[In the shrine of the Land of Demons, where the priestess resided, her attendant, Ashihoko, patrolled the halls. He stopped before a dozing guard and gently urged him to rest in the dormitory.]
[As the sun rose, on a cliff near the shrine, the Four appeared.]
["Big bro, hurry up!" ordered Ittai, the one wearing a cloth over his face.]
["Relax, relax." The leader, who had been given snake-like tentacles by Yomi, walked over unhurriedly. From his body, three tentacles extended and burrowed into the other three, enhancing them.]
[Unlike the previous time they attacked the underground palace where Mōryō's soul was sealed, this time not only did their chakra surge dramatically, but their physical appearances changed as well, with strange markings appearing on their skin.]
[Once the enhancement was complete, the leader took a few steps forward and looked toward the shrine. "Everyone's chakra nature is as planned."]
["Let's finish this quickly!" Ittai snarled, bloodlust clear in his voice. But the leader, more composed, reminded them not to be careless. Then the group charged toward the shrine without hesitation.]
["So that tentacle thing can grant different chakra natures?!"]
["And this time, the enhancement even changed their bodies—probably based on the form of the injection, they can get different power-ups."]
["What a handy jutsu! With this, even Chunin or Genin could fight with all kinds of tactics."]
["As if it's that easy. Power that's not earned through real training can let you down when you need it most!"]
["Let's see what happens. After all, it's called Dark Medical Ninjutsu. Can't be that convenient."]
["No way I could handle that—letting tentacles crawl into my body! I'm not from Konoha's Aburame clan!"]
["Damn it! Just had to take a shot at Konoha, huh? Don't let me find out who you are!"]
[Inside the shrine, the sleeping priestess was suddenly awakened by the sound of bells. Her once-normal pupils now bloomed with a beautiful, ethereal purple pattern.]
[Lying on her side, she was drenched in cold sweat. Flashes of unfamiliar scenes played in her mind: the battle between Naruto and Mōryō shown at the start of the sky screen.]
['What…what is this?!']
[No one could explain what she saw. Outside, the sounds of guards fighting enemies grew louder.]
[Ashihoko led a team of guards toward the priestess' quarters, but along the way he saw a familiar face. He called anxiously, "Suzuki! Wait, don't go in there!"]
[Suzuki clearly understood what was happening, but he didn't pause. "Lady Shion has already foreseen this, right? It's fine—if my life can be used to protect her, that's exactly what I wish for."]
["So that means this Shion has precognition?!"]
["Yeah, from the earlier scenes, that seems to be the case."]
["So the images at the beginning were actually her premonition? Is it accurate? Can Naruto be saved?"]
["From what I know, it's pretty accurate…"]
["!!!"]
["So the sky screen's future footage was actually triggered by the priestess of the Land of Demons?!"]
["No way. Even if her premonition is detailed, the sky screen is too elaborate and global. Don't forget, when it first appeared, every hidden village tried to analyze it, but couldn't even get close. No way a tiny country like that has tech that can outclass the entire ninja world."]
["Let's just keep watching. Let's finish the footage before we start arguing about it!"]
"Premonition!!"
That word made everyone in the conference room tense up—especially Naruto, who'd been predicted to die.
Sakura was also worried. She turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you think? Is it like they say—that premonitions always come true?"
Kakashi frowned, paused, then replied, "I don't know much about that. But we can apply to the Hokage for the last battle records against Mōryō. For now, don't worry about it too much."
Hearing that, the others didn't press further.
Naruto, after a moment's silence, suddenly declared loudly, "No matter what—future vision or priestess' premonition—I don't believe in that stuff! My path is mine to choose! And I'm not dying until I become Hokage!!"
Kakashi smiled warmly and ruffled his hair. "That's right—your path is yours to choose."
Jiraiya thought of the Great Toad Sage when he heard the word "premonition." Though the old toad was known for his prophecies, he didn't think it could match the detail shown by the sky screen.
In Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku and Shima felt the same. They wanted to ask the Great Toad Sage, but the old guy was sound asleep and couldn't be woken up.
[Outside, the Four slaughtered all the guards in seconds. Ashihoko's team reached the priestess' room. "I'm coming in! Lady Shion, there are intruders—please get ready to evacuate!"]
[But just as they entered the room, the Four smashed through the ceiling and landed inside. In an instant, the team was wiped out, leaving only Ashihoko and Suzuki.]
[Ittai, at the front, easily dispatched the two and turned to the kneeling priestess with a wicked grin. "There you are!"]
[Before anyone could react, several kunai flew straight at Shion. Ashihoko, lying on the ground, could only shout her name in despair.]
[Luckily, someone else was there. Suzuki threw himself in front of Shion, taking the kunai. He turned to Ashihoko with his last strength. "Ashihoko…please protect Lady Shion…"]
[Through all this, the priestess' eyes didn't even flicker. She stared blankly ahead, as if the assassins meant nothing.]
[Ignoring her odd composure, the Four advanced, determined to finish their mission. "We're taking the priestess' life."]
["Hold it! I won't let you!" A voice roared behind them. The Four turned to see a figure leaping through the air, vaulting over them into the room. It was Naruto, come to protect Shion. Unfortunately, his dramatic entrance ended with him slipping on a bamboo mat and faceplanting hard.]
["I was just thinking that was a pretty cool entrance…"]
["Lasted all of three seconds."]
["Is this guy really Jiraiya's student?! Maybe he's just here to peep at the women's bath and write trashy books."]
Jiraiya scratched his head. "Hey, that's all for serious research for my novels!"
Naruto tried to defend himself. "That's not it! It's just…um…my foot slipped because of the enemy's distraction, okay?!"
(To be continued)