Chapter 146: The Summoned Beast Shines in the Heavens
Naruto appeared in the guise of The Fool, which was why Deidara was so angry.
Having followed Sasori for a few days, he had long since understood that the reason for Sasori's defection was precisely because The Fool had been meddling.
But Naruto wasn't aware of that.
He knew the Akatsuki Organization would send someone to find Sasori, but he hadn't expected that the two wouldn't end up fighting; instead, they were quite harmonious.
Could one only say they were worthy of being teammates?
Though now, the word 'former' had to be added.
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Naruto sat by the campfire, sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off.
Sasori, however, was as calm as ever as he handed a rabbit leg to Naruto.
As a human puppet, he didn't need to eat, so only Deidara and Naruto were having a meal.
Naruto didn't stand on ceremony. Although he wore a mask, it was actually condensed from Chakra, allowing him to expose his mouth directly.
Sasori remained silent, with only the sound of the two eating filling the air.
After ten minutes, the roasted rabbit had been devoured. Seeing this, Sasori spoke: "Deidara, you should return to the Akatsuki Organization and report."
Hearing this, Deidara felt a bit stifled.
Over the past few days, he had said everything he needed to say; talking more wouldn't change Sasori's mind.
Unless he also defected from the Akatsuki Organization, it was time to leave.
Staying any longer would cause misunderstandings.
Deidara currently had no intention of leaving the Akatsuki Organization.
Although he was forced to join at first, seeing all sorts of powerful individuals in the Akatsuki Organization—combined with their unique abilities and the thrill of capturing Tailed Beasts—led him to believe that the Akatsuki Organization was an artistic troupe and his natural stage.
Even if he was down another teammate like Sasori.
Naruto glanced at him.
Deidara's strength went without saying.
If he had stayed in Iwagakure, he would have been the next Tsuchikage.
Unfortunately, he was obsessed with explosions and was kicked out.
As the leader of Mandate and a transmigrator, Naruto undoubtedly had a habit of collecting talent.
But now wasn't the time, and he currently had nothing to attract Deidara with.
"I'll be back."
Deidara leaped up as a giant bird appeared beneath his feet, carrying him away.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Leaving a parting line like that.
Who do you think you are, Big Bad Wolf?
"Now, let's get down to business."
Sasori ignored Deidara; for him, the only thing he truly wanted was that perfect doll.
"Your third material should be the sealing stone on Shion, the Priestess of the Land of Demons."
"A sealing stone, huh? That's a bit of a hassle."
Naruto recalled the plot from the original work.
The sealing stone was something Shion's mother, Miroku, had left for her; it looked like a bell.
It was originally given to suppress Shion's power.
Of course, no one knew this purpose.
They all believed it was an amulet Miroku gave to protect Shion from the demon Moryo.
In terms of both reason and sentiment, they wouldn't just give it to them.
"I have two plans," Sasori continued, "but you decide which one to execute."
"Alright, let's hear them."
"The first plan: barge directly into the Land of Demons and snatch the sealing stone."
"..."
Naruto fell silent.
You call this a plan?
Do you even know what a plan is!
"The advantage of this plan is that it saves time. The disadvantage is that we'll make an enemy of the Land of Demons. While that's nothing to us, the Land of Demons has good relations with several Ninja villages, like Konoha. There are follow-up risks."
"What's the second one?"
Naruto thought for a moment and shook his head as he asked.
Such an action didn't align with his ultimate goal.
Moreover, it was too high-profile and would draw the attention of all the powers in the Ninja World.
"According to my investigation, the purpose of the Priestess's existence is to seal Moryo, this so-called otherworldly demon."
Sasori's tone was flat. In his investigation, the information he obtained said Moryo possessed the power to destroy the Ninja World.
But he didn't believe it; Pain's Rinnegan alone could teach it a lesson.
Unless it possessed power exceeding that of the Ten-Tails or the Six Paths Sage.
"As long as we eliminate Moryo, the Priestess will naturally give us the sealing stone."
Sasori continued, "With our strength, this shouldn't be too difficult."
Naruto fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
Although Sasori had the purpose of the sealing stone wrong, in a sense, it was true.
However, Moryo seemed very difficult to eliminate.
"Let's go meet Priestess Shion first. Moryo comes from another world, after all, and must have special abilities. We might not be able to eliminate it, but we can defeat it and then have Shion seal it."
