"Stay here?"
Ryūzetsu struggled repeatedly, trying to break free from Ning Feng's grip.
But against Ning Feng's overwhelming strength, she couldn't move even an inch.
"What a headache..."
Ning Feng shook his head.
Getting an emotionally unstable woman to listen was proving quite difficult.
He slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the familiar three-tomoe Sharingan had appeared.
"Mm..."
The moment Ryūzetsu met his gaze, she didn't even have time to react.
Her eyes immediately became vacant and unfocused.
"Honestly, you're being uncooperative. Why make such a scene?"
Ning Feng drew his sword from behind his back.
After confirming that the girl had fallen completely under his genjutsu, he relaxed.
With the Sharingan amplifying his illusion techniques, controlling a teenage girl for a specific amount of time was effortless.
"Now then..."
"Let's take it."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked toward the Box of Paradise.
The next instant, his figure vanished.
"Lord Mui, it seems this attempt has failed as well."
"We'll have to keep waiting."
Mui's face remained devoid of emotion.
He simply nodded.
As though the one who had just died wasn't his son.
As though a complete stranger had perished before his eyes.
"The next batch of Kusagakure shinobi should contain someone with talent comparable to Muku's."
The Ox Mask stepped forward and patted Mui's shoulder, offering what sounded like consolation.
"Yes."
Mui lowered his head slightly.
Then, as if sensing something, he abruptly looked upward.
A shadow-like figure had suddenly appeared above them.
So fast that Mui only noticed him after the gleaming blade had already been drawn.
"Enemy attack!"
Following Mui's gaze, the Ox Mask finally reacted and shouted in alarm.
"What?!"
The nearby shinobi who had been preparing to leave immediately turned around.
To their shock, the mysterious figure had already closed the distance.
Whoosh!
A dazzling white blade came crashing down.
The strike carried overwhelming force.
Lightning flickered along its edge.
A strike that had reached the pinnacle of speed.
Mui's face changed dramatically.
Under this attack, every route of escape had already been sealed.
Ning Feng looked down coldly.
Even Hashirama at his peak would have avoided a fully prepared Chidori Blade like this.
There was no way Mui could take it head-on.
And with the Sharingan predicting all of Mui's movements...
He had no choice but to block.
Shing!
At the same moment, the Ox Mask suddenly drew a sickle and moved to intercept the attack.
"Fire Release: Great Heavenly Prison!"
Feeling death approaching, Mui instinctively unleashed his strongest Fire Release technique.
The combined defense of the two men was enough to kill an ordinary Kage-level ninja on the spot.
Yet Ning Feng's blade never slowed.
It crashed directly into their attacks.
Sparks exploded everywhere.
Countless arcs of lightning spread along the blade.
Mui's strongest Fire Release technique was split apart like a sheet of paper.
Before Mui could even speak—
The sword had already passed through him.
"You—!"
The Ox Mask looked as though he had seen a ghost.
He immediately tried to retreat and regroup with the others.
Ning Feng casually extended a hand toward him.
"Chidori Spear."
A spear of crackling lightning shot from his palm.
In an instant, it pierced straight through the Ox Mask's chest.
"This guy..."
Every shinobi present froze.
They knew exactly how strong Mui and the Ox Mask were.
Even working together, none of them could have defeated those two so casually.
Yet this swordsman had killed them in a single exchange.
Who exactly was he?
"Sir..."
A Sheep Mask finally broke the deathly silence.
"May I ask what your intentions are?"
Ning Feng calmly wiped blood from his blade.
"No intentions."
"You can all get lost."
"..."
The masked shinobi all wore ugly expressions beneath their masks.
This man wasn't even willing to negotiate?
Still...
None of them had any confidence in surviving more than a few moves against him.
"Retreat."
The Sheep Mask turned around.
A cold light flashed through his eyes.
He was unwilling to leave.
But he also understood that if they stayed...
Every one of them would die here.
Mui and the Ox Mask had already demonstrated that fact.
"But..."
One of the others glanced toward the Box of Paradise.
That was the most valuable object present.
Could this mysterious swordsman have come for the box itself?
Had he witnessed everything?
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Then they turned and began to leave.
Suddenly—
Ning Feng moved.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
A few flashes later, he calmly sheathed his sword.
The shinobi who had been retreating suddenly lost all strength.
Their bodies collapsed limply to the ground.
Dead.
"All of you were actually that naive?"
Ning Feng looked down at the corpses with genuine surprise.
He had told them to leave.
And they had simply believed him?
Not even questioning whether he was being sincere?
It seemed the ninjas of Kusagakure had been isolated from the outside world for too long.
They had forgotten one of the fundamental rules of being a shinobi.
Deception.
"The Box of Paradise..."
Ning Feng approached it.
Only now, standing close, could he truly appreciate how horrifying the monstrous faces decorating the box were.
Its gaping mouths resembled gateways to an endless abyss.
Waiting for the next sacrifice.
Waiting for more chakra.
"Still... this isn't the best place for a fight."
He looked around the cramped underground chamber.
It was more than adequate as a research facility.
But if he ended up fighting Satori here...
The space would be far too restrictive.
"I'll bring this thing outside first."
Ning Feng placed a hand on the box.
Almost immediately, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.
[Box of Paradise detected...]
[Required Chakra: 390,500 / 9,999,999]
[Inject chakra?]
[Note: Once fully charged, something unusual will occur...]
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