Ultimate Weapon

Naruto sat in the corner that shielded anyone’s view of him inside of his cell. Not that anyone would bother to look at this time anyway since it was approximately past midnight.

Naruto’s eyes were lightly shielded shut while he gathered up sage energy as he had been doing the past few hours.

Finally, he figured he had enough and stood from his place, determined to escape.

There was no way they could keep him locked up here, Naruto angrily thought.

He slowly walked to the cell door, making sure nobody in sight was awake before he once again sealed his eyes.

He rapidly moved his fingers to spell out a silent but very useful jutsu. One that could unlock any desired lock as long as you had the right hand movements.

Naruto opened his eyes with a smirk as soon as he heard the click signifying it had unlocked. He was going to have to thank pervy sage later on for teaching him the jutsu.

He looked back at his sleeping clone before opening the cell door and beginning to make his way down the dark hallway. All of the other inmates were thankfully sound asleep. He knew they would cause a ruckus if they caught him trying to escape.

Naruto could feel his sage energy slowly evaporating from his body from that pricks jutsu. He was just glad that he found some way to counteract that Lord Mui guy.

Although, had to hurry.

He walked past a snoring guard who had fallen asleep upright while chuckling to himself on how easy his escape was going to be.

Silence swayed the prison as Naruto's fast and soft footsteps quickly clashed against the pavement. Nothing seemed to go off as he made it outside of the giant prison. Must have lousy security.

All that talk about never being able to escape and he just walked right outside the door.

Naruto picked up his pace as he ran alongside the prison which seemed to stretch on forever.

The sky was different here. Instead of the usual bright moon, a red one took its place. It illuminated the prison in a bright light, making it look even more eerie than it already was.

Suddenly a beam of light swiftly brushed the ground near Naruto, almost catching him in its path.

Naruto quickly dove for cover behind a wall before looking up at the source of the light.

A lighthouse lay perched on top of the prison, thoroughly scanning the area. Naruto gritted his teeth, some light wasn't going to stop him.

However, he would have to keep cautious of it as there might be a watchman along with it.

He continued to follow alongside the wall, nearly avoiding being seen by the light by just a foot or two.

Naruto began to pick up his pace until he was swiftly stopped by an extreme pain erupting from his stomach. He felt it make its way along his body, seeming to spread every part of it in agony. He hunched over against the wall for support as he wretched.

Only painful dry air came out as he dry heaved further. He fell to his knees, clutching his empty and painful stomach.

Naruto lifted his shirt, only to see the rope-like mark glowing an even brighter red than before, and he could feel that his clone had been released.

He was losing chakra by the second.

Naruto began to lift himself up, using the wall for support as he groaned at the throbbing ache. Before he could fully stand, the deafening sound of sirens erupted in the air.

“They’re onto me already?” Naruto mumbled as he straightened himself up. Head beginning to pound, he quickly began running.

It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. He could feel the doors of the prison swinging open due to his sage energy. They were coming, and they were coming fast.

Blurriness succumbed his eyes as he continued running. He could barely keep his mind straight, the only thing keeping him going being his close escape.

A few seconds later, the sound of running footsteps began to approach.

Naruto quickly grabbed a dagger that had been tucked away in the pocket of his boot which luckily hadn't been discovered.

He used it to hoist himself onto a nearby roof to avoid being seen, nearly slipping off.

He could feel his sage mode quickly wearing off, only causing him agony and fatigue. Although, he continued climbing the rough-tiled roof, hearing the sound of dogs barking nearby.

A sudden click sounded below Naruto's foot. Confused, he looked up, only to see a set of daggers flying full speed right for him.

He quickly ducked to the side, grunting at the feeling of a puncture in his left arm. He looked down, noticing one of the daggers sticking out from his arm.

Naruto quickly pulled it out, a trail of blood following the weapon as he tossed it away.

“He’s up there!” A man from below shouted.

Naruto looked down to find the same grumpy captain from before pointing a finger up at him.

Shit, he thought to himself.

Naruto quickened his climb, knowing they were right behind him. He couldn't get caught now, he was too damn close to freedom. He had to get home and catch whoever framed him. He couldn't sit in a cell and let all of this happen!

Daggers and another variety of weapons continued to be flung at him the further up he went. Naruto only nearly dodged them in his fatigued state, knowing if he made one wrong move, he was dead. He only hoped his mind could stay conscious a little while longer.

