"Seems like Grass Ninja Village was quite wealthy in the past," Daniel Davis quickly recognized the large box behind Grass Ninja Village, with its eerie demon masks on each side. It was the Box of Ultimate Bliss, a relic said to date back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths. Legend had it that the box housed a monster that could not be destroyed, only sealed by the Sage himself.
Daniel scoffed at this legend. While the power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss was certainly formidable, it was nowhere near the level of the Sage of Six Paths. It was akin to the exaggerated tale of Kakuzu claiming to have fought the First Hokage.
If one went by such stories, even Daniel could say he had met Odin himself—though, of course, the Odin he referred to was from a completely different realm.
Before the five great ninja villages were established, Grass Ninja Village had once been among the top powers. However, when Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage appeared, their arrogance led to a miscalculated challenge, severely weakening them. As a result, they fell from the ranks of the most powerful.
Many clans and factions had met similar fates during the Warring States Period. Those who couldn't read the signs were wiped out or diminished by Madara and the First Hokage. The villages that survived and formed the great ninja villages were the ones that knew when to adapt.
"The Box of Ultimate Bliss, spirits, demons... Hidan's so-called evil god... This world is certainly full of unknowns." Daniel considered for a moment. Creatures like the Zero-Tails that came from dark forces were real enough. While Daniel had little interest in investigating the origins of these entities, his caution stemmed from knowledge gained as Sorcerer Supreme—certain things were best left unexplored. Too much curiosity could lead to disastrous consequences.
As Daniel pondered the box, Grass Ninja Village made their move. A middle-aged man approached the Box of Ultimate Bliss, forming hand signs as the box began to spin rapidly. The four masks—representing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—glowed with an ominous red light.
Boom!
A pillar of crimson chakra shot into the sky from the box, which then stopped spinning. The mask of anger opened its mouth, revealing a rift in space from which emerged a white-haired youth.
This youth was Mukuro, a reformist from Grass Ninja Village. Despite his desire to change the village, his power had always been too weak to bring about any real transformation.
Though the ninja world was filled with conflict, there were always those who pursued peace. Almost everyone—from the villages to people like Orochimaru—at one point sought peace. Even the figure watching from the moon desired it. Mukuro, however, was not destined to succeed, for he did not have the fate of a protagonist. Instead of controlling the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the box absorbed him.
"Ahhh!" Mukuro, having emerged from the box, looked around briefly before clutching his head and screaming in agony. His body began to morph rapidly. In mere moments, the once-handsome youth transformed into a ten-meter-tall black-winged monstrosity, known as Satori.
"Satori: born with its master, moves with its master, and dies with its master. Such is its fate."
"Be careful. It's said to be a monster from the Sage's time. Who would have thought Grass Ninja Village still had something like this?" Daniel warned the Akatsuki members, who had been silently observing the spectacle.
"Leave it to me," Nagato said calmly, intrigued by the idea of a monster from the era of the Sage of Six Paths.
The group had been waiting for Grass Ninja Village to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss without interference, mainly due to their confidence in their strength. Moreover, this would give them the perfect excuse to conquer Grass Ninja Village openly.
Daniel had already planned the narrative for absorbing Grass Ninja Village into Akatsuki Nation. Now, with this monstrous threat unleashed, they had the perfect justification. He had even established a newspaper within Akatsuki Nation to spread propaganda and showcase the legitimacy of their actions. Although the ninja world had technology like computers, televisions, and movies, it had never developed something as simple as newspapers, which Daniel found puzzling.
Of course, the major powers like the daimyos and the ninja villages had never seen a need for such things, but for Akatsuki Nation, it was an excellent way to disseminate information and create jobs for ninja. After all, who better to act as reporters than skilled ninja? And while two sections of the newspaper were dedicated to advertising Akatsuki Nation products, it served its purpose well.
"Roar!" Satori let out a furious cry upon spotting Nagato's Rinnegan. It immediately charged at him, seemingly enraged by the sight of those ancient eyes.
"So it does recognize the Rinnegan. Perhaps it really did encounter the Sage of Six Paths. But it seems the Sage was too kind, leaving it sealed rather than destroyed," Daniel mused. Satori's reaction to Nagato's Rinnegan was proof enough of its origin.
The Sage of Six Paths had passed down chakra in an attempt to create peace, hoping people could understand each other. His ideals were grand, but ultimately unrealistic. The conflict between his own sons had continued for over a thousand years, even after their deaths, reincarnating into new vessels to continue their feud.
In truth, conflict was inevitable. Wherever people gathered, there would be competition and opposition.
"Shinra Tensei!" With a wave of Nagato's hand, an invisible force crashed into Satori, sending the massive creature flying backward. It tumbled through the air, flipping several times before stabilizing itself with its wings.
Satori possessed the ability to read minds, which made it an almost invincible opponent in battle. It could anticipate its enemies' moves before they acted. However, this ability only worked on those who feared it. Against fearless opponents like the Akatsuki, Satori's power was useless.
"Move in!" As Nagato engaged Satori, the rest of Akatsuki charged at the ninja of Grass Village.
