The journey was tense for Kakashi and his team.
Days ago, Konoha had received the Land of Demons' plea for help. After deliberation and reviewing what little information was available, the mission was classified as "Super S-rank." This meant they could face multiple enemies at or above Kage-level strength.
One was Moryo.
From fragmented records in ancient scrolls, its power was said to rival a tailed beast. If Miroku hadn't assured them in her letter that she could seal Moryo with the help of ninja villages, Konoha might have hesitated to take on the mission.
The other threat was the leader of the Yomi Cult.
According to intelligence, this ninja was formidable, potentially nearing the strength of the Five Kage if the rumor that "Moryo can share its power with others" held true.
There was also the possibility of additional enemies.
For Kakashi and his team, this mission carried a real risk of death.
In contrast, Uchiha Hikari and Eri seemed completely at ease, as if they were on a spring outing. They even stopped to snap photos at scenic spots—using Eri's phone.
The girl was no longer the clueless, innocent figure she'd been at the start. She was becoming more like an ordinary girl, picking up everyday knowledge and even getting the hang of using electronic devices.
As for Kikyo, she was already deep in conversation with Miroku.
Though from different worlds, the two were kindred spirits as shrine maidens. Moryo shared some traits with Naraku, and Kikyo was curious about how such a creature came to be.
By noon, when the group paused for a brief rest, Hikari glanced westward.
"By my estimate…" she mused, "Esdeath should be running into Moryo right about now."
…
Elsewhere, Hikari's shadow clone and Esdeath stood on a floating ice platform, gliding low over the western Land of Demons. Behind them trailed a grand procession of ice knights, like an army on the march.
Along the way, they spotted scattered groups of the "Ghost Corps" wreaking havoc in villages and fields. Lightly armored soldiers and villagers wielding pitchforks fought desperately to hold them off, covering their companions' retreat.
"That thing…" Hikari frowned. "It's deliberately spreading these puppets to cause chaos."
She was about to say something to Esdeath when the latter raised a hand. Instantly, several ice knights broke off from the group, charging toward the puppets in the village below. From above, it looked like a white arrow piercing a black quagmire, scattering the Ghost Corps in moments.
"Hm?" Esdeath caught Hikari's gaze and raised an eyebrow. "What's the issue?"
"Nothing," Hikari replied. "I just didn't expect you to care about the lives of those weaklings."
"…They're just civilians," Esdeath said, her expression unchanged. "Weak as they are, they should at least die with some purpose. Being killed by mindless puppets is too pathetic."
"Is that so?" Hikari said noncommittally.
They pressed on, splitting their forces as they went.
In numbers, Esdeath's ice knights were far outnumbered by the Ghost Corps. The knights were born from the power of her "Demon's Extract," while Moryo's puppets were made from the corpses of its victims, nearly limitless in supply. But each ice knight was stronger, able to take on three puppets at once. Both sides were effectively immortal, reforming even after being shattered, so the knights could hold back the Ghost Corps long enough for civilians to escape.
Hours after leaving the capital, Hikari and Esdeath reached the location Miroku had foretold: Inashiki Castle.
According to maps, it had once been a bustling city of nearly ten thousand. Now, it was a dead husk.
Buildings lay in ruins, streets stained dark red with dried blood. Puppets roamed the wreckage, ghostly flames flickering in their skulls. As Hikari and Esdeath arrived, the puppets swarmed toward them like sharks drawn to blood, their numbers overwhelming—a sea of dark figures that sent a chill down the spine.
"…Water Style: Water Shockwave!!"
Hikari formed hand signs and unleashed a torrent of chakra-fueled water. It surged from the city gates, crashing inward with waves several meters high, toppling the puppets like bowling pins. Though fearless, they were still bound by physics.
Then, Esdeath leapt from the ice platform, landing on the water's surface.
The moment her feet touched down, the water froze beneath her.
Crouching, she pressed both hands downward.
"…Frost Inferno!!"
Her chest's "Demon's Extract" mark flared. A wave of freezing air erupted outward.
The temperature plummeted.
One moment, the gates were a churning flood; the next, a blanket of frost swept out from Esdeath, encasing everything in a massive fan-shaped radius. The flowing water solidified, trapping the submerged puppets in icy prisons.
Ice sprouted like bamboo shoots—spikes, pillars, then towering icebergs nearly a hundred meters tall. In mere moments, Inashiki Castle became a silver-white frozen wasteland, enveloping several city blocks and still spreading.
"…" Esdeath glanced toward the city's heart. "There's someone else here."
"Hm?" Hikari asked.
"There are still living people in this town. Probably the master of these puppets."
"?" Hikari raised an eyebrow.
Moryo was here?
"That direction, huh… I can sense a chakra signature. Let's check it out!"
As she spoke, a BOOM echoed from a district miles from the gates, accompanied by a burst of crimson light.