Multiple shouts and orders could be heard below. The dogs barking hurt Naruto's throbbing head. He couldn't even keep his eyes straight anymore.

A shooting pain stabbed him in the gut, indicating his sage mode had worn off. Naruto stumbled, causing him to slide further down the roof, the tiles ripping through his clothes.

His vision blurred as he tumbled down, trying to get some sort of grip on whatever he could, scraping his fingertips in the process.

The last thing he felt was being thrown off the building and plummeting, hitting head-first into the cement below.

Dogs raced toward him before chewing up his clothing as if they had done something. Guards quickly followed, calling off the dogs as they approached.

“Well well. I knew blondie was a troublemaker but I never thought he would try and escape the first night. Now that's just plain stupid.” The Captain stated, hands on his hips with a smirk.

“You caught him.” Lord Mui suddenly said behind, causing the captain to jump slightly in his presence.

“Yes—yes, he’s a troubled little bastard.” The captain stated.

Lord Mui walked toward where Naruto lay deathly still. Mui nudged the blonde's head with his foot, allowing him to see his face, checking if he were really unconscious.

“Take him to the chamber. I'll teach him the punishment of trying to escape.” Mui instructed.

The guards immediately hoisted Naruto by both of his biceps, letting his feet drag behind as they headed into the prison.

Lord Mui then glanced at the captain before beginning to walk away. Though he stopped in his tracks for a moment. “You can have some fun too as a reward for capturing him once I'm finished with the punishment.”

“Oh, I will.” The captain stated before Mui continued toward the prison.

Whispers and chuckles erupted through the prison cells as the guards drug Naruto through the hallway.

“He really tried to escape?”

“Blondie really is a troublemaker.”

“Damn, he almost got away too.”

“Do you think he could help us escape?”

The silver-haired boy across from Naruto's cell stood up and clutched the bars, peering at Naruto's unconscious state. He hadn't even noticed him leave the cell.

He looked to have a serious wound to the head and arm as blood profusely trailed out onto the pavement. His clothing was all torn and stained in his own blood. He even looked to still be in pain while unconscious.

“Look at him, he barely looks alive. That's what happens when you try to escape.” A man also in a cell across from the silver-haired boy but next to Naruto's cell stated.

The silvered-haired boy scoffed. “At least he tried to escape.”

“That's true. No one has ever tried before. They're all too intimidated by Lord Mui.” The man spoke again. He paused, looking at the boy. “I’m Maroi, what's your name?”

“I don't have to tell you that.”

Maroi shrugged. “Suite yourself.” He then stepped away from the cell and sat down against the wall.

“My names Ryūzetsu.” The silver-haired boy suddenly stated after watching Naruto being drug into separate confinement.

“Where are they taking him?” Ryūzetsu pondered out loud, not expecting an answer back.

Although Maroi sighed in response. “To the chamber, also known as the punishment room. It's where the inmates who cause the most trouble go for a lesson.”

“What kind of lesson?” Ryūzetsu questioned, almost finding himself a little concerned for the blonde despite their argument earlier.

“I think you already know the answer to that.” Maroi replied.

****

Naruto blinked his eyes as the feeling of water dripped down onto his face. They met with a dry cement flooring below.

He could feel a dull ache in his knees as he realized he was kneeling.

Naruto's head immediately shot up, revealing a guard setting down a bucket, most likely the one who had drenched him in water.

As he peered on, he noticed Lord Mui standing behind the guard as he leaned against the wall.

Naruto looked around seeing that he was in some kind of cell, although it was nothing like the one he was previously in. This one was cold, damp, and empty.

“You even recover quite quickly. I wasn't expecting you to wake up from a mere bucket of water.” Lord Mui spoke, now walking toward Naruto.

Naruto attempted to move but was abruptly stopped by chains clamped over his wrists, pulling his arms into a wingspan position, connected to the walls on each side of him.

He also found that he was shirtless and had another chain around his waist keeping him from standing bolted to the ground. Along with that, he also had a metal clamp securing each ankle to the pavement. (for more detail, picture Eren Yeagers restraints was he was kidnapped by historias father, that was my reference).

Naruto struggled, rattling the chains in the process. “What the hell is this! Where am I?”

Lord Mui stopped in front of him as Naruto thrashed, trying to attack him.

“You’re at the punishment for your actions,” Mui stated, grabbing a handful of Naurto's blonde hair, forcing him to look up at him more clearly.

