"Your level is above mine?"
Shion looked somewhat dazed, half-understanding, half-not.
Taruho and Hinata, on the other hand, assumed he meant a difference in strength.
After all, a super-spec combatant was on a completely different plane than them.
Izayoi didn't explain further. He simply walked up to Shion, crossing the short distance, and locked eyes with the shrine maiden's purple gaze. "Would you mind a bit of physical contact? Just to hold your hand—I want to check your body."
Looking at Izayoi's handsome face, Shion suddenly felt her temperature spike and her heart race; her cheeks grew flushed. She hurriedly lowered her head, lifted a small hand, and spoke in a trembling voice, barely above a whisper:
"S-sure."
Hinata: "…"
She didn't feel jealous—she was instead experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu. Because Shion was acting exactly as she herself used to, facing Izayoi long ago.
If only Shion's eyes weren't purple but white instead, Hinata would suspect Shion was Father's secret daughter—her own lost sister.
Izayoi paid no mind to his own words, which dripped with the air of a senior. He clasped Shion's raised hand and channeled chakra into her body to examine her condition.
What he found was that Shion's body wasn't any different from a normal person's.
She had no chakra and didn't possess any obvious supernatural strength.
That only emphasized that Shion was very much not ordinary.
Without supernatural power, it should be impossible to foresee the future.
Yet the ability to see the future was itself a manifestation of something beyond ordinary. If he couldn't sense anything, it merely meant she was special in a way that typical ninja weren't.
Recalling that she had two gold-tier and one purple-tier skill entries, Izayoi's eyes suddenly took on red markings, and the blue in his pupils turned golden.
Upon instantly entering Sage Mode, Izayoi channeled sage chakra into Shion while a distant wood clone used Tenseigan's x-ray vision to peer in. Finally, he saw the energy hidden within Shion's body.
Vast as the sea, not quite chakra yet not quite different—more like a form of natural energy-laced senjutsu chakra, and yet still not the usual senjutsu… Twisting as it was, that was the reality.
Withdrawing the chakra he had sent coursing through her pathways, Izayoi's gaze fell on the bell-shaped ornament at Shion's right chest. A flash of surprise gleamed in his eyes.
Such an advanced seal!
That was the reason Shion's power was concealed, leaving her no different from an ordinary person.
One would need to be in Sage Mode or possess an ultimate dojutsu to discover this seal. As expected, both Shion and Mōryō harbored secrets unknown to the world.
For reasons he didn't fully understand, Izayoi had a hunch that the secret might help him in a big way.
Filled with interest, he stood up and looked at the downcast Shion. "They say your priestesses are Mōryō's mortal enemies. Do you know where Mōryō is?"
Hearing this, Shion's flushed cheeks and pounding heart began to subside. She lifted her gaze toward Izayoi and nodded. "Though I can't sense its exact location, I have a faint idea of which direction it's in."
"That's good enough." Izayoi smiled. "Let's move quickly and finish off Mōryō, so we can save as many lives as possible."
Once again, Shion lowered her head, lacking confidence. "B-but… My priestess powers are too weak right now. I may not be able to seal Mōryō away."
Izayoi and Hinata exchanged glances, each revealing a peculiar look.
Izayoi's expression was somewhat odd, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
He really wanted to say that if she was considered weak, then there were barely any truly strong individuals left in this entire world.
A gold-tier skill's upper limit was a super-Kage-level powerhouse, sure to surpass the apex of the Five Kage. Even a Six Paths "gatekeeper" like Pain was a champion at that scale.
Nagato, after losing his Rinnegan, lacking the "A-fusion battle suit," had only one gold-tier "chakra control." Meanwhile, Shion had two gold-tier skills.
Although they were presumably supportive abilities, they should still be more useful than Hinata's "Princess of the Byakugan" (Red).
Hinata likewise saw herself reflected in Shion: the same insecurity she used to have. If not for meeting Izayoi, Hinata might not be much better off than Shion.
Hence, Hinata gently placed her hand on Shion's slender shoulder, smiling in encouragement. "Don't worry. With Izayoi-kun here, you'll be fine—and you will seal Mōryō."
