Land of Demons.
Shion opened her eyes.
Unusual lights flickered in her pale irises.
After a moment, she reached up and touched her forehead, finding it covered in sweat.
"A dream?"
Shion took a deep breath and clenched the bell on her chest.
Inside it was a red stone—left to her by her mother, Miroku.
It held the power to protect her.
"Lady Priestess."
A familiar voice came from outside the door.
It was her attendant, Taruho.
Shion grabbed her shrine maiden garb, quickly slipped it on, took a few steps to the door, and opened it.
"Lady Priestess."
Taruho bowed. "We've received replies from the Five Great Villages."
"What did they say?"
Expectation surfaced on Shion's face.
Not long ago, the Land of Demons had discovered traces of the Gang of Four.
Eight years earlier, they were the ones who released Mōryō and commanded an undead army, attempting to unify the shinobi world.
Shion had thought they'd been eradicated completely, but some remnants survived.
Worried that the demonic calamity would repeat, she sent a commission to the Five Great Villages.
Hoping they would help locate the Gang of Four and prevent Mōryō from breaking its seal.
Because once Mōryō revived, there was only one way to deal with it:
A priestess sealing it at the cost of her life.
Shion's mother, Miroku, had died for that reason.
She didn't want to follow in her footsteps.
"Konoha and Kumogakure wrote back—they'll send people."
Taruho sighed. "The other three villages declined, each with a different excuse."
"Do they not understand that if Mōryō revives, the entire shinobi world will suffer?"
Shion's expression soured.
"Konoha and Kumogakure are the strongest villages right now. With their strength, dealing with the Gang of Four shouldn't be a problem."
Taruho hurried to reassure her. "There's no need to be so angry, Lady Priestess."
Shion's expression eased slightly at that.
Though the Gang of Four had been powerful in the past, it had withered over the years.
And Mōryō's revival hinged on two temples:
One in the Land of Demons, the other in the Land of Swamps.
The former sealed its soul; the latter sealed its body.
As long as shinobi from Konoha and Kumogakure guarded these two temples, nothing would happen.
"Who are they sending?"
Shion calmed down and asked.
"Konoha says the Hokage, Lord Natsume, will personally lead the team. Kumogakure is sending a jōnin named Yugito Nii."
Taruho answered at once.
Shion blinked, a bit surprised.
Kumogakure's choice was understandable, but Konoha sending Hokage Natsume himself—
Even in the Land of Demons, she had heard of his exploits.
Quite illustrious.
But that name… she felt she'd seen it somewhere before.
Shion lifted her miko skirt and ran outside.
Taruho froze, puzzled, but hurried after her.
"Wait here."
Shion stopped before a room, said that, and went in.
Taruho had to halt at her words.
He glanced at the plaque on the door.
This was a secret chamber reserved for successive priestesses.
Outwardly a study, but underground lay rooms with special purposes.
Shion followed a passage to her destination.
She rummaged through chests and cabinets, finally finding a box hidden in the deepest corner.
When Miroku died, Shion had been only six.
She was too young to remember many things.
Natsume had thought she didn't trust him, but the truth was she had no memory.
Shion opened the box and saw the promise left by Priestess Kukuri.
"So it's true?"
Because she possessed the power to foresee others' deaths, she believed strongly in destiny.
At this moment, she exhaled in relief.
She had no doubts.
In her understanding, priestesses possessed mysterious powers.
And Kukuri was a great priestess from a thousand years ago.
In the era of the Sage of Six Paths, she must have been formidable, right?
Perhaps her prophecy truly foretold the future.
That would make sense.
Shion put the box back.
She recalled Taruho saying Konoha had sent Natsume.
That made her trust the note left by Priestess Kukuri even more.
She steadied herself and left the room.
"Lady Priestess."
Noticing how relaxed she suddenly seemed, Taruho asked, "Is there good news?"
"Mm."
Shion looked at him, took a deep breath, and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Her eyes turned like stars, reflecting the time of his death.
Taruho's heart clenched at once.
Because Shion could foresee others' deaths, people feared her.
But this ability had limitations.
As long as one stayed away from her, it wouldn't trigger.
