As the wooden door completely fell, an empty office appeared before Ryuhi's eyes.
Ryuhi's face darkened completely. At this critical moment, with no work being done during broad daylight, combined with the Grass Ninja's state he observed along the way, Ryuhi felt a bad premonition in his heart.
"Could this guy be trying to open that box?" Ryuhi thought of the legendary wish-fulfilling box among the Grass Ninja.
Ryuhi was utterly puzzled; he remembered Yokokawa Tsutomu, like him, did not believe in that legend. Why would he so recklessly use his power at this juncture to strive to open the Box of Bliss?
"Where has Yokokawa Tsutomu gone? Take me to him before he makes a big mistake." Ryuhi commanded the Anbu.
Seeing that Ryuhi had already discovered it, the Grass Village's Anbu dropped their facade.
"Elder Ryuhi, you should no longer obstruct our Leader. Only he can lead our Grass Village to strength and prosperity." The Grass Village's Anbu advised Ryuhi not to oppose Yokokawa Tsutomu.
Ryuhi was speechless; was this something he wanted to obstruct? Konoha's Blazing Sun Mokgetsu had even sneaked into the Grass Village.
"Do you think you are the only ones aware of your actions? Konoha's ninjas have long noticed but haven't taken action yet." Ryuhi knew that mere words couldn't change the mindset of Yokokawa Tsutomu's subordinates, so he brought up Konoha.
"Blazing Sun Mokgetsu is currently in the Grass Village, and besides him, other Konoha ninjas might be lurking as well. Now, the only way is for Yokokawa Tsutomu to confess proactively to minimize the damage."
"Blazing Sun Mokgetsu in the village?!" The confidence on the Grass Village's Anbu's face vanished, and their pupils dilated drastically.
That was the ruthless man who once slew a Jinchuriki on the East Coast battlefield of the Land of Fire, proving his terrifying strength even with the help of a ninja squad.
"Why didn't you report such an important matter to the Leader, Elder Ryuhi?" The Grass Village's Anbu seemed to envision Mokgetsu rampaging in the Grass Village.
"And why didn't Yokokawa Tsutomu consult me about cooperating with The Hidden Rock Village!" Ryuhi replied indignantly.
He's not stupid; betraying information to Yokokawa Tsutomu would mean completely antagonizing Konoha. Once Konoha has the time, they could easily send a ninja squad to level the Grass Village, erasing all the Grass Ninja.
"Quickly tell me Yokokawa Tsutomu's location and stop wasting time."
The Grass Village's Anbu shook his head, "Once the Leader opens the Box of Bliss, we won't fear Blazing Sun Mokgetsu or even the Yellow Flash."
"Elder Ryuhi, don't waste your efforts; I don't even know where the Leader is now."
To prevent internal leaks, Yokokawa Tsutomu changes the Box of Bliss's location daily, unknown to anyone except the ninjas scheduled to transfer Chakra on that day.
But those ninjas assigned to transfer Chakra can only leave at midnight, making it nearly impossible to expose Yokokawa Tsutomu's whereabouts.
Unable to obtain useful information from the Grass Village's Anbu, Ryuhi had no choice but to gather all the Grass Flower ninjas to search and inform Mokgetsu about Yokokawa Tsutomu.
As it reached the stage of closing the net, Mokgetsu used his Flying Thunder God Jutsu to halt the ongoing investigations by Kakashi's group and Nara Suzaku's group, indicating that the intelligence collection was complete and they could move to the next phase.
"So, Teacher Mokgetsu, you've allied with the conservative faction of the Grass Village. Now we only need to eliminate the radical faction led by the Grass Village's Leader," Kakashi analyzed.
Kakashi didn't expect Mokgetsu to achieve such a significant move quietly and independently.
Following Mokgetsu's plan is far better than reckless retaliation, reducing workload and yielding greater benefits for Konoha.
"Let's quickly find Yokokawa Tsutomu then. As long as we take him down, the mission is complete." Obito's spirits lifted, finally arriving at a part of the mission where he excelled.
He wasn't good at intelligence gathering, but in battle, he struck fiercely.
"Shikuro, can you sense the bugs on Karei's body?" Mokgetsu looked at Aburame Shikuro.
Upon hearing Mokgetsu mention Uzumaki Karei, a flash of insight struck Kakashi. He understood why the Grass Village's Leader wanted to keep Uzumaki Karei.
Although uncertain of what the Box of Bliss was, it required Chakra, and members of the Uzumaki Clan had outstanding Chakra reserves.
Kakashi once again appreciated Mokgetsu's meticulousness. If not for Mokgetsu's concerns for Uzumaki Karei's safety and having Aburame Shikuro place special insects on her, finding Yokokawa Tsutomu would have been a challenging task.
Aburame Shikuro concentrated, formed hand seals, then nodded and began to lead the way.
...
Underground base.
"Everyone, extract Chakra with all your might and input it. Every bit of Chakra you output will become the cornerstone of the Grass Ninja's rise!" Yokokawa Tsutomu encouraged the Grass Ninjas while sending the transported corpses into the Box of Bliss.
As the sacrificer, Yokokawa Tsutomu could clearly feel the Box of Bliss's steadily growing Chakra.
It was almost ready to open, just needed a little more.
As time passed, one by one, the Grass Ninjas lay on the ground, exhausted and panting due to excessive Chakra consumption. Soon, most were barely able to stand.
Meanwhile, Yokokawa Tsutomu's ninja corpses were nearly depleted, yet the Box of Bliss still lay at a frustrating bottleneck.
Yokokawa Tsutomu remained calm and unfazed. He had thoroughly prepared to open the Box of Bliss, and nothing unexpected would happen.