The night fell over Hozuki Castle in absolute silence. Once curfew hit, all prisoners in the castle were locked in their cells. Guards warned prisoners beforehand to maintain absolute silence at night. Within these walls at night, even the chirp of an insect was a luxury.
The castle was just as sterile. Not a speck of trash, not a single weed or fallen leaf could be found. Guards scrubbed each room at least ten times a day, and the roads and squares no less than a hundred. It was spotless.
All because the warden of Hozuki Castle despised two things: noise and filth. And within its walls, the warden's word was law.
"Mui-sama." The voice came from several men in gorilla, baboon, and monkey masks, all kneeling low before a middle-aged man.
The man wore a stark, severe uniform. He sat ramrod straight, fingers steepled just below his nose. His thin face was a mask of cold composure, his eyes meticulously blank, the face of a man utterly devoid of emotion.
This was Mui, the current warden of Hozuki Castle, a man ruled by an obsession with cleanliness. He was never seen without a pair of white gloves, and it was said that a single speck of dust on them meant the severest punishment for the guard responsible for that area.
Mui said nothing, he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
"We've brought the Iwagakure jonin you requested, sir," the masked men continued their report, as if used to his silence. "He is being held in Cell Block One of the Wood Ward."
"Very well. You may go." Mui's expression shifted slightly as he finally spoke.
"Yes, Mui-sama."
The men seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief, as if granted a pardon, and quickly began to rise.
But then, the man in the baboon mask hesitated. "Mui-sama, why is Hozuki Castle accepting defectors from other ninja villages?"
"Since its founding, Hozuki Castle has never accepted defectors, nor participated in conflicts between ninja villages. We have maintained absolute impartiality and neutrality. It's a tradition passed down from every warden before you... to break it now..."
The other masked men froze, then instinctively shuffled away from speaker. Mui's face remained a blank.
"And what of it?" Mui said faintly, his cold gaze fixing on the man.
The man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and continued. "It is improper."
"So," Mui didn't answer the question, instead slowly standing to look directly at the man, "you are questioning my decision?"
The man's bravado shattered. "I... I wouldn't dare..." Sweat beaded on his forehead, visible even under the mask. He was panicking.
"No. You do," Mui said, his voice dropping. "And for that, your existence is now meaningless."
He extended his right hand. Fiery red light gathered in his palm, coalescing in an instant. 'Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Jutsu!'
Several chains of flame instantly shot from Mui's palm towards the masked man. Before the man could even react, he was bound tight by the fiery chains. There wasn't a burn mark on his body, yet the masked man shrieked and crumpled to the ground.
The Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Jutsu, the Hozuki Castle warden's secret technique. It implants chains that restrain chakra into a prisoner's body, sealing away their chakra and preventing ninjutsu. If they attempt to escape, the Curse Mark transforms into flame chains, burning the offender. Furthermore, leaving the user's vicinity also results in death by burning.
"Take him," Mui said coldly, "Put him in the cell with the Iwagakure ninja."
The remaining men nodded frantically. Here in Hozuki Castle, the warden's authority was absolute.
At midnight, the gate to the Wood Ward swung open. Mui entered, stopping before the cell that now held two unconscious bodies: his former subordinate and the ninja from Iwagakure. Mui looked at the two coldly, then extended his right hand.
A moment later, he turned and left, leaving behind two dried out corpses.
Mui descended a spiral staircase hidden behind a secret door, deep into the foundation of the castle. He pushed open a heavy door to reveal a vast chamber, dominated by a single object: a colossal, intricately designed box. Four faces were carved into its sides, each depicting an emotion: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure.
This was the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Mui held out the shimmering mass of chakra he had just extracted. The Box seemed to awaken, humming to life. In seconds, the entire reserve, was devoured without a trace, and the great box fell silent once more.
"This amount of chakra is not enough," Mui said faintly. "Far from enough."
"To activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss," he continued, "more chakra is needed. Hozuki Castle needs more, stronger criminals."
"I cannot do this alone." Mui turned his gaze towards Kusagakure Village, muttering to himself, "I need help."
"It seems the Warden-san has encountered some trouble?"
A voice echoed through the chamber, a voice that shouldn't have been there.
"Who's there?!" Mui spun around, startled. A hooded figure had appeared behind him without a sound.
It was Naruto. He had arrived at Hozuki Castle because he'd taken a wrong turn. Castle was truly too complex. Intersecting secret passages and cells were everywhere, Naruto got lost in no time.
Just as he was about to break through by force, Naruto sensed Mui's ki. Besides Naruto, he possessed the strongest ki in the castle. Naruto followed the ki and stumbled upon the scene of Mui feeding the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
'Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Jutsu!' Several chains of flame shot from Mui's palm towards Naruto. Repeating the same technique he'd used on his subordinate.
Chains of flame shot from his palm and slammed into the intruder. Naruto stood motionless, taking the full force of the attack. Dark red markings instantly seared themselves onto his body.
A grim smirk touched Mui's lips. The jutsu had found its mark. "Now then," he said, his composure restored. "Who are you?" He paused, then shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter. You saw too much. Your chakra will serve the Box."
However, Naruto paid him no mind. He casually walked a slow circle around the Box of Ultimate Bliss, tapping its surface and appraising the carved faces with open curiosity.
"This little thing is quite a sight."
--**--**
Narrator:
Naruto, pushed by his curiosity entered the Hozuki Castle to explore, yet found himself getting lost. Fortunately for him his ki sensing assisted him but how will he get out?
Within the dark basement of Hozuki Castle, the warden Mui has been sucking his prisoners dry in pursuit of his Ultimate Bliss, now he has set his sights on Naruto, how will Naruto react to this?
Will Naruto find his bliss within the box of Ultimate Bliss?
How will Naruto breakthrough Heavenly Prison Jutsu? By beating Mui until he releases it? or some other tactic?
While Naruto get in using ki sensing to save himself from wasting hours being lost, a question arises how will he get out? Or even better question, how long would castle stand with Naruto inside?
Tune in next time for
"Mui's Clean Hands, Dirty Secrets"
===============
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