki Castle and is personally guarded by the castle lord, Mui. He's an upper-rank Grass shinobi who specializes in fire-release sealing techniques."
"There's a legend that the box grants the wish of whoever opens it. The village plans to open it to gain power to rule the world."
Ryūzetsu steadied herself and thought quickly of anything that would endear her to Konan. She still had a mission and could not die here. Then she revealed the intelligence she had gathered in the village the day before.
"To open the Box of Ultimate Bliss requires enormous chakra. The elders plan to disguise someone as a Konoha jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails and use that as bait to assassinate other major villages' shinobi so the framed jinchūriki will be imprisoned in Hōzuki Castle."
Alex watched Ryūzetsu closely. He remembered some key plot points from a certain movie, though he had forgotten why Naruto was imprisoned in Hōzuki Castle. Now he understood: it had been a Grass Village setup. With Konan and Alex intervening early, that film's blood-prison plotline would be prevented.
"Lady Konan..." Honoka reappeared from the trees and landed next to Konan. She was dusted with leaves and dirt but unhurt. Her expression was subdued; she had likely learned Kana's tragic fate from the mid-rank shinobi.
Ryūzetsu glanced at Honoka's crimson hair and asked hesitantly, "Are you from Kana's clan?"
"Grass shinobi!" Honoka's eyes flashed hostility at the forehead protector on Ryūzetsu's brow. Her kin had been used as blood donors and had a miserable end; she held no fondness for the Grass Village or its shinobi.
Ryūzetsu lowered her head. "I'm sorry... The Grass Village is to blame for Kana. I was only a small ANBU. I could not change the village's decisions. I could only help with supplies. I couldn't do more."
Honoka's hostility eased slightly but she turned away coldly. Even if Ryūzetsu had been close to Muku, Honoka had no goodwill for the Grass Village now.
"The village has long been dominated by warmongers. Since my master died a few years ago, I'm the last of the moderates." Ryūzetsu's eyes were low. "They've captured many wanders and the prisoners in Hōzuki Castle to feed chakra into the Box of Ultimate Bliss. To achieve their ambitions they provoke other great villages, covet jinchūriki, and don't care about the catastrophe they might cause."
Ryūzetsu looked to Konan with resolve. "I must stop them. If you take the Box of Ultimate Bliss away, you'll end their madness."
Alex's paper tube trembled at the mention. That girl had once sacrificed herself to save someone in a movie; she might be the only decent person left in the corrupt Grass Village.
Konan's chill eased a touch. She checked the sky; at least three hours remained before night. She decided to leave immediately for Hōzuki Castle. If all went well, they might return before dark.
Konan flicked her hand. Dense white sheets of paper formed a pair of pure white wings behind Honoka and Ryūzetsu and lifted them skyward.
"Waaah!" Ryūzetsu nearly fainted as the ground shrank away. She clutched the paper wings and trembled.
"Is— Is that Lord Konan of Akatsuki?" Ryūzetsu asked in awe.
Akatsuki was infamous; she had heard of them, and Konan's Paper Release was unique and easily recognized. Now she felt only excitement, not fear. She believed seizing the Box of Ultimate Bliss would be easy. Taking it from the village would end their scheme and fulfill her late master's wish.
Konan said nothing and led them at high speed. Half an hour later, a lone island stood out in the vast sea. The three hovered above the island and looked down at Hōzuki Castle. Its scale was large and its perimeter was walled. From the yard below, prisoners could be seen moving freely—no shackles. Ryūzetsu explained.
"Every prisoner in Hōzuki Castle has a special Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique sealed into their bodies to limit chakra use. If they climb the walls to escape, the Heavenly Prison triggers and burns them alive."
Konan did not care for the prisoners. She asked, "Where is the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
"Three levels under the castle in a lava cave. The cave's entrance is protected by a sealing formation that requires Mui's keys to open."
"Where is Mui?"
Ryūzetsu pointed to the central five-story building. "He's usually in the top office. He should still be there; it's not his rotation time."
Konan did not hesitate and dove with them toward the castle, heading straight for Mui's office.