Chapter 40: Kakuzu is one thing, but this man doesn't even spare the Tailed Beasts?

Sia's words caused Mui to freeze instantly.

He looked closely and saw that the young man not far away was indeed Muku.

However, in the next instant, his pupils violently contracted!

Muku's body was undergoing a rapid, terrifying transformation.

The Muku who had been completely fine just moments ago was swallowed entirely by darkness in the blink of an eye.

Immediately afterward, a grotesque monster appeared before everyone—a creature with four snowy-white, razor-sharp fangs, no head, a face fused directly into its abdomen, and a pair of massive wings.

This was the monster known as "Satori," capable of reading human hearts and bewitching human minds.

Because it could perceive the thoughts of others, combined with its ultra-high-speed mobility, it could evade almost all attacks.

Even more terrifyingly, its physical strength was exceptionally astonishing.

The sudden appearance of the monster left Mui momentarily stunned and bewildered.

He found it hard to accept this reality. If even the legendary ninja tools of the Sage of Six Paths could not resurrect his son, did that mean he would never see his son again?

Furthermore, what was the relationship between this monster before him and his own son?

Could it be that the Box of Ultimate Bliss had turned his son into this creature?

In addition, a deep doubt lingered in Mui's mind: why did Sia know so much about the Box of Ultimate Bliss?

The Box of Ultimate Bliss had always been the secret treasure of Kusagakure, and many of its secrets were unknown even to him.

Yet now that the box had been opened, the situation had turned out precisely as Sia had predicted!

At that very moment, Sia's voice rang in Mui's ears, pulling him back from his racing thoughts.

"Mui, this monster is not your son. Don't lose your mind."

"Step back and let me handle it."

Before Sia's voice had even faded, lightning-attribute chakra instantly enveloped his entire body.

With a flash, his figure vanished and charged fiercely toward Satori.

True to its reputation, this monster possessed the formidable ability to read minds and seduce souls.

The moment Sia launched his offensive, Satori anticipated it and fled skyward in advance.

However, when its opponent was Sia—a being akin to a human-shaped Ten-Tails—its mind-reading ability was not particularly effective.

First, its speed could not keep up.

Second, it was about to experience firsthand what it felt like to be dominated by sheer terror.

"You cannot hit me!"

After evading Sia's initial strike, Satori's voice echoed through the air.

Hearing this, Sia broke into a wide grin.

He had only been testing Satori's capabilities just now, and he hadn't yet decided what to do with the creature.

Still, Satori's abilities and strength were quite impressive; at the very least, it would make a rare summoning beast.

Of course, if Satori were beaten to death, it would simply return to the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Sia intended to try beating the creature into submission first to see if he could make it return on its own accord.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Straight!"

Sia's figure materialized once again directly in front of Satori.

This time, Satori undoubtedly sensed fear in advance!

It read Sia's intentions, but it could not match Sia's speed and was utterly incapable of dodging the blow!

"Boom—!"

A hand-blade wrapped in crackling lightning-attribute chakra was savagely swung out by Sia!

This strike combined both overwhelming power and razor-sharp lethality!

There were four main aspects to what made the monster Satori formidable.

Powerful offensive capability, lightning-fast movement speed, followed by the power to perceive hearts and bewitch minds.

When Sia fought it, the creature could discern the thoughts within Sia's mind, allowing it to dodge in time whenever Sia launched an attack.

Unfortunately for it, Sia surpassed it in both speed and power.

As a ninja who had mastered Lightning Release to a divine realm, Sia's speed far outpaced its own.

Moreover, Sia's physical constitution, enhanced by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, rendered him almost completely immune to its mind-manipulating tricks.

While other ninjas might find this monster rather troublesome when encountering it, Satori was countered to the absolute death when facing Sia!

At that moment, Sia used the ninja-taijutsu technique Lightning Straight, fiercely slashing into Satori's shoulder.

A heavy, immensely forceful impact struck home, and the monster was knocked straight down from midair by Sia's single blow!

"Thud—!"

With a heavy, muffled crash, Satori smashed violently into the ground.

"Whoosh!"

Flapping its massive wings, it attempted to take flight once again.

At the same time, it perceived that Sia intended to close in rapidly and strike it with the Lightning Straight Chiyo Dance.

Aware of Sia's thoughts, Satori tried desperately to dodge again.

Yet, the moment the thought of evading flickered through its mind, Sia's voice rang out.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Straight Chiyo Dance!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

This time, lightning crackled relentlessly around Sia's entire body as the lightning-attribute chakra within him outputted in a continuous stream.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Every time Sia's hand-blade swept downward, Satori managed to predict it with pinpoint precision—yet it simply could not dodge in time!

"Lightning Release: Lightning Kiba!"

After enduring a severe beating, Sia abruptly grabbed hold of Satori!

Lightning-attribute chakra surged wildly and violently through his entire body.