“Criminals like you don't get to test my limits and get away with it.”

Naruto seethed at the man as they were now face to face. “I'm not a fucking criminal-” Naruto stated before directly spitting onto Lord Mui’s face.

Mui just simply let go of his hair, stood up straight, and wiped the saliva from his face.

“That's what you get you ugly bastard! Now you know not to mess with—” Naruto was cut off by an abrupt pain to his cheekbone, then another to his nose.

Naruto took a few breaths to recover and then chuckled. “All this talk about you being powerful and thats the type of punch you throw? I could mistake you for a—” Another punch ended Naruto's words, this time in the stomach.

It still felt extremely sore due to the attempted escape, any contact with it felt like he was being lit on fire.

Naruto panted as cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

“Not so tough now are you?” Mui smirked.

Naruto tightly shut his eyes as the mark flashed red.

“I must admit, I admire your bravery in trying to escape. Nobody here has ever tried.” Lord Mui cooed as he circled around Naruto.

“You even almost made it out.” He said before striking Naruto in the back, causing him to hunch forward in pain as far as he could with the restraints.

“You see, when the celestial prison is infused with enough chakra, I can sense it. Let me tell you, the chakra I sensed with you….was remarkable considering it's...ability.” He struck Naruto again, this time in the rib, causing a wince of pain. “Most ninja couldn't endure such agony. I'm surprised you made it out that far outside of the prison.”

Naruto coughed. “I'll make it even farther next time…because I’m going to escape!”

Mui enforced a great amount of chakra into his right hand before punching Naruto in the face, knocking a tooth out from the impact.

Naruto spat a wad of blood onto the cement below. “Mark my words. I'm going to get the hell out of here, and you won't be enough to stop me.”

“We’ll just have to see how accurate that is.” Mui teasted before kneeling him in stomach.

Naruto yelled out in pain, lurching forward. The jutsu sprawled across his stomach only glowed brighter each time he was struck.

“The leaf abandoned you.” Mui said with another strike. “Why are you so fixated on going back to them?”

Naruto grunted when Mui once again stuck him on the temple. He blinked his eyes for a few moments of recovery before locking eyes with Lord Mui. “I have to go back and catch the guy who framed me. He could cause danger to the leaf…and my friends!”

“Hmm…and why is it that you're so keen on protecting them? They were the ones who sent you here in the first place.” Mui cooed.

Naruto gritted his teeth. “Because it's my ninja way.”

Mui stayed silent for a moment, maybe out of respect, maybe out of pity. Naruto didn't know, he was just glad to catch a small break.

The sweat off of Naruto's face slowly dripped below as he watched Mui stare at him with a blank face.

Okay, this was getting creepy, Naruto thought to himself.

“You remind me of my son.” Mui suddenly spoke.

Hope he isn't anything like you, Naruto wanted to say, but bit his tongue.

“He was all about protecting everything he loved.” Mui slowly said. “Very set on proving people wrong and making his way to the top.”

Naruto paused for a moment at the similarity. They really were alike.

“What’s your sons name?” Naruto softly asked. Maybe he could get this Lord guy on his side with his special “talk no jutsu.”

“That doesn't matter now.” Mui stated.

Naruto looked at him was an agitated look.

“You shinobi are all the same, all high and mighty. You don't stop to think about how to world doesn't revolve around you. This world was meant for destruction, not pathetic heroes like you.” Mui stated before striking Naruto once again in the stomach.

“I've heard of you Naruto Uzumaki. Everyone has. We’ve all heard the story of how you heroically saved the leaf against pain…all by yourself.”

Naruto stared at him, not knowing where he was going with his talk. The celestial prison on his stomach was getting worse by the second.

“You’ve got immense skill and power, I’ll hand you that, but that means nothing if you throw it all away trying to play the hero.”

“What are you talking about?” Naruto asked, clenching his teeth to prevent shouting out in pain.

“With your power, you could take over the 5 nations. Have you ever stopped to think about that?” Mui stated, slightly pacing the chamber.

“I would never do that! It's not right!” Naruto exclaimed.

Lord Mui turned around before walking toward the door, to which the guards opened upon his signal.

“Where are you going?” Naruto said, rattling the chains holding him down.

“I have business to attend to.” Mui turned his head to the side for a moment as he locked eyes with Naruto. “But don't worry, I have someone special finishing the lesson.”

“Hey! Let me out of here!” Naruto yelled, struggling more against the chains.