Shion stared blankly at this girl who was so very similar to her, struggling to understand where that confidence came from. But she recalled that Izayoi was the one whose future she couldn't see, and somehow that gave her an unexplainable sense of security.
"Mhm!"
She nodded firmly. After meeting Hinata's eyes, she turned to see Izayoi wearing the same kind smile. "Then I'll rely on you both!"
Taruho likewise bowed low. "Lord Izayoi, Lady Hinata, please look after Lady Shion!"
"Don't worry," Izayoi reassured him. "As long as I'm here, your priestess will be safe."
Shion's heart raced faster again at Izayoi's words.
Afraid that the heat would surge further, she hastily shifted her gaze to Taruho.
The next moment, her eyes again turned from violet to a layered bluish hue, and her expression went blank again!
Once she regained herself, a trace of sadness flickered across Shion's eyes. But she quickly restored her aloof façade, using the same distant, uncaring manner that placed all others beneath her. Coolly, she announced, "Taruho, you're going to die very soon."
Taruho froze, then smiled wryly, bowing, "Thank you, Lady Shion, for the care you've given me all these years. Looks like I won't be able to continue at your side."
"How… incredible," Hinata murmured, a bit awestruck. "That's the power of prophecy, I take it? How will he die?"
She hurriedly added, "But if it's something you can't say, that's fine."
"He's killed by a dark-purple tentacle that pierces his body," Shion answered straightaway.
Hinata felt more puzzled. "Then can't we prepare in advance to stop it?"
"It's useless. That's fate. Destiny can't be overturned," Shion declared.
"Is that so?"
Izayoi was intrigued. "Then let's do an experiment."
Amid the trio's puzzled looks, he caused his right shoulder to writhe. A chunk of wood extended outward like a balloon, rapidly forming into a wood clone.
The clone patted Taruho's shoulder and said to Shion with a smile, "Now, can you see his future?"
On reflex, Shion peered at Taruho again, eyes turning vacant with that layered blue shade. Soon she came out of it, looking astonished and muttering, "His destiny… changed."
Taruho brightened with delight.
So that might mean Shion's prophecy of his death wasn't absolute after all.
Izayoi grinned. "So we see that fate isn't fixed; with enough strength, it can be broken."
If not for Taruho's presence, Izayoi might have snorted. In a land without a ninja village, so closed-off that even the priestess rarely harnessed her power, how could they have beaten fate? But for him, changing Taruho's fate was effortless.
Even a single wood clone of Izayoi's possessed a power surpassing all Five Kage. Unless some super-Kage foe arrived, no one could circumvent the clone to kill Taruho.
Worst case, the clone could spirit Taruho off to an unknown corner of the world or seal him somewhere.
He had myriad ways to ensure the man's survival.
Shion fell into a stupor, clearly shaken.
She had tried to alter others' destinies before, warning them after each prophecy, but it had never succeeded. Eventually, Shion accepted "fate can't be changed," building her distant persona to avoid seeing or hearing about their deaths. She'd suppressed her empathy behind a façade of aloofness.
Now, all of that was overturned in one day.
For the first time, she had encountered someone whose future she could not see. For the first time, she saw fate being rewritten…
The light surrounding Izayoi—the one who was "already special" in her eyes—glowed even more radiantly. Her heartbeat fluttered again with that sense of excitement.
"All right, we'd better get moving."
Izayoi signaled to his wood clone, who vanished along with Taruho. Then he turned to Shion and Hinata, saying, "We should hurry."
Immediately, Izayoi himself disappeared from the shrine.
"Shion, can you do Body Flicker?" Hinata asked.
Shion shook her head. "I'm not a ninja."
"In that case, let me carry you."
"S-sorry for the trouble…"
Shion climbed onto Hinata's back, feeling somewhat self-conscious.
"Don't worry—our mission is to protect you," Hinata consoled.
In an instant, she leaped away from the shrine, utilizing Byakugan to locate Izayoi's chakra.
