"At least… before the monsters destroy the world."
But just as Naruto released her hand, Shion clung tighter.
"You don't want to die, right?"
Startled, Shion looked up—only to find their noses almost touching.
"You mean, as long as you die, the prophecy won't come true?"
Watching her face flush red, Naruto chuckled.
"Aren't you a bit too shy for a miko?"
Shion quickly turned away and changed the subject.
"It's impossible. The prophecy will come true. If you don't die… then I will."
"You won't die either."
Naruto gently set her down.
"Sit tight. I'll take care of things here first."
"...Someone has to die..."
She watched Naruto walk toward the advancing stone soldiers—Terracotta Warriors animated by chakra-laced magic.
Clenching her fists, Shion muttered, "You mustn't die… please don't die..."
Boom—Boom—
A massive stone warrior flew back from a single punch and slammed into the mountainside, sending debris tumbling down.
But when the dust cleared, the Terracotta Warrior stood up, unharmed.
"Whoa~"
Naruto examined the enemy calmly.
"This is what real defense looks like… Not bad."
"They can attack, defend… but they're just puppets. No pain, no thoughts—only orders."
"Constructed with magic-based chakra... probably a Yin-Yang blend."
"The energy stabilizes the stone body."
"Got it."
With a flicker, Naruto vanished—then reappeared behind a warrior.
"The problem is... you're too slow."
"If we gave one of these a Level Two White Zetsu to pilot… or wrapped them in explosive tags... they'd be terrifying."
"But speed's a real weakness."
His hands pressed onto the stone body.
The warrior turned, raising its axe.
"Power of the forest… Draw!"
Bzzz—
A surge of chakra-infused magical energy flowed into Naruto.
The warrior's body cracked, its axe dropping mid-swing—crumbling into dust before it even touched Naruto's shoulder.
"This is... magic?"
He felt the unfamiliar energy resonate with the latent miko power inside him.
His sky-blue eyes deepened, tinged with a faint violet glow.
Even though he suppressed it, Shion—watching from a distance—felt an ominous pressure.
"T-The Terracotta Warriors… were defeated?"
Eyes wide, disbelief etched on her face, Shion stepped back.
"Impossible… they're supposed to be invincible!"
Naruto's form turned elemental as he left a wooden clone—infused with White Zetsu's power—to continue absorbing the warriors.
"Let's go."
Shion stared blankly at him, lips trembling.
"You... who are you?"
"Why would the warriors of Moryo..."
Naruto scooped her up in a princess carry.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Heard of me?"
Shion lowered her head, cheeks red.
"These warriors can move again… which means… he must be near."
Naruto looked at the reinforcements.
"There's a lot… but I'll leave them to my clones."
With that, he took off, flying low.
"You're not afraid of flying close to the ground now, are you?"
"W-Who's scared?!" Shion closed her eyes and huffed.
Whoosh—
Naruto soared above the sea of stone warriors, heading toward the entrance of the Sealed Shrine.
Behind them, the wooden clone—now in Mori-Mori Sage Mode—touched each warrior and absorbed their chakra.
Boom—Boom—
One by one, they collapsed into rubble.
In the deep, dark corridor, Naruto walked slowly, Shion in his arms.
Behind them echoed the sound of collapsing stone.
Boom—
Shion's heart raced. Her eyes took on a purple ripple-pattern.
Again, she saw the vision: Naruto's chest pierced by a monster, blood spraying from the fatal wound.
"Did you just see me get stabbed again?"
Naruto's voice was quiet.
Shion closed her eyes.
"No way… you even defeated those warriors..."
But she didn't believe her own words. In her world, prophecies never lied.
They reached the underground shrine. The darkness gave way to a cavern lit by molten lava.
The vision in her mind sharpened.
"You… you die here…"
Naruto placed her down, ruffled her hair.
"Next time, check if there's blood on my chest."
"...Huh?" Shion blinked, confused.
Just then, a voice called out from a nearby bench.
"Grown up, have we?"
Shion turned toward it—and froze.
Yomi.
His twisted smile made her instinctively hide behind Naruto.
"Haha. You look just like Miroku."
"Let's give our young miko a proper welcome."
More Terracotta Warriors emerged, surrounding them.
"So… Konoha's ninja. You're Uzumaki Naruto?"
Yomi narrowed his eyes.
"I'm Yomi. The one your mother, Miroku, stopped before."
