Shion was stunned.
Was this the custom of the largest nation and strongest village in the ninja world? So democratic and open?
So open that even matters like sexual orientation could be discussed without hesitation?
And judging by what this young woman just said, she even had a wife at home who looked like Shion?
Shion didn't understand, but she respected it… just, please don't come for her.
She still had to marry, have children, and pass on the duties of the priestess. She couldn't become a l*****n.
Shion's fair, delicate face went through a range of colors—from pale to pink, then rosy red.
Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, and the others, being straightforward men, had no interest in this topic. Konan, however, could already guess what Shion was thinking. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, but she didn't say anything.
Just as the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence, a breeze blew into the hall. Shion's vision blurred for a second, and she saw a very handsome man appear beside Yugito Nii.
"It seems you misunderstood what I just said."
Yami smiled gently at Shion and explained, "I'm a man who likes women. That was me speaking through Yugito. Can you accept it now?"
"Y... Yes… No! Of course not!"
Shion nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook her head as if snapping out of a daze. She exclaimed, "This is the first time we've met, and you're already making such an outrageous request!"
"Who said I'd be your wife?!"
Yami sighed and waved his hand. Everyone except Konan left the room. Konan, as if not getting the cue, stood there in place like a stage actor waiting for a line.
Yami, shameless as ever, ignored her presence and continued looking at Shion. Though his expression was calm, the pressure in his gaze made Shion feel suffocated.
"I've made myself clear. It's not because I like you, but because you must belong to the Way."
Yami said steadily, "What kind of man would let someone who looks like his wife marry someone else?"
"As for love, even if it doesn't exist now, it can be cultivated over time. I have experience."
After all, he had started snatching people from their homes since he was six or seven years old, so he was indeed experienced.
Shion was about to stubbornly express her willingness to die rather than give in, but Yami's next words made her expression shift into hesitation.
"In return, I can end the fate of the priestess of the Land of Demons and completely eliminate the monster."
"Are you serious?!"
Shion looked a bit excited, but also afraid to believe it.
"Don't you have the ability to foresee the future? Then use your eyes to see where my path leads."
Hearing this, Shion's eyes, which resembled the Byakugan, involuntarily focused on Yami. A flash of purple light passed through her pupils, and her vision became unfocused.
Then… she saw a lot.
Raging beasts, a world-shaking battle, a flash of light—and then, she saw herself.
Suddenly, Shion's face turned red. She really had become Hinata, and steam nearly came out of her head. She was on the verge of fainting.
"Y… Y…"
"What happened?" Yami blinked. He hadn't expected her to really see something.
"You pervert!"
Yami: "..."
"So you want to take the third option." He chuckled in anger and began rolling up his sleeves.
"Fine. Burying you is also a solution. It takes care of the problem completely."
"Wait, I'll agree! Just… that's not necessary!"
Shion's face turned pale again. She never imagined Yami would be this domineering, ready to kill her the moment she refused.
As a priestess with a daimyō-like status in the Land of Demons, she had never met such a man. All the pretty fantasies in her mind instantly shattered, replaced by a mental image of her own gravestone surrounded by three-meter-tall weeds.
"I'll be in your care from now on." Yami smiled and extended his hand, his expression shifting so fast that even Konan was briefly stunned.
"What exactly is this demon? You seem to know quite a bit about it."
Half an hour later, on the way to the Sealed Temple, Konan asked about the monster.
Originally, Yami didn't plan to bring anyone besides Shion. But Konan insisted on coming, and he didn't object. Seeing Konan join, Ajisai also looked at Yami eagerly.
In the end, it became a four-person team.
Shion was weak, so Yami carried her on his back.
Bouncing gently on his back, Yami got a full sense of her body's proportions.
Not only did she look like Hinata, but her figure and overall form were very similar. She didn't appear particularly striking at first glance, but her beauty was all in the details…
Shion's face was pressed close to Yami's neck, already red like a kettle, giving off warmth like a hot water bottle. She silently listened to their conversation.
"Mōryō is a demon formed from humanity's negative emotions. It was born from war and hatred, even earlier than the Tailed Beasts. As long as negative emotions exist, it can never truly die."
"It's also very powerful. At its peak, it's about as strong as the Nine-Tails."
Konan's expression changed slightly. "I've never heard of such a powerful creature."
Yami gave her a look full of pity. "Of course, it's been sealed by the priestess' lineage. The five great nations all know this secret. You… just forget it."
Konan caught the undertone in his words and looked a little embarrassed. "You said it's immortal. Then why did you promise earlier that you could destroy it?"
Since it concerned her, Shion also looked up curiously.
"Just because mortals can't do it doesn't mean I can't. After all, I've defeated gods."
That was the end of the conversation. Konan didn't say another word the entire way.
As they neared the temple, another wave of puppet monsters appeared. Thousands of puppets moved in unison, like a gray tide, marching toward the capital of the Land of Swamps.
When the two sides were a few hundred meters apart, the puppets suddenly grew manic. As if sensing their target, they raised their weapons one after another.
Shion turned pale, but Yami didn't let her down. With a wave of his hand, two Truth-Seeking Balls formed into flying discs and spun into the puppet army, tearing through them wildly.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Every statue touched by the Truth-Seeking Balls disintegrated completely, vanishing without a trace. There was no regeneration.
Seeing this, Shion's spirit lifted. She started to believe that the monsters could really be destroyed.
With the Truth-Seeking Balls clearing the way, the group moved unhindered and quickly reached the temple gates.
Yami stopped and told Konan, "Stay here. Don't let these cannon fodder interfere."