Charging through a forest, Hinata soon caught up to Izayoi.
At that moment, he stood in a clearing, near four corpses lying in gruesome shapes. Beside them were trails of purple blood and a severed, dark-purple tentacle.
Shion's expression tensed at the sight. "Those—those are the ones that would've killed Taruho in the future."
"See?" Hinata said proudly. "Izayoi-kun's very strong. With his help, you'll definitely seal Mōryō."
"Mm!"
Shion nodded firmly, feeling more hopeful than ever.
"I guess Mōryō's still in the same direction?" Izayoi asked.
Shion closed her eyes, sensing something. After a bit, she opened them again, nodding. "No change. The signal is even stronger. Mōryō must be close by."
"Excellent."
He gave a swift grin. "Let's go."
This time, instead of using Heavenly Transfer + Flying Raijin, Izayoi sped forward with Body Flicker. Hinata followed closely, Shion atop her back.
In that posture—Shion's chest pressed tight against Hinata's figure, quite overshadowed by the latter's development—Shion ended up with her arms around Hinata's neck, eyes half drawn to that chest. A moment later, she quietly shifted her gaze forward to watch Izayoi from behind.
"S-so your name is Hinata?" Shion asked softly.
"Yes," Hinata replied with a smile. "I'm Hyūga Hinata."
"I'm Shion. It's nice to meet you."
After a formal introduction, Shion's voice dropped conspiratorially. "So…what's your relationship with Izayoi?"
Catching Shion's drift, Hinata's eyes flashed with a surprising sharpness—a stark change from her earlier gentle manner. She calmly declared her claim: "He's my fiancé."
Shion's face went ashen. Not from heartbreak, but from intimidation.
Such a terrifying glare!
Sensing Shion trembling, Hinata resumed her usual tender air. "Sorry, did I scare you?"
"N-no, it's fine," Shion laughed awkwardly, not daring to glance again at Izayoi. She feared if she did, Hinata might finish her off right then. She nearly "saw" her own death in a prophecy, one might say.
After an hour or so of traveling, they left the forest and entered a region of stony mountains.
Difficult terrain meant nothing to Hinata's wall-climbing skill or Izayoi's speed. But the deeper they went, the more undead soldiers they encountered. It seemed stepping into Mōryō's domain triggered these ambushes.
"W-watch out…"
Shion tried to warn them, but the final word caught in her throat as she stared in shock.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Izayoi clapped his hands. The entire mountain quaked as if the forest behind them came alive, a tide of thick branches surging forth and flattening or swallowing nearby terrain. Within moments, the entire rocky zone was transformed into a sea of greenery.
Those supposedly unkillable specters were instantly buried. Without time to re-form at the surface, they couldn't hinder them further.
With a single jutsu, the undead army was overwhelmed. Izayoi and Hinata resumed their pace.
This time, Izayoi slowed somewhat, turning to Shion. "Any shift in direction?"
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Actually it's even stronger. Mōryō must be close by."
"Perfect."
Izayoi conjured a chunk of metal etched with a flying-raijin seal via Tenseigan creation, and in the blink of an eye teleported them to the outer edge of that newly-grown forest.
Shion was again stunned silent by the instant travel.
Izayoi asked, "Which way now?"
Closing her eyes briefly, Shion then pointed at a tall volcano. "That mountain. I sense it inside."
Activating her Byakugan, Hinata added in a grave tone, "I can't see any chakra in there."
In Sage Mode, Izayoi simply smirked. "I sense it. Let's go!"
Within moments, they reached a rock formation near the foot of that volcano.
"Look—there's a shrine entrance. It must be inside there," Shion called out.
Sure enough, more undead soldiers emerged from the ground—hundreds of them.
"Hinata, keep close," Izayoi advised and dashed ahead.
Hinata followed swiftly, carrying Shion.
"Sage Art… Storm Release: Judgment!"
Up front, Izayoi formed a swirling blue chakra sphere, infusing water and lightning-nature transformations to produce a storm-laser that shot out in a beam, disintegrating many stone soldiers. That laser then shrank into a sword of light, slicing those on either side in half. Finally, Izayoi reached the shrine entrance.
