Mui, overwhelmed with emotion, stepped forward toward his "son," Muku, closing the gap to less than two meters.
"Father," the pale and eerie figure of "Muku" spoke softly.
"Muku… I'm sorry," Mui whispered, tears glistening in his eyes. "It was my fault."
He opened his arms, attempting to embrace his son—but in a sudden motion, the figure's right hand pierced through Mui's chest, drilling into his heart effortlessly and without hesitation. The monster's hollow gaze radiated pure malice.
"That's right," it hissed, licking the blood from its hand. "Because of you, I shouldn't have been released."
Before the monster devoured Mui's essence, Kwah! It spat out red laughter:
"I've waited nearly a thousand years. Thank you for freeing me."
This horrifying being wasn't the real Muku but a monster with Muku's memories—the true creature birthed by the Purest Bliss Box.
Mui struggled to speak, and a fragment of Kurama's chakra flickered within him, triggering an alert that echoed through Hozuki Castle. Guards poured in from all directions and unleashed their hound squads.
But the monster was unstoppable. It moved faster than anything the guards had ever seen—so fast that only blurred motions remained as the guards fell one by one. As each victim dropped, the "joy" face of the box swung open, like a fang-filled maw, swallowing them whole.
The creature was absorbing life itself.
Naruto, watching closely, crossed his hands in a defensive pose.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A puff of white smoke. A clone of Naruto appeared.
"Watch over our little friend," the original whispered before charging at the monster.
"Take two rounds with me," Naruto taunted, curling his finger.
Without thinking, the monster lunged. Its speed and strength rivaled top taijutsu specialists. But Naruto was stronger and faster.
He sidestepped the blow and caught the monster's strike, delivering a powerful punch to its abdomen. Bang! The creature flew back like a comet.
"That… hurts!" The monster groaned, a huge hole in its belly—but it stood again, unhindered.
It howled upward as its form twisted and expanded: towering wings sprouted, limbs thickened into taloned appendages, and a massive maw emerged in its spherical body. The creature's true form revealed itself—Go, the monster spawned by the box.
Its appearance shifted the aesthetics from Naruto to something more akin to Digimon—or perhaps Impmon's final form.
"Strong…" Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement. What a find! Let's see how tough you really are.
Go surged forward with a roar and unleashed hundreds of razor-sharp feathered projectiles.
Clap! Naruto slammed his hands together, unleashing a shockwave that scattered the feathery blades. With a powerful kick, he shot through the air like a missile, narrowly missing Go's swooping wings.
Fast. Strong. Let's see what you're thinking. Go tried to read Naruto's mind, tapping into the innate ability of human monsters to do so.
Naruto laughed. "Guess what I'm thinking?"
Go's mind whirred—but his thought came out in text: You're thinking fart?!
Go paused in shock—someone had read his mind? "I don't do that," he spat.
Indeed, reading minds seemed an advantage, unless your foe is also overclocked in speed—then, what good is mind-reading if you can't react fast enough?
You know I know you know I know… the infinite loop of mind-reading stalled in Go's logic.
"Come at me!" Go snarled.
"I'll come up to you," Naruto replied calmly.
They circled each other. Naruto had already predicted Go's use of a straight punch.
Before Go even realized, Naruto's fist slammed into his round face—Bong!—launching him through the air again.
"Incredible speed…!"
Before Go could fully register, Naruto's second straight punch connected—Bang!
Even mind-reading couldn't save him. Go's mind couldn't process fast enough.
Naruto struck again, raining blow after blow onto Go's form—claylike, hollow body slowly turning into a messy pulp, flattening the plaza with crater after crater.
"This feels good. It's been a while since I used full power."
Naruto wiped faux sweat from his brow and glanced at Go—who was already regenerating.
"You're a good find," Naruto said, eyes glittering toward the massive Purest Bliss Box. Finally, it had fulfilled its true purpose.
For a moment, the box—almost sentient—seemed to tremble, as if it feared Naruto's growing ambition.
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