"Shrine maiden?"
Aoba naturally caught the hidden meaning in Ino's words.
But he was surprised too.
If we're talking about shrine maidens he knew in the entire ninja world, there was only that wandering shrine maiden, Yakushi Nono.
And she was working right next door in the office at this very moment. There was no way she would be sending him a commission.
He opened the file and began reading the contents.
"Hm?"
The moment he saw the name Land of Demons, he already knew what this was about.
"So that's it."
"Aoba, what's the commission about?"
Shizune, who was also sitting nearby, noticed the understanding look on Aoba's face and couldn't help asking curiously.
It seemed like he had already expected this commission to arrive.
Aoba didn't keep them guessing and spoke directly.
"It's the shrine maiden of the Land of Demons. She sent a request to Konoha, hoping we can eliminate the Yomi Cult that released the demon, and assist them in resealing it."
"The Land of Demons? A demon?"
Shizune's heart tightened at once.
She had been working as the Hokage's secretary in the Hokage building for nearly ten years. Of course she had heard the legends about the demon and the shrine maidens of the Land of Demons.
"Shizune-nee, what exactly is this demon?"
Shizune knew, but Ino didn't. Seeing that Shizune seemed familiar with it, she immediately asked out of curiosity.
Shizune's expression turned serious, her voice slightly low.
"The demon of the Land of Demons is called Moryo. It's a special existence similar to a tailed beast. Every time the seal is broken, the Land of Demons sends out a commission to the Five Great Ninja Villages. But in the end, only the shrine maiden can perform the actual sealing."
"So that demon is that powerful," Ino finally understood, "No wonder that shrine maiden specifically asked for Aoba to go in person. I thought this was another one of our long-lost sisters out there."
"...", Aoba looked speechless.
'What do you mean by long-lost sisters?'
'And Ino, did Inner Sakura possess you or something? Since when did you learn to talk like that, all sweet and sharp at the same time?'
"Heh!"
Even Shizune couldn't hold back a laugh when she heard Ino's words. But knowing part of the truth, she also felt this wasn't exactly the right time to laugh.
She quickly straightened her expression.
"It's said that every shrine maiden who seals Moryo must sacrifice her own life to gain enough power to seal it. Now that Moryo has broken free, that shrine maiden probably won't be able to escape that fate."
The issue between shrine maidens and the demon had existed since ancient times. At least in Konoha's records of past sealing attempts, there had never been a survivor.
"Eh?"
Ino froze. She hadn't expected that the shrine maiden would have to give up her life just to seal the demon.
"If it's similar to a tailed beast, wouldn't sealing techniques work?"
"I'm not too sure about that either."
Shizune shook her head helplessly.
"It's not necessarily required to give up one's life," Aoba suddenly spoke.
In the movie version, Shion infused her chakra into Naruto's Rasengan and ultimately sealed Moryo. And Shion survived.
He had to admit, that colorful Rasengan was really useful.
"So Aoba, do you have a way to let that shrine maiden escape the fate of death?", Ino looked at him with expectation.
"More or less."
Aoba nodded. He couldn't shape a Rasengan like that, but he had other abilities that were simpler and more direct.
"That's great!"
Even though she didn't know the shrine maiden, the fact that she was willing to sacrifice her life to seal the demon meant she was someone worthy of respect.
If someone like that died, even as a stranger, Ino would still feel regret for her.
Seeing Ino's happy expression, Aoba smiled as well.
"..."
As for Shizune, when she heard Aoba confidently say he could deal with Moryo, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Are we about to get another sister?"
"!"
The smiles on both Aoba and Ino's faces froze at the same time.
Ino suddenly didn't feel quite so happy anymore.
"Ahem! I haven't even met that shrine maiden yet. Shizune-nee, how can you accuse me out of thin air?", Aoba argued.
"So if you meet her and she turns out to be beautiful, then we'll have one more?"
"..."
Aoba was at a loss for words. He simply changed the topic.
"Anyway, since we've accepted the commission, I'll head over and take a look. It won't take much time."
Shizune just rolled her eyes, but Ino's attention was indeed diverted. She thought of another question.
"How long will you be gone?"
"At most one or two days. With Flying Thunder God, I can come back anytime."
Aoba estimated a rather conservative timeframe.
This commission letter had been sent several days ago. Moryo's soul breaking free should be happening around now.
"So you're going alone?", Ino's face was full of expectation.
How could Aoba not see what she was thinking?
"Ino, do you want to come with me?"
Ino nodded as if it were only natural.
"Aoba, you're the Hokage. When the Hokage goes out on a mission, how can you not bring along a cute and capable secretary?"
"Heh!"
Aoba couldn't help laughing, but then he added, "You're right. Kage from other villages usually bring guards or a secretary to handle matters when they travel. I can't be an exception."
"But Ino, you're still just an intern, aren't you?"
Ino's expression turned serious. She even clenched her fists as if encouraging herself.
"That's exactly why I need to go. I can use this chance, staying by the Hokage's side, to learn properly and strive to become a qualified Hokage secretary as soon as possible!"
"What, are you saying that staying with me won't make you a qualified Hokage secretary?"
Shizune teased when she saw Ino acting like that.
"Th… that's not what I meant, Shizune-nee."
Not knowing how to answer, Ino simply said it directly.
Aoba found it both amusing and helpless.
"Fine, I'll bring you along. But should we call Sakura too?"
"Ahem! That won't be necessary."
Ino coughed lightly and quickly said, "If I go with you, Shizune-nee's workload is already heavy enough. If Sakura goes too, Shizune-nee won't be able to handle it."
Aoba, Shizune: "..."
Noticing their strange looks, Ino stuck out her tongue awkwardly.
Then she hurried over, grabbed Aoba's hand, and acted spoiled.
"Aoba, when are we leaving?"
"This commission was sent a few days ago. If we're in a hurry, we'll leave this afternoon."
Aoba had no intention of delaying.
"Okay! I'll go prepare right now."
Ino happily ran out.
Sakura next door, who had been completely forgotten: "Hmm?"
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