Lord Mui exited the door, two guards following behind, leaving Naruto alone in complete silence and darkness.

“Hey get back here you….you bastard!” Naruto yelled. “I'll be the one to teach you a lesson! Just you wait!”

Naruto sighed at the silence that responded to his shouts. He shivered at the breezy air that filled the chamber.

The only light source was two singular torches across each wall that seemed to be giving out at any moment. They flickered at the constant breeze of cold air.

Naruto shivered in a cold sweat.

Then, he thought of an idea. Since he was stuck in place, might as well store some sage energy. Maybe he could use it to break free before his next “lesson” comes.

Naruto knew he had to hurry.

****

The cafeteria bustled with chatter as the inmates at their lunch, most likely worked up on the attempted escape last night.

Ryūzetsu sat quietly eating his lunch until Maroi sat down next to him, his tray clinking against the table.

“So-” He said, looking off into the crowd of inmates. “Thinking about that blondie huh?”

Ryūzetsu didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't get his mind off of him. “Yeah, a little.”

Maroi nodded in agreement. “Yeah, me too. Looks like everyone else is too.”

They looked around at the usually loud chatter surrounding them. The inmates usually never got this loud unless something big happened, and Naruto’s close escape definitely was big.

Maroi looked down at the watch across his wrist. “It’s been about 9 hours since he first went in there, 3 more to go.”

Ryūzetsu glanced at him with a curious look. “3 hours? Do they have some kind of time limit?”

Maroi crossed his legs before slightly sighing. “There a certain amount of time you need to endure a punishment around here. The first time in the chamber is 12, second time is 15, and the third is about 18. Though, nobody’s made it past the third day. People usually give in and learn their lesson by then. Or…..”

“They die?” Ryūzetsu interrupted.

“Bingo.”

Ryūzetsu slightly nodded at the new information. He could only imagine what Naruto was going through at the moment.

“I've been in there once.” Mario suddenly said.

Ryūzetsu glanced at his complex features.

“It was only for the first day..but it was complete torture. They never give you a break, and when they do…you sit in complete silence and darkness, only being able to feel the chains keeping you down and the cold air. I swear they turn the chamber down as far as they can. Thought I was going to freeze before I got out.”

Maroi sighed in remembrance. “The punishment gets worse depending on how extreme your actions were. All I had to was sit there and take their insults. I can't imagine what their doing to blondie in there after trying to escape.”

Ryūzetsu scoffed. “That's what he gets for being stupid. He wouldn't shut up about escaping while in his cell.”

Maroi smirked. “I suppose. But I've got to hand it to him, that takes guts. I'll admit he’s probably braver than anyone else here, and that's something you can't teach.”

Ryūzestu nodded in agreement before looking down at his food. “So, what caused you to end up in there?”

Maroi scratched his head. “I broke out a fight in the yard with some other inmate that was pissing me off. The guards stopped it before anything got too serious.”

“I see. I'll keep in mind not to do anything drastic then.” Ryūzetsu spoke.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Alright! Lunchtime is over! Get your asses up and head to the showers, you lot stink!” A guard shouted from the door.

Ryūzetsu and Maroi stood along with the other inmates, making their way toward the door. They all continued to chatter and tell stories about how they too were going to escape under Naruto's influence.

Maroi continued to walk next to Ryūzetsu, despite his displeasure with it.

“Hey, what do you say we make an alliance? We'll be able to watch each other's backs in case the other gets in trouble.” Maroi suggested. “This prison is a dangerous place, you could stand to have a little back-”

“No thanks, I work alone.” Ryūzetsu interrupted, speeding his pace to get in front of Maroi.

Maroi also sped up, grabbing Ryūzetsu on the shoulder. “Come on, think about it. It would be good to have at least one person you can trust, wouldn't it?”

Ryūzetsu only kept walking, ignoring his statement.

“I know why you're really here. It's because of Naruto.” Maroi suddenly said.

Ryūzetsu looked at him as he clenched his jaw. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Come on, I know you were sent here upon intel that he was being transferred here. Some word got to me that another spy was being sent here.” Maroi stated. “I’m here to make sure that box stays sealed, and I'm sure you're here to make sure Mui doesn't use Naruto to open it.”

Ryūzetsu sighed. “I don't need any help.”

“Don't you think it would be better if we teamed up? One team of two is better than two teams of one.” Maroi suggested. “Plus, this way we’ll have two insights of information. That has a greater advantage of the box staying sealed.”

