"Is that referring to… the Nine Tails?" Naruto's expression was a bit downcast; to this day, he still didn't know whether the rumor that he was the Nine Tails was true or not.
Everyone else in the meeting room more or less understood Naruto's situation, but they all had their own judgments and wouldn't lump Naruto together with the Nine Tails like the others did.
Only Kakashi, who knew the truth, patted Naruto's back to comfort him: "Cheer up, Naruto. I don't know when the Third Hokage plans to make this public, but I can tell you—you're definitely not the Nine Tails. You are Konoha's Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto lowered his head, took a moment to calm himself, and quickly perked up, turning his gaze back to the sky screen.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage silently smoked his pipe, a hint of guilt on his face as he thought: "I probably can't hide this for much longer. I'll have to find a time to explain it to Naruto. And Danzo—I can't let you keep running amok."
At the end of that thought, the Third Hokage's eyes hardened as he looked out the window. Having been the nice guy all his life, he was now ready to take decisive action to correct past mistakes in the current volatile situation.
Minato Namikaze also felt guilty, but he'd already prepared himself mentally back when he sealed the Nine Tails, so he quickly regained his composure.
Kushina simply felt sad for Naruto.
Shion looked at the Naruto on the screen and muttered, "You're the same as me, huh…"
["Hey, did anyone actually understand what that guy named Ashibo was talking about?"]
["This part is a little confusing. If someone breaks free of the prophecy, then the priestess dies—that's somewhat understandable. But what does he mean about the prophecy's accuracy depending on the target's mood?"]
["So, once the priestess's prophecy is triggered, someone's going to die no matter what. This ability is so damn useless."]
["So what now? The priestess foresaw her own death—who's gonna take her place?"]
["It's lonely, huh… that's why she acts so spoiled." Naruto made this remark, and Ashibo agreed: "Just as you said."]
[Understanding why Shion acted so spoiled, Naruto then turned his attention to Ashibo: "But Ashibo, aren't you worried? What if you end up dying because of her prophecy…"]
["Our clan owes a debt of gratitude to Lady Shion's mother that we can never repay. If I can protect Lady Shion, then I'll gladly give my life. As long as my resolve doesn't waver, my fate won't change." Ashibo's reply was just as expected, so Naruto didn't press him further.]
["Uh, shouldn't Naruto be more worried about himself right now? Wasn't he already prophesied to die?"]
["Maybe he thinks that if the priestess dies, he'll be safe, so he's not too concerned."]
["With the way this guy's personality is, I doubt he'd think like that… Let's just wait and see—otherwise, we'll end up eating our words later."]
"Lonely, huh…" Naruto now understood that feeling better than his future self, since he had only just recently left that state behind.
[As night fell, the sun rose again. Naruto perked up and said energetically: "Alright! Ashibo, let's get moving!"]
[He turned around and saw Shion standing behind him. Remembering what Ashibo had said, Naruto no longer held the same grudge: 'She's so spoiled because she was shunned. I should be a bit nicer to her.']
[Thinking this, Naruto smiled and greeted Shion: "Yo! Morning!"]
[But Shion didn't bother giving him a nice response. She turned her head with a huff and ignored his greeting, then told Ashibo: "Ashibo, that's enough. Go back to the village."]
[Of course, Ashibo didn't obey, so Shion purposely said something nasty to provoke him. Naruto couldn't stand it anymore: "You're taking this spoiled attitude too far. Do you even know how Ashibo feels as he protects you?"]
["You foresaw it, right?" Ashibo remained calm as he addressed Shion: "No problem, please tell me exactly what you saw."]
[Realizing she couldn't hide it anymore, Shion answered honestly: "When I hear the sound of bells and my heart races, I can see the future. Last night, I saw your future. If you keep following me, Ashibo, you'll die."]
["Wait a second—wasn't Shion's prophecy supposed to show her own death? Why's she saying Ashibo's gonna die now?"]
["Maybe she had another vision afterward and figured she was doomed, so she decided to get Ashibo to leave and save him."]
Shion understood the reason herself, but she simply pursed her lips and looked at Ashibo. After a moment of hesitation, she finally opened her mouth: "Ashibo…"
"Lady Shion." Ashibo's calm voice cut her off, and he bowed low and said, "Just like that other me said on the screen—as long as I can protect Lady Shion, I'll gladly give my life. Because the sealing jutsu for Moryo requires Lady Shion's power, everything we do is worth it."
Hearing that, Shion's eyes dimmed slightly: "Yeah… for the sake of this world… I have to survive…"
[The group continued their journey, and Ashibo's figure faded from the screen.]
[Neji changed the route to travel by water, but Shion, who was being carried on Sakura's back, struggled and complained: "This route is too dangerous."]
[Neji explained his tactics as the group paused: "The path to the shrine in the Land of Marshes is full of water sources, and the enemy's linked attacks rely mainly on Fire Release."]
[As his teammate, Lee immediately understood: "I see—no matter what Fire Release they use, we can counter it with the water!"]
["Lady Shion, once we pass through here, the sealing shrine will be right in front of us, so please be patient for now." Neji's words were straightforward, and Shion had nothing left to say.]
[Seeing this, Neji reminded everyone of their mission: "Our main task is to protect the target this time. Focus on defense, and no solo actions—especially you, Naruto!"]
["Got it!" Naruto agreed with exaggerated enthusiasm, then asked with a puzzled look: "By the way, what does [advance poison rice ball] mean?"]
["What?" Shion stared at Naruto for a moment, confirming he wasn't joking, then concluded: "Your friend's an idiot…"]
["Yeah…" Sakura responded helplessly.]
["Pfft! No wonder he doesn't follow orders—this guy doesn't even know what 'solo actions' means!"]
["Konoha, what the hell are you teaching in your culture classes?"]
["No wonder he's still a genin—it must be because he bombed the written exams!"]
["Hahaha! And here he was talking about becoming Hokage. With this level of literacy, no way!"]
Naruto's face turned red with embarrassment, and he tried to argue: "Don't underestimate me! I'm not an idiot! Solo actions means… um, fighting on your own? Right! That's it!"
Sasuke looked at him with disgust: "…Super big idiot."
Kakashi tilted his head and scratched his hair: "…Naruto, maybe you should go back to the academy for some extra classes."
"NOOOOOOO!" Naruto wailed.