Chapter 165: I Will Die, I Will Definitely Die!
Inside Hozuki Castle's prison guardroom.
"Cheers!"
Several Kusagakure ninja were eating barbecue while chugging down alcohol.
Their faces were all flushed from drunkenness.
But just as the atmosphere was heating up,
"That's enough drinking."
One of the Grass Ninja wearing a Jōnin vest reminded them: "Otherwise, when Lord Mui comes back later, we'll probably get another scolding."
"Yeah yeah, Chief, why are you being so serious? The shift change is coming up soon."
"Speaking of which, what has Lord Mui been so busy with lately?"
"Hasn't that guy always been like this?"
The Grass Jōnin stood up, his tone helpless: "I'll go stand guard outside first. You guys continue drinking."
With that, he walked outside.
However, as he stepped out the main door, the Grass Jōnin suddenly felt a light breeze brush past his face.
Immediately, his steps abruptly froze.
A bizarre three-eyed cat-face mask had suddenly appeared before him.
The deep blue halo in those cold eyes involuntarily reminded one of the deep sea.
"You..."
Looking at the figure right before him, the Grass Jōnin had no time to react.
Swish swish swish!!
The Grass Jōnin's eyes dimmed, and several bloodstains slowly appeared on his body.
Then he shattered into several pieces that scattered on the ground.
"Wait, was that a sound from outside?"
The sound of the flesh scattering, though faint, still attracted the attention of the few Grass Ninja inside the guardroom.
But in an instant,
A piercing sound of tearing wind suddenly erupted, and barely perceptible wind blades assailed the few men.
The remaining Grass Ninja only had time to show looks of terror.
The expressions on their faces froze in an instant, their bodies cut into chunks by countless wind blades, almost all collapsing to the ground at the same time.
Only one Grass Jōnin remained, hiding behind a wall, his whole body trembling as he clutched his severed arm.
"Hiss! How is this possible? I didn't even see the enemy's face..."
The Grass Jōnin's eyes were filled with confusion and terror.
If he hadn't instinctively rolled behind a wall upon hearing the sound of tearing wind, he would now be minced meat like the others.
"That damned bastard Mui, how could he let such a strong enemy infiltrate Hozuki Castle?"
Tap~ Tap~ Tap~
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the Grass Jōnin's heart thumped violently.
Immediately, without any hesitation, he got up and fled frantically towards the window.
"I'm going to die! With just me alone, I'll definitely die! I have to find Lord Mui..."
However, just as he got up to try and escape,
"If you make a scene, I might have a little trouble."
"So, could I trouble you to die quietly?"
A low, cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
The Grass Jōnin didn't stop, subconsciously turning his head to look behind him.
He saw several wind blades coming at him from behind at a chilling speed.
"Damn it! It's actually a hand-seal-less ninjutsu?!"
Realizing there was no time to use ninjutsu, he could only take out a kunai and hurriedly turn to block.
And, in his heart, he prayed piously.
Praying that this unsealed ninjutsu's power wasn't enough to sever steel.
But unfortunately, things went contrary to his wishes.
Clang!!
Following a crisp sound of something falling, the kunai showed a neat, smooth cut surface.
The kunai's existence had not hindered the wind blades' advance in the slightest.
A bloody line also appeared on the Grass Ninja's neck.
"You bastard, who on earth..."
His head slowly slid from his neck. The Grass Ninja collapsed like a pile of soft mud.
"The people here have all been dealt with."
Menma said to the Uzumaki clansmen behind him: "You all wait here for a moment."
With that, a whistling wind rose around his body, and his feet began to leave the ground.
After rising into mid-air, he flew directly out the window.
Leaving behind only the dumbfounded Uzumaki clansmen.
"Oh?"
Menma floated at a height of a hundred meters from the ground, looking down at everything below, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Has it already started?"
...
Meanwhile, the incarcerated criminals were all being herded to the center of the square by guards, half-forcibly.
Adding the hired bounty ninja, and those of unknown identity attempting to fish in troubled waters,
The number probably approached a thousand.
"Hey hey hey! Why are they suddenly herding us here?"
"Who are all these guys?"
The entire square was incomparably noisy for a moment, filled with curses.
Despite this, no one dared to approach Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
"Itachi-san, any thoughts?"
Kisame, carrying Samehada, said in a low voice: "What on earth does that guy Mui want to do, and what was his purpose in hiring us to come here?"
"Mm, it's strange."
Itachi nodded, his tone calm: "But... I don't understand his intentions."
After a while,
Escorted by several Grass Ninja, Mui slowly walked onto the platform in the square.
A giant box, bizarrely decorated and carved with four demon faces of "Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Fear," also appeared before everyone.
However, the side facing the crowd only showed a twisted demon face representing "Fear."
"What is this thing?"
Everyone who looked at this demon face inexplicably felt a sense of fear grow in their hearts.
Under the shroud of this unease, the crowd began to grow even more restless, their feet subconsciously retreating.
"ROAR ROAR!"
Samehada in Kisame's hand also began to grow agitated, directly breaking free from the bandages on it.
"Hmm? Are you hungry?"
Looking at the abnormal Samehada, Kisame asked with a puzzled face: "Does Samehada mean that the thing inside that box makes you feel uncomfortable?"
So it wasn't just him who felt uncomfortable, even Samehada had this feeling?
"Mr. Mui."
Kisame looked up at Mui, asking in a muffled voice: "Do you need to explain what exactly is going on now?"
Mui didn't respond to him, just silently scanning the surroundings.
Upon discovering there were no red-haired figures, he couldn't help frowning.
"Where are the members of the Uzumaki clan?"
"This..."
The Grass Ninja behind him also looked somewhat puzzled: "I have already notified the prison guards to bring all the prisoners."
"Is that so? It doesn't matter anymore."
Mui said calmly: "The people here now should be enough to satisfy the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
The arrival of the "Tailless Tailed Beast" Kisame was an unexpected bonus for this bounty mission.
Based on his perception at the castle gate earlier, Mui was certain that Kisame's chakra alone was comparable to all those malnourished Uzumaki clansmen.
"Begin."
Mui raised his arm and gave a hand signal.
Before the crowd could react, while many prisoners were still completely baffled,
The guards surrounded the four sides of the square, trapping the people in the center.
Another group of ninja began to herd and capture the prisoners present, who were then thrown directly towards the fearful demon face.
Crack crack crack!
A bizarre sound echoed.
The demon face abruptly opened its mouth, swallowing all who approached it.
(End of Chapter)
---
Read up to 25 Chapters ahead on patreon.com/Fanglin
[Please leave a 5 Star review and power stone for this novel]
*Thank you*