118 Box of Ultimate Bliss
Komeko's peculiar question puzzled him. Having witnessed his strength early on, she had an unusual request for him to escort her back. Strangely, her plea fell flat, and surprisingly, she showed no signs of reluctance.
Throughout the journey, he remained silent, never posing a single question. Not only did he cover the expenses for both Komeko and her brother, but he refrained from prying into the reasons behind her escape. This left Komeko thoroughly perplexed.
In her mind, even if he carried the title of a samurai, logic dictated that he should have sought mission-related information to enhance the success of their endeavor.
The absence of inquiries about her purpose seemed odd, leaving her to wonder if there was a deeper motive behind his enigmatic silence.
Fugaku dismissed the notion with a wave. "There's no need to fret. If you really want to know, I'm curious about what you were doing in the Land of Rain without any money."
In his mind, caution in the Grass Village was unnecessary. It was just a brief stop, and there were hardly any decent ninjas in the village.
"Although I don't have any money," Komeko confessed, her voice low and tinged with a hint of shame, "I have a pendant that my mother gave me on my eighteenth birthday. She had it specially made by a craftsman. It's valuable. If I sell it, I can hire some ninjas!"
Fugaku looked at her with surprise. "You admit that, but why don't you hire a ninja? Why do you need me?"
"I believe Yasuo-sama is stronger than any ninja, and he is a good person," Komeko replied with conviction, her trust in Yasuo evident in her words.
He was surprised. His strength surpassed that of a ninja, a fact he could reluctantly admit without shame. But a good person? Was he considered a good person?
"Don't give me a good person card. These days, good people die fast!" Fugaku retorted, skepticism etched across his face.
Misinterpreting his response, Komeko thought Fugaku wanted some collateral before helping her further. Reassuringly, she said, "Yasuo-sama, don't worry, I will keep my promise. If you're still not sure, I can give you the pendant as a guarantee. Here~~" She untied the pendant from her chest and handed it to him.
He was momentarily speechless. Money and valuables didn't interest him; he sought connection. However, when he glanced at the pendant in Komeko's hand, his steps froze, and he looked stunned.
he controlled his intense feelings, grabbed the necklace,, and asked eagerly, "Where did you get this thing?"
"I… The craftsman made it for me on my birthday…" Komeko responded, her surprise evident at his sudden outburst. Hadn't she already told him that?
Fugaku ignored her, his gaze fixated on the pendant in his hand, disbelief etched across his face.
How could this be? The material, the patterns, the size of the pendant—everything was exactly the same as the one he had when he crossed over… The same! He recognized the very pendant he had worn for so long. He was certain.
What was happening? His eyebrows knitted, and his mind raced. After a few seconds, he reached a startling conclusion: had he come to this world by chance?
How was that possible? This pendant, made by the craftsman for her eighteenth birthday. his heart was in turmoil. The pendant was beyond his understanding.
This world was undoubtedly real, he was sure, but it seemed that there were many things he was unaware of.
Fugaku took a deep breath and asked slowly, attempting to calm his emotions. "What's the story behind these patterns?"
"Is that all?" Komeko felt relieved at his question. "I saw them in a book in the Daimyo's Library. I thought they were very unique, so I copied them."
"The Daimyo's Library?" Fugaku initially frowned, but then his eyes lit up. "Hey, I'm curious about why you were chased down. Can you tell me briefly?"
"Sure…" The princess began to explain, but Fugaku was baffled again.
The Box of Bliss? What was that? Could it truly grant people's wishes? It sounded like something out of Dragon Ball with the divine dragon. Did it exist in the ninja's world? Or in the Land of Grass?
Fugaku felt utterly lost. The Land of Grass was in political turmoil, and so was the Hidden Grass Village. There was a city in the Land of Grass with the Hōzuki Castle, a prison built by the Hidden Grass Village.
Officially, it functioned as a prison, but secretly, it housed the Box. The Box was kept in a laboratory hidden deep underground, accessed through a stairway concealed behind a bookcase in the master's office.
Prisoners became unwitting test subjects, their chakra drained in attempts to open the Box.
It was said to be a massive box, containing immense power. Opening it required sacrificing a living person and infusing enough chakra into it. When opened, the Box would supposedly grant the wish of the opener, even if it meant ruling the world.
The box was real, but the wish was considered a myth. Komeko's father, the daimyo of the Land of Grass, deemed the box evil and opposed it. As a result, his ambitious brother, Miyamoto, staged a coup and killed him.
The little boy named Kenji was Komeko's brother, a political pawn hunted down by Miyamoto.
Since the Hidden Grass Village refused the mission of capturing the former daimyo's daughter, Miyamoto hired rogue ninjas. Komeko's reason for returning was to save her mother, locked up in the Hōzuki Castle, a place no ordinary person could enter.
In the midst of a politically war-torn land, Fugaku came to a quick decision.
He didn't recall anything about these matters in the Hidden Grass Village. They left no impression on him, and he didn't care much. What he was curious about was the origin of that pendant.
To investigate, he had to go to the Daimyo's palace, the Library, and to get there, he had to check it out through the Hōzuki Castle.
He smiled, realizing he had stumbled upon something interesting
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