Chapter Fifty-One: Fallen into the Trap?

Higashino Yu still remembered the events of the original story. Wu Wei first appeared as a villain, attempting to open the Box of Bliss, but later, it was revealed that his true motive was to save his son trapped inside. In terms of power, he specialized in a fire-based binding technique, strong enough to restrain even Naruto in the later stages, making him a formidable opponent. In retrospect, Yu realized that the abilities Wu Wei had displayed on the battlefield earlier had been these very same techniques.

But that wasn’t the important part right now. What truly mattered was the strand of red hair. There was no doubt it belonged to Karin’s mother. What had happened to her? Why had Wu Wei sent this letter?

Knowing the plot, Yu quickly deduced that opening the Box of Bliss required an enormous amount of chakra, and the Uzumaki clan, to which Karin’s mother belonged, was renowned for their vast reserves of chakra. Was Karin’s mother captured to open the box?

At that moment, Karin also noticed what Yu had taken from the envelope. The distinctive red color made her immediately think of her mother. “Is that my mother’s hair?” she asked anxiously. “Did something happen?”

Yu furrowed his brow and didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he held out the slip of paper with the address to Ryuzetsu. “Do you know where this is?”

“Yes.”

“Lead the way.”

Under Yu’s genjutsu, Ryuzetsu began to walk ahead, and only then did Yu lower his head to answer Karin. “Don’t worry. We know where your mother is now. We’ll find her soon.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. Just follow her.”

Without further explanation, Yu trailed after Ryuzetsu, who was leading the way. As he walked, another question nagged at him—why would Wu Wei send this letter? From Ryuzetsu’s earlier words, it seemed events were unfolding just as in the original: Wu Gu had been swallowed by the Box of Bliss, and Wu Wei was trying to save his son. But unlike the original, where Wu Wei did everything in his power to open the box himself, now he was luring Yu there instead?

Was he hoping to use Yu’s power to save his son, or did he have another plot in mind? Yu doubted it was the former—who would entrust something so critical to a complete stranger? He didn’t think himself that charismatic. But the latter seemed unlikely, too. Yu recalled that Wu Wei had once said that, in his heart, once his son was gone, so was the Grass Ninja Village. In other words, Wu Wei had no reason to scheme against Yu anymore. Most likely, calling Yu there was still about saving his son.

Was he being kept as a backup plan? If opening the box failed to bring his son back, then perhaps Wu Wei would look to Yu for another way? Yu guessed as much.

And indeed, that’s exactly how things were. In the original, Wu Wei could think of no other way to rescue his son except to keep gathering chakra and attempt to open the box, hoping against hope it would work. But now, as one of those who had witnessed Yu’s overwhelming power on the battlefield—he hadn’t been hit by the slash, but felt its strength up close—Wu Wei saw a second glimmer of hope. Yet, unable to fully trust Yu, he couldn’t put all his faith in him. Coincidentally, he’d noticed Yu’s particular interest in Karin’s family, having spent the entire morning there, and thus realized his opportunity had come.

If the ritual succeeded and his son returned, there would be nothing more to say. But if the ritual failed, and Karin’s mother ended up trapped in the box just like his son, then Yu—wanting to save her—would have to find a way to break open the box, which might also bring his son back. As for any other consequences, the guilt of having sent his own son into the box already filled Wu Wei’s heart; he could think of nothing else now. He just wanted his son back.

(Special note: Owing to some comments, let me clarify in advance—don’t worry about tragedy cropping up. This is an invincible-protagonist type of story. As long as the protagonist doesn’t want someone dead, they won’t die. Even if they do, they can be brought back. I just want to write the story I like, and I don’t enjoy tragedies.)

Calculating the time, Wu Wei thought, They should be arriving soon. He glanced at Karin’s mother, unconscious on the operating table. “Begin,” said the one in the ram’s-head mask.

The tiger-head replied with a grunt, then produced a vial of liquid, drew it up into a syringe, and started injecting it into Karin’s mother. As the drug took effect, her skin flushed red, and her already malnourished red hair grew even more withered.

“Ah!” Though unconscious, she cried out in pain. At the same time, visible streams of chakra gushed from her body.

“Wu Wei, start the process,” Ram-head said.

“Understood,” Wu Wei replied, forming hand seals. With the secret technique unleashed, the chakra streaming from Karin’s mother surged toward the nearby Box of Bliss. That same grinning face appeared on the box, this time looking even more sinister than before.

