Naruto frowned slightly after hearing the guards' scolding.
"So young… for a shrine maiden, huh?"
The guards immediately exploded in anger.
"I've already said it's priestess! Do you understand?! It's priestess, not some random shrine maiden! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ) "
Naruto raised his hands defensively.
"Priestess, shrine maiden… aren't they basically the same thing? (◔◡◔)"
At that moment, one of the more sensible guards stepped forward, bowed deeply to both Naruto and Shinju, and spoke politely.
"You two must be traveling Konoha shinobi, correct? That wooden barrier and the rain earlier… that was your ninjutsu, wasn't it?" the guard, Taruho, asked.
Naruto shook his head and pointed to Shinju beside him.
"Not both of us. It was all him — he did it alone."
Shinju gave a modest nod.
"Yeah."
Hearing that, the guard gave Shinju a careful once-over, then bowed even deeper.
"So you must be Shinju-san from Konoha… I've heard so much about your Wood Release."
Shinju couldn't help but look a little proud at the praise, lifting his chin slightly. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )
Taruho straightened and introduced himself.
"My name is Taruho, guard of Shion-sama, the priestess of the Land of Demons. I have something important to ask of you, Shinju-sama."
Fresh from the compliment, Shinju went along with the flow, smiling warmly.
"Mm, go ahead. We're all people under the same sky — just say it. (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ"
Taruho's face turned serious.
"Right now, the Ghost Army has returned. The soul of Moryo, which was sealed long ago in the Land of Demons, has been released. Their next move will surely be heading to the Land of Swamps… to reclaim Moryo's body."
"Shinju-san, have you heard of the chaos back then — the Moryo Incident? The former priestess, Miroku-sama, successfully sealed Moryo away."
"But after Miroku-sama passed away, there is now only one person in this entire world with the power to seal Moryo again — Shion-sama, priestess of the Land of Demons."
"That's why I must ask you, Shinju-san, to escort Shion-sama to the Land of Swamps… so she can seal Moryo once more!"
By the time he finished speaking, Taruho and his guards had already dropped to their knees on the rain-soaked, muddy ground.
"Please, we beg of you!!"
Shinju glanced at Naruto, who met his gaze.
In truth, neither of them had a fixed destination — anywhere would do.
Heading to the Land of Swamps and bringing along this spoiled priestess… wasn't impossible.
But still — travel costs, escort fees, food expenses, mental strain compensation… someone had to pay.
It was as if Taruho had read Shinju's mind. He gestured to one of the guards, who quickly brought over a heavy pouch of ryo. Taruho handed it over respectfully.
"My deepest apologies… the shrine's funds are limited, so this is all we can offer as a deposit for now."
"Once the situation is resolved, I'll report this to the higher-ups of the Land of Demons, and the remaining commission fee will be sent later."
Shinju took the pouch and gave it a quick shake.
Not much.
But… the Land of Demons was a whole country. Once the mission was done, there would definitely be a generous reward.
Shinju smiled and nodded.
"Alright. I'll take this mission. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
Taruho finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had heard the rumors of Shinju's strength.
A young Wood Release user… the one who took on several elite jōnin from Kumogakure single-handedly — and even defeated the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki…
A prodigy.
One of Konoha's greatest pillars!
With him around, Shion-sama would surely be safe.
And so, Shion, Naruto, and Shinju set out together on the journey to the shrine in the Land of Swamps.
...
Hokage's Office.
An intelligence officer stood before Tsunade, reporting the latest updates.
"Not long ago, the shrine where the priestess of the Land of Demons resides was attacked by the Ghost Army. Shinju intervened just in time and saved the priestess."
"After that, the guards requested Shinju and Naruto to escort her to the Land of Swamps. They're currently on their way there."
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction after hearing the report.
"Since Shinju has taken on the escort, we don't need to worry too much."
"But just in case, notify both Kakashi's team and Asuma's team. Tell them to head to the Land of Swamps shrine to provide support."
"Yes, ma'am."
The intelligence officer bowed and left.
Just then, the doors of the Hokage's office burst open again.
An ANBU operative, wearing a mask, rushed in and reported between breaths.
"New intel — the Ghost Army is approaching the borders of the Land of Fire!"
Tsunade gave a small nod.
She had already expected this the moment Shinju's initial report came in.
"Send word to every registered chūnin and jōnin in the village. Leave only a small number behind to guard Konoha — everyone else is coming with me to intercept!"
"We must stop the Ghost Army before they cross into the Land of Fire!"
...
Deep in the forests.
Shion, who had grown up pampered and spoiled, was clearly unused to traveling on foot. Every time she went out, she was carried in a palanquin. Unsurprisingly, she didn't last long.
After just a few steps, she plopped down and announced dramatically,
"I'm done. I'm not walking anymore."
She sat on a rock, puffing her cheeks, her feet aching so badly she felt blisters forming.
And these two guys — neither of them had an ounce of gentlemanly behavior! Not even offering to carry her for a bit…
"You're tired already? We've barely gone ten kilometers from when we started," Shinju said, his face a perfect mask of exasperation.
"Naruto and I have been walking slower than usual to match your pace. Otherwise, we'd already be in the Land of Swamps by now. ┐(´-｀)┌"
Naruto nodded quickly.
"Shinju's right!"
Seeing the two of them completely fail to understand her delicate situation, Shion crossed her arms and turned her head sharply.
"Doesn't matter! I'm not walking anymore. ╭(╯ε╰)╮"
Shinju sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"…Should I just carry you?"
Shion's eyes widened. (´◊ω◊｀)
Inside, she was screaming at the top of her lungs: Yes! Yes! Carry me! Carry meee!! (づ′▽`)づ
But before she could fake a reluctant refusal, Shinju shook his head and scratched the back of his neck.
"Actually… no. That wouldn't be proper. Men and women shouldn't be that close unless married. What if my innocence gets tainted?"
Shion froze. (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"You—! I'm the girl here! Who's tainting whose innocence, huh?! Ծ‸Ծ"
Shinju waved lazily.
"If you say so, then sure. ┐(´-｀)┌"
Shion: ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ
She was furious. This red-haired blockhead was impossible!
Never. Ever. Marrying a redhead. Not in this lifetime!
Meanwhile, Shinju was still thinking about an easier way to get her to the Land of Swamps without wasting energy.
Suddenly, he smacked his forehead.
Right! He still had those blueprints Sai had helped him draw earlier…
If he used that, getting there would be fast, simple, and effortless.
Shinju quickly pulled out his summoning scroll, unsealed a sheet of paper, and slammed his palm down.
"Fwoooosh—!"
With a puff of smoke, a black-and-white helicopter materialized out of thin air.
Shion: ⊙▽⊙
Naruto: (´°Δ°`)
Shion pointed, dumbfounded.
"W-what the heck is that?! A giant… metal dragonfly?!"
Shinju walked straight to the cockpit, waving at them.
"Close enough! Hurry up and get on. I'll fly us straight to the Land of Swamps! ૧(●´৺`●)૭"
A few moments later—
"Whrrrrrr—!"
The helicopter's rotors spun, lifting the aircraft — and the three of them — vertically into the sky…
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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