[Led by Shion, the Konoha team reached the waterfall behind the shrine. Naruto, leading the group, couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a dead end!"]
["This is the priestess's bathing place—there's an escape route inside," Shion explained while walking toward the waterfall.]
["Is it really okay to leave Ashihoko and the others behind?" Neji and the others followed, but Shion replied arrogantly, "I'm the priestess of this land. If I want to abandon a few attendants, I will!"]
[The group headed toward the Land of Marshes. Shion, carried on Sakura's back, complained, "So uncomfortable! Your body doesn't feel like a woman's at all."]
["Damn it!!!" Sakura's forehead veins bulged. If it weren't for the mission, she would've punched her already.]
"Damn it!!" Sakura cursed in real-time, syncing perfectly with the sky screen. Naruto quickly sat upright to avoid catching strays.
["Wow, that priestess is savage!"]
["Yeah! What's wrong with being flat-chested? Flat-chested girls save a lot of fabric, you know!"]
["Fabric's not the point—curves are still more appealing, right?"]
["I'd go for a cute boy too…"]
["What are you guys even on about? Nobody cares about your fetishes!"]
Naruto saw an opportunity and gave Sakura a thumbs-up: "Don't listen to those idiots, Sakura! Even flat-chested girls can be cute. Like… um… save on fabric?"
Sakura elbowed him hard. "Why the hell would I discuss that with you?! Shut up, idiot!!"
["Who's there?!" An arrow suddenly flew toward them, halting the group. It was Ashihoko.]
[Shion looked annoyed. "What do you want?"]
[Ashihoko walked over, unfazed. "My duty is to never leave your side, Priestess Shion."]
["You're just a burden! Go back to the village!"]
[The two argued, but Ashihoko managed to stay with the Konoha team heading for the shrine.]
[Since he couldn't match the shinobi's speed, they had to pause occasionally to let him catch up.]
["He means well, but wow, this is slowing them down so much."]
["During missions, it's usually best to keep civilians out of it—protecting them drains resources and risks failure."]
["We've all had that experience—super annoying."]
Back at the shrine, Shion watched Ashihoko worriedly. He shook his head. "Don't worry, Priestess Shion. I'm fine."
He didn't care about the sky screen's criticisms. He knew exactly why he was there: he'd been training a certain jutsu just for this moment—to protect Shion.
[Night fell. The group stopped by a cliff.]
[Neji, after scouting with his Byakugan, confirmed no enemies were nearby. "We'll camp here."]
["Isn't this urgent?" Naruto protested. Lee explained, "We could keep going, but…"]
["…They've reached their limit," Sakura added.]
[Shion immediately snapped, "I'm fine!"]
[Ashihoko gently reminded her, "The sealing jutsu relies on your strength. Please rest tonight."]
["Hungry. Let's eat!" Shion turned away, defeated. Naruto muttered, "She's so bossy."]
[Shion then complained about the food. Neji calmly explained, "A campfire would reveal our position…"]
[But Shion ignored him, standing up. "I'm going to sleep."]
["I'm getting mad just watching her! She's like one of those nightmare clients."]
["Yeah! Knows nothing, but keeps bossing us around!"]
["Give her a break, she's a priestess."]
["Nobility, huh."]
Naruto grumbled at the screen, "Such an annoying priestess."
The younger ones in the room all shared the sentiment, while Kakashi and Gai remained silent.
Kakashi had a theory: 'That kind of attitude… born from fear, maybe?'
[The familiar sound of bells rang out. Shion woke abruptly, the purple kaleidoscope pattern shining in her eyes. She saw herself lying on the ground, blood trickling from her mouth.]
[She didn't seem overly panicked. She glanced at her three guardians, then looked at the sky.]
[At the cliff, Naruto quietly approached Ashihoko, curious about the predictions.]
[Ashihoko didn't keep him in suspense. "Priestess Shion can only see the deaths of those near her."]
["So even if someone knows they'll die, they can't avoid it?" Naruto pressed.]
["No. No matter how hard you try, you can't change your fate. Most of those she predicts dying do so willingly to protect her. If they don't die as predicted, Shion might be the one to die instead."]
[Naruto listened calmly now, no longer panicked. "Even people in the village have started fearing her predictions and avoiding her. I don't know if they'll still come true, but it might depend on the feelings of those she predicts dying."]
["I see." Naruto thought for a moment. Flashbacks showed him as a child alone on a swing, other kids playing nearby—others shunning Shion too.]
["Huh? I get why they avoid Shion, but why Naruto? Why does he look so sympathetic?"]
["Because he's… you know."]
["Because he's what? Can you just spit it out already?"]
["He is... Ha.. wait ..👀 I see what you are doing mate, you almost had me hahaha, trying to fish for info hahaha"]
["Look at the clips. Naruto's got some scary power inside him too. As for the details—wait and see."]
["Yo, you're good at this! Ever considered joining our intelligence team? We pay well!"]
(To be continued)