At the cave entrance, Yu’s mental senses had already picked up everything happening inside. He paused, looked down at Karin. “Wait here. Your mother is inside. I’ll bring her out.” He decided it was best not to let Karin witness her mother’s suffering.

But Karin did not agree. “Can I come too?” Though phrased as a question, Yu could sense her determination.

“…Alright.”

With that, Yu headed into the cave, releasing Ryuzetsu from the genjutsu. Ryuzetsu was dazed for a moment, then quickly understood what had happened. She started to speak, then stopped, and simply followed them inside.

Within the cave, around the operating table—

“Someone’s coming,” Tiger-head said suddenly.

“Who?” Ram-head asked.

“The one we were worried about,” Tiger-head replied gravely.

“Is the box open? How much longer?” Ram-head glanced at the levitating Karin’s mother and the Box of Bliss nearby.

“I don’t know.”

“Will the maze of tunnels outside slow him down?”

Tiger-head was about to answer, then paused and said, “No, he’s coming straight through—every obstacle is being cut down in a single stroke. He’s coming fast.”

“I’ll try to hold him,” said Ox-head, who had been silent all this time. He looked at Wu Wei. “Hurry up!”

With that, he strode toward the entrance, removing his mask as he went. It turned out he was another familiar face to Yu—one of the Grass Ninja Village elders who had previously pleaded with Yu for more time to gather the hundred million ryo.

“So it’s you,” Yu said as he and his companions entered before the elder could leave.

“Mother!” Karin cried out to the distant figure on the table.

“My lord, it’s me,” the elder replied, ignoring Karin and addressing Yu.

Yu asked with curiosity, “Did you lie about the village being unable to gather a hundred million ryo?”

“No.”

Yu nodded and drew his sword. “This is an internal matter of Grass Ninja Village, my lord. I hope you won’t interfere.”

Yu did not cease his actions.

“If you stay out of this, we’ll give you another hundred million ryo,” the elder bargained. The enormous sum gave Yu a moment’s pause, but only briefly, and he continued to draw his sword. At that instant, the elder suddenly extended his index and middle fingers toward Yu.

His intentions laid bare, the elder never expected Yu to accept his terms; he just wanted to distract Yu for a moment and then unleash the village’s binding technique. As one of their most powerful jutsu, the Binding Technique could restrain even those many times stronger than the user by sealing their chakra. The elder knew he couldn’t hold Yu forever, but was confident a short delay was possible.

Yu, for his part, cooperated by pausing—he sensed no threat and was puzzled by the elder’s gesture. What was he doing with his fingers? Surely it couldn’t be just a rude gesture of frustration.

While Yu wondered, the Grass Ninja present all noticed his hesitation, their hearts leaping with hope.

Did it work? Has even such a powerful foe been immobilized by the Binding Technique?

The elder facing Yu even began to explain: “Can’t move, can you? This is our village’s Binding Technique. Even someone as strong as you can’t resist it.”

Ryuzetsu and Karin looked on with anxiety, and Kakuzu was already preparing for battle. At that moment, Yu finally realized what was happening—it was the Binding Technique, just like in the original story, though he hadn’t recalled it before. Understanding now, Yu stopped waiting, drew his sword, and spoke as he did so.

“No, I was just confused by your actions.”

It was an ordinary explanation, but the elder felt Yu was mocking him. Yu ignored him, preparing to disrupt the ritual with his blade.

But just then, the ritual stopped on its own. Karin’s mother, who had been floating, slowly settled back onto the table. Yu frowned; the elders of Grass Ninja Village, however, were overjoyed—the chakra was sufficient, and the Box of Bliss had been opened!

But Yu’s concern was not for the box, but for Karin’s mother. Her life force was draining rapidly, and at this rate, she would not survive. He lowered his sword and decided to stabilize her condition first.

Yu was not worried. With his current skills, he could handle this situation—hence his calm all along. He began casting healing techniques on Karin’s mother as if they cost nothing, his proficiency in [Medical Arts] steadily increasing. Using skills consumed energy, but as his proficiency improved, so did his stamina; as long as he managed his usage, he could effectively heal indefinitely.

Moreover, [Medical Arts] was a special skill: each use often resulted in a significant proficiency gain. The first time he’d used a healing spell on Ayano Natsukawa, he’d gained two points at once. The more his skill grew, the more he could afford to use it at full strength.

One healing spell didn’t work? Then ten. If ten weren’t enough, a hundred. If that still failed, a thousand or ten thousand. By then, the skill might even allow him to revive the dead—there was no way things would go awry.

Yu remained composed from beginning to end.