Shion had kept her distance from him precisely because she didn't want to see his death.
"Lady Priestess?"
Taruho asked anxiously.
"It's fine."
Shion smiled. "You won't die."
"Seems there won't be much danger this time."
Taruho drew several deep breaths, then smiled too.
…
Meanwhile, in a valley somewhere in the Land of Demons—
"Yomi, when do you plan to act?"
Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, face dark.
Having died and revived twice, he had lost both of his three-tomoe Sharingan.
He could only transplant ordinary eyes now.
Fortunately, the arm Orochimaru had given him still worked.
His strength hadn't fallen too far.
After failing in Sunagakure, Danzō sought out Orochimaru.
But the answer he got was: let's not contact each other anymore, or Konoha might get the wrong idea.
In other words, Orochimaru just wanted to study in peace and had no interest in him.
Danzō understood he had lost his value.
He was furious enough to spit blood, but helpless.
Compared to Konoha, he indeed had nothing more to offer Orochimaru.
Danzō drifted toward the Land of Demons, not far from Suna, and recalled the demonic calamity eight years ago.
Mōryō, a being from another realm, and the undead army led by the Gang of Four—
Back then, they caused serious trouble.
And Danzō remembered that even an incomplete Mōryō could rival a tailed beast.
A thought took root.
After some effort, he found Yomi.
Yomi also lacked strong fighters, so the two hit it off.
Danzō even benefited from misfortune and grew stronger.
Thanks to Yomi's dark medical ninjutsu.
It sounded similar to Shinnō's dark chakra.
But Shinnō's dark chakra came from the Zero Tails.
Yomi's dark medical ninjutsu was actually normal medical ninjutsu—
But used abnormally.
Not to heal, but to kill.
By modifying and amplifying the body, one could gain power far beyond normal.
It was more like Orochimaru's Cursed Seal.
But far less effective.
Still, it provided a modest boost.
For Danzō, it was a welcome surprise.
He had no way to improve himself otherwise, for now.
"A few more days."
Yomi explained, "My men still haven't found the sealing temples' locations."
"But be careful of shinobi from Konoha and Kumo."
Danzō's tone carried hatred. "Especially since Konoha is sending Hokage Natsume."
Though he had left Konoha, he still had Root operatives he had cultivated in secret, so he had some information channels.
But without a base, those members were like water without a source—destined to disappear.
Use one, lose one.
"Don't worry. No matter how many come, it won't matter."
Yomi lifted his chin, full of confidence. "Lord Mōryō and the undead army are invincible."
"I hope so."
Danzō hadn't witnessed it himself back then, so he wasn't entirely convinced.
After all, even Shukaku wasn't a match for Natsume.
All he could do now was pray Yomi was right.
A complete Mōryō would surpass the tailed beasts and possess the power to destroy all.
…
Kirigakure, Mizukage's Office.
Terumi Mei stared blankly out the window.
As always, the mists were heavy.
Nothing much to see.
She was simply spacing out.
Natsume—it felt like he hadn't visited in a long time.
Terumi Mei bit her lip unconsciously.
Was she really that unappealing?
What was he busy with in Konoha?
She sighed.
After a moment, she called, "Haku."
Soon, the fair-faced Haku appeared before her.
He was now a captain in Kirigakure's ANBU.
"Lady Mizukage."
Haku bowed slightly. "Your orders."
"What has the Sixth Hokage, Natsume, been up to recently?"
Terumi Mei hastily added, as if covering herself, "As allies, we need to keep track of his movements."
"He went to Hōzuki Castle with his three students."
Haku recalled the intel and reported.
So he'd been out on a mission?
Terumi Mei admitted to herself she'd wronged him.
As Hokage, Natsume must be as busy as she was—run off his feet.
Just then, there was a knock.
"Come in."
She waved a hand.
Haku vanished.
Ao entered, face heavy. "Lord Yagura's body has reached its limit."
Terumi Mei froze.
Not long ago, Yagura had already shown signs of trouble.
She hadn't expected it to worsen so quickly.
"We need to find a new jinchuriki quickly."