Ryūzetsu and Maroi exchanged looks.

“So, what do you say?” Maroi pushed.

Ryūzetsu let out a frustrated sigh, preferring to work alone. Although, Maroi’s suggestion wasn't a terrible idea. They would be a lot more likely to succeed if they worked as a team.

“Fine, but under one condition.” Ryūzetsu said. “We can't let anyone know we’re working together. I can't afford to blow this mission, not again.”

“Again?”

“Never mind that, I'll speak of it later. In the meantime, try not to blow our cover, yeah?” Ryūzetsu said coldly.

“Excuse you. I’m pretty sure you'd be the one to blow our cover. You are just a kid after all.” Maroi argued.

“A kid who's more mature and skilled than you'll ever be.” Ryūzetsu said before walking into a separate shower room before Maroi could get out another word.

Maroi clenched his jaw. “Insufferable kid.” He muttered to himself.

Maroi began to walk to his own shower room when a whisper stopped him in his tracks. He turned around to see a guard calling his name.

“Lord Mui wants to meet with you.” The guard quietly stated.

Maroi nodded silently and trailed behind the guard, feeling slightly guilty upon visiting Mui after he just made an alliance against him.

They walked up the winding steps through the tower toward Lord Mui’s living space. It was sectioned off in a large tower at the highest point of the building away from the inmates.

The guard left to go back to his patrols once Maroi entered through the door, noticing Mui as he stood facing the window in front of him.

“Maroi.” Mui called, turning around to face him.

“Lord Mui.” Maroi replied. “What have you called me here for?”

“We’ll be commencing the ritual once Naruto Uzumaki’s time in the chamber is up. We’ll let him eat to build up his chakra to have a greater affect on the box.” Mui stated.

“Opening it that soon? Naruto just got here, what's the rush?”

“The council members of Hōzuki Castle want the box opened immediately.” Mui stated.

“And what does that have to do with me, I thought our alliance was done with.” Maroi said, crossing his arms.

Mui walked toward him a few steps before stopping. “I need you to make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble beforehand. I suspect he’ll try something as soon as he gets out.”

Maroi smiled. “You can count on me.”

****

Naruto sighed when he found that he was only able to extract a small portion of sage energy. Something about his location was preventing him from doing so.

The door abruptly swung open, causing Naruto to be ripped out of his intense focus. He squinted at the sudden light illuminating from the open door as three people walked in.

Naruto struggled in his restraints. He could feel blood drip down his arms from the constant rubbing against the chains clamped across his wrists.

If only he were able to make hand signs. He would be out of here in no time.

A familiar face walked toward him as two guards shut the door behind them before taking their place near it on each side.

“Well, look who’s suffering the consequences of his own actions. If it isn't blondie.” The captain cooed.

Naruto was really starting to hate the nickname blondie around here. Seriously, did nobody else have blonde hair?

“And if it isn't the scum.” Naruto teased, to which he earned a hard slap in the face.

Naruto smiled as he glared at the captain. “I've got to hand it to you, I thought that Mui guy's hits were weak…but yours are on a whole other level!”

The captain grunted in frustration before striking him once again in the face.

Naruto chuckled. “I mean seriously, do you guys not train around here?”

“Would you shut the hell up?!” The captain shouted, grabbing a handful of Naruto's hair before bringing his head down to his knee, hitting Naruto in the nose.

Naruto looked up at the captain with a smirk, knowing he had him agitated as blood ran out from his nose.

“We’ll see how snarky your responses are after this.” The captain said with a smirk before pulling something out from his belt.

It looked to be some sort of stick with a long rope attached to it. It took Naruto a few seconds to realize it was a whip.

“I had this specially designed when I first arrived to work here. I knew I would be able to put it to good use someday. And now that day has arrived, thanks to you.”

Naruto cringed at the sound the whip made as the captain tested it on the ground. It rang out across the chamber for a few seconds in an uncomfortable-sounding echo.

Naruto swallowed as the captain walked closer, his fingers gripping the whip so hard, they were turning white.

“I've wanted to do this since the moment you started to cause a ruckus.” The captain said with a chuckle.

This guy is a psychopath, Naruto thought. Before he could get a word out, the captain stuck him with the whip across the stomach, causing Naruto to let out a shriek of pain.

“Like that huh?” The captain cooed.

