Shisui's words fell like a bucket of cold water, drenching Ōnoki to the bone.
Yes...
If Iwagakure, if the entire Land of Earth were to fall now, what meaning would secrecy hold?
Would the classified nature of Dust Release still matter? Would it even be relevant?
The First Tsuchikage, the founder who once quelled the chaos of the Warring States period and built Iwagakure from nothing, had once cast aside the stone that symbolized the village—without hesitation—choosing another to replace it.
Because the stone was never what mattered.
What truly mattered... was the "Will of Stone" in their hearts.
Dust Release was powerful, yes—but for Ōnoki, the thing worth protecting wasn't the technique.
It was the village.
The village was everything. It was what he had sworn to defend to his last breath.
Dust Release was only a tool to fulfill that vow.
"I understand…"
Ōnoki slowly lifted his head and looked at Shisui.
"I will give you the chakra composition of Dust Release. But in return, you must honor your word—help us eliminate the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
He paused.
"And one more thing…"
"I want to know—who was it that unleashed the Box against Iwagakure?"
"Isn't the answer obvious?" Shisui replied coolly.
"Tell me, Lord Tsuchikage—who stands to gain the most from Iwagakure's fall?"
Ōnoki's eyes flickered.
Kumogakure?
Konoha had not yet fully revealed signs of defeat. If Iwagakure were to fall now, Kumogakure alone would not be enough to defeat Konoha.
No—they had joined the war late. After years of lying in wait, they had chosen to enter at the climax, specifically to use Iwa's power to crush Konoha. To take a piece of the spoils.
And now? Iwa, their greatest ally, had fallen before it could even land a killing blow. That didn't benefit Kumo at all.
Which meant…
It could only be Konoha.
"They were so desperate to relieve the pressure of war, they resorted to a forbidden weapon like this?"
Ōnoki's fists clenched. His eyes grew darker than stone.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… you truly are something!"
After a long silence, he raised his head and tossed a scroll to Shisui.
"Inside is not only the chakra ratio for Dust Release—but even my training insights."
"I don't care what your organization is or what you're after. If you can put an end to the Box of Ultimate Bliss… then we have a foundation for cooperation."
"You'll earn the friendship of Iwagakure—one of the Five Great Nations."
Shisui accepted the scroll.
"The Soul Society gladly accepts your friendship."
"Then please, Lord Tsuchikage, await the results."
With those parting words, his figure vanished without a trace.
The elder advisors stared at the spot where Shisui had stood.
After a long pause, one of them muttered, "No chakra fluctuation… and the perimeter barriers weren't even triggered."
"Space–Time Ninjutsu, huh..."
Ōnoki's expression was heavy.
A power like this had emerged quietly in the ninja world, and even they—leaders of a great nation—hadn't known a thing.
Had the endless wars dulled their senses this much?
"Lord Third, that man is beyond strange. Do you really trust his words?"
Ōnoki shook his head.
"We have no choice. The Box of Ultimate Bliss is too dangerous. Just as he said, we have no other option but to rely on them."
"Besides… Dust Release may be powerful, but if they want it, then let them have it.
As long as the village survives… who's to say we won't one day create something even stronger?"
"But Hiruzen Sarutobi…"
Ōnoki's gaze turned ice-cold.
This isn't over.
...
"Keh keh keh! Cry, scream, and then die!"
Satori's grotesque laughter echoed across the heavens like a demon from the depths of hell.
Spreading his jet-black wings, he soared leisurely through the air, toying with the fleeing Iwagakure shinobi below.
To him, these fragile humans were walking treasure chests—radiating delicious fear for him to absorb.
And the Box of Ultimate Bliss was devouring to its heart's content.
Especially the two Jinchūriki.
The savage, raw Tailed Beast chakra they emitted was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the Box—massive in volume, dense in quality.
What could be more blissful than bathing in fear, feasting on chakra, and playing with terrified mortals?
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Black feathers rained down like a storm. Satori shrieked with laughter as the Iwa shinobi fled in terror, their screams piercing the battlefield.
Desperate, the shinobi formed hand seals and summoned thick stone walls to block the barrage.
But it was futile.
Because behind them was not only Satori—but the ever-hungry Box of Ultimate Bliss, swallowing everything in its path.
"This thing's not trying to kill us outright—it's enjoying the torture!"
"Screw it—let's take him down!"
"No! As long as he's chasing us, we have to keep going! If we stop here, the entire Land of Earth will be wiped out!"
"Hold your ground!, we are the 'Will of Stone' of Iwagakure!"
"Hold your ground? I love crushing that resolve! I want to see your hope shattered, your souls drowned in despair!"
Satori revealed an evil grin, its gaze directly falling on Kitsuchi, who was among the Iwagakure ninja.
His aura was the strongest besides the two Jinchūriki. If it could taste his fear, it would surely be an exquisite delicacy!
Countless black feathers shot forth from its wings, raining down toward the most densely clustered Iwagakure units.
The expressions of several elite shinobi in the formation shifted subtly.
As the commanding officer, Kitsuchi reacted instantly—channeling chakra and slamming his palm against the ground.
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
The ground rose high, shielding them from the storm of feathers.
But the next wave—a barrage of chakra orbs—obliterated the defenses. Bodies were torn apart by shockwaves, others crushed by debris. Blood soaked the battlefield.
Watching the tragic state of his comrades, Kitsuchi's eyes were bloodshot with rage—but he couldn't even stop to retrieve their bodies.
Because…
The Box of Ultimate Bliss, exuding an endless force of devouring power, had already consumed all the corpses and bones of those Iwagakure ninja...
"Damn you!!"
