Chapter 436: Naruto Must Die?
"Lady Priestess, should we seal this guy away first?" Ino asked.
She turned her head, only to see the thousand stone soldiers that had been chasing Team 7 suddenly collapse. The Mōryō power within them converged into a cloud of black smoke, from which a man with an eighty-to-ninety percent resemblance to Yomi emerged. He then grabbed Shion's hand and sprinted madly to the northwest.
The Yomi who had been turned into a hedgehog now looked like an empty shell, the light in his eyes completely gone. All the information that constituted him as a person had been absorbed by Mōryō, becoming a part of its memory.
Mōryō was intent on escaping. With a roar, the distant stone soldiers surged forward like a tide.
Ino threw three kunai in succession, but they were all knocked down by the dense formation of stone soldiers. She drew her chakra blade and began hacking and slashing through the terracotta-like army. Although she could take down an enemy with a single strike, Mōryō still managed to get away.
"Let's see where you can run!" Ino forcefully broke through the formation and gave chase.
Yomi continuously used the ten-li-long line of stone soldiers as stepping stones, while Ino pursued him with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
At this point, she had begun to understand some of Mōryō's nature. The creature was somewhat like a Tailed Beast; it couldn't be killed until all of its energy was depleted.
Wood Release absorbed natural energy and chakra.
Mōryō's energy was not within the God Tree's absorption range, making Wood Release extremely ineffective against it.
Ino chased it for a long time. A normal ninja would have died ten times over, but as long as Mōryō's energy wasn't exhausted, it would not die.
"There's definitely a limit to your energy. Let's see how long you can last!" Ino declared, completely unafraid as she continued her relentless pursuit.
Water, Fire, Lightning, and Wind Release, along with the Rasengan, were all unleashed in a spectacular display, demonstrating one hundred and eight different ways for Mōryō to die.
She was confident that her chakra supply was ample; the one to break first would surely be her opponent.
On the other side, Sasuke knew that his two companions weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. The battles on the western front had provided him with a great deal of experience, and there were already calls within the village to promote him to Jonin. However, the Konoha Council was extremely wary of the Uchiha name and had forcefully suppressed the promotion.
Although he wasn't a Jonin, Sasuke was more than capable of taking charge, and neither Sakura nor Naruto would object to his commands.
"Let's get out of here quickly and lead these monsters somewhere deserted."
The priestess shook her head resolutely. "No, I must go to the sealing shrine. Only I can seal Mōryō."
Sasuke and Sakura's expressions turned to shock. "!!!"
Naruto was still clueless, not understanding the meaning behind her words.
Sasuke was dumbfounded. "Your voice... it wasn't a disguise, was it? Are you the real priestess? Is the one with Ino your attendant?"
Shion nodded with great solemnity. "Yes."
Sakura said, exasperated, "Then why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Shion looked rather aggrieved. "They moved too fast. I tried to speak, but Taruho signaled me... by the time I wanted to say something, they were already far away."
Sasuke was speechless. The enemy's big boss and their own big boss had both mistaken their targets. The transformation jutsu of the Land of Demons was truly something else.
Naruto finally came to his senses. "So you're the real priestess?! Then who is Ino chasing?"
"You idiot! You're making me so angry!" Sakura punched him on the head, followed by a flurry of kicks and punches. Naruto was beaten until he could only curl up and protect his head.
Shion looked at the three of them seriously. "You must escort me to the sealing shrine. Only I can seal Mōryō."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura: "..."
Sakura wanted to use her "ahh, ahh, ahh" method to call Ino, but Sasuke thought it was unnecessary. Ino had already "led away" the strongest enemy; the three of them could complete this mission on their own.
"If you're afraid of dying, you can go back," Shion said, her tone always calm, as if nothing could stir her.
Thousands upon thousands of stone soldiers were closing in from several directions. Both Sasuke and Sakura showed varying degrees of hesitation, but Naruto remained full of courage. He declared to Shion with conviction, "I will protect you! I'll never go back on my word, that's my ninja way!"
Shion looked at this seemingly reckless young ninja. She could feel his profound confidence, completely unfeigned and genuine—it was what he truly believed.
"...If you stay with me, you will die. The trajectory of your fate is crystal clear."
Naruto's face tensed. It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid, but he repeated his words, stating his willingness to protect Shion.
He gave a thumbs-up to show he meant it, and then... thud. He fainted.
Sasuke and Sakura: "???"
The army of monsters was already surging toward them like a tide.
Sasuke quickly checked Naruto. He was genuinely unconscious, not faking it. He was out cold, and apart from his breathing, he was practically no different from a dead person.
He cursed in frustration. You get to say all the cool lines and then just lie down, leaving me with this mess?
The monster army was getting closer. He quickly infused his blade with Lightning Release chakra and, using the Hatake-style swordsmanship, moved like a flash of lightning to cut down the stone soldiers blocking their path.
"Carry that idiot! We're retreating! Head south, quickly!"
Sakura still had some strength. She hoisted the fully armored Naruto onto her back, then led Shion in their escape. Sasuke slashed left and right, barely managing to carve a bloody path out of the encirclement.
Meanwhile, Ino, who was in pursuit of Mōryō, received a signal through the bloodline summons of Ashura. She, too, possessed Ashura's chakra. This was a long-distance call, and the chakra cost for the sender was considerable.
She didn't know what Ashura wanted, but it had to be something important. Ino slightly delayed her response to the summons, found a hollow tree, slipped inside, and then, without resistance, allowed her consciousness to travel along the call of her bloodline.
The first thing Ashura said upon seeing her was astonishing: "Naruto is going to die."
Ino: "???"
That can't be right. She had already killed that Mōryō thing over a dozen times and was on the verge of finishing it off for good. Naruto was perfectly fine, so how could he die? Your old man is still watching from the afterlife, isn't he? Would he just stand by and watch Naruto die?
Ashura was extremely serious. "The human Ashura died long ago. I do not resist death, and death holds little real meaning for me. Hashirama died back then, and Naruto will die today. I am simply worried that after Naruto's death, I will fall into a long slumber, and there will be no one left to stop my elder brother. I hope that you can take on this responsibility. If anything threatens the ninja world, you must kill that child of the Uchiha clan."
Ino felt a bit confused and motioned for him to wait before he died. "Hold on, hold on. I still don't get it. Are you saying... Naruto will definitely die today?"
A sense of regret tinged Ashura's tone. "Naruto is too young. To meet with such misfortune at an age where he has yet to truly shine is a great pity. But the trajectory of fate seems very clear. Yes, he will die today."
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