Inside a relatively quiet private room in a teahouse located in the Land of Iron.
Seiki glanced around. "Let's talk here."
"Of course. First, thank you for hearing me out," Miroku said softly. "To put it simply, a world-ending disaster is approaching, and I respectfully ask for your strength to help protect this world!"
Hmph!
Asuma and the others immediately spewed out the tea they had just sipped and stared at her with puzzled looks.
What was this woman who called herself a miko trying to do?
Just like that Wish-Granting Casket, why does she keep talking about destroying the world?
Talking about destruction all day long—surely even the world itself must be getting sick of it!
Seeing their reactions, Miroku remained calm but explained earnestly, "In ancient legends, the Land of Demons has always sealed away a powerful demon named Moryo. Protecting and sealing Moryo has been our miko's hereditary mission."
"Recently, however, I foresaw someone attempting to break the seal and use Moryo's power to rule the world. That's why I specifically came to this location where the Five Great Hidden Villages are holding talks to report this situation. Unfortunately, none of the Kage leaders were willing to believe me."
Everyone fell silent—wouldn't anyone think this was ridiculous?
World destruction? Prophecies? Come on—this is just pulling the wool over our eyes, right?
Asuma coughed twice. "Putting aside that whole world-ending demon thing, I seem to hear you mention prophecy earlier?"
Miroku nodded gently. "Mikos do have prophetic abilities."
Asuma rubbed his face. "Then can you foresee what kind of girlfriend I'll find in the future?"
"I'm sorry," Miroku slightly shook her head. "I can only passively witness certain fragments. I cannot actively control this ability!"
The group exchanged disdainful glances—it was obvious this woman was a fraud!
"Moreover, what I see are only important fragments related to myself or this world!"
Asuma twitched his lips—that meant he wasn't even worth mentioning, huh?
Then, Miroku turned toward Seiki again and said, "And in the vision of the world's salvation, I also saw a scene involving Lord Seiki."
Beeep—the code's accepted!
Mizuki's gaze softened. "Someone who says stuff like that can't be a bad person!"
Kakashi also nodded firmly. "Judging from that, the prophecy has a very high chance of being accurate!"
Miroku felt a bit surprised, secretly thinking, *Those kids are too innocent—they actually believed every word I said.*
After a moment of thought, Seiki asked, "Will we need to arrive right after the war ends?"
"That won't be necessary. The vision shows it will happen sometime around next May." Miroku spoke gently. "Lord Seiki, as long as you arrive before that time, it will suffice."
"I understand." Seiki nodded. "Then I will set aside the time."
"Thank you sincerely; I won't bother you any further then."
Once Miroku left, Asuma suspiciously asked, "Seiki, do you really believe what she said?"
"What she said does have considerable credibility."
Seiki rested his chin in one hand, "Perhaps it's because I've dealt with demons before, but I really did sense a similar aura from her."
"Demons?" Shizune gasped. "You mean something like Satori?"
Kurenai also asked anxiously, "Could there be danger? Should we inform Hokage-sama about this?"
Even a Bijuu wouldn't seem particularly troubling to Seiki, in their eyes.
But these demons were different—the unknown itself represented tremendous fear.
Moreover, these evil spirits—sealed away since ancient times—seemed to wield unusually eerie powers.
Take Satori, who emerged from the Wish-Granting Casket, for instance. His power was actually weaker than an average Bijuu's, yet with mind-reading ability, even Tsuchikage couldn't handle him.
"I'll definitely report this," Seiki said with a warm smile, reassuring them. "Compared to others, my previous experience fighting demons does make me the best choice! Don't worry—I won't take unnecessary risks."
...
The war had just ended, and all villages were in a tense mood where everyone seemed suspicious of each other. To avoid unnecessary conflicts, no village lingered long after the meeting concluded.
Back in Konoha.
Troops stationed at various battlefields fully withdrew into the village, and everyone erupted into loud cheers upon entering.
"Haha! I've finally returned alive!"
"Pity some people will never come back again!"
"Don't go raining on our parade now!"
"Haha, yeah, anyway—screw that damn war!"
Screaming, sobbing, cursing, laughing—as if trying to release all excess emotions built up inside their bodies at once.
Although Konoha's overall situation remained relatively good, wars inevitably bring casualties.
They had borne immense pressure for so long, and now they could finally breathe easy.
Amidst this ocean of celebration, Seiki's group couldn't help but become infected by their enthusiasm.
"Since we joined the battle until now, it's almost been four years already, right?" Asuma sighed emotionally. "It's truly been a long time!"
"From the confusion and fear when first arriving at the battlefield to today's determination and decisiveness—we've changed unconsciously during this process," Inuzuka Reki also sighed.
"When I first got to the battlefield," Sen Hyuga said, looking at Seiki with deep gratitude, "I used to wonder every day if I'd end up dying in this war. Without you, Seiki... I probably wouldn't be here today."
Hearing this, everyone else also turned grateful glances toward Seiki.
They might indeed be geniuses, but in war, most Jonin could only become mere notations on casualty lists.
Immature geniuses amounted to nothing.
"You bet! We wouldn't have made it without you, Seiki!"
"In this war, my luckiest thing was joining this squad!"
Seiki laughed. "Same with me. My luckiest thing was being with all of you!"
"This must be what they call youth!" Guy shouted excitedly. "But remember, youth knows no bounds!"
This time, instead of casting disdainful looks, everyone nodded movedly.
"Although our team is disbanding, we should stay in touch more often in the future!"
"If you dare forget about me, I won't forgive you!"
"Ugh, I'm really going to miss you all!"
"Don't speak as if we're parting forever. We're all still in the village. We can meet up anytime."
Once the sorrow passed, everyone slowly took their leave, one by one, dragging their feet.
Seiki also silently returned to his hollow "home" and lay on the lawn in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky.
"Even someone like me can feel sentimentality. Bonds (deep emotional ties) truly do make one vulnerable!"
Shaking his head slightly, Seiki once again entered a calm and emotionless state. "Power, reputation, strength — I've claimed everything war has to offer. Now it's time to plan for the next phase!"
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