Naruto lifted his head before glaring up at the captain and struggled in his restraints.

The captain once again whipped Naruto, this time in the chest.

He could already feel the amount of blood spilling from his wounds down his torso. They throbbed in pain from the cold breeze as it made contact with the open and deep cuts.

Another strike hit his back this time. Naruto yelled out in agony as the celestial prison seemed to threaten to light his insides on fire upon each impact.

Another set of whips contacted all across his torso, opening a series of new fresh wounds.

The Captain stopped to lock eyes with Naruto. “Normally, you would be begging for me to stop, but it seems your pride is too….” He paused before digging a finger into the open wound from the knife that had impaled Naruto's left arm when he attempted to escape. “….Great.” He finished as he listened to Naruto let out multiple screams of pain.

“You…bastard…!” Naruto managed to get out through the pain. He was beginning to hate this guy more and more with every second.

The Captain moved his finger around inside of the wound, causing the tissue in Naruto's arm to be moved around. Naruto yelled out in greater pain as the captain pulled his finger out.

Blood gushed out from the wound, piling onto the pavement where a majority of his blood already lay.

“You-” Naruto started, but was cut off by another whip to the celestial prison.

Naruto hunched forward as a result of getting the wind knocked out of him. He panted in a hurry to get back the much-needed air.

Before he could catch his breath, he felt another contact his rib. Naruto could feel his throat beginning to run dry from the constant cries of pain.

“There’s much more to go.”

****

The inmates finally made it back to their cells after their showers.

Maroi couldn't stop thinking about Lord Mui’s request. He had an important decision to make, was he going to listen to Mui, or continue his alliance with Ryūzetsu?

Lord Mui had promised him freedom from this godforsaken prison, finally releasing him after the imprisonment when he turned down the alliance with Mui.

Then again, if Mui were able to open the box, destruction would come to the shinobi world, so it would be pointless anyway.

“What are you thinking about over there big guy?” Ryūzetsu called from his cell, shaking Maroi out of his thoughts.

“Nothing important.” He replied.

“Look who’s being all secretive now.”

Maroi sighed as he stood near the bars of his cell, making eye contact with Ryūzetsu who leaned against the wall of his own cell.

Maroi was about to say something until he heard a familiar scream coming from a distance.

Maroi and Ryūzetsu each snapped their heads in the direction of the cry, both realizing who had caused it. It was Naruto.

Quickly looking down at his watch, Maroi concluded that Naruto still had an hour left, and it sounded like whoever was torturing him was getting their money's worth.

Ryūzetsu had slight concern on his face as he once again locked eyes with Maroi.

Whispers regarding the screaming moved along the inmates. Some were scared at what they might be doing to him, some were amused.

Either way, his screams were deafening to listen to as they resembled only pain and agony.

Maroi only hoped Naruto could make it through the next hour and he wondered what his condition would be once he got out.

****

Naruto panted, feeling his dry throat from his screaming as he swallowed. Sweat seemed to cover his whole body despite the harsh cold in the chamber.

He could see multiple gashes across his torso as he looked down through his blurry eyes. He had been fighting the urge to lose consciousness. He wasn't able to let this freak get the satisfaction.

Naruto lifted his Head, glaring at the Captain. Some of Naruto's blood had coated the Captain’s clothes and the whip he held was drenched in it.

Naruto could only imagine what he looked like from someone else’s perspective. It felt like his back had been completely torn open. To make matters worse the celestial prison seemed to feel like it was lighting Naruto's insides on fire.

Naruto felt his head drop in pain as he continued to pant, trying to catch his breath from the beating.

“Finally had enough?” The Captain teased with a smirk.

Naruto slumped forward as far as he could in the chains, holding himself back from passing out. “Nah..I could do this all day.” Naruto managed to get out.”

“You little—” The Captain started, about to whip Naruto once again. That was until the door opened.

A guard stood in the light, causing the Captain to turn around. “Lord Mui says his time is up and to release the chains. The guards will take him from here.” The guard stated before walking away, leaving the door open.

The Captain sighed before glancing at Naruto and setting down the whip. “Guess our fun is over. It was nice while it lasted.”

The Captain began taking off the chains, starting with the ones securing his ankles, then the ones around his waist.

Then finally came the chains secured around his wrists.

“I'll show you fun.” Naruto whispered as the Captain released one of the cuffs across his wrist.

Before the Captain could react, Naruto punched him in the face, sending him flying into the wall in front as he landed with a grunt of pain.