He glanced at Shion.
"Remember what happened that day?"
"The monsters are ready to revive the Millennium Kingdom."
"If only your mother hadn't been there—"
"Shut up!"
Shion growled, and the brooch on her chest gleamed red. A tiny bell containing the sealing redstone shimmered.
A thin laser sliced through a warrior's head.
Yomi laughed eerily.
"Surprised?"
"Do you even understand your power?"
"Have you been practicing your sealing techniques?"
He sat back down with a sneer.
"Go ahead. Try sealing me."
Naruto took Shion's hand and walked with her toward the altar.
"Is the scary old man really that terrifying?"
Shion wanted to argue, but Yomi's cold snort made her leap into Naruto's arms.
Yomi eyed Naruto, then smirked with greater confidence.
"I can't kill you… but you can't erase me either."
"You know why?"
"Because we share the same body."
Shion looked up, shocked.
"That's a lie!"
"Trying to trick us?"
Yomi replied flatly.
"Why would I need to lie?"
Shion pointed at him.
"I'll personally—"
"—Fuse with me," Yomi interrupted. "That's what the sealing really is. Your mother—Miroku—did the same."
Naruto nodded, sensing three different chakras within Yomi.
"The miko's power was too great. To prevent its misuse, she split her spirit and will into two halves."
"And so we lived on—locked in conflict."
"Eventually, we became known as the miko and the demon."
"Impossible!" Shion yelled and rushed to the altar.
Neither Naruto nor Yomi stopped her.
Boom—
Purple light burst from the altar.
"A barrier?"
Yomi opened his eyes and smiled toward Naruto.
Inside the barrier, a purple orb spun wildly.
Fwoosh—
Yomi suddenly phased through the barrier, aiming for Shion's back.
Snap—
But Naruto intercepted him mid-air.
Yomi froze mid-movement. His body collapsed.
"You... you got into the barrier?"
Yomi's voice echoed eerily.
"Haha… even so, it's too late."
"You acted too soon, miko."
Blood vessels pulsed across Yomi's fallen form.
"Now we wait for this body to die of old age before the seal ends."
Shion's eyes widened in horror.
She realized: it had all been a ploy to open the barrier.
Dark red mist erupted from Yomi's body.
"If the barrier's open, we can't leave… not until one side is consumed."
"And that depends on chakra."
A black monolith opened like a gateway—pure void beyond it.
"Hahaha~"
"My body… return to me!"
Fwoosh—
The spirit entered the gateway, the stone door slamming shut.
"What do we do? Naruto—you have a way out, right?!"
Shion clung to his arm in a panic.
The demon's voice echoed:
"Thank you, young miko."
"Without you, I couldn't unseal this shrine's power."
As the voice faded, so did the barrier.
Shion collapsed to her knees, crying.
"What… what have I done…"
"All this time… what was the point…"
"Naruto, I... I don't deserve to be protected."
Boom—Boom—
Stone pillars cracked across the shrine, snapping Naruto back into focus.
"I get it now..."
"So the demon's power—"
"It's being suppressed by the Ōtsutsuki's legacy… and the Divine Tree."
The monster's true body oozed from the ground like liquid shadow.
A black-purple orb enveloped Shion.
Her bell glowed—releasing the redstone's sealing power.
A smoke-dragon burst forth, aiming for Naruto.
"The ceremony is complete."
"As I thought—using power from another world requires a ritual."
"Just like ninjutsu needs hand seals."
The smoke-dragon passed straight through Naruto.
He walked toward the sphere trapping Shion.
"I... I'm alive?"
"Then Naruto..."
Shion's eyes flew open.
"If this keeps going—Naruto will..."
Memories surged back—
In the shrine, voices debated:
"With demonic power and your skills, we could rule the world!"
Above them, the miko—Miroku—shook her head.
"Fools. Why don't you trust in people?"
"Humans trusting humans? Are you serious, Miroku?!"
The scene shifted.
Young Shion rested on her mother's lap.
"It hurts so much… If only I could stay like this forever..."
She looked up. Her mother smiled gently—but her hands suddenly squeezed Shion's cheeks.
"Ow—Mother, that hurts—huh?"
Light faded.
Inside the sphere—naked—Shion opened her eyes.
Naruto grinned, pinching her cheeks.
"My dear daughter. You're awake."
Shion: "???"
...
TN:
Support me on P-com/LordMerlin