The land of the Grass Country was being shattered piece by piece by this war.
And in one corner of the battlefield, news about Konoha's new weapon was quietly beginning to spread.
At Iwagakure's frontline command post, the captain of a reconnaissance squad had just finished making his report.
"Konoha's ninja seem to be equipped with a type of armor that can greatly increase the power of ninjutsu."
The Iwagakure frontline commander immediately marked the information as top priority and sent it directly back to the village.
At Sunagakure's camp, Chiyo set down her teacup after hearing the report.
"Chakra armor." Chiyo repeated the term. "Konoha has never used anything like this before."
"It was probably only developed recently. We've never seen similar equipment in any previous frontline engagement," Ebizō added. "According to the intelligence, this batch of armor came through Konoha's supply lines, so there probably aren't many of them."
"Not many doesn't mean unimportant. If Konoha can mass-produce this armor, then we'll have to reassess the entire direction of the war. Send someone to investigate its principles and weaknesses."
At Kumogakure's frontline headquarters, the Third Raikage slammed the intelligence report onto the table.
"Those Konoha bastards hid this pretty well. Chakra armor, huh? No wonder Iwagakure has been getting pushed around in the last few skirmishes."
"Should we develop similar equipment?"
"Not yet." The Third Raikage waved a massive hand. "Armor is still an external tool. What truly decides victory is the strength of the ninja. Have the reconnaissance teams find a way to get their hands on one. We'll study it first and figure out how it works."
Kusagakure.
"Konoha's new equipment? I'm not interested." The leader of Kusagakure tossed the report aside. "No matter what weapons they use to fight, we need to find a way to get them off our land."
The elders standing behind him exchanged uneasy looks.
"Half a year ago, the Dragon Vein beneath the ancient city of Rōran went berserk. The aftershocks of that chakra spread throughout the entire ninja world. You all know what the Dragon Vein represents. It is the purest source of chakra, one that belongs to no village."
"You mean using the Dragon Vein's power to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss?" One elder abruptly raised his head. "The Dragon Vein has already been sealed by Konoha. Even if it hadn't been, power on that level isn't something Kusagakure can control."
"I sent people long ago to collect the chakra scattered after the Dragon Vein went berserk. It may be enough to open it."
"May be enough?" The white-haired elder's voice suddenly rose. "That's the Box of Ultimate Bliss! You're going to gamble on a 'maybe'? What happens if we can't control it?"
"If we can't control it, what is the worst possible outcome?"
"Do you even need to ask? The entire village could be destroyed!"
"And then?"
The white-haired elder froze.
"They're already fighting a war inside the Land of Grass. We don't even know when Kusagakure might simply be wiped off the map. But if we open the Box of Ultimate Bliss, then Kusagakure will finally possess enough power to make the Five Great Nations take us seriously."
"This is far too dangerous!"
"And if we don't take risks, do you think we'll survive?" The leader's voice turned cold. "You've all read the frontline reports. The Land of Grass is already being torn apart. If we wait any longer, we won't even have the privilege of gambling."
"At the very least, we should know what happens after the Box of Ultimate Bliss is opened."
"According to legend, the Box of Ultimate Bliss has the power to grant any wish. But some accounts say it is a monster that devours everything. There is too little information to judge."
"The Five Great Nations are the ones fighting this war. Why are our people the ones dying?"
Arguments erupted one after another.
"Let's vote. Raise your hand if you agree to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
The leader of Kusagakure was the first to raise his hand.
Then came the second.
The third.
...
In the end, every elder raised a hand.
There was no other choice.
In the face of despair, even the most dangerous gamble seemed better than doing nothing.
Deep within Kusagakure, an abandoned temple had been converted into a secret ritual site.
At the center of the temple stood a massive black cube.
It was the legendary Box of Ultimate Bliss.
"Are all preparations complete?" the leader of Kusagakure asked as he stood before the box.
"This is all the Dragon Vein chakra we collected. It has been stored inside these crystals." One elder pointed at the more than one hundred crystal pillars arranged around the altar.
Another elder asked uneasily, "Will the Dragon Vein chakra we collected really be enough...?"
The leader cut him off.
"This is our only chance. If we cannot obtain power great enough to deter them, Kusagakure will eventually disappear from the map."
He raised a crystal sphere containing Dragon Vein chakra.
"Begin the ritual."
All the elders formed hand seals at the same time.
The crystal pillars surrounding the altar lit up simultaneously, and chakra flowed like streams toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss at the center.
The surface of the black box began to tremble faintly.
"Chakra input is stable."
"The box is responding."
"Just a little more! We're almost there!"
A trace of fanaticism flashed in the Kusagakure leader's eyes as he raised the crystal sphere high above his head.
"Go! Power of the Dragon Vein!"
The crystal sphere shattered.
The final surge of the purest Dragon Vein chakra poured into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
BOOM!
The entire temple shook violently.
A crack opened across the surface of the black box.
From within the gap came an ominous purple light that made everyone's heart pound.
"We did it! We succeeded!" The Kusagakure leader's voice trembled with excitement. "The legendary Box of Ultimate Bliss! The Box of Ultimate Bliss that can grant any wish!"
Every elder held their breath, waiting for the legendary miracle to descend.
But at that moment, the crack suddenly stopped widening.
The purple light flickered several times.
Then it dimmed.
The shaking of the temple stopped as well.
Everyone froze.
"W-What happened?"
"We're out of chakra." The elder maintaining the ritual turned deathly pale. "The Dragon Vein chakra we collected... is just a little short."
"How much?" the Kusagakure leader demanded.
"A-About the chakra of several jōnin."
The leader's gaze swept across the gathered elders.
Every elder instinctively took a step backward.
"Um... Leader, I'm already old. I don't have much chakra left."
"Same here. I still have a grandson to raise."
"I was injured yesterday. My chakra hasn't recovered yet."
The Kusagakure leader: "..."
He took a deep breath, then looked toward a young genin in the corner who was quietly wiping sweat from his forehead.
"You."
"Huh?" The young genin looked up. "Leader, I'm only a genin!"
"It's fine." The Kusagakure leader patted him on the shoulder. "Every little bit helps."
"Noooo!"
Ten minutes later.
The crack in the Box of Ultimate Bliss finally opened completely.
An overwhelming presence shot straight into the heavens. The entire village could feel the suffocating pressure.
The Kusagakure leader shouted excitedly,
"We want power! Power great enough to defeat the ninja of the Five Great Nations! We want the Land of Grass to become the greatest nation in the ninja world!"