Naruto quickly uncuffed his other hand before getting in stance to fight. The guards quickly advanced on him, one attempting to swing toward his head.

Naruto swiftly dodged, punching the other guard, knocking him out instantly. Naruto made a run for the door, only nearly missing the Captain’s grab.

“Dad I-” Naruto heard before he clashed into someone. He felt the person fall onto him as he landed on his back.

The smooth pavement seemed to scratch up his back even more upon impact.

Naruto opened his eyes as he met with a familiar face. “It's you, from before.” Naruto said, recalled from the physical exam. It was the daughter of the Captain who had saved him from having to completely strip down.

“You’re the daughter of that ugly Captain guy.” Naruto said as he stood up, also helping the girl stand up.

“Yes, I am—oh my…what happened to you?!” She exclaimed, noticing the multiple bruising and gashes across his entire body which also happened to be leaving a trail of blood on the floor.

“Your father is what happened.” Naruto stated.

He watched as guilted flooded the girls face.

Suddenly alarms sounded the area causing Naruto and the girl to jump in there place.

“Im sorry-I have to go.” Naruto said, turning to leave.

The girl grabbed his arm before pointing down a hallway. “Go that way and then take a left, there should be an emergency exit.”

Naruto looked at her with a confused look. “Why are you helping me?”

Footsteps began to emerge down the opposite hallway. “Never mind that, just get out of here!” The girl yelled.

Naruto nodded before running down the hallway that the girl had pointed toward.

A few seconds later, the Captain along with the conscious guard ran out of the chamber. “Aiko, where is he? Where did he go?” The Captain demanded, grabbing his daughter by the shoulders.

“I don't know! I didn't see him! He was too fast..” Aiko responded.

The Captain responded with a frustrated noise before taking off down a different hallway.

Naruto ultimately made it to the emergency exit. He quickly pushed it open before climbing outside.

He could hear the shouts coming from inside as he quickly ran along the pavement. The breeze cut across his wounds only causing more pain.

Naruto could barely catch his breath as he continued running, not even knowing where he was heading. All he could feel or think about was keeping one foot in front of the other.

“He went through here!” A guard said, climbing out of the emergency exit Naruto had just come out of.

Naruto quickened his pace, knowing they were already right behind him. He took a sharp left turn, finding himself in front of the castle to which guards stormed out of.

Before he could turn the other way, more guards appeared in every direction.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, quickly scanning the area. There were too many to count. He then spotted Lord Mui among them.

“Just got out of the chamber and you're already trying to escape. I shouldn't have expected anything less from you.” Mui stated, walking toward Naruto.

Naruto tried to back up, only to find himself grabbed by two harsh guys holding his biceps. He struggled to escape their tight grip but ultimately found that he was too tired to continue fighting.

Naruto's head lowered as he felt his knees begin to cave in, now the only support keeping him up was the two guards.

The Captain finally caught up, clutching his face in anger. “You little shit! You're never going to learn your lesson, are you?”

Naruto only grunted in pain at the celestial prison glowing a deep bright red in response to all of his chakra being used along with the beating.

“Lord Mui, we’re not are allowed to give him another punishment in the chamber for another 12 hours after leaving. And we can't out him back in his cell due to him trying to escape again. We’ll have to put him in solitary confinement.” A lead guard spoke up.

Lord Mui glanced at him before sighing. His plans with Naruto would have to wait.

“Very well then.” Lord Mui spoke.

He watched as the guards hauled him back inside the prison for the third time already. His plans would have to wait at least another three days until his solitary confinement was finished.

Maroi, Ryūzetsu, and the other inmates all turned their heads upon the sudden opening of the door. They all had been anticipating something after they heard alarms for the second time, their best bet being it was caused by Naruto.

Sure enough, guards came strutting in, dragging Naruto down the hallway.

Although this time, he looked significantly worse.

Maroi felt his lips part in shock, to stunned to say anything.

Ryūzetsu couldn't even form a snarky comment.

There in front of them was Naruto, looking half-dead, and that wasn't even an exaggeration.

Multiple gashes coated his entire body revealed by his shirtless figure as fresh crimson dripped onto the pavement. A large hole-like injury coated his left arm, exposing an alarming amount of tissue. Bruising and blood was splotched across almost anywhere you looked. Blood even managed to somehow find its way into his blonde hair.

This time, even the inmates were silent.