Note: if you want to get access to +20 Advance Chapters before everyone else and help Translate and pay for the Chapters because we start paying for every chapter from the author Support me on patreon.com/flokixy
( Translator: I miss some paragraphs for almost all the chapters and I added them sorry )
"Why? Hmph!" Mujin let out a cold snort, clenching his fist tightly in front of him. "Because I want to rise to the top! I want power! Status! Wealth! I want those who bullied my sister to forever look up at her from the ground!! I want no one to ever dare look down on us again!"
After a brief silence, the atmosphere in the Elder Chamber softened slightly. One of the elders nodded to the other three and then addressed Mujin. "Your words… are indeed not false."
Clearly, he had some means of detecting lies.
Those who aspire to rule the world only believe that others harbor the same ambition.
However, Mujin didn't need to lie. He simply chose to omit certain truths.
He truly needed power, status, and wealth because these would make it easier for him to ignite the next great ninja war. And when Karin decapitated those people and tossed their heads onto the ground, they would indeed only be able to look up at her.
The four elders exchanged glances and discussed briefly before finally giving their response. "We can provide you with a maximum of ten people. Do you have confidence in succeeding?"
"Personnel composition?"
"All members of the ANBU—One Jonin, four Special Jonin, and no Chunin."
Mujin thought for a moment, then fixed his gaze on the elders. "No problem. But from now on, my sister Karin will no longer provide medical services to anyone."
The elders fell silent for a moment before ultimately agreeing to Mujin's demand. Compared to their long-held wish, Karin seemed insignificant. "We've agreed. However, why hasn't your sister returned?"
"Because… I don't trust you!"
As for Sochi and Ryokui, the elders hadn't even given them a second thought.
...
After Mujin left, the elders began discussing among themselves.
"That brat is becoming harder and harder to control."
"Opening the Box of Bliss is the top priority. For now, let him have his moment of triumph. If he does anything out of line, the four of us will step in and eliminate him."
"There's no need for us to intervene. Over the years, he's killed many for us. Once we capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we'll leak his identity. There will naturally be others who will take care of him."
"And Karin… Her abilities are too valuable. After Mujin dies, we'll take control of her and use her to breed new life. We cannot allow such a rare ability to die out."
"The Box of Bliss… The thousand-year-old wish of the Grass Hidden Village…"
Whispers continued to echo in the Elder Chamber, but these matters no longer concerned Mujin.
Half a day later, Mujin, once again wearing his pure white mask, entered a secret chamber. The ten ANBU operatives assigned to him by the elders were waiting there.
When Mujin entered the room, the ANBU operatives immediately tensed up. "Hey, hey, what kind of joke is this? I never heard we'd be working with this heartless monster!"
The assassin known as "Maskless" was not only ruthless toward enemies but also willing to sacrifice his own comrades without hesitation if it meant completing the mission. He was a true monster without a heart!
"Don't misunderstand. It's not about you working alongside me—it's about you following my orders." With that, Mujin pulled out a scroll and tossed it over. "This is your mission. Monitor these individuals and ensure the information reaches me on time. When action is required, I'll summon you. You can sort out the details among yourselves—I don't have time to waste. If you have any questions, ask now."
Before one of the ANBU could speak, the leading Jonin stepped in and stopped him. "No, we have no questions."
Mujin looked at the Jonin and slowly nodded. "Good."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
Once Mujin was gone, the ANBU operative who had been stopped spoke up indignantly. "Why did you stop me?"
The Jonin's expression darkened. "Because Maskless never listens to anyone's opinions. If you had spoken, he would have killed you. After eliminating all opposition, the only ones left alive will have no choice but to obey his commands."
"How… how could this be!? How could the elders possibly allow him to do this!?"
"Because… his missions have never failed!"
After regrouping with Karin, Mujin entered the territory of Wind Country.
Wind Country was the largest of the Five Great Shinobi Nations in terms of land area. However, more than half of its terrain was buried beneath vast deserts. While there were numerous oases scattered throughout, arable land was scarce, forcing Wind Country to rely heavily on trade with Fire Country for resources. Life here was far from prosperous.
Following the Third Great Ninja War, the daimyo of Wind Country had further reduced financial support to Sunagakure, exacerbating the village's already dire economic situation. Even Fourth Kazekage Rasa's efforts to extract gold sand using his Magnet Release techniques couldn't sustain the military might required for large-scale conflicts.
The most telling sign of their decline was the disappearance of Suna's once-renowned elite fighting force—the Puppet Corps. Once a symbol of terror across the shinobi world, it had faded into history due to lack of funding for maintenance and development.
Even among the younger generation, only Kankuro continued practicing puppetry—a luxury afforded by his status as the son of the Fourth Kazekage.
This economic desperation explained why Sunagakure agreed to Orochimaru's proposal to attack Konoha. If they didn't make drastic changes soon, slow but inevitable death awaited them.
Mujin and Karin concealed themselves within the desert, dedicating their time to mastering the first three gates of the Eight Gates Technique. Thanks to their extraordinary physical conditioning, their progress was rapid—within just twenty days, they completed training for the third gate.
Opening the third gate amplified their strength, speed, and chakra reserves to an astonishing degree—a testament to their already exceptional baseline abilities.
It was during this period that an ANBU operative from Grass Village delivered urgent news directly to Mujin:
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had left Sunagakure with his entourage, heading toward Konoha.
Mujin and Karin sprang into action.
Orochimaru planned to assassinate Rasa en route to Konoha. By doing so, he could impersonate the Fourth Kazekage to ambush the Third Hokage while ensuring Suna's forces wouldn't retreat prematurely upon sensing danger.
But Mujin also needed Rasa dead—to fan the flames of war even higher.
Using Kagura Shingan, Karin tracked Rasa's group from dozens of kilometers away, keeping a safe distance as they followed.
Just before crossing the border out of Wind Country, Orochimaru appeared in Karin's sensory range. The battle began immediately.
This fight didn't require Mujin's intervention. He and Karin advanced slowly toward the battlefield, but before reaching halfway, the clash had already ended.
When they arrived, all that remained was a field littered with corpses.
Rasa and two of his guards had been stripped of their faces by Orochimaru. Mujin approached one of the fallen guards, similarly stealing his face. Afterward, he searched Rasa's body, retrieving some identifying items—but found nothing else of value.
After a moment of contemplation, Mujin instructed Karin to bury the bodies deep underground using Earth Release techniques. Then, he sealed Rasa's corpse into a sealing scroll.
While Orochimaru cared only about eliminating the Third Hokage and dismissed Rasa as a minor obstacle, Mujin understood the true worth of the Fourth Kazekage. Possessing the kekkei genkai Magnet Release and being a former Kage, Rasa's body—even lifeless—could fetch an astronomical price on the black market.
Once everything was settled, the pair hurried back to Fire Country.
By now, less than five days remained until the commencement of the third phase of the Chunin Exams.