Black Zetsu found it strange as well, but then noticed Shukaku's size was wrong. He guessed, "It's a clone! Shukaku likely reached some agreement with Ryou and survived in the form of a clone."
Black Zetsu snorted inwardly. Ryou wasn't being honest either, failing to hand over all of Shukaku's chakra.
But there was no need to worry. The Gedo Statue had already sealed Shukaku's chakra. Once Mother was unsealed in the future, she would naturally reclaim all of the chakra.
On Ryou's side.
Candy suddenly sensed Black and White Zetsu and said to Ryou, "Ryou, Black and White Zetsu have also arrived at Hozuki Castle. They're likely sent by Madara to monitor you."
"What? Why is that old man keeping such a tight leash on me?"
Ryou was angry and immediately flew toward Black and White Zetsu's direction with murderous intent.
Seeing Ryou rushing over with a face full of killing intent, Black and White Zetsu immediately activated the Mayfly Technique and fled.
They mainly appeared to remind Ryou that he was still under Madara's surveillance and shouldn't think about escaping Madara's sight.
After driving Black and White Zetsu away, Ryou was currently at the walls of Hozuki Castle.
He saw the Box of Ultimate Bliss rioting. The box opened its four large mouths, frantically devouring the surrounding life.
Many possessed people, looking like they were on drugs, appeared around it, biting others like mad dogs.
"What is this? Resident Evil?"
Shukaku said, "It's the Box of Ultimate Bliss. This box has held Satori for so many years that they've become interdependent."
"Satori is a magical beast that finds pleasure in slaughter and destruction. The Box of Ultimate Bliss has been influenced by it into becoming an evil tool."
"If Satori isn't locked back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, it will continue to riot."
Ryou scratched his head. "How do I lock Satori back in? I came to Hozuki Castle specifically to turn Satori into a Summoned Beast!"
Shukaku said, "The Box of Ultimate Bliss is a Shinobi tool made by Old Man. If you had the Rinnegan, you could probably subdue it, but unfortunately, you don't."
Ryou stroked his chin. "Forget it, let's get the Box of Ultimate Bliss under control first!"
Ryou formed hand seals, and Shukaku cooperated by outputting Magnet Release chakra.
Soon, under Ryou's control, the steel materials of Hozuki Castle turned into a flow of iron, firmly sealing the four large mouths of the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Then, Ryou used Wood Release to suppress the puppets controlled by the Box of Ultimate Bliss, finally resolving the crisis at Hozuki Castle.
Ryou landed in front of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, thinking about how to manipulate it!
Looking at Satori's evil and dark appearance, conventional methods wouldn't work to control it. Ryou could only find a way to control the Box of Ultimate Bliss to then control Satori.
But after studying it for a long time, Ryou still had no clue.
The Kusagakure Shinobi approached. Looking at the pyramid seal formed by iron sand and Wood Release vines in the distance, they were all extremely admiring of Ryou's power.
The ancestors of Kusagakure had almost ruled the world relying on Satori's power, yet such a powerful magical beast had fallen at Ryou's hands.
It was clear that the times had changed. Madara and Hashirama had rewritten this era.
From then on, only the power of the Sharingan and Wood Release could be called the pinnacle.
After Madara was resurrected again, he told the Shinobi World that above the Sharingan and Wood Release, there was still the Sage of Six Paths's Rinnegan.
He had officially opened the era of gods fighting!
Even if the people of Kusagakure possessed the Ritual Formula to control Satori, they couldn't hope to make waves in this era.
The future would inevitably be a clash between the Sharingan, Wood Release, or the Rinnegan.
This was the general trend.
Since it was the trend, how could one block it?
When a grain of sand from an era falls on an individual's head, it's more than just a mountain. Misinterpreting the intent of the era only leads to tragedy, and the footnotes of history are often the lives of ordinary people.
Shirakawa flattered Ryou, "Lord Ryou, you are truly too powerful. In today's Shinobi World, if Lord Madara is ranked first, then you are ranked second."
Ryou turned back and looked at Shirakawa with his Sharingan, saying, "Say that again!"
Shirakawa repeated it; he didn't think there was anything wrong!
