"Priestess-sama, it's not that I want to do anything improper to you…"
Kiyoshi spoke calmly.
"It's simply that this truly increases the probability of successfully sealing Mōryō."
As he finished speaking, his hands formed seals once more.
A summoning array spread beneath him.
Then—
A massive one-horned beast appeared with a heavy thud.
Ordinary shinobi could summon this creature as well, but the one Kiyoshi possessed was clearly different.
After all, it had been carefully bred within the harsh environment of the Land of Lightning.
Endless storms.
Scorching sunlight.
Brutal natural conditions.
The creatures that survived there were naturally far larger and stronger than ordinary summon beasts of the same species.
This was innate talent—
Something impossible to achieve through ordinary training.
Unless one used artificial mutation methods like Orochimaru's experiments or cursed seals.
But those altered creatures always lost part of their original nature.
"..."
Shion bit down hard on her lips.
So hard that the red color deepened until it looked ready to bleed.
She was utterly shocked by Kiyoshi's actions.
"Hiss…"
The white snake wrapped around Kiyoshi's body slithered upward and coiled around his neck, its tongue flickering softly through the air.
"Mmn…"
A faint swallowing sound echoed inside the cave.
At the same moment—
A notification appeared before Kiyoshi's eyes.
You have obtained the trait: "Above the Priestess" (Green)
Requirement: Make the noble priestess kneel once.
Status: Completed.
Effect: Fearless and audacious, your "Virtue" stat increases by 20%.
Note: Further evolution is possible.
...
Deep within the cave—
The enormous underground chamber stretched for hundreds of meters in radius.
Even the rocky ceiling overhead towered at a shocking height.
At the center of the chamber, the sealing formation had already been completely destroyed by Mōryō.
The body of the Land of Demons' Daimyō lay collapsed nearby, looking as though he had aged several decades in an instant.
Meanwhile—
Mōryō had fully fused with his original body.
RUMBLE!!!
The ground split apart violently.
Cracks spread through the cave floor, exposing rivers of blazing magma beneath.
The lava churned violently, threatening to erupt at any moment.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Mōryō's ancient voice echoed throughout the entire cavern.
Compared to before, when he merely possessed the Daimyō's body—
He now appeared far more solid.
No longer like drifting smoke.
Instead, his body resembled thick black liquid constantly writhing and rolling in place.
"Priestess… you're too late."
After reclaiming his true body, Mōryō immediately noticed Shion's arrival.
Her once-neatly arranged ceremonial hair had become disheveled.
She looked furious.
Behind her stood a strange young man covering one of his eyes with his hand.
"I have already regained my power."
Mōryō's countless dragon heads emerged and stared at them with crimson eyes.
"I'll give you one final chance."
"Cooperate with me… or die here."
"This is the duty of every priestess."
Shion wiped the corner of her lips and met Mōryō's gaze directly.
"I see…"
Mōryō extended countless writhing tendrils from his body.
"You no longer need my power."
"But surely… you understand the consequences of what you're about to do."
He had been sealed by priestesses many times already.
He understood the pattern better than anyone.
To seal him—
A priestess's life was always required.
"No more words."
Shion raised her hand.
"Formation… Release!"
Purple chakra erupted around her body.
To seal Mōryō, she first needed to establish a barrier.
This time, she wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past.
A massive purple sealing barrier rapidly spread outward from her body, surrounding Mōryō—
As well as Kiyoshi himself.
"I told you already!!"
Mōryō roared furiously.
"It's too late!!"
Countless dragon-shaped tendrils smashed violently against the barrier.
At the same time, endless terracotta soldiers rushed toward them from deeper within the cave.
Caught off guard by the combined assault, Shion nearly lost control of the barrier.
A muffled groan escaped her lips.
She wiped away the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.
But mixed within the metallic scent of blood…
Was another smell.
A very familiar one.
Shion instinctively turned to look at Kiyoshi.
A faint blush of humiliation appeared on her face.
Forcing the dignified priestess herself to do something like that…
"Are you done yet?"
Her voice regained some of its usual authority.
If Kiyoshi had lied to her earlier—
She would explode in rage on the spot.
"Almost…"
Kiyoshi could clearly feel the violent throbbing inside his right eye growing faster and faster.
Then—
At a certain limit, it felt as though something invisible shattered.
His vision entered an entirely new realm.
The tomoe inside his right eye spun rapidly.
Another black tomoe appeared.
His eye had evolved into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
At that instant—
Kiyoshi's ocular power surged explosively.
The Sharingan only revealed its true power when both eyes were gathered together.
And now—
Not only had Kiyoshi finally obtained a complete pair of Sharingan—
But his ocular strength far surpassed ordinary Uchiha who had just awakened theirs.
Just like when he first completed a pair of one-tomoe eyes—
The world became incomparably clearer.
Even from this distance, Kiyoshi could clearly see the tiny lines on Shion's soft lips.
He could see the faint traces of moisture still remaining on her face where she had failed to clean herself properly.
Every detail revealed itself vividly before his eyes.
Not only that—
He could even smell the fragrance coming from her body.
His eyesight.
His sense of smell.
Even his chakra reserves—
All of them rose simultaneously.
"Heh… the evolution of the Sharingan?"
Mōryō sneered coldly.
"What a pity."
"No Uchiha can defeat an immortal being like me!"
His confidence swelled endlessly.
This generation's priestess had never left behind a child.
Even if he were sealed again—
He could simply return in the future.
As long as negative emotions existed within humanity—
Mōryō could never truly die.
"Is that so?"
Kiyoshi smiled faintly.
"The last person who called himself immortal is already on the moon."
Mōryō frowned.
He had absolutely no idea what Kiyoshi was talking about.
But one thing was clear—
This Uchiha brat was growing stronger every single second.
Even his chakra continued increasing steadily.
"My ghost army!!"
"Crush them!!"
Mōryō immediately ordered the terracotta soldiers forward.
At the same time, countless dragon-shaped tendrils lunged directly toward Kiyoshi and Shion.
Capture the leader first.
After realizing it would take tremendous effort to destroy the barrier itself, Mōryō decisively chose to target the caster instead.
"Priestess-sama…"
Flames suddenly ignited along Kiyoshi's ninja blade.
"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"
"…I remember."
Shion hesitated briefly before stepping in front of him.
She gently placed her hand over Kiyoshi's sword hand, attempting to transfer her chakra into his body.
Very quickly—
Kiyoshi felt a strange chakra flow entering his system.
He closed his eyes slightly, carefully sensing its unique fluctuations.
Allowing another person's chakra to enter one's body was extremely dangerous.
Every shinobi possessed a different chakra pathway system.
Even the natural flow of chakra varied from person to person.
If the amount exceeded the body's tolerance—
The chakra network itself could become damaged.
The principle behind Kakashi's Lightning Blade was precisely to temporarily raise that limit by forcefully activating the body.
(End of Chapter)