Screams echoed across the battlefield as Grass Ninja Village's forces crumbled under the assault. Though Grass Ninja Village was strong by small village standards, they were no match for Akatsuki. If even the Iron Country had fallen to them, Grass Ninja Village stood no chance. Their only hope, Satori, was now being ruthlessly beaten by Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain.
Despite Satori's ability to fly and its enormous size, Nagato's mastery of gravitational techniques kept it grounded. It was a powerful monster, able to fire chakra blasts similar to Tailed Beast Bombs and launch its feathers like kunai. But none of this mattered against Nagato.
Even if Satori didn't have its mind-reading abilities, it would have been a formidable foe for most shinobi. But against Akatsuki, it was hopeless.
"Is that Ryūzetsu?" Daniel spotted a young woman using Fire Style techniques among the Grass ninja. In a flash, he appeared beside her, knocking her out with a single blow.
The reason Daniel had waited so long to attack Grass Ninja Village, despite its proximity, was to investigate its inner workings. Ryūzetsu was part of a reformist faction within the village, and someone like her would be valuable to Akatsuki Nation's rule. Daniel had no intention of letting her die in battle.
This wasn't just about conquering Grass Ninja Village; it was about integrating it into Akatsuki Nation. To achieve that, they couldn't kill all the village's ninja. They needed locals to smooth the transition and manage any lingering tensions.
Just like how the Qin Dynasty had absorbed Korea without completely dismantling its government, Akatsuki would maintain some of Grass Ninja Village's structure to ensure stability.
"It's over," Daniel declared as the battle came to an end. The last of the Grass Village's forces and the prisoners from Hōzuki Castle had been defeated, and Satori had been absorbed back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"The village elders here are real opportunists. Do they really think they can survive by switching sides now?" Daniel chuckled coldly as he spotted several Grass Village elders among the prisoners who had surrendered.
"Execute them publicly."
Daniel had initially planned to spare the elders, but upon learning that they had sacrificed countless civilians and genin to summon Satori, he changed his mind. In the original story, the Box of Ultimate Bliss had required Nine-Tails chakra to be activated. But here, the Grass Village elders had used human lives to fuel the summoning.
Chakra was life energy, and while ordinary people couldn't refine it, their bodies still contained the necessary energy. The box had a unique sealing technique that could convert life force into chakra, similar to the God Tree's power.
After handing over the remaining tasks to Konan, including convincing Ryūzetsu to join Akatsuki, Daniel approached the Box of Ultimate Bliss. According to the records he had found in Grass Ninja Village, the box had been discovered by chance during an expedition to some ancient ruins.
Boom!
Daniel struck the box with a full-strength punch, but it remained unscathed. He now had a clear sense of its durability. For Grass Ninja Village, it was a treasure. But to Daniel, it was nothing more than a relic.
"I don't believe it's indestructible." With that thought, Daniel carried the box deep into the mountains between Grass Ninja Village and Iwagakure.
Boom!
With a thunderous impact that shook the entire mountain range, Daniel slammed the box into the ground, creating a crater several kilometers wide. The Box of Ultimate Bliss was buried nearly 100 meters deep.
"I thought it was ind
estructible," Daniel smiled as he observed the cracks forming along the surface of the box.
"This time, let's use a sword."
Another deafening explosion followed, and the so-called ancient treasure from the Sage of Six Paths era shattered into countless black fragments, scattered across the valley.
"I thought there'd be a monster inside. Guess not." Daniel sighed in relief as he surveyed the remnants of the box.
"Earth Style." After confirming that the shards posed no threat, Daniel used Earth Style to bury the black fragments deep underground.
"Someone's coming—could it be Iwagakure? Did they sense the commotion?" Just as Daniel was about to leave, he detected three figures rapidly approaching from the distance.
Though he could easily defeat any Iwagakure ninja, Daniel decided to avoid conflict for now. It wasn't the right time to face Iwagakure. While Akatsuki could crush the five great villages with the help of Edo Tensei, uniting the ninja world was much more complicated. Victory in battle was one thing, but establishing lasting governance was another.
If Akatsuki moved too quickly, they wouldn't have time to implement the necessary systems, and they would be overwhelmed by rebellions and internal strife. History had shown that even someone like Qin Shi Huang, who unified the warring states, struggled to maintain stability.
It was better to advance slowly, allowing the benefits of life under Akatsuki to speak for themselves. In time, the other villages might begin to fracture from within, as their people compared their conditions to those in Akatsuki Nation.
This approach would take much longer, but it was the most secure way to achieve lasting peace.
Daniel didn't plan to stay in the world of Naruto indefinitely, but with Nagato, Konan, and even Edo Tensei versions of Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage guarding the realm, the ninja world would be in capable hands. Even if the Ōtsutsuki clan invaded, they would be ready.
"Strange, they're not from Iwagakure. Who are these people with numbers on their heads?" Daniel observed the three approaching figures more closely and noticed they weren't wearing Iwagakure headbands. Instead, they had numbers marked on their foreheads.
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