The Seven-Tails was fast; with its three pairs of wings flying at full power, it approached Hozuki Castle in just a few breaths.
In the center of the island stood a prison city built of heavy black stone.
The high walls towered, their surfaces covered in cracks from time and weather. The iron bars were cold and grim, and the watchtowers stood lonely in the corners, devoid of any signs of life.
Day after day, the waves crashed against the island's shores with a dull roar, and even the birds were unwilling to stop there.
This was a prison with no vitality whatsoever.
Once a prisoner was caught and put inside, they could not escape, not only because of the Fire Release: Celestial Prison jutsu that Kusagakure placed on them...
...but also because of the natural barriers surrounding it.
Hozuki Castle was surrounded by the sea on all sides, a sea with Great Whirlpools, and it was a long distance from the mainland.
Even a Water Release Shinobi would find it difficult to escape Hozuki Castle without the help of a boat.
Early in the morning, jailers in deep green uniforms from Hozuki Castle supervised a group of Shinobi criminals out for activity.
From time to time, they used batons to give these unruly Shinobi a lesson.
Here, whether you were a famous Shinobi or a notorious villain, you were just an imprisoned convict.
You were scum, dregs!
A group of people abandoned by the Shinobi World, a group of people forgotten.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked the light above the prisoners.
They looked up and saw a giant flying beast.
Blotting out the sun, its massive beetle body was covered in a deep blue shell, and its six giant orange-yellow wings kicked up a gale as they flapped.
The appearance of such a giant beast immediately caused a commotion throughout Hozuki Castle.
"What is that thing?"
"Such massive chakra; it's definitely no ordinary Shinobi beast!"
"It's a Tailed Beast, the Seven-Tails from my former Village!"
A Shinobi from Takigakure who had committed a crime instantly turned pale as paper; this was the Tailed Beast from his Village.
"It's a Tailed Beast! Everyone, run! A Tailed Beast is attacking Hozuki Castle!"
Upon hearing it was a Tailed Beast, everyone was left with nothing but naked fear.
Some people's legs gave way and they collapsed; some let out shrill, desperate screams; others rushed toward the prison like madmen, only wanting to hide back in their cells...
Not only were the prisoners in a mess, but even the prison guards of Hozuki Castle were equally panicked and at a loss.
The Seven-Tails, just by staying there, completely crushed Hozuki Castle's line of defense.
Ryou pointed at the Kusagakure jailers who were in a chaotic mess of despair and asked the Kusagakure leader, Shirakawa, next to him: "Shirakawa, are these the troops you've trained?"
Shirakawa smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "Lord Ryou, the Seven-Tails is a Tailed Beast, after all. Even the Five Great Shinobi Villages would be helpless when encountering such a giant beast."
Ryou nodded. Tailed Beasts were inherently associated with calamity. In some people's eyes, the Nine-Tails was a natural disaster caused by the combination of human resentment.
A size like the Seven-Tails' was clearly terrifyingly strong. Just an ordinary Shinobi beast could crush the entire Hozuki Castle, let alone a prison built by only a second-rate Shinobi Village?
Ryou had the Seven-Tails stop at a plaza, then jumped down with the people from Kusagakure.
The Kusagakure people went to negotiate with the castellan of Hozuki Castle and, by the way, transport the Box of Ultimate Bliss out.
Ryou, on the other hand, was guiding Ryūzetsu and Muku in Ninjutsu.
The two had already reached the stage of performing Ninjutsu.
With the help of Ryou's spores, Ryūzetsu was already able to perform the Kusagakure Fire Release Secret Technique—Demon Lantern.
On the other hand, Muku had nothing in his hands after straining for a long time.
He was getting a bit anxious. All along, his talent had been better than Ryūzetsu's, so how had her talent far exceeded his since she took Ryou as her master?
"Muku, don't be impatient!"
Seeing that Muku was almost about to cry from anxiety, Ryou comforted him. Children of this age have very strong self-esteem and need recognition from adults.