Kitsuchi roared to the sky—but Satori only laughed harder.
"How wonderfully beautiful! Fear, trembling, dread! I hear the wailing of souls!"
"I want more, I want more..."
…
"Are ultimate weapons from the Sage of Six Paths' era always this noisy?"
A sudden voice interrupted Satori's bellowing. Two pale figures appeared from nowhere, entering everyone's field of vision.
They stood suspended in the sky, facing Satori.
They had no wings, nor were they floating, yet they stood silently in the air, as if supported by invisible steps beneath them.
[Special item detected: Box of Ultimate Bliss]
[Source of corrupted negative energy: Malice, Terror, Rage, Hatred, Despair, Bloodlust, Greed, Envy, Sloth]
[Special lifeform detected: 'Box of Ultimate Bliss - Satori']
[Side Quest Triggered: Kill Satori – Reward: 500,000 points]
"A chakra aggregate with a special soul, similar to a Tailed Beast, huh."
500,000 points was tempting—but Yoru's gaze lingered on the Box.
A special item… the first of its kind.
"Want to handle this one?"
"Oh?" Yoru raised a brow as Shisui stepped forward—a rare show of initiative from the normally quiet subordinate.
"Since you're interested, go ahead. I'll step in if needed."
"Mm."
Shisui nodded, hand resting on his Zanpakutō.
Yoru vanished in a flash, reappearing amidst the Iwa forces.
The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi eyed Yoru with suspicion. The pristine white haori and expressionless white mask were more than enough to put them on high alert.
However, the Iwagakure shinobi had clearly seen Shisui confronting Satori and assuming a battle stance. So when Yoru suddenly appeared, Kitsuchi and the others held back and did not show hostility.
"Who are you?" someone finally asked.
Yoru ignored the question.
He flashed behind the two Jinchūriki—Rōshi and Han.
With a single swing, her blade cleaved through both of their necks.
Gasps of horror exploded from every corner of the battlefield.
Even Shisui and Satori were stunned.
His blade had been too fast—so fast that even the Tailed Beasts couldn't react. Their chakra regeneration didn't have time to activate. Inside their seal spaces, the beasts howled in fury before vanishing.
Silence swept the battlefield. All eyes turned to the fallen Jinchūriki—dead in an instant.
"You bastard! What are you doing?!" Kitsuchi screamed, barely holding himself together.
"Weren't you here to stop that monster?!" another shouted in disbelief.
The Iwa forces were frozen.
Although they didn't know the identities of these two individuals in white haori, based on their confrontation with Satori, they had instinctively assumed them to be allies.
But no one had expected that their perceived 'allies' would directly attack their highest combat power.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?! That's the Box of Ultimate Bliss! If we don't stop it, the world will be destroyed!"
"You killed Rōshi and Han—who else can fight Satori?!"
"Such pointless worry," Yoru murmured.
He started to speak again—but Satori's laughter roared across the skies.
"Marvelous! Absolutely magnificent!"
"This is humanity—how fascinating, how amusing!"
He spun in the air like a delighted spectator.
"You're amazing, human. I almost don't want to kill you. Submit to me—I'll let you live!"
Yoru ignored him, glancing at Shisui instead.
"Isn't it tempting?" Satori chuckled. "Join me, and—"
"Banshō Ten'in."
Shisui's cold voice cut him off.
A sudden gravitational pull yanked Satori mid-sentence. He tried to evade—but couldn't. His body was pulled toward Shisui.
Panicking, he fired a barrage of black feathers.
But just as they neared—an equal and opposite force exploded outward.
He sensed it coming, flapped furiously—but the moment he broke free from Banshō Ten'in, the repulsion struck.
"Shinra Tensei."
BOOM!
In a thunderous crash, Satori was blasted into the ground, smoke billowing skyward.
Shisui raised his palm toward the crater.
A chant poured from his lips like death itself:
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep..."
"Impossible!" Satori roared, struggling to rise. "That power—it died with him! You can't possibly—!"
He trembled—not just with rage, but fear.
Fear of what was coming.
"Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud.…"
"Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil…"
Shisui's voice was cold as ice.
"Know your own powerlessness. Hadō #90…"
"Kurohitsugi."
A crushing force of gravity bound Satori in place.
Darkness swelled—an abyssal coffin of black energy consumed him whole.
He couldn't dodge. He couldn't resist.
Whether it was discerning hearts or sensing malice.
Precognitive abilities were meaningless against a locked-on technique!
Moments later, the Black Coffin faded.
Satori, riddled with wounds, plummeted to the ground.
"This… can't be…"
Kitsuchi should've felt joy—but instead, he stood frozen.
Moments ago, Satori was unstoppable. Even Ōnoki's Dust Release couldn't hurt him.
Now, he was being toyed with like a rag doll.
In just a few exchanges, the monster that had crushed Iwagakure… was near death.
"Don't let your guard down!" Kitsuchi shouted. "That monster can recover using the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
"You wretched human…"
Satori growled, claws scraping the Box. His wounds began to rapidly heal.
"Don't think you can defeat me just because you have that guy's power! I'm not the same as I was back then!"
"I am an immortal demon god! I am the source of fear!"
"I will consume this world—devour everything!"
"Born with me, moves with me, dies with me—"
"I am—"
"SATORI!!!"
Dark, twisted chakra erupted from his body, tearing across the field like a storm.
But—
BOOOOM!!!
In an instant, his energy was crushed under a far more terrifying pressure.
Shisui slowly drew his Zanpakutō.
His white haori flared in the wind.
And his voice echoed like the wail of a soul from beyond.
"Bankai."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin