"Mr. Kakuzu, your timing is perfect. We were just discussing our withdrawal."
Seeing this, Gari smiled faintly. His eyes swept over the three bottles of water, and he nodded in satisfaction before turning toward Mui beside him and saying meaningfully, "Then we'll proceed according to the original plan and head to the Gray Mist Valley to begin the so-called sacrificial ritual. I'd also like to see with my own eyes exactly what the legendary Box of Ultimate Bliss left behind by the Sage of Six Paths really is."
The Gray Mist Valley was a massive rift valley located along the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Village Hidden in the Grass.
Sheer cliffs rose on both sides like walls carved by blades and axes, while the valley itself plunged into a bottomless abyss. Year after year, it remained shrouded in dense gray-white fog so thick that one could not see even an outstretched hand, hence its name, Gray Mist Valley.
Jagged boulders filled the valley, hidden currents crisscrossed everywhere, and in its narrowest sections only a few people could squeeze through sideways, while its wider areas twisted together like an intricate maze.
The air currents above the gorge were especially chaotic, with fierce winds endlessly swirling between the mountains. Anyone traveling through the valley had to tread with extreme caution, for a single careless step would result in being smashed to pieces.
At the deepest point of the gorge lay a naturally formed depression resembling a giant bowl embedded into the valley floor. It was there that the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Grass had agreed to conduct the sacrificial ritual to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Understood."
Mui's expression remained unchanged, but his heart grew heavier. He did not know whether someone within the village had secretly informed the Village Hidden in the Stones, or whether the Village Hidden in the Stones' intelligence network was simply that thorough.
In any case, Village Hidden in the Grass's objective of attacking Village Hidden in the Waterfall and seizing the Seven-Tails' chakra to activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss had ultimately failed to escape the Village Hidden in the Stones' notice.
Just when Village Hidden in the Grass had been at a complete loss after their plan was exposed, even falling into panic, the Village Hidden in the Stones' response had greatly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Not only had they made no attempt to hold Village Hidden in the Grass accountable for concealing the truth, but they had unexpectedly agreed to their request without hesitation.
The Village Hidden in the Stones would help attack Village Hidden in the Waterfall and would also be responsible for capturing the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki, with only two conditions.
First, the location of the Box of Ultimate Bliss sacrificial ritual would be chosen by the Village Hidden in the Stones.
Second, after the sacrifice was complete, the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki's corpse had to be handed over to the Village Hidden in the Stones.
They wanted neither the opportunity to make a wish after the Box of Ultimate Bliss ritual succeeded, nor for Village Hidden in the Grass to hand over the Box of Ultimate Bliss afterward.
The Village Hidden in the Stones' generosity left Village Hidden in the Grass's upper leadership completely baffled, unable to discern the true purpose behind their actions.
That was precisely why, despite everything proceeding smoothly at the moment, Mui found himself becoming increasingly uneasy.
The closer success came, the more restless he became, worrying that something might go wrong, for example, whether the Village Hidden in the Stones would suddenly turn against them at the very last moment of the sacrificial ritual.
Even so, the Village Hidden in the Grass no longer had any path of retreat; the arrow had already left the bow, and they could only continue to the bitter end.
Gari glanced at the man beside him who was trying hard to maintain a calm expression, and he could roughly guess what was going through his mind.
To put it bluntly, the Village Hidden in the Stones had absolutely no interest whatsoever in this so-called Box of Ultimate Bliss.
More accurately, from beginning to end, they had never believed that this broken box had truly been left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, nor did they believe it possessed any ability to grant people's wishes.
As for the Village Hidden in the Grass?
It was nothing more than a minor ninja village, the sort that could be wiped out with a mere wave of the hand. How could such a place possibly possess something left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?
Whether the Sage of Six Paths had ever truly existed was still an open question.
As for this Box of Ultimate Bliss, it was most likely some strange ancient artifact that the Village Hidden in the Grass's ancestors had acquired from somewhere, or perhaps an old relic whose legends had become increasingly exaggerated through generations of oral retelling.
As a result, these ignorant country bumpkins from the Village Hidden in the Grass had always treasured it like some priceless relic, genuinely believing they possessed an extraordinary divine artifact.
The reason the Village Hidden in the Stones had not only refrained from pursuing the matter after learning Village Hidden in the Grass had concealed the existence of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, but had instead immediately agreed to their request, was not only because of the direct and long-term strategic benefits brought by Village Hidden in the Grass's complete allegiance, but also because of three crucial factors.
The first was also this Box of Ultimate Bliss.
However, the Village Hidden in the Stones's attitude was simply to prepare for the unlikely possibility. If the Box of Ultimate Bliss truly possessed some mysterious power and could genuinely grant wishes, then the Village Hidden in the Stones would immediately turn against Village Hidden in the Grass on the spot. Both the wish and the Box of Ultimate Bliss would become theirs, without the slightest hesitation.
As for the Village Hidden in the Grass' opinion?
Did a ninja village barely the size of a palm really deserve to share the spoils with one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Village Hidden in the Stones?
A few insignificant benefits would be enough to send them away. What could they possibly do?
The second factor was the Seven-Tails.
Unlike ignorant country bumpkins like the Village Hidden in the Grass, who had never possessed even a single tailed beast and therefore knew nothing about their true nature, the Village Hidden in the Stones genuinely possessed a tailed beast Jinchuriki and had already reached its second generation.
After so many years of exploration and research, the Village Hidden in the Stones had gained a considerable understanding of the characteristics of tailed beasts.
Tailed beasts were indeed as the legends of the Shinobi World claimed. Even if they died, they would be reborn, and even if their chakra was exhausted, it would gradually gather again.
However, this so-called rebirth after death did not mean they would randomly appear somewhere in the Shinobi World. There were specific conditions.
A tailed beast would reform at the place where it died, or more precisely, upon the corpse of its Jinchuriki. During that time, its chakra would slowly gather, nurture itself, and eventually fully reform within the corpse, a process that took approximately three years.
(Author Note: Rin's case will be explained later.)
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