Ao paused, then continued, "Otherwise, we'll have to let the Three-Tails be reborn."
A jinchuriki isn't something just anyone can be.
There are stringent physical requirements.
Uzumaki Naruto had it easy because he had Uzumaki blood.
Other villages weren't so lucky.
Sunagakure, for example.
In the original story, after One-Tails' jinchuriki Bunpuku died, Rasa tried three jinchuriki candidates in a row; all went berserk.
Only on Chiyo's advice did they seal Shukaku into Gaara, barely succeeding.
Kiri's situation was even worse than Suna's.
Terumi Mei had considered becoming a jinchuriki herself like Yagura.
But she couldn't accept the consequence of failure.
Because failure likely meant death.
If Kirigakure lost her, the future would be grim.
Similarly, she wasn't willing to let Zabuza, Ao, or Haku attempt it—
Not unless they had absolute certainty.
"Have we found Utakata?"
Terumi Mei frowned slightly.
Kirigakure had two jinchuriki:
Yagura of the Three-Tails.
Utakata of the Six-Tails.
The former had been controlled; the latter defected.
And his reason for defecting was rather trivial.
It was because of Utakata's teacher.
He'd developed a technique that could allow a jinchuriki to survive after losing their tailed beast.
When he tried to perform it on Utakata, Utakata thought his teacher was trying to kill him and fled.
So this jinchuriki actually left Kiri due to a misunderstanding.
After Terumi Mei became Mizukage, she had ANBU searching the world for him.
She wanted to bring him back.
After all, jinchuriki were a guarantee of military power.
And if they had Utakata, then even if they lost the Three-Tails, it wouldn't be too alarming.
"No."
Ao knew how important a jinchuriki was, but luck simply wasn't on Kiri's side.
"I see."
Terumi Mei rubbed her temples, annoyed.
Kiri's situation was just too difficult.
If not for Natsume's support, they'd barely be scraping by.
But that support came with a price.
It was fine for Kirigakure and Konoha not to clash.
But if a so-called Fourth Shinobi World War broke out, Natsume could leverage the loans to coerce Kiri.
Then, they would have no choice but to fight for Konoha.
Though Terumi Mei liked Natsume, she didn't want to see that happen.
She sighed inwardly.
Not wanting it was one thing, but if they cut ties with Natsume, Kiri wouldn't survive.
Poverty had scared them.
"Ao, you can go. I'll think of something."
After a while, Terumi Mei spoke.
"Yes."
Ao noticed her expression, but he didn't know what to say.
He left.
Terumi Mei leaned back in the Mizukage's chair, exhaled, and murmured, "If that guy were here, he could probably solve this."
"Solve what?"
The sudden voice made her sit up straight.
She turned instinctively and saw a familiar, handsome face.
Terumi Mei opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally said faintly, "Did you come to laugh at me?"
There was some resentment in her tone—and something else.
"Not at all."
Natsume came closer, sat on her desk, and looked down at her.
"Ogling again."
Terumi Mei shot him a glare.
"You're the one showing it off. Why wouldn't I look?"
Natsume eyed her bare, smooth white shoulders and sensual collarbones, and couldn't help but smile.
"…"
Terumi Mei folded her arms to cover a bit, looking disdainful. "If Konoha found out their Hokage's a pervert, what would they think?"
"Hey, that's slander!"
Natsume protested. "I'm your big financier!"
Terumi Mei was reminded she still owed him a lot of money.
Not just money—two and a half years of labor, too.
Oh, and the condition she'd agreed to when redeeming Zabuza and Haku—
Seven days as a little maid.
Terumi Mei pouted, lowered her hands again, and let him admire the mountain-valley scenery as he pleased.
"What do you want from me?"
"I don't need anything, but you seem to."
Natsume's gaze moved to her face.
"You heard my conversation with Ao?"
Terumi Mei frowned. "As Hokage, how can you do that?"
"A Hokage can't, but a financier can."
Natsume didn't mind and smiled. "So, do you want my help?"
"…"
Terumi Mei fell silent.
Jinchuriki were top-priority affairs for Kirigakure.
Help was welcome.
But help from the Hokage was a different matter.