Chapter 232: Why Do You Think I’d Give You a Chance?

Upon seeing Byakuya's appearance, Mui's expression shifted. He quickly evaluated the situation, and once he confirmed Byakuya's identity, his face grew even more serious. Byakuya was no ordinary ninja.

Since the Battle of Kumogakure, the major ninja villages across the world had all come to know of Byakuya. Though young, he could hold his own against the Fourth Raikage in a short amount of time. Such strength was intimidating even to the Five Kage, and for smaller ninja villages, he was practically a legendary figure.

After all, a Kage-level ninja could singlehandedly bring Kusagakure to its knees.

Realizing this, Mui instinctively took a half-step back. Yet, remembering his mission to revive Kusagakure, he firmly stepped forward again.

Seeing his father's movement, the young Muku also stepped forward, unaware of Byakuya's reputation or strength. To Muku, Byakuya only seemed a few years older than himself and couldn't possibly pose a threat to his father.

Byakuya smirked at this display and began to approach Mui, saying, "Mister Mui, you still haven't properly answered my question. What exactly is Kusagakure trying to accomplish with these secret activities?"

Standing his ground, Mui replied, "how did you find this place? I thought our operation was well concealed."

"Well…" Byakuya replied, "Maybe it has something to do with your recent attacks on the borders of Amegakure. I thought I'd come to see what Kusagakure had up its sleeve to make it bold enough to provoke Amegakure."

Hearing this, Mui's face darkened as he inwardly cursed those reckless Hawk faction members. Though he sided with the Hawk elders, he had no intention of provoking a powerful village like Amegakure before Kusagakure had strengthened itself.

In the eyes of a small village like Kusagakure, Amegakure, ruled by a demigod, was already a regional power.

After a moment's thought, Mui's expression softened as he tried to explain, "Byakuya, no, Byakuya-sama, our village has no ulterior motives. Those who attacked your village were rogue ninjas and have nothing to do with Kusagakure. As for what you saw just now, that was not a sacrificial ritual.

This is Hozuki Castle's method of dealing with prisoners. If we don't extract the excess chakra from them, a riot could become quite troublesome…"

Byakuya fell silent, then looked at Mui with an expression of mild exasperation.

Mui felt a bit embarrassed under Byakuya's gaze, knowing that his explanation was feeble, but he wasn't ready to give up just yet against a high-level ninja like Byakuya.

In the end, he gathered all his chakra, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Fire Style: Heavenly Prison!"

In an instant, fiery chains materialized from Mui's hands, shooting toward Byakuya. The bright red flames emanated intense heat, distorting the surrounding air.

Byakuya dodged the flaming chains in a swift movement and landed near the altar.

In response, he released his own sealing technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Eight golden chains emerged from his back, swiftly entangling Mui's flaming chains, canceling them out in midair.

Mui's face paled at this sight.

The Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique was a secret of the "Heavenly Prison" clan and a powerful technique for subduing prisoners from various nations. Yet Byakuya had neutralized it with ease.

Could the gap between himself and a Kage-level ninja really be this vast?

Byakuya, meanwhile, had already analyzed the mechanics of the flaming chains. It was a fire-based sealing jutsu. If the chains managed to latch onto a target, they would bind them tightly.

Mui's abilities were indeed formidable. With such powerful techniques at his disposal, he was clearly at the level of an elite jonin, which explained how he had risen to be the warden of Hozuki Castle.

However, to Byakuya, the strength of an elite jonin was still just that—nothing more than a minor obstacle.

Upon awakening his Uzumaki bloodline and learning the Explosive Tag Creation Technique from the system, Byakuya had reached the strength of an elite Jonin. Yet, fearing Madara's attention, he had kept a low profile, never revealing his full abilities.

Bringing his drifting thoughts back to the present, Byakuya glanced at Mui from a distance, remarking coolly, "Your skills aren't bad. Do you have any other secret techniques?"

Mui's face darkened. Byakuya's tone was strangely patronizing, as if a senior Jonin were instructing a fresh graduate. It had been years since Mui had endured such a condescending attitude, and he couldn't tolerate it.

Without hesitation, he formed hand seals, conjuring a new set of flaming chains. This time, the flames shifted, reshaping themselves from chains into a sword. With the fiery blade in hand, Mui's figure flickered, appearing at Byakuya's side in an instant.

Now that Byakuya understood the mechanics behind Mui's secret technique, he didn't even bother to dodge. Remaining perfectly still, he brought his hands together in a slow, deliberate gesture. Immediately, thick vines erupted from the ground, binding Mui tightly.

Mui hacked at the vines with his flaming sword, but the burning vines released thick smoke that quickly filled the underground chamber. Byakuya noticed the interaction between Fire Release and Wood Release and chuckled to himself.

While Fire Release indeed countered Wood Release, in some ways, Wood Release countered Fire Release as well. Wood Release, with its unique ability to absorb chakra, produced smoke when burned, creating an indiscriminate area effect that could choke even the ninja using fire techniques.

Mui, realizing the danger, choked on the smoke and was forced to retract his fiery sword as he struggled to break free from the vines. But no matter how much he struggled, the vines remained steadfast.

Byakuya's attention shifted to Muku, who had also been affected by the thick smoke. He walked over, noticing that the young ninja—likely fresh out of the academy—was visibly shaken after witnessing his father's swift defeat. In Muku's mind, his father had always been the village's most powerful shinobi.

But against Byakuya, his father hadn't even stood a chance and was subdued within minutes.

With desperation growing, Muku steeled himself and sprinted towards the Box of Ultimate Bliss. He planned to make a wish to the box, hoping it would grant him the strength to defeat Byakuya, even if it cost him his life.

Just as Muku was about to speak, Byakuya flickered to his side, cutting him off. Gazing at Muku and Mui's defiant, yet helpless expressions, Byakuya sighed and remarked, "You should know I came here for the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Why would you think I'd give you a chance to open it?"