Looking at the high-spirited Naruto, Jiraiya simply smiled without saying anything to dampen his enthusiasm. He also knew that the other had established a pretty good relationship with the Nine-Tails.
He didn't know how it had been achieved, but he was well aware of the power of the Nine-Tails. Fighting side by side with the Nine-Tails, one probably wouldn't encounter too much danger.
"Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails together—unbeatable! Oh yeah!"
Seeing the group in fairly good spirits, Jiraiya let out a slight sigh of relief in his heart. What he feared most was panic breaking out if they were attacked while the Kage were lured away, but fortunately, that situation hadn't occurred.
...
"Shion, you should still go take shelter with the villagers first."
After leaving the conference room and seeing Shion looking somewhat excited about the Akatsuki's arrival, several black lines couldn't help but appear on Furina's forehead. The way the other was acting—if you knew there were enemies attacking, fine; if you didn't, you'd think they were heading out for a picnic.
"Why? Even though I'm not from Konoha Village, I also want to help you instead of everyone else fighting while I'm the only one hiding in the back.
Moreover, didn't you say a few days ago that my progress during this time has been huge? I just need a bit more tempering, and I won't be any weaker than your teacher Kakashi. And isn't now exactly the time for that tempering?"
Not only did Shion speak with conviction, but she even used Furina's own words from a few days ago to motivate her as a rebuttal, causing Furina to receive a boomerang from the past.
Although she felt a bit speechless, after thinking about it briefly, Furina knew that Shion wasn't just blindly insisting. Her encouragement toward the other had also been based on facts rather than casual cheerleading.
As the other side of the demon Mōryō, after beginning ninja training, Priestess Shion's talent quickly manifested. One of its biggest characteristics was her enormous chakra reserves—at the very least on the level of several Kage.
There was also her sealing techniques. As the designated person to seal Mōryō, Shion's talent in sealing techniques was extraordinary. During this precious time, she had fully mastered all the related sealing techniques brought from the Land of Demons.
Although her taijutsu wasn't as strong as her sealing techniques, thanks to persistent training, it at least wasn't a major weakness.
Combined with her vast chakra and proficient sealing techniques, when she said she could help, she wasn't boasting—it was simply the truth.
"Alright, alright, you win. Since you've said all that, naturally I can't stop you anymore. But there's one thing I need to say in advance:
Although your current strength isn't too weak, your experience is still far too lacking. So you cannot act alone—you must always stay by Hikari's side. If anything happens, you have to listen to Hikari."
As she spoke, Furina turned her head to look at Uchiha Hikari beside her and said softly with a hint of helplessness: "Hikari, then I'll leave her in your care from now on. You know her situation."
"Mm, don't worry. I understand."
"Hey, hey, what are you two doing? You're making it sound like I'm some idiot. If something really goes wrong, I'll run away too, you know. I'm not a little kid anymore."
Seeing Furina looking so serious while Uchiha Hikari also wore a fully earnest expression, Shion couldn't help but puff out her cheeks. Their ages were all about the same—how come they were all treating her like a child? Clearly she was very capable now, okay?