Hyuga Gakuya was being led to the reception hall. There, waiting expectantly, was a handsome middle-aged man—Mui. Standing beside him was a young boy, who Gakuya guessed must be the f Mui's son from the original timeline.
"Mokushū-sama, what an honor to have you visit," Mui said with a beaming smile. "You should've sent word ahead. I would've prepared something more fitting."
Gakuya kept up his persona as Mokushū and replied, "As soon as I heard about your intentions, I came right away. Rebuilding Kusagakure is a good thing—it'll strengthen the forces resisting the great nations."
Mui burst into laughter. "Haha! You truly understand me, Mokushū-sama. That's exactly what I want—to build up our strength so we'll never be bullied again."
At this point in time, Mui's son hadn't yet been sacrificed to the Box of Ultimate Bliss because of his father's ambitions. Mui was still just a man with vision and ambition.
"Please, come in!" Mui gestured warmly for them to enter.
...
Inside the reception hall, everyone took their seats. Gakuya glanced at the young boy beside Mui and smiled.
"This young man must be your son. Quite the fine young gentleman."
"This is my boy, Muku," Mui said proudly. "Muku, come greet Mokushū-sama. Isn't he the one you admire most?"
"Mokushū-sama," Muku said with a bow, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
Gakuya had originally planned to have Uchiha Hikari use the Yachihoko technique to brainwash them immediately, but now it seemed unnecessary. Mui clearly already held deep resentment toward the major nations.
You could see it reflected in his son as well. These two had nearly become victims of conquest when the Land of Grass was on the brink of destruction. It was only Gakuya's words at the peace conference that gave them the courage to demand the re-establishment of their country.
The respect in their eyes was unmistakably genuine. Rather than resort to underhanded tricks, Gakuya figured it'd be more effective to talk them into handing over the Box of Ultimate Bliss themselves.
He smiled. "How could I not bring a gift?"
Gakuya pulled out a scroll containing a secret technique and a specialized Sound Ninja tool.
"Thank you, Mokushū-sama!"
Gakuya nodded. "Go on now, run along and play. I'd like to speak with your father for a bit."
"Okay."
...
Once Muku had left and there was no one else around, Gakuya finally felt at ease and began discussing the cooperation plan for rebuilding Kusagakure.
Casually, he began testing Mui's stance on the Five Great Nations.
"Hmph! They're all the same," Mui growled, slamming his hand on the table. "To them, smaller nations are just ants—tools for their own gain!"
Gakuya saw the time was right. Sitting up straight, he said,
"I plan to form a federal alliance made up of small nations. Would you be interested in joining?"
Mui's eyes lit up instantly. "Please, go on, Mokushū-sama."
Gakuya smiled slightly, knowing the bait had been taken.
He repeated the speech he'd given at the banquet to the other nobles, painting a grand vision. Mui was visibly excited, as if he could already see the magnificent blueprint coming to life before his eyes.
"If we pull this off... in just ten years, we could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Great Nations, becoming the Sixth Great Nation!"
But Gakuya shook his head. "Not ten years. We only have one."
Mui froze.
"In one year," Gakuya continued, "we must secure a decisive, overwhelming victory to shake the Five Great Nations to their core. Otherwise, we'll remain their pawns."
Mui looked defeated, overwhelmed by the ambitious timeline.
"One year? That's impossible. Even if we united every small country around us, there's no way we could gather a ninja force strong enough to take on one of the major nations. And there's no guarantee we'd all work together in harmony…"
Gakuya chuckled. "If I'm saying it, then it's not impossible."
As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from his robe and unrolled it on the table. Written on it were the names and signatures of the key nobles from four countries.
"I've already secretly formed an alliance with the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of the Moon, the Land of Waves, and the Land of Iron. We're consolidating power so that when war comes, the combined strength of all five nations can be unleashed."
Gakuya unrolled more of the scroll, revealing a large blank section.
"Now the question is... will the Land of Grass and Kusagakure join this high-stakes gamble?"
Mui fell into deep thought.
After a long silence, he suddenly bit his finger and signed his name on the scroll.
"If this works, we'll finally be free from the great nations' control. And if we fail... well, we'll just go back to being their dogs. But even so, the seed of rebellion will have been planted."
"Well said. With your support, Lord Mui, this endeavor gains even more strength." Gakuya's tone was resolute.
"What can Kusagakure do to support the Federation?" Mui asked. He had just committed himself and was eager to contribute.
"We've united these nations, but we're still missing one key piece—a weapon of war that can rival a tailed beast."
Now came Gakuya's true purpose—to lure Mui into revealing the secret of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
While the Hidden Waterfall had a Seven-Tails, Gakuya could always use the Sharingan to control it in critical moments. But something like the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a true game-changer.
Mui hesitated. It was clear he was deeply conflicted. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said,
"If Lord Mokushū can guarantee that the Land of Grass will be treated equally in the Federation once it's established... I'm willing to offer up Kusagakure's greatest treasure."
He had already started using honorifics. Mui knew that the Land of Grass, being late to the table and lacking resources, was likely to be marginalized. He wanted to leverage this treasure for greater benefits.
No one in Kusagakure could use it anyway—it required chakra on the level of a tailed beast just to open it. Better to hand it over in exchange for a brighter future.
He was gambling—gambling that Gakuya wouldn't just kill him and take it.
Gakuya answered solemnly, "I swear on my honor."
Mui let out a long breath, the weight in his heart finally lifted. He'd made the right bet.
"Thank you, Lord Mokushū. Please, come with me. The item is in a hidden chamber."
Mui led the way up front, with Hyuga Gakuya following close behind.
"That thing is called the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Legend has it that it was once a weapon of the Sage of Six Paths himself. In ancient times, Kusagakure nearly united the entire shinobi world thanks to this artifact. If it can be powered by foreign chakra, it's said to grant the user any wish."
Mui shared what he knew, then gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
"But honestly, most of that's probably just speculation from people back in the day. If it really was that powerful, the Land of Grass wouldn't be a breath away from collapse."
Gakuya didn't respond. He watched as Mui pressed a hidden switch disguised as a book on a shelf. A secret passage slowly revealed itself before them.
Gakuya quickly stepped ahead.
"Mokushū-sama, allow me to go first."
He was trying to reassure Gakuya—there were no traps here.
"No need to worry. I'm far too eager to see this treasure for myself," Gakuya replied, radiating calm confidence.
Mui was quietly moved. To be trusted this much on their first meeting—no wonder this man had the reputation of a hero. It seemed he'd found himself a good superior.
At the far end of the hidden chamber, Gakuya laid eyes on a massive, black box. On each of its four sides was a grotesque face—twisted expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—each sealed with a mask emanating potent energy.
Gakuya placed his hand on the box. Immediately, a powerful force tried to siphon his chakra.
"This thing... it really might be the solution to the issue of war-driven weaponry," he said, glancing back at Mui.
Mui's face lit up with emotion. "If it can help the Federation, then that's all that matters."
"I'll be taking this with me. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"Of course not."
Gakuya laid his hand on the surface again, channeling a reverse summoning technique. The enormous Box of Ultimate Bliss vanished in a flash, sent straight to Ryūchi Cave, where Gakuya had carved out a private vault guarded by the ever-watchful Garaga. No one would dare touch it there.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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