Tsunade's confidence soared along with her skyrocketing gambling skills. Eager to prove she was telling the truth, she immediately dragged Uchiha Hikari, Kushina, and Miroku into a game of cards.
Yamanaka Shinno subtly shot a glance at the three of them.
Uchiha Hikari and Kushina instantly caught on.
Even Miroku—who hadn't interacted much with Shinno—was smart enough to quickly figure out what was going on. Her eyes curved in a knowing smile as she gave a slight nod.
"Thank you, Divine One! I-I promise to use the divine power you've granted me wisely. I'll spread your glory and let all people sing praises to your name!"
Butterfly Kanae's face was lit with joy and excitement as she finished absorbing the multitude of powers Yamanaka Shinno had bestowed on her. She bowed deeply once again, full of gratitude.
Top-tier swordsmanship far beyond her imagination. A technique that shattered four times within a second—something even blood demon arts couldn't counter.
And the Natural Energy Seed—a power that could perfectly substitute for breathing techniques, absorbing external energy into the body and forming an internal circulation that greatly enhanced overall strength.
Judging by the message passed to her from the Divine One...
As long as she continued to train diligently, it wouldn't be long before she possessed the strength to confront Muzan Kibutsuji head-on!
"It's nothing. Just do your best."
Yamanaka Shinno could feel the borderline fanaticism in her gaze and glanced speechlessly toward Miroku, who had already started playing cards.
A professional shrine maiden, huh? She really knows how to work a crowd.
Did Miroku worship him?
Of course she did.
But even more than worship, it was gratitude.
Gratitude for giving shrine maidens a new fate—for releasing the souls that had been trapped for who knows how many years, sparing them from eternal solitude and darkness.
Her active support in helping the Five-Spirit Ninja Corps promote faith in him had a lot to do with that.
She'd already concluded that doing so wasn't just good for him—it was good for ordinary people and for the entire world.
If it benefits everyone, why not do it?
As for the persuasive speech she'd used on Kanae just now—that was clearly professionally crafted.
First, praise the name of the deity and speak of his great power and glorious deeds.
Then, subtly indicate that her god was kind and easy to approach while also deeply responsible toward his followers.
She'd listened to Kanae's story, uncovered her innermost desires, and learned about her world.
She identified what Kanae needed.
Prepared her mentally to pay the price and offer everything in return.
And finally...
All Shinno had to do was give a simple response to make Kanae a devout follower.
Even if he hadn't responded at all—just giving verbal consent—Miroku, with her unique spiritual powers, could've provided Kanae with considerable help on her own.
Anyone with half a brain would fall for that. How could you not become a zealot under that kind of persuasion?
"A fake fanatic managing to create a whole bunch of real fanatics... how is that even fair?"
Yamanaka Shinno silently grumbled to himself.
"Divine One, may I enshrine a statue of you?"
Kanae spoke softly, recalling what a shrine maiden should do.
"...No need for enshrinement. I'll give you a protective charm instead."
After a moment's thought, Yamanaka Shinno focused his chakra. A small wooden figurine, no more than two inches tall, quickly took shape in his hand through Wood Release.
He then imbued the figurine with three effects: the Shield of Seraphim, Shield of Rasphen, and a Purification Charm.
These magical defenses—sourced from the trait [Chaos God of Magic]—could ward off danger even in passive mode.
The purification charm didn't just keep the figurine clean and intact—it kept the wearer clean at all times too.
The first two were vital for survival.
The last one...
Well, girls should always be clean, soft, and sweet-smelling, right?
"Thank you, Divine One!"
The moment Kanae took hold of the figurine, all the dust from her battle with Dōma vanished.
Even the smudges on her butterfly-wing haori disappeared into the breeze.
Just the purification charm alone left her overjoyed.
She hugged the little statue tightly to her chest.
Since Kanae had come here in response to a distress signal, there were still many Demon Slayer Corps members en route to the site where Dōma had appeared.
She needed to hurry back and let them know—she had been blessed by a divine being!
There was hope now—hope to finally wipe out the Demon King!
After bidding farewell to Yamanaka Shinno, Miroku, and the others, Butterfly Kanae returned in haste to the world of Demon Slayer.
...
"Statue, huh..."
Uchiha Hikari watched Kanae disappear into the distance while continuing the card game with Tsunade and the others, her gaze fixed intently on Shinno.
She used to have a little Wood Release figurine too!
But after taking it into a sealed dimension, she came out holding nothing but a pile of ash.
Sure, with her current control over Yin-Yang and Six Paths powers, she could make Wood Release figurines herself now.
But that wasn't the point!
"It's not the same, okay?!"
"One for everyone, one for everyone!"
Yamanaka Shinno chuckled at Hikari's longing expression and casually created more than a hundred figurines on the spot.
Each was imbued with the three-layer enchantments and handed out one by one.
As for the rest?
He tossed them into the central cabin inside the mini-world. If anyone wanted to give them away or if Miroku needed to promote faith, they could just take one themselves.
Clearly, Teresa and Clare preferred the defensive magic.
...
Meanwhile, Kushina, Tsunade, Uchiha Hikari, and Miroku—who had no survival pressures—were far more interested in the purification charm.
No more worrying about dirt or stains?
It was basically a miracle for women everywhere!
"Ara~ The Divine One really is a natural when it comes to winning over followers."
Miroku removed the sacred token from her neck, threaded a golden chain through the figurine's loop, and wore it proudly around her neck.
With the purification spell constantly active, she could feel the Divine One's power at all times.
Subtle, yet powerful.
A brilliant strategy to deepen faith!
"Hey now, shrine maiden, that's slander! I wasn't even trying to do that!"
"It's because you weren't trying that it's clearly a natural gift, Divine One."
"..."
Yamanaka Shinno stared at Miroku, at a loss for words.
She kept calling him "Divine One," but at this point, it was starting to sound like a nickname.
"By the way, Shinno—what was that 'Fourfold Mental Break in One Second' you mentioned earlier?"
Kushina hung the figurine around her neck, then asked offhandedly, recalling something from before.
Uchiha Hikari perked up at the question too.
"Kushina! Are you guys gonna play properly or not? It's your turn!"
Tsunade shoved the figurine down the front of her shirt and glared at them, who were clearly not paying attention to the game.
She was holding a great hand—but had already lost five rounds in a row!
This didn't make sense! She knew her gambling skills had leveled up!
"'Fourfold Mental Break in One Second'? That's this."
Yamanaka Shinno lifted his finger and tapped Tsunade lightly on the back of the head.
Thud!
Tsunade, who had been sitting cross-legged and relaxed, collapsed to the ground in an instant, radiating pure despair.
"Great-Grandma, stop yelling... I just got a boyfriend. I don't want to die yet..."
"This sucks... my teacher's useless, my teammates are useless, even my boyfriend is useless... and none of those Ninja Corps people ever help me..."
"Why does he like Kushina more? Why does he always leave without telling me...?"
"Waaah... my terrible gambling skills keep dragging me down. I still owe over a hundred million ryo in debt. I haven't even gotten my paycheck yet and the debt collectors are already after me..."
Caught off guard, Tsunade kept spiraling deeper and deeper into emotional agony. By the end, she was practically in tears.
Boom!
About ten seconds later, she slammed her fist into the ground.
Teeth gritted, she spun around to glare furiously at the smiling, supposedly innocent bastard nearby.
"Shinno! This time, I swear I'll—"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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