Naruto spoke up, "Even if Moryo escapes again in the future, with this experience, Shion will surely believe in our strength. Whether she has the sealing stone or not won't matter."
"The only downside is, how do we release Moryo?"
Sasori nodded and raised another question. "Years ago, it was the so-called Yomi Cult that summoned it, but they have already been wiped out."
"How could they be wiped out so easily?"
Naruto knew the plot. Not long from now, the Yomi Cult would experience a resurgence. The cult leader, Yomi, would open the seal, invite a demon to possess him, and attempt to kill Priestess Shion.
Upon receiving a request for aid, Konoha would send Kakashi and others to help.
Speaking of which, one had to admire the Crown Prince's ability to charm girls in the movies.
Every new movie added another girl who admired him.
Each was beautiful and unique.
And in the Land of Demons, Shion even wanted to have children with him.
Tsk.
Only the Crown Prince was such a dense blockhead. If it were anyone else, they'd have enough kids for a soccer team.
Hinata could truly be called the greatest 'cuckold' of the Ninja World.
Bishop Otto would give a thumbs up.
The biggest coincidence was that Naruto was now the leader of Mandate.
Ah, this...
Naruto scratched his head in confusion.
This really was a pure coincidence.
As coincidental as it could get.
But fortunately, he was currently an innocent youth who only liked Hinata.
"Then shall we split up?"
Sasori didn't doubt Naruto's words. "I'll go find Yomi, and you go find the Priestess?"
He didn't have much experience with 'Talk-no-Jutsu'; fighting suited him better.
Besides, he had many puppets, making it easier to find people.
"Fine."
Naruto nodded.
He also couldn't imagine how Sasori would convince Shion.
With his personality, they'd be fighting within two sentences.
It would likely be physical persuasion.
Sasori didn't waste words either, controlling the Third Kazekage to fly away directly.
Good grief, Deidara rides a bird, and you ride a person.
Naruto suddenly thought of his own riding skill.
He still hadn't found a suitable mount.
Although his Summoned Beast toads could be ridden, they were too ugly.
He chose to decline.
Naruto leaped up and moved rapidly through the mountain forests.
There was no need to search for Shion; asking anyone would reveal she was in the Priestess's palace in the Metropolis of the Land of Demons.
It only took him half an hour to reach his destination.
A valley.
The palace was located at the very end, surrounded by guarding soldiers.
The Land of Demons didn't have a so-called Ninjavillage.
The Priestess lineage was actually equivalent to special Ninjas.
Naruto remembered Shion had the ability to predict death; he wondered if she had predicted his arrival.
If he didn't kill anyone, would he not be predicted?
Pondering this, he directly infiltrated the palace.
In the dim hall, the white-haired loli Shion was lying on a bed.
Naruto rubbed his chin.
Although the Land of Demons was a small country, Shion's strength was not weak.
Her Sealing Jutsu was also at the top level in the Ninja World.
Abduct her into the White Lotus Sect?
Naruto had taken a fancy to her prediction ability.
"Hey, wake up."
"Hmm?"
Shion opened her eyes and suddenly saw an unfamiliar young man. Just as she was about to scream, her mouth was pressed shut.
"Shh, you don't want them to die, do you?"
Naruto said softly.
Complex patterns appeared in Shion's eyes.
A vision of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood flashed through her sight.
They would die!
She had never seen such a tragic scene.
Shion's body trembled as she closed her mouth.
Naruto stepped back a few paces and said, "Let me introduce myself. I am called The Fool, and I've come to cooperate with you."
"Cooperate?"
Shion was stunned.
Is this how you cooperate?
She took a deep breath and asked, "What kind of cooperation?"
"A long-term cooperation between the Land of Demons and Mandate. Have you heard of Mandate?"
"No." Shion shook her head; she had been in the palace since she was a child and had almost no contact with the outside world.
"Well, you can understand it as an organization."
Naruto didn't explain further, saying, "The first project of our cooperation: we help you seal Moryo, and you give us the bell on your clothes."
"Impossible! This bell was given to me by my mother. She told me never to take it off, no matter what."
Shion instinctively refused, saying:
"And I don't believe you have the ability to deal with Moryo. It's an otherworldly demon with unrivaled power. My mother sacrificed herself back then just to seal it. How could it be as easy as you say?"
"Nothing in this world is unrivaled, and even if there were, it wouldn't be Moryo's turn."
Naruto said expressionlessly.