Hikari and Esdeath exchanged a glance, then sped toward the sound—one in the air, one on the ground. A powerful chakra signature, laced with thick bloodlust, was rushing toward them.
It was really here?
Just as Esdeath had sensed survivors through her expanding ice, those on the other side had noticed them.
As they approached, several whooshes cut through the air. A handful of ninja-like figures appeared on nearby rooftops, shouting, "Stop! Who are you?"
"Lord Moryo is feeding. Disturb him, and you die!"
"…Lord Moryo?" Hikari paused mid-air, squinting at the group, noting their lack of forehead protectors. "Yomi Cult?"
"So, you're ninjas here to hunt us?" one sneered. "I don't know which village you're from, but since you're here, you're not leaving!"
With that, a Yomi Cult ninja charged forward. As he ran, his body grew a thick, rock-like armor, each step leaving massive footprints on the rooftops. Leaping into the air, he swung a fist at Hikari.
"Not bad momentum," Hikari said, slowly drawing her blade from her back. "But… too weak."
With a swing, her Dragon Bone Blade, now over four meters long, unleashed a torrent of energy.
"Crescent Moon Rush!!!"
A forty-meter blade of energy tore through the sky, engulfing the ninja. His eyes widened in panic as he raised his arms to block, but the blade swallowed him, hurling him backward.
BOOM!!
A sonic boom erupted with a wave of white energy. In seconds, the ninja was blasted hundreds of meters, vanishing mid-flight. The blade's momentum carried on, slicing through dozens of rooftops before crashing into a tower, reducing it to rubble amid falling stone.
Even after demolishing the tower, the Crescent Moon Rush traveled hundreds more meters before fading.
"?!" The remaining Yomi Cult ninjas froze, dumbfounded.
Was that swordplay or ninjutsu? How could it be so powerful?!
"Sorry, might've overdone it," Hikari said. "For you guys, the normal Dragon Bone Blade would've been enough."
She withdrew her spiritual energy, shrinking the blade back to normal, then nodded at Esdeath below. "The rest are yours, Esdeath. Moryo's probably ahead. Clear them out, and we'll go take a look."
With that, Hikari used her Flight Technique to ascend higher, squinting at the distant mountains. The thick trees obscured her view, but she felt eyes on her.
"Who's watching us?"
…
"How… is it her?!"
Outside Inashiki Castle, on a hillside miles away, Obito, clad in his black-and-red-clouded robe, stared in shock at the tiny figure in the distance, his masked face betraying disbelief.
"Who?" asked another figure in a matching robe, raising binoculars to follow Obito's gaze. "Huh, why's there a girl flying? Is that Iwagakure's Lightweight Boulder Technique? A disciple of the Third Tsuchikage? And that other one—looks like an Ice Release bloodline limit user."
"…" Obito was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "That's the Uchiha I told you about."
"…The Uchiha clan's grand matriarch?" Hiruko, a recent recruit to the Akatsuki, blinked in surprise, his eyes glinting. "I recall she has Mangekyo Sharingan like you, right? If I—"
"If you want to die, I won't stop you," Obito snorted. "Your Chimera Technique is impressive, but with the bloodline limits you've absorbed so far, you're nowhere near ready to face her. One of her Mangekyo abilities is Tsukuyomi, one of the strongest illusion techniques. A single glance, and you're trapped in her illusion space. Even I'm not confident I could counter it. With your stolen three-tomoe Sharingan, you don't stand a chance."
"Is that so?" Hiruko said, unconvinced but eager.
As a former Konoha ninja and peer of the Sannin, he knew the Uchiha well and coveted the Sharingan as much as Orochimaru. A pair of Mangekyo Sharingan would perfect his Chimera Technique.
Obito, meanwhile, was lost in thought.
"Didn't Black Zetsu say she was in the Land of Fields recently? How is she here? When did she arrive? Why didn't we get any intel?"
"And who's that woman with her? That ice ninjutsu is unreal—stronger than even the Yuki clan's best before they were wiped out. Where did Hikari find her? The Land of Snow?"
A flurry of questions swirled in Obito's mind.
But he quickly realized something else.
With Hikari here, Moryo was unlikely to escape, though its strength meant it wouldn't go down easily. This was his chance to rush to the capital, where Miroku's defenses would be thin, and kill her, flipping the situation in his favor.
Miroku's guards were likely just Konoha and Kumo ninja squads. Eliminating them would weaken Konoha and pave the way for his plans.
"Let's go, Hiruko," Obito said suddenly. "No point sticking around. Time to do what needs to be done."
"…You mean?" Hiruko asked.
"Kill the shrine maiden Miroku and bring her body back," Obito replied. "According to Zetsu's intel, her power is tied to Moryo's. If Moryo devours her, its strength will more than double. Once that happens, nothing will stop it."