"Don't worry, not one puppet will get past me."
Konan released detonating tags that floated in the air. Ajisai also summoned several large creatures to guard the temple entrance.
Yami set Shion down, took her hand, and led her deep into the underground passage.
A wave of heat struck them. Magma swirled around massive chunks of rock. A middle-aged man in black reclined on a stone seat, a twisted grin on his lips.
It was Yomi, the evil medical-nin possessed by the demon.
"I didn't expect you to come to me, Shion."
Yomi's eyes lit up as he saw Yami and Shion hand-in-hand. "Just this Hokage from Konoha? He's strong, sure, but do you really think he can fight Master Mōryō?"
Yami chuckled. "You really are laughable. If Mōryō was truly invincible, would he be sealed like a dog for thousands of years?"
"Betraying your own kind is even more shameful." Yomi sneered at Shion. "You've betrayed yourself, priestess. You've chosen cowardice."
"Betrayed myself?" Shion was confused and didn't understand the deeper meaning of Yomi's words.
"So ignorant it's laughable…"
Yomi shook his head with sarcasm and sighed. "You don't even know the origin of priestesses and the monster."
"What do you mean?" Shion looked uneasy.
"In ancient times, monsters didn't exist."
Yomi sliced open his chest. A dark mass pulsed inside. "The original priestess possessed incredible power. To prevent it from harming the world, she split the human mind and animal instinct into two."
"The human side became the priestess lineage. The instinct, filled with resentment, absorbed negative emotion and grew stronger. That is Mōryō."
A mocking smile appeared on his face as he looked at the stunned Shion. "Do you know how your mother died?"
"The ninja wars stirred up intense negative emotions. The previous seal began to weaken. Your mother merged with Mōryō to keep the seal intact."
"Mother…" Shion fell into a daze, recalling how her mother had looked healthy, yet spoke as if preparing for her death. In the end, she had died of a sudden 'illness.'
"So, you still want to seal me?" Yomi laughed. "I can wait. But are you willing to die?"
"Even if you are, once you're gone, the priestess lineage ends. No one will be able to stop me again. One day, I will unify the world, create a kingdom of a thousand nations, and become ruler of the entire shinobi world!"
Upon hearing this, Yami's expression changed as he looked at Yomi.
So… you want to unify the world too?
Then I can't let you live.
"Shion, prepare the sealing formation."
Hearing Yami's command, Shion seemed to regain her composure. She immediately began forming hand seals, following the teachings her mother had passed on.
A purple magic circle formed. Yomi, instead of retreating, rushed forward and entered the barrier.
"I've been waiting for this."
Yami sent a punch flying. Yomi coughed blood and was sent crashing back. A monstrous roar echoed from within his body.
Yomi realized something. His face showed fear. His body swelled rapidly, expanding until it finally burst apart in a cloud of flesh and blood.
The monster's true form was revealed.
A black mass, constantly writhing, radiating the most malevolent chakra imaginable.
"Get lost!"
Mōryō roared. At this moment, he had only Shion in his sights. As long as he fused with her, he could obtain the original priestess' power and become even stronger.
"It's been a while since anyone dared speak to me like that. Wait, you're not even a person. Just a beast."
Yami drew a circle in front of him. A violent tornado burst out, blowing the monster away. A massive crack opened in the mountain. Sunlight poured in, brightening the area.
Evil chakra transformed into black dragons and launched a counterattack.
Kamui!
The Mangekyō pattern appeared. Space distorted violently, tearing the chakra dragons into pieces. But strangely, they fused back together.
Yami frowned and waved. The Truth-Seeking Balls surged forward.
This time, there was no regeneration.
Even though it was a being formed from negative emotions, with chakra equal to the Nine-Tails, it lacked natural energy. Against the Truth-Seeking Balls' might, it was powerless.
The six Truth-Seeking Balls changed into various weapon forms and sliced through the chakra dragons, even striking the core black mist of the monster.
Yami clasped his hands together and entered Sage Mode. He exhaled, and a spinning fire ring emerged. Then, with the addition of his Mangekyō power, black flames of Amaterasu ignited the ring.
Sage Art: Flame Ring Amaterasu Dance
The fire ring spun like a buzzsaw, slicing off a massive chunk of the monster.
"ROARRRR!"
Mōryō howled. As a being of energy, it couldn't feel pain. But losing so much energy at once made it panic.
Worse still, Yami opened his mouth and inhaled. The severed mass of chakra was sucked into his body.
Then he… burped?!
"It tastes a bit foul… but the portion's decent," Yami said with slight regret. The amount of chakra he absorbed was nearly equal to two Eight-Tails. He should've let Mōryō recover more first.
After fusing with the God Tree, he now had an internal energy filter. Any form of energy, whether chakra or natural energy, would be filtered and converted into food.
Shion stared blankly from the side.
Wait… you can eat that?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Yami glanced at her. "If I hadn't saved some for you, I would've eaten it all."
"You want me to eat too?!" Shion's face went pale. She frantically waved her hands. "No thanks! Go ahead and finish it. Don't hold back on my account!"
Yami formed a hand seal. A massive crimson torii gate descended from the sky, pinning the monster that had just tried to flee. It was sealed against the mountain.
"Are you sure?"
"Just now, Mōryō said you and he were once one. I can't guarantee you'll become immortal if you fuse completely. But at the very least, you'd maintain your current form and live a few hundred more years."
Shion froze, then straightened her back and spoke firmly.
"It is the priestess' duty to seal the monster. Let it come for me!"
(To be continued.)
***
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