Shion had been indoctrinated with too many concepts, practicing Sealing Jutsu since childhood and embracing the idea of self-sacrifice.
She also had the ability to predict the deaths of others and had seen too much, gradually becoming cold and paranoid.
One could describe her in four words.
A frog in a well.
She hadn't seen Tailed Beasts, Hashirama Senju, Nagato, or the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
If she had, she likely wouldn't have said such things.
But Shion clearly didn't trust Naruto.
In the original work, the reason she believed in the Crown Prince was that her attitude changed after the two went through a series of events and his 'Talk-no-Jutsu'.
Relying on just a sentence or two now was clearly impossible.
Naruto looked at the wary Shion and gave a brilliant smile.
"I remember you have the ability to predict the death of others, right?"
"Yes."
"I will be releasing Moryo next."
"What did you say?!"
Shion's face was full of horror. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You'll become a sinner to the entire Ninja World!"
Naruto walked up to her, held her head, and said, "Look into my eyes."
Shion instinctively looked up, staring into his pair of eyes as blue as lakes.
"Do you see that Death Omen Star shining in the sky?"
Her eyes widened.
No!
How is that possible?!
If Moryo is released, why won't he die?
Could someone really defeat it?
Naruto smiled faintly and asked, "Did you predict my death?"
Shion shook her head blankly.
For a moment, she didn't know how to answer.
But something in her heart seemed to be shattering.
So Moryo wasn't invincible after all.
"Why?"
"If you want to know why..."
Naruto let go of her head and said, "This is Mandate. You must believe in one sentence: I am Mandate. Fate is not predicted; it is in one's own hands."
"Mandate?" Shion murmured to herself.
"The Ninja World is facing a great change unseen in a thousand years."
Naruto smiled slightly and said, "And Mandate is the center of this transformation. So, are you interested?"
To recruit members, he was really going all out, boasting first to broaden the perspective.
Shion did indeed feel somewhat awestruck.
Mainly because the shock he gave her earlier was too great.
If even Moryo could be defeated, perhaps he really had this kind of confidence.
But wasn't that sentence still a bit too exaggerated?
Subverting the entire Ninja World?
She suddenly thought of a question: "How are you going to release Moryo?"
"Yomi," Naruto replied. "He isn't dead. In fact, he's planning to summon Moryo once again. Without me, your Land of Demons will soon face a national disaster."
"Is what you're saying true?" Shion was startled.
"What point is there in me lying to you now? With my strength, I could completely kill you and take the sealing stone."
Shion fell silent.
Though those words were hurtful, they were indeed the truth.
She was somewhat grateful for the prediction ability she usually loathed; otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have believed Naruto.
Perhaps the national disaster would have come sooner.
"We can cooperate," Shion said, nodding.
"Very good. As the first project, you'll see with your own eyes whether we in Mandate have the ability to help you seal Moryo."
Naruto took out a Kunai, handed it to her, and said, "Hold onto this, and I'll be able to find you anytime."
Shion took it and was about to ask a question.
Naruto had already disappeared from before her.
She was stunned; she seemed to have unknowingly sold out the Land of Demons.
But she really liked what Naruto said.
Mandate—taking control of one's own fate.
She looked at the bell on her collar.
Because of her prediction ability, she hadn't had any friends since she was a child, and had nothing except Sealing Jutsu.
Yet, due to her status and responsibilities, many were still willing to get close to her, and then they died.
The deaths she predicted were actually all others dying in her place.
As long as they stayed away from her, they could avoid death.
And this time, she had finally met the first person to break fate.
The Fool... what kind of person was he exactly?
Naruto appeared before Sasori.
"You're done? That fast?"
Sasori was slightly taken aback when he saw him and couldn't help but ask.
It hadn't even been an hour yet.
You've already handled Shion?
Are you leaders all quite good at talking?
"Yeah."
Naruto looked at the puppet in front of him and asked, "Any news?"
"Yes, I've already discovered their tracks."
Sasori flicked his fingers, putting away over a dozen puppets.
Long-distance control was extremely draining on Chakra.
But regardless, the result was good.
With Naruto's previous reminder, he had found Yomi and his four subordinates.
"Shall we go down and just beat them into submission?" Sasori asked.
"Don't be so violent."
Naruto waved his hand. "Let's infiltrate the Yomi Cult first."
This point in time was clearly much earlier than the plot, and he wasn't sure if there would be additional variables.
What if releasing Moryo required some special conditions?