Chapter 75: Severe Injury!

"Iwa-nin and Kumo-nin are both possible suspects."

Minato Namikaze stated, "Kusagakure also has Kumo-nin spies, which is inevitable."

Kurama Sanyō chuckled, "Looks like this mission is going to be quite challenging."

"Speaking of which, we've already fought against Suna-nin and Iwa-nin. The only ones left are Kumo-nin and Kiri-nin. It's said that Kumo-nin are more proficient in Taijutsu and Lightning Release."

Uchiha Shisui reminded him with a smile, "Proficient doesn't mean unbeatable, Sanyō. Don't underestimate the unknown enemy."

...

Since this was an urgent mission, although they chatted along the way, Shūichi and the others did not slow down at all.

After only a half-hour break, they arrived at Kusagakure by dusk.

"Greetings, friends from Konoha. I am Mu Wei, a Chūnin from the village."

The one responsible for receiving Hoshita Shūichi and his team was a young ninja who appeared to be around the same age as Minato Namikaze.

Upon hearing the self-introduction, Hoshita Shūichi couldn't help but scrutinize him.

Nothing remarkable.

"I'm Minato Namikaze, a Jōnin from Konoha, and one of those responsible for the sealing."

Minato Namikaze introduced himself with a smile.

Following that, Hoshita Shūichi and the other two also introduced themselves.

Mu Wei then led them into Kusagakure to settle in.

Since it was already evening and they were quite exhausted, none of them were in the mood to explore the village.

After meeting with Kusagakure's leader, Minato Namikaze returned and said, "The sealing is scheduled for tomorrow. After dinner, the three of you should get some rest immediately. We'll take turns standing guard after midnight."

The three of them nodded in unison, "Understood!"

Even though Kusagakure was an ally of Konoha and this wasn't a battlefield, Minato Namikaze remained vigilant.

Fortunately, the night passed without incident.

The next morning, shortly after breakfast, Mu Wei reappeared to escort Hoshita Shūichi and the others to the sealing site.

As they walked, Shūichi discreetly observed his surroundings.

In terms of scale and prosperity, Kusagakure was clearly no match for Konoha. It looked more like a "village" in the true sense.

"Perhaps I can explore a bit after the mission. I wonder if Karin's mother is currently in Kusagakure."

Hoshita Shūichi pondered quietly.

With the destruction of Uzushiogakure, the Uzumaki clan members scattered. Karin's mother might have ended up like Nagato's mother—married after wandering for a while, leaving behind descendants.

But was Karin's mother a member of Kusagakure, or did she marry into the village and then get treated as a "medical tool" after her husband's death?

Or maybe...

"We're here!"

Mu Wei's voice snapped Shūichi out of his thoughts. Looking ahead, he saw a rather impressive building with Kusagakure ninjas standing guard at the entrance and on the rooftop.

Creak!

The doors opened, and a middle-aged man, around forty years old, walked out with two Kusagakure ninjas.

Mu Wei quickly stepped forward to pay his respects, and Shūichi immediately understood that this was Kusagakure's leader.

He greeted Minato Namikaze warmly, and was considerate of Shūichi and the others, displaying great tact and hospitality.

After some polite exchanges, the Kusagakure leader said, "We'll be counting on you, Jōnin Namikaze. This ninja tool has already consumed six of our ninjas. If this continues, it could destroy the entire village."

"And according to the legends, the most worrying thing is that this ninja tool might be nurturing a terrifying demon inside."

"For the safety of the entire ninja world, even if it's a relic from the Sage of Six Paths, it must be sealed."

The Kusagakure leader spoke with heartfelt concern, and Minato Namikaze solemnly assured him that they would do their utmost to seal it.

All for the sake of the ninja world!

As Shūichi observed the scene, he couldn't help but speculate.

Did the Box of Ultimate Bliss really devour six ninjas on its own?

Would Kusagakure, which loved studying others' jutsu, really be willing to give up such a powerful ninja tool, possibly left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?

It's not overly cynical—Shūichi had to assume the worst of others to avoid letting his guard down and falling into a trap.

After the conversation, the Kusagakure leader led the four of them into the building, while Mu Wei remained outside.

Inside the spacious hall, four massive pillars stood tall, and in the center was the ninja tool to be sealed—a peculiar, even somewhat eerie, box.

Facing the entrance, the first thing Shūichi and the others saw upon entering was an exaggerated human face, representing "Joy."

Around the ninja tool, near the four pillars, stood four Kusagakure shinobi.

On the ground beneath them, and on the pillars, were inscriptions forming a large sealing array that enveloped the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

"Fire Release..."

After a few glances, Shūichi couldn't help but think, "Kusagakure, which has managed to maneuver between the great ninja villages, really has some tricks up its sleeve. They're not to be underestimated."

This reminded him of Takigakure's Earth Grudge Fear and the Jashin cult powers of Hidan from Yugakure.

"This is our village's unique binding technique, the Grand Fire Prison. Although it can bind this ninja tool, it requires constant maintenance."

The Kusagakure leader introduced the technique, with a hint of pride in his voice, but then he sighed, "But for a permanent solution, we need Jōnin Namikaze and the others to seal it."

"We'll be counting on you. Recently, foreign forces have invaded the village, so I'll personally stand guard outside to prevent anyone from disrupting the sealing process."

Minato Namikaze immediately replied, "Rest assured, we'll do our best!"

The Kusagakure leader nodded and then left with his men, leaving only the four Kusagakure ninjas maintaining the binding array.

Creak!