Satori's body plummeted headfirst from midair toward the ground below like a falling star!

"Boom—!"

"Rumble rumble rumble!"

Abruptly, a terrifying sound resembling a thunderclap exploded across the area.

Clouds of dust and debris instantly scattered into the surrounding air, kicking up a blinding storm of dirt.

Jagged fragments flew wildly from the shattered rock floor.

When the dust filling the sky eventually settled, Sia emerged completely unscathed, as expected.

Satori, on the other hand, had been rattled into a daze, its internal chakra thrown into utter turmoil.

Yet Sia still did not stop, continuing his onslaught relentlessly.

"Lightning Release: Heavy Flow!"

"Boom—!"

Employing this ninja-taijutsu technique, Sia unleashed a flurry of over a dozen punches, alternating left and right upon the monster.

"Ah—!"

Satori let out a series of shrill, miserable screams before transforming into a streak of black chakra that fled back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

"Clatter clatter!"

"Crack!"

As Satori's chakra returned, a series of mechanical gears whirred from within the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

The next moment, the box sealed itself shut once again.

Watching Satori transform into a streak of black chakra and flee back inside, Sia fell into a thoughtful silence.

'Could this guy, much like the tailed beasts, also be a chakra-based life form?'

'Under my elemental state, can I seemingly be considered a kind of chakra-based life form as well?'

After swiftly and decisively dealing with Satori, Mui and the others still stood there in a daze.

Although Satori had been thoroughly beaten and tossed around by Sia the entire time, everyone present still acknowledged the monster's genuine strength.

With their level of experience, they could naturally discern Satori's extraordinary nature.

That monster had anticipated Sia's attacks nearly every single time.

It was only because Sia's Lightning Release had reached such a miraculous level—surpassing Satori's speed by leaps and bounds—that the creature had been suppressed so miserably.

Mui mentally substituted himself into the scenario, imagining a fight against Satori.

He realized that given his own attack speed, his ninjutsu and taijutsu would hardly be able to land a single hit on Satori.

As Sia knocked Satori back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Mui and the others walked over.

Mui's expression was rather unsightly.

Resurrecting his son using the Box of Ultimate Bliss had been his lifelong plan spanning many years.

Yet now, the outcome of this plan was completely different from what he had imagined, leaving him feeling profoundly distressed.

Mui glanced over at the distant Box of Ultimate Bliss.

In his mind, he began to ponder how to dispose of this dangerous ninja tool.

"Once the Box of Ultimate Bliss absorbs a massive amount of chakra, it can complete its recharge."

"If the box ever opens again and that monster named Satori escapes, it will not be easy to deal with."

"Should we sink this dangerous ninja tool to the bottom of the deep sea?"

"Or perhaps, continue conducting deep research into this artifact?"

The moment the final thought crossed his mind, Mui discarded the dangerous notion.

If the monster inside the box had been truly manageable yet powerful, it might have been worth taking a risk to study it.

However, the monster inside was extremely dangerous to ordinary people—yet to a ninja of Uzumaki Sia's caliber, it wasn't even worth mentioning.

There was simply no need to risk danger to study such a mediocre and useless item.

As Mui was turning these thoughts over in his mind, Sia spoke to him with a cheerful smile.

"Mui, it's true that the Box of Ultimate Bliss is a legendary ninja tool of the Sage of Six Paths, but you saw it yourself just now."

"Once opened, this ninja tool cannot grant any wishes; it only releases a terrifying monster."

"The waters surrounding this artifact run very deep, and your Kusagakure might not be able to handle it."

Hearing this, Mui nodded solemnly.

With Kusagakure's current strength, dealing with Satori would prove immensely difficult.

Even if Kusagakure developed further over time, encountering such a monster would inevitably result in heavy casualties.

Frowning slightly, Mui looked at Sia and asked, "Does Lord Sia have a good solution for handling this dangerous ninja tool?"

Sia immediately nodded with a serious expression: "Hand this ninja tool over to me!"

Before Mui could reply, an elder standing nearby wearing a horse-shaped zodiac mask—Elder Kishu—interjected.

"Absolutely not!"

"No matter what, this is a ninja tool belonging to Kusagakure!"

"Besides, didn't you just say the waters here run deep?"

"Since this isn't a good thing, why are you taking it away?"

Hearing this, Sia looked at him with utter disdain.

"Elder Kishu, if you had paid even the slightest bit of attention to external news, you wouldn't be asking such superficial questions."

"Of course I know the waters of this ninja tool run deep and that Kusagakure can't handle it."

"But I'm different. In the Kirigakure black market, I am known as the Ocean of Missions—this little bit of water is nothing!"

"Therefore, this dangerous ninja tool will be taken away by me."

Naturally, Elder Kishu was unwilling to let such a powerful ninja tool be easily taken away by Sia.

However, Sia silenced him completely with just a few brief sentences.