Once Hinata arrived carrying Shion, Izayoi used Wood Release to seal the entry behind them.
Without further attempts to tunnel inside, the undead presumably recognized they couldn't handle Izayoi.
Inside was a volcanic cave tunnel, flanked by molten magma on both sides.
At its end lay a dais.
Izayoi did not proceed immediately. Instead, he pressed both hands to the ground, channeling large amounts of Wood chakra.
Having detected no sign of Black Zetsu or White Zetsu, he reopened his eyes. "Looks like no one else is here."
Apparently, not even White Zetsu clones could find them.
That affirms how the "movie arcs" were indeed unusual.
"All right, let's go."
He, Hinata, and Shion headed down the path.
Soon, they saw a man seated on a throne-like seat in the darkness. As they drew closer, he stepped forward, gazing at Shion with a grin: "You've grown, daughter of Miroku."
"You…you…"
Shion hid behind Hinata, frightened by the man's horrifying appearance: black curse marks, nearly lifeless eyes.
The man, seeing Shion's reaction, introduced himself: "I am Yomi, once thwarted by your mother's meddling. This time, Mōryō and I won't fail!" He laughed shrilly.
And as soon as he finished, Yomi's body collapsed, dissolving into a mass of dark purple energy.
Hovering in midair, that energy uttered in a reverberating tone: "My 'vessel' has finally arrived!"
"Izayoi—he's Mōryō," Shion announced. Then her gaze shifted to a large box on the dais. She murmured, "This shrine… I recall Mother mentioning a place that can seal Mōryō away."
Hinata asked at once, "So how do we do it?"
"I must stand at the dais, then I'll need some time to activate its sealing technique," Shion explained.
"Hahahaha… I had already guessed your mother wrote about this place, so I came early. You have no chance now—merge with me, let me claim your body entirely! Such enormous power wasted on you is truly a pity!"
Throughout his speech, Mōryō essentially ignored Izayoi and Hinata.
If not for the Rinnegan, Mōryō wouldn't even mind Uchiha Madara, since no one could kill him except a priestess or the Rinnegan's six paths.
Hearing Mōryō mention "merge," Izayoi's instincts buzzed. Perhaps the secrets of the priestess or Mōryō might indeed help him.
He feigned calm, asking, "So 'merge into one'—what do you mean by that? Aren't you and the priestesses mortal enemies?"
"Yes, we are mortal enemies."
Mōryō's tone remained smug. "But we're also two halves of the same being!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Hinata stared in shock; Izayoi recalled a flicker of insight. "So that's like a twisted version of the Rinnegan's 'two extremes unified…'"
Shion cried out, "You're talking nonsense! My mother and I bore the duty of sealing you!"
"Unsurprisingly you reject it, since none of you priestesses inherited the eternal, undying power." Mōryō gave a triumphant explanation. "Long ago, the original Priestess was too powerful. To keep from misusing that power, she divided her heart and mind in two. Through a thousand years of dissipation, it evolved into the Priestess and Mōryō."
"In truth, we're one single existence—only a priestess can seal me, and I can only resurrect by taking over a priestess's body. That's why I remain an immortal spirit, while you priestesses never gain immortality. This dais is not just my prison, but also the place where the two halves can rejoin!"
"Your incomplete priestess powers stand no chance. Come to me quietly!"
With that, Mōryō lunged, but not at Shion, instead targeting Izayoi—the biggest threat.
Raising his hand, Izayoi instantly shaped a Sennin-laced Storm Release, slicing Mōryō's purple energy form into halves.
"Gah! That hurts!"
Mōryō yowled. Then, after reforming, it looked cautious. "Sage power? Are you a successor of those three?"
"You even know the Three Great Sage Regions?" Izayoi was surprised, then inquired, "So do you also know the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Boy, are you mocking my intelligence?" Mōryō roared. "I even know of the Rabbit Goddess—why wouldn't I know the Six Paths Sage?"