But in the next instant, Ryou released an electric current on him, directly making Shirakawa twitch and foam at the mouth.
Ryou snorted, "Remember, when Madara is present, you can say he is number one in the world, but in private, you must say I am number one in the world."
The Kusagakure people all chimed in to compliment Ryou, saying Madara could only shine Ryou's shoes, and without Ryou resurrecting Madara, he would be nothing.
Ryou immediately burst out laughing, and the Kusagakure Shinobi all joined in with awkward laughter.
Ryou then stopped joking around with Kusagakure.
He asked the Rat-Masked Elder, "The Box of Ultimate Bliss is a treasure of your Kusagakure. You must know how to manipulate it, right?"
The Rat-Masked Elder shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lord Ryou. The last ancestor of Kusagakure to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss lived hundreds of years ago. There has been a long gap in knowledge."
"Until we saw Satori, we in Kusagakure always thought the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a treasure box that granted wishes!"
Ryou shouted, "Useless trash! What's the point of keeping you!"
"Candy, shock him!"
Candy extended a cat paw, releasing a powerful electric current to shock the Rat-Masked Elder.
Under Candy's current, the Rat-Masked Elder followed in Shirakawa's footsteps, falling to the ground and twitching.
Ryou then looked at the remaining elders.
(|||ﾟдﾟ).
The Kusagakure people looked at Ryou with faces full of shock. Seeing the miserable state of Shirakawa and the Rat-Masked Elder, they were all frantically thinking of ways to control the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Ryou followed the order of the 12 Zodiac masks and pointed to the Ox-Masked Elder.
"Your turn!"
The Ox-Masked Elder quickly said, "My Lord, the Ritual Formula to control Satori might be inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"Good, good, good. I'll send you in right now to find the Ritual Formula to control Satori!"
Ryou formed seals to create vines, tying the Ox-Masked Elder's leg. Just as he was about to throw him in, the other man suddenly punched himself hard, knocking himself out cold.
What a ruthless guy!
The other Kusagakure elders followed suit, each knocking themselves unconscious, leaving only Chizu, who was holding her child, and Mui.
And the current lord of Hozuki Castle—Soichiro.
Soichiro knelt at Ryou's feet and said, "My Lord, the history between Kusagakure and our ancestors has been broken for too long, but I am certain that mastering the Box of Ultimate Bliss will allow you to control Satori."
"My Lord only needs to find a way to clear out the negative energy within the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
Ryou stroked his chin and then split off a Spore Clone from his body, throwing it into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Ryou then synchronized with the Spore Clone he had thrown into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
He entered a boundless, eternally dark dimension.
There were no boundaries of heaven or earth here, only a void as thick as ink.
Deathly silent and gloomy, filled with wails, malice, and despair, this was a dimension dominated by negative energy and darkness.
Most of this negative energy was produced by the humans devoured by the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Entering Satori's space, there was no light, no hope, only endless fear and eternal imprisonment. Anyone would become desperate.
Even the Spore Clone, which represented life, couldn't help but be affected by the extremely negative surrounding environment, beginning to become pessimistic and indifferent.
Outside, Ryou thought about how to deal with the negative energy inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
This negative energy was like a Tailed Beast's chakra filled with resentment; it could also be absorbed.
But it couldn't be absorbed by the main body, as this kind of chakra could easily affect one's mind.
So, he would use a clone.
Ryou thought of the Great Tree of Takigakure.
Ryou called out to Candy, "Candy, throw the summoning scroll for the Great Tree of Takigakure inside."
"Yes!"
Candy then threw in the summoning scroll for the Great Tree of Takigakure that had been inscribed last night.
After the Spore Clone found it, it opened the scroll and activated the Summoning Jutsu for the Great Tree of Takigakure.
The Great Tree of Takigakure was about sixty stories high, while the Box of Ultimate Bliss was the size of a room. Wouldn't summoning it cause the box to burst?
Actually, that wasn't the case.
The world inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a dimension; otherwise, it would be impossible to accommodate the giant beast Satori, who was about the size of Gamabunta, along with all the lives it had devoured.