"That monster named Satori is not dead."

"It returned to the Box of Ultimate Bliss of its own accord, and there's no telling when it might emerge once again."

"Are you certain you don't want me to take this ninja tool away?"

Sia's words caused Elders like the ox-masked Elder Kinyu standing beside Kishu to change their expressions.

After a brief exchange among themselves, Elder Kinyu, wearing the ox-shaped zodiac mask, stepped forward to state their position.

"Lord Sia, if Mui has no objections, it would be best to leave this ninja tool in your custody."

Sia might have been fear-mongering just now, or he might have been telling the absolute truth!

Should Sia's words prove true and Satori escaped once again, Kusagakure could very well face annihilation!

Given that, it was far more cost-effective to let Sia take away this dangerous ninja tool in exchange for earning his friendship.

Furthermore, everyone could see that Sia maintained a very good relationship with Mui, the de facto ruler of Kusagakure.

Using this ninja tool as a favor to gift Sia would also serve to deepen the bond between Mui and Sia.

With a powerful Kage-level ninja like Sia as a friend, who would even care about two-wheeled self-propelled ninja tools?

After Elder Kinyu stated his stance, Sia cast his gaze toward Mui.

Mui slowly nodded in agreement.

Leaving this item in Kusagakure posed a constant hidden hazard.

The village currently possessed no powerhouse capable of defeating that monster.

"Ah, that's right, Mui, this mission can be considered completed, right?"

Upon hearing this, Mui produced a check redeemable at a bank for twenty million ryo and handed it to Sia.

As Sia accepted the check from Mui's hand, a system notification chimed in his mind.

[Long-term commission mission completed!]

[Employer: Mui]

[Mission Objective: Capture Tailed Beasts]

[Mission Reward: 20 million ryo]

[Mission Rank: S-rank]

[Mission Reward: 4000 commission points, one Super Draw]

His accumulated commission points were now quite substantial; Kirigakure had truly allowed Uzumaki Sia to rake in a fortune.

His commission points had successfully broken into five digits.

It was enough to pull 120 ten-draws.

Along with two Super Draws.

Once he returned and handed in the tailed beast mission, he could harvest yet another wave.

It felt utterly fantastic.

Shortly after, Sia unsummoned the Three-Tails and stored the Box of Ultimate Bliss directly into his system space.

Mui had already witnessed Sia use such "space-time ninjutsu" many times, so by now, he naturally found it unremarkable.

With the affairs of Kusagakure fully resolved, Sia did not linger. Accompanied by Kakuzu and Karin, he left Kusagakure.

After walking for a certain distance, Sia halted.

Noticing him stop suddenly, Kakuzu asked with a puzzled frown, "What is it?"

Sia casually replied, "I accepted an escort mission using a wood clone. A merchant caravan will be passing by shortly, so we'll wait a bit."

Hearing this piece of news, Kakuzu was already completely accustomed to it and saw no need for further comment.

Executing missions while traveling on the road had long since become an ingrained habit in Uzumaki Sia's bones.

The road from Kusagakure to Kirigakure, which used to be perilous, had grown quite safe during this period.

For no other reason than the fact that Kusagakure and Amegakure had forged a close alliance, resulting in much tighter communication.

The importance of this vital route passing between Amegakure and Kusagakure had increased dramatically, prompting both villages to station numerous ninjas along the way.

The trio of travelers returned to Amegakure without any ripples or incidents.

Sia sought out Pain once again to hand in the mission for capturing the tailed beast.

Word that Sia, Kakuzu, and Kisame had captured a tailed beast had already spread throughout the Akatsuki organization.

This time, aside from Konan and Pain, other members of the Akatsuki had also gathered in the open space of Amegakure.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Boom—!"

White smoke billowed as dust and debris scattered everywhere.

The next moment, a drastically altered Three-Tails, Isobu, materialized before everyone's eyes.

Upon seeing the current appearance of the Three-Tails, everyone wore strange expressions as they looked at Sia.

Konan stared at the Three-Tails—which had grown so thin it was skin and bone, its size having shrunk by more than half—and the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

'Just what on earth did this guy do to a tailed beast?'

Inside a room within Amegakure's tall tower, Nagato, resting within his life-support apparatus, wore an equally bizarre and peculiar expression.

"How is it that Uzumaki Sia managed to reduce a tailed beast to such a haggard, skin-and-bones state after just a few days?"

The other Akatsuki members gazed at Sia with eyes full of suspicion and odd curiosity.

Naturally, Kakuzu, who knew the truth, couldn't be bothered to explain it to everyone.

He had already found a comfortable spot to sit down, rest, and recover his stamina.

Wasting even a single extra word meant losing a second of recovery time.

An essential skill for partnering with Uzumaki Sia was learning to squeeze in rest at every available opportunity; otherwise, one would sooner or later be worked to death.