Chương 119: Ch.119 Attack
The prophecy of death, temporarily quelled by Asuma's intervention, settled uneasily within the group. Before long, everyone resumed their journey toward the Land of Demons.
Sasuke approached Shinji, trying to sound casual. "Shinji, you don't actually believe in that nonsense, do you?"
Shinji glanced at Sasuke and saw through his facade—Sasuke was clearly scared! But instead of pointing it out, Shinji simply replied, "Don't worry. With a Jonin like Asuma around, nothing will happen to us."
Sasuke immediately stressed, "I'm not scared!"
Shinji smirked but then quickly hid his amusement.
He didn't take Shion's prophecy lightly. Prophecies might sound absurd, but the ninja world had seen stranger things. Even the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku had the power to foresee the future.
In the world of shinobi, nothing was too far-fetched: peering into destiny, rewriting fate, or even cycles of reincarnation—these seemingly impossible feats were all within reach.
Thus, a prophecy wasn't something to be scoffed at.
From what Shinji recalled, Shion's prophecies were more like glimpses into one possible future, a branch of what could happen. It wasn't set in stone, but it was likely enough that her predictions had never failed before.
However, in the original timeline, she had been wrong once! She predicted Naruto's death, but that never came to pass because Naruto's actions diverted fate, leading to a different outcome where he survived.
From this, Shinji gathered two pieces of crucial information.
First, there was an enemy capable of threatening his life, and they were drawing closer to their group heading to the Land of Demons. Second, this enemy would strike soon.
Why was Shinji sure of this? Because he believed the enemy would attack before his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was fully fused. Once he completed the fusion, there would be very few people in the ninja world capable of killing him so easily.
"The key is timing."
Shinji had grasped the most important point: time. In the original timeline, Naruto broke the prophecy because his courage awakened the dormant priestess power within Shion. Shinji wasn't Naruto, so he couldn't replicate that method.
He needed to buy time, enough time to complete the fusion of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Only then would he have the strength to intervene and rewrite the prophecy, just as Naruto did.
That evening, the group set up camp in the wilderness. Due to the earlier prophecy, the entire group was in low spirits, and an eerie silence fell over the camp, broken only by the occasional crackling of the campfire. Shion had hidden away in her carriage since earlier, seemingly too afraid to face everyone.
Shinji approached the carriage, carrying a bowl of hot soup. Lifting one corner of the curtain, he handed the bowl inside. "You should eat something."
Shion didn't reveal herself. She took the bowl from behind the curtain and, in the same motion, grabbed Shinji's arm and slipped a small object into his hand.
Retracting his arm, Shinji opened his hand to find that Shion had given him her personal bell charm, the one she always kept close.
"Heh."
Shinji chuckled softly. He quickly realized what this meant, so he didn't hesitate and pocketed the bell.
Afterward, he returned to the campfire.
When he returned, Neji asked, "Is Shion alright?"
"She's fine," Shinji replied casually.
Sasuke scoffed, "We're all here. What does she have to be afraid of?"
Neji shook his head. "I did some asking around. Back in the Land of Demons, none of Shion's prophecies ever failed. Every person she foresaw dying met their end within a week."
Sasuke forced a smile. "They've got to be making that up."
Neji spoke seriously, "I questioned several people. The details all matched up. It's no lie. However…"
Sasuke quickly followed up, "However what?"
Neji explained, "However, Shion's previous prophecies only foresaw the death of a single person. What happened earlier today, where she saw an entire group dying, has never happened before."
Kimimaro, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "What kind of enemy would it take to wipe out a group like ours?"
Neji and Sasuke were both taken aback by the question. After thinking for a moment, Neji replied, "Asuma-sensei is a Jonin, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. He's extremely powerful. The two who accompany him are experienced Chunin. To defeat them, the enemy would need at least three Jonin."
Sasuke added, "And then there's the four of us! If we work together, even against Jonin, we stand a chance."
Kimimaro wasn't concerned with the specifics. He calmly stated, "So it would take four Jonin to annihilate our group."
Sasuke nodded at first, but then looked puzzled. "But Shion is a priestess, and we're Hidden Leaf shinobi. No one would dare to attack us."
Neji chimed in, "And sending out four Jonin isn't something a typical bounty hunter group could pull off."
As they discussed the situation, Shinji continued to sip his soup, seemingly unbothered by Shion's prophecy.
Unable to resist, Neji asked, "Shinji, aren't you worried at all?"
Gulping down the last of his soup, Shinji set the bowl aside and replied, "Doesn't matter. If the prophecy is true, I'll step in."
His calm confidence stunned the others, including Kimimaro.
Sasuke scoffed and said, "Yeah, what's there to worry about? I'm not going to die until I've killed that person!"
Neji, touching the bandage wrapped around his forehead, felt a surge of determination. "I want to see if fate can truly be changed."
Kimimaro, normally indifferent, took a sip of his soup, feeling a competitive fire stir within him. After all, if the enemy was fate itself, he felt compelled to fight back.
As the four sat, bolstered by Shinji's words, a kunai suddenly whistled through the darkness toward their camp.
Shing!
In an instant, one of the guards from the Land of Demons was struck and collapsed to the ground.
"Ambush!"
"Everyone, stay alert!"
"We have a casualty!"
Cries of alarm echoed through the camp, and Asuma immediately activated his Body Flicker Technique, rushing in the direction from which the kunai had come.