The heavy doors closed, and the light inside immediately dimmed.

"Shūichi, prepare to perform the Eight Trigrams Seal with me."

Minato Namikaze ordered, "Shisui, Sanyō, stand guard!"

"Understood!"

The three responded in unison. Uchiha Shisui positioned himself directly opposite the door, while Kurama Sanyō leaped up to hide in the shadows of the ceiling beams.

Minato Namikaze opened his backpack and took out scrolls and ink.

Shūichi stepped forward to assist, and together, they began drawing the sealing array on the scrolls.

But before they could finish, there was a commotion outside.

Shūichi and Minato remained focused, while Uchiha Shisui placed one hand on his sword hilt, his other hand ready to form seals.

Kurama Sanyō, still hidden in the rafters, was equally prepared to use genjutsu to create an opening for Uchiha Shisui.

The disturbance outside grew louder, to the point where the ground began to shake.

Suddenly, Uchiha Shisui shouted, "Watch out!"

Almost simultaneously, he activated his Sharingan, performed a single-hand seal, and used the Body Flicker Technique, splitting into multiple shadow clones that quickly positioned themselves behind Hoshita Shūichi and Minato Namikaze.

Then, the sound of something piercing through the air filled the room as the windows and doors were shattered by a barrage of stone bullets.

Uchiha Shisui's clones dashed around, deflecting the stones aimed at Shūichi and Minato with their blades.

Sanyō remained hidden, waiting for the right moment.

After Uchiha Shisui blocked the first wave of attacks, the door suddenly exploded, and several figures stormed in.

"Shadow Clones?"

"No!"

"Be careful, it's the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!"

...

A Chaotic Battle Erupts,

Shisui took the lead, with Sanyō supporting him, holding off the three enemy ninjas who had stormed in.

Meanwhile, Hoshita Shūichi and Minato Namikaze finally completed the sealing array.

Both simultaneously formed hand seals and pressed their hands onto the array on the scroll.

In the next moment, the symbols, like tadpoles, swiftly moved, crawling onto the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Just as the sealing process began, Uchiha Shisui, with Kurama Sanyō's assistance, managed to take down two of the attackers. The third retreated immediately.

However, another wave of attacks quickly followed from outside. Dense volleys of rock bullets blasted through the walls, wooden panels, and beams.

These were not only targeting Uchiha Shisui but also focusing on Kurama Sanyō, who was hiding in the shadows, using genjutsu.

Sanyō dodged rapidly, but the barrage was too intense. With several muffled sounds, Sanyō let out a groan as his body fell from the air, crashing onto the ground, his crimson blood quickly staining the floor.

"Sanyō!"

Uchiha Shisui shouted in alarm.

Shūichi, who was in the middle of the sealing, glanced back, gritting his teeth, "Minato Sensei!"

Minato Namikaze lowered his gaze and then withdrew his hand. "Let's save him first!"

But at that moment, the four Kusagakure ninjas suddenly activated the binding array. Dark red flames surged up, weaving together like a giant net, tightening toward the center.

"Jōnin Namikaze, this Box of Ultimate Bliss must be sealed, or it will awaken and devour everyone," one of the Kusagakure ninjas shouted.

"You're asking for it!"

Shūichi's anger flared, and blue flames flickered in his eyes. He drew his sword, and blue flames spread along the blade, swelling with a roar.

Blue Flame Waterfall Blade!

Wielding the massive blue blade with both hands, Shūichi slashed down.

Boom!

The Kusagakure's binding array, the Grand Fire Prison, was cleaved in half with a single strike, leaving a charred gash on the wooden floor.

"How is this possible?"

The four Kusagakure ninjas gasped in shock.

Though they were only Chūnin, they had combined their strength to maintain the array. Even a Jōnin shouldn't have been able to break it so easily.

Yet this young Konoha ninja...

Stunned, the Kusagakure ninjas watched as Hoshita Shūichi, after breaking the array, immediately formed a single-hand sign, summoning two Fire Release clones that charged forward.

At that moment, several more enemies rushed in, only to be met by the clones, which burst into blinding white flames before exploding.

Boom!

The enemies were blown back, while Uchiha Shisui carried Kurama Sanyō over to Hoshita Shūichi's side.

As for Minato Namikaze, the moment Shūichi shattered the Grand Fire Prison, he had already vanished.

"This is bad..."

Shūichi muttered as he sheathed his sword and knelt to check Sanyō's injuries.

Four wounds, each piercing through.

Heart, lungs, liver, arteries...

Cold sweat beaded on Hoshita Shūichi's forehead. He quickly unsealed a scroll, pulling out the medical jutsu scroll given by Nono Yakushi, and spread it over Kurama Sanyō's body.

Eight Trigrams Seal, Release!

Yin Seal, Release!

Hoshita Shūichi fully released the stored chakra from his Yin Seal, then pressed his right hand onto the scroll.

In an instant, a gentle green chakra glow spread out.

The medical jutsu scroll was activated, unleashing the Regeneration Technique, and the green light enveloped Kurama Sanyō's torso.

Although Hoshita Shūichi didn't personally know the Regeneration Technique, the scroll allowed him to execute it as if he did.

However, Kurama Sanyō's injuries were severe, so Shūichi focused the chakra on healing his heart and arteries first.

With one hand controlling the chakra on the scroll, Shūichi formed a shadow clone with his left hand to treat Sanyō's lung injury.

The lung was pierced; if left untreated, Sanyō would die from blood loss and suffocation.

(End of Chapter)

Question of the Day! - Sanyō will be saved? -

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