Muku looked at Ryou with some hope, wishing for guidance.
Ryou stroked his head and sneered: "Although you are trash, even trash has its uses. In a moment, I'll use you as a sacrifice for the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)——
Muku immediately burst into tears upon hearing that he was to be sacrificed.
Candy watched Ryou from the side, speechless as he scared the child to tears.
This guy really has the personality of a child.
...
Konoha.
Shinobi were approaching the place where Chiyo and Sakumo were fighting.
Sakumo was not prepared to fight anymore: "Senior Chiyo, this is definitely not a Secret Technique that uses chakra to restore youth; you have already returned to your prime."
At the place where Chiyo and Sakumo had fought...
The originally dense forest lay flattened in patches, thick trunks were split and shattered by chakra blades, and the ground was covered with furrows and pits of varying depths.
This was the destruction caused by Sakumo's Shinobi blade.
Chiyo's destruction was also astonishing.
Her Kuroari Puppet Squad left dense piercing marks in the forest, and many tree trunks were strangled with deep indentations by steel cables.
Leaves were scattered, shadows of trees were askew, and the entire forest was in a wretched state, leaving only a mess after being ravaged by violence.
Compared to Sakumo's hacking, Chiyo's destruction was all-encompassing: flames, torrents, steel cables, cleavers...
Although not as powerful in single-target destruction as Sakumo's, it was comprehensive.
The battle was the same.
Chiyo used ten elite puppets to fight Sakumo, which was equivalent to Sakumo fighting a squad composed of ten Elite Jonin.
Moreover, the ten Shinobi cooperated tacitly, with one move following another. After the female puppet slashed, the blue-faced puppet would extend steel cables to ensnare Sakumo.
Adding the sealing ultimate move of the Three Treasures Puppets, the remaining puppets were equipped with Kunai, shuriken, poison needles, smoke bombs, and so on.
Chiyo alone was a Shinobi army, covering melee, long-range, control, demolition, and Ninjutsu, suppressing without any blind spots.
Up until now, if Sakumo's body hadn't been an immortal Edo Tensei body, he would have been hit long ago.
For example, the poison mist released by Chiyo's puppets; if Sakumo were a body of flesh and blood, there would be no way to neutralize her poison.
Because the person who could neutralize her poison was Tsunade, and Tsunade was in Amegakure, not Konoha.
Logically, controlling ten elite puppets should cause Chiyo's chakra to run dry very quickly.
But it hadn't; Chiyo still had a look of ease.
This led Sakumo to guess that Chiyo had truly returned to her prime. This was no ordinary Secret Technique, but a Forbidden Jutsu.
It made Sakumo think of the Forbidden Jutsu Ryou had that could restore people to youth.
Chiyo snorted coldly: "White Fang, this is my business and has nothing to do with you. Give me back the lives of my son and daughter-in-law!"
"Wait, Senior Chiyo, someone is coming. I admit defeat, can't I just admit I was wrong?"
Only then did Chiyo's face brighten: "It's good that you know. This old woman didn't refrain from seeking revenge for so many years because I was afraid of you, but because I was saving you for my grandson, to let him come and seek revenge."
"You are the whetstone I left for Sasori."
Sakumo said: "Senior Chiyo, if there is a chance, I will fight your grandson, Sasori."
Chiyo nodded: "You must use all your strength, preferably with the intent to kill Sasori, though I don't think you can kill him."
"Because he is stronger than me!"
Chiyo then sighed dejectedly: "But what of it? Sasori is never coming back; I have already lost my grandson."
Sakumo couldn't bear to see Chiyo's sadness and said: "Senior Chiyo, how about this? Treat Kakashi as your grandson, just take it as a bit of compensation from me."
"Screw you!"
Chiyo's fingers twitched, and she commanded the Kuroari Puppet Squad to rush toward Sakumo.
Sakumo then used Body Flicker to leave.
"Senior Chiyo, I'm sorry, but this is the law of survival in the Shinobi World."
"Just like me, even in death, I cannot find peace."