บท 68: Land Of Demon [4]
After a bit of searching, Naruto finally caught up with Neji, Lee, and Sakura...
"Yo, what's the hold-up here?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto, you're here!" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, but what's going on?" Naruto pressed on.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions heavy with concern, "Come on, don't leave me hanging," Naruto urged.
His gaze shifted as he noticed a body not far from them, "What the...?" He approached cautiously, "Hold up...This isn't Shion...this is..." Naruto trailed off.
"That's Taruho..." Shion announced herself, stepping forward to join the group.
"Taruho decided to go a different way when we split up..." Neji began, but Naruto cut him off.
"Got that much. I wanna know how he ended up like this?" Naruto inquired, keeping his cool.
"He used a jutsu called Shadow Mirror Shape Shift to disguise himself as Lady Shion," Sakura explained, "I couldn't stop him from sacrificing himself in Lady Shion's place!" she said.
"And who's behind this?" Naruto's asked as Neji started explaining everything happened in details.
Meanwhile, at Yomi's hideout, two of his minions had just returned with an update...
"We've lost Gitai and Shizuku, but we've managed to take out the priestess of the Demon Country," Setsuna reported to Yomi, with both he and Kusuna bowing deeply.
"Idiots!" Yomi burst out, his patience thinning. "Mouryou's spirit will know you've killed a decoy. The real threat, the woman who can seal me away, is still out there. Fix this mess," he ordered.
"Understood, Sir!" They responded, their voices in perfect sync.
As Naruto and his team respectfully laid Taruho's remains to rest in a nearby location...
"We'll make sure your wish comes true, Taruho. Lady Shion will be safe with us," Neji declared with determination.
A little while later, Naruto, exuding a more relaxed yet confident vibe, addressed his team while Shion sat close by.
"So, we've still got two of those attackers out there, haven't we?" Naruto casually inquired.
"Yes," Neji confirmed.
"Alright, here's what we're going to do... Neji, Sakura, Lee, you three will hold the fort here. If those two decide to come back for another round, you'll handle it, yeah?" Naruto laid out the plan.
"But, isn't that risky for you?" Sakura couldn't hide her concern.
"And why would that be?" Naruto quizzed, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"You're marked for death, remember?" Sakura's worry was evident in her voice.
Naruto let out a light chuckle, his demeanor unshaken, "Ever hear the one about 'I'm not in danger, I am the danger'?" he quipped, a smirk playing on his lips as he moved toward Shion. "Ready to get going?" he asked her.
Shion, still feeling the weight of Taruho's loss, glanced at him with a heavy heart but managed to get on her feet with a nod.
"Naruto, we're all behind you!" Sakura encouraged.
"Push forward and never glance back!" Lee chimed in.
"We're almost at the sealing shrine!" Sakura added.
"Got it, thanks!" Naruto replied, giving Shion a reassuring look. "Ready to move, Shion?" he asked, effortlessly lifting her onto his back as they made their way to the shrine.
Meanwhile, Naruto's departure signaled Neji to swiftly climb to a vantage point, activating his Byakugan to survey the enemy and their surroundings...
Back in Konoha...
Tsunade, positioned authoritatively at her Hokage desk, faced Shizune standing across from her...
"The enemy pulled back just like that?" Tsunade pondered. "Could there be a deeper reason behind their retreat?"
"Maybe this means we're safe from destruction!" Shizune hoped.
"That's unlikely," Tsunade countered.
"What do you mean?!" Shizune gasped.
"They're likely gearing up for a final, devastating strike," Tsunade conjectured.
In the meantime, Neji, Lee, and Sakura engaged the last two of the Gang of Four, Setsuna, and Kusuna...
Neji's precise 8 Trigram 64 Palms targeted Kusuna, disrupting his chakra points, while Lee and Sakura teamed up to take down Setsuna with a powerful combo, swiftly securing their victory...
Eventually, Naruto and Shion arrived at the shrine...
"Looks like we've made it," Naruto observed.
"Have you been here before?" Shion inquired.
"Nah, just checked the map. That's our entrance," Naruto explained, pointing ahead.
"And why we're hesitating?" Shion asked.
"Time to check for traps. A place this important? Definitely booby-trapped," Naruto said.
"What's our next move?" Shion asked, uncertain.
"Just stick close," Naruto grinned, then in a blink, they were at the shrine's entrance, leaving Shion bewildered.
"H-How did you...?" Shion stammered as Naruto gently set her down.
"Just a little ninja trick. Let's focus on sealing Moryo, okay?" Naruto suggested, not dwelling on the details.
Shion nodded, and together, they ventured into the shrine...
As they proceeded, Shion was hit by that vision again, nearly collapsing, but Naruto was quick to catch her.
"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned yet calm.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Shion assured, getting back on her feet, troubled by the recurring vision.
As they delved deeper into the shrine, the tension spiked when they finally arrived at the central chamber...
"Naruto's going to die here?" Shion worried internally, the thought chilling her to the bone.
"You've become quite the formidable ... You remind me of Miroku. Now, go ahead and introduce yourself to the young priestess," the voice echoed, as an army of puppet soldiers began advancing towards Naruto and Shion.
"Hey, no stress. Just stick with me, and I'll take care of things," Naruto reassured Shion.
"Alright, let's shake things up," Naruto declared, his voice laced with determination. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In an instant, four clones sprang into action, each darting off in a different direction.
"Rasengan!" The battlefield echoed with the simultaneous cries of Naruto's clones, and in a flash, the puppet soldiers were decimated, Naruto seamlessly reabsorbing his clones.
"Told you there was nothing to worry about," Naruto said, flashing a grin at Shion, who couldn't help but return a relieved smile.
"And you are?" The adversary, Moryo, demanded, taken aback.
"Naruto Uzumaki," he replied with a cocky smirk.
"Then you'll be my first target!" Moryo declared, brimming with hostility.
"Give it your best shot... but just a heads-up, you're not going to like the outcome," Naruto retorted, smirking confidently.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]
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