In no time, the sounds of fierce battle echoed from afar.
"They're here!"
The four around the campfire exchanged glances and quickly rose to action, preparing for the worst.
Whoever was engaging Asuma in battle was likely a Jonin-level shinobi.
Soon, three more figures emerged from the shadows, attacking the group from different directions.
"Protect the princess!"
At the call, the guards from the Land of Demons swiftly formed a defensive formation, layering themselves around Shion's carriage.
The two Chunin from the Hidden Leaf sent up flares to signal Asuma while engaging two of the enemies.
"Looks like we were right; there are four of them," Sasuke said with a burst of confidence. "Let's take them down together!"
Not waiting for a reply, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and charged toward the remaining enemy.
Kimimaro and Neji followed without hesitation.
Shinji, however, didn't rush into action. He carefully observed the situation.
As they had predicted, four enemies had attacked—one to draw away Asuma, and three to target the group. But something about the attackers' approach didn't sit right with Shinji. The way they moved suggested they had a clear objective in mind.
This didn't match Shion's prophecy at all.
In her vision, everyone in the group died a gruesome death, including Asuma. But these attackers didn't seem to be aiming for a full-on confrontation with Asuma.
"These aren't the enemies from the prophecy!"
In an instant, Shinji understood.
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
Turning toward the source, Shinji saw that the scream had come from one of Asuma's teammates, an older Chunin from the Hidden Leaf. The Chunin had his neck twisted by an enemy before collapsing to the ground.
The attacker, his face partially obscured by bandages, grinned wickedly at Shinji before disappearing and reappearing, charging straight for him.
Without hesitation, Shinji bolted toward the forest.
The attacker frowned slightly. Seeing his target separate from the group was convenient, but experience told him something was amiss. It was too easy.
But even if it were a trap, the attacker wasn't going to let his prey escape.
In a flash, both Shinji and the enemy disappeared into the forest, vanishing into the darkness.
Back at the camp, Neji, having noticed Shinji's decision to lure away one of the strong attackers, felt a mix of relief and concern for his friend.
The enemy had taken down an experienced Chunin in mere moments. As they had suspected, this was a Jonin-level opponent.
Facing such a foe alone required not only immense courage but also exceptional skill.
Sasuke, mid-battle, shouted, "Let's finish this guy quickly and go help Shinji!"
The cloaked enemy fighting Sasuke smirked. "You little brats think you can kill me?"
In the forest…
After running for several kilometers, Shinji stopped and leaned against a tree.
Swoosh!
With a gust of wind, the bandaged enemy appeared on the ground before him. "So, you're ready to fight now?"
Shinji turned to face him and asked, "Root?"
The enemy chuckled and pulled off his cloak, revealing his Root uniform. "So you're the brat who killed 'Keihu'. Well, you won't be so lucky this time."
Suddenly, Shinji clutched his eyes, his face contorting as if in pain. "Ugh, unlucky... it seems you're the one who's unlucky this time!"
The Root ninja studied Shinji cautiously. "You talk big for a kid. Do you think we're like your little schoolmates? Give up now, and I might make your death less painful, as a fellow Leaf shinobi."
"Ah!"
Shinji gasped softly.
Moments later, a thick, malevolent chakra began to seep from his body.
"You!"
The Root ninja, taken aback, instinctively stepped back. As a seasoned member of Root, his instincts screamed at him to be cautious. The dense, almost visible chakra emanating from Shinji was terrifying.
Shinji shook his head slightly. "Sorry about this. Lately, I can't control it."
The Root ninja froze for a second before his eyes locked onto Shinji's—now glowing with a deep, crimson light.
"Sharingan! You've awakened your Sharingan? No... wait, this isn't just any Sharingan. It's the Mangekyo Sharingan, isn't it?"
"Close enough," Shinji replied with a smirk.
The turbulence within his eyes began to settle, and the chakra that had been spilling from his body slowly returned to him.
Seeing this, the Root ninja quickly pieced things together. "You... you're the one who infiltrated the Root base and stole the Sharingan? You were also the one who subdued the Nine-Tails that night? We've all been fooled by you, Uchiha Shinji!"
Shinji wasn't surprised by the man's sharp deduction, but he remained silent, calmly stepping toward his foe.
Panicked, the Root ninja grabbed the signal flare on his belt and fired it into the air.
Shwoop!
Boom!
A bright signal exploded above the forest, lighting up the night sky.
The Root ninja grinned. "Heh, even if you kill me now, you won't be able to hide your Mangekyo Sharingan anymore!"
Shinji continued walking. "Why are you attacking the Land of Demons' convoy? Who is your target?"
The Root ninja, hoping to stall for time, began to retreat slowly while answering, "Our targets are you and Uchiha Sasuke!"
Shinji furrowed his brow.
The Root ninja, sensing Shinji's uncertainty, quickly added, "I'm telling the truth!"
Shinji shook his head. "I know. I was just thinking about something else. It seems the enemy from the prophecy wasn't you."
The Root ninja scoffed. "You think this is the time to be thinking about other things? Do you think just having a Mangekyo Sharingan makes you invincible? We took down Uchiha Shisui, remember!"
Shinji replied coldly, "If you're waiting for backup, I've got bad news for you."
The Root ninja sneered. "The flare's been launched. You're not getting out of this!"
"Is that so?"
The Root ninja blinked in confusion, reaching for his belt, only to find that the signal flare was still hanging there, unused.
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