Boy, so direct! Izayoi mused. Then again, it made sense: Mōryō was repeatedly sealed away each time, leaving no chance to glean modern knowledge—he had a limited but ancient grasp.
Observing how Sage ninjutsu only inflicted pain but couldn't kill Mōryō, Izayoi retreated to Shion's side and cheerfully said, "My powers can't kill it. It's up to you now, Shion."
"Huh?"
Shion paled, suspecting she was being abandoned. But recalling her mother's final words and the duty a priestess bore—along with everything Mōryō said—she firmed her resolve. Gaze determined, she declared, "Fine… I'll face him. Even if it costs my life, I won't let Mōryō get my body."
"You have the eyes I wanted to see." Izayoi smiled approvingly, patting Shion's shoulder. "This is your stage—show me your priestess power, Shion!"
He spoke and closed his eyes. Unbeknownst to Shion, he activated Tenseigan and infused Yin–Yang Release chakra into her.
Whoosh—
Instantly, the bell ornament at Shion's right chest glowed brightly, illuminating the entire cave.
Seeing it, Mōryō burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I had planned to take that kid's body first, letting me retrieve that protective charm. I can't believe you removed it on your own—how convenient—"
But Mōryō's triumph abruptly turned to horror. "No—impossible! Why is the seal undone so easily?!"
Panicking, the purple mass streaked for Shion, only to recoil from an invisible barrier, scattering into a haze. Recombining took longer than usual.
"Agghh… That can't be…"
The demon howled in denial, "That woman's seal shouldn't be undone so easily—!"
Meanwhile, beams of pure white radiance surged over Shion. Freed from the bell-ornament seal, her entire body exuded the collected might of every generation of priestesses. She was gently lifted into midair, as though by an invisible hand.
Blinding light filled the cave. Except for Mōryō's dark-purple gloom, everything was enveloped in white, including Izayoi and Hinata. The difference was Mōryō's darkness contrasted violently.
Within the whiteness, Shion's form underwent visible changes.
First, her tea-brown hair grew longer, changing color from ash-blonde to pure gold, trailing all the way to her knees.
Then the wide-sweeping holy light started retracting, not back into her body but condensing overhead in the shape of a vertical halo. It was as if a ring of light soared above her head, reminiscent of an angel—only upright.
Still floating, Shion opened her eyes. They were vacant, possibly from the synergy of prior generations of priestess power. Expression blank, she raised a pale hand toward the still-reforming Mōryō.
"N-no, don't do it! Please—!"
The shriek was cut short by a deep purple glow from the dais. A cylindrical barrier soared upward.
"Arrgh…!"
Trapped inside, Mōryō's form quaked, letting loose a final shriek before dissolving into nothingness. The leftover scraps of that purple energy turned into faint shimmer, merging with Shion's own white glow.
Shion's eyes fluttered shut once more.
Hinata, stepping forward to catch her, wore a stunned expression. Meanwhile, Izayoi stood transfixed, seeing three floating skill "bubbles" around Shion. One bubble was shining. Its golden color turned red:
[Priestess Power (Red)]
But more than that, his thoughts roiled with excitement.
—The ancient priestess had split her mind and heart…
—Some "power of destiny," priestess power leading destiny…
—"Undying, two halves reunited…"
"That's it, Shion. Now you can help me."
Izayoi abruptly grinned, Tenseigan flaring. His hand unleashed a green beam that shot right through Shion's chest.
All transformations halted.
The radiant green bullet returned to Izayoi, who used Yin–Yang Release to merge it with his Sage chakra.
Boom—
A colossal outpouring of chakra shook the volcano, a monstrous aura surging upward.
All around the ninja continent—and beyond—those sensitive to chakra felt an overwhelming force from that region, only to lose track immediately after.
Only Hinata, cradling Shion, witnessed Izayoi's changes. He'd closed his Tenseigan and lost the red-limned eyes of Sage Mode, yet still emanated enormous senjutsu chakra. Hovering around him were nine black orbs the size of fists.
He had attained…Six Paths Sage Mode.
~~~
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