The moon set and the sun rose, ushering in a new day. The once quiet streets began to bustle with the clamor of people. Hawkers started their calls. Outside the temple, the guards, having kept watch in shifts, felt their alertness ease considerably. One yawned as the changing of the guard commenced.
Naruto awoke from his sleep to find Rock Lee already gone from his bedding. Turning his head to look out the window, he saw Lee doing squats, carrying an expressionless guard on his shoulders.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho, seven hundred thirty-two… Big bro, can you stop squirming?"
"Seven hundred thirty-three… Mmmph~~~"
The scene was exceedingly bizarre.
A phrase suddenly came to Naruto's mind: "Have you ever seen the Land of Demons at four in the morning?" Lee's dedication to training was truly frightening.
The remaining Land of Demons guards looked at Rock Lee with eyes full of admiration. They knew Lee had been out training since before dawn. His efforts had moved everyone and greatly boosted their morale. They no longer feared the spectral legion they might soon face.
There were still a few days until the main army's offensive. That day would also be the most suitable for sealing Moryo. They needed to travel from the Land of Demons to the sealing grounds. Along the way, they were bound to encounter countless terrifying enemies.
According to the map, they would need to traverse difficult terrains such as valleys and swamps. The sealing grounds, due to Moryo's presence, were teeming with desolate souls, and the air was cold and damp. An ordinary ninja would be doing well to exert even eighty percent of their combat strength after entering such an area. The ninja world was full of things that defied common logic. During their journey, the murky air, the souls filled with negative emotions, and even their own inner fear could become the last straw that broke a person's spirit.
This sealing journey would undoubtedly claim many lives.
Inside the palace.
Shion was practicing the first Kido Naruto had taught her: Hado Number 1: Sho.
She extended a slender right finger, and a white light flashed.
Pff. The small wooden board in front of her was pierced through, emitting wisps of green smoke.
"The power is decent, but you still need practice. The good news is that your control over Reiatsu is at a beginner's level. As for the bad news…" Naruto paused, looking at Shion, who was expectantly awaiting praise. He then criticized her mercilessly, "Given your prior experience with related abilities, you should be able to pick this up much faster. Your progress is still too slow."
"Tch!! Would it kill you to praise me a little?!" Shion's eyes widened as she grumbled. After waiting all that time, this was what she got. Shion was not pleased. Teacher Naruto was truly strict.
"Continue practicing. Your current mastery of Reiatsu is completely substandard. Forget Shikai; I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself just holding your Zanpakuto."
Though Naruto usually appeared very gentle, when he truly took on the role of a teacher, he was exceedingly strict. Shion also understood Naruto's good intentions. In a few days, she would face Moryo. Time was short, and there was no room for laziness.
According to the traditional duty of priestesses, she would need to sacrifice her life to seal Moryo. But after awakening her Zanpakuto and obtaining the power of a Shinigami, a resistance to this fate had welled up from the depths of Shion's heart. The power of her Zanpakuto and Reiatsu gave her hope and confidence. She didn't want her story to end in death. She wanted to use her newly acquired energy to deal with Moryo permanently.
"Hah!" She raised her Zanpakuto, practicing her swordsmanship with vigor, interspersed with Kido training. Since birth, she had been served by countless attendants. Forget training; she even had people to feed her. When had she ever undergone such intense training? Thus, after less than ten minutes, she was already drenched in fragrant sweat.
"Don't stop. Maintain your original power and speed," Naruto said, creating a shadow clone to supervise Shion's training while his main body went with Rock Lee to the nearby forest to begin their daily regimen. They used ochre rocks as weights, performing strength training in the yellow sand. Rock Lee was bare-chested, his muscles bulging. This wild scene stunned the distant guards.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. The day to depart for the sealing grounds finally arrived. Simultaneously, the spectral legion appeared at the borders of the Land of Demons. They were imposing figures, about two meters tall, entirely gray, appearing like stone men. A vast gray army, they advanced towards the city gates.
Naruto's trio stood on the city wall, watching the approaching spectral legion with grave expressions.
"So this is the spectral legion? Truly bizarre. They look like stone men," Naruto said, his face somber.
"Awesome! I really want to fight them!" Rock Lee exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, looking excited.
"Sage, our main opponent is Moryo's forces. You better hold back. These small fry aren't worthy of our attention," Aburame Neri said without expression, though the insects within her body quietly crawled out, heading down the city wall towards the spectral legion. If things go well, perhaps the insects can collect tissue samples from these monsters~~
"Archers, nock!" With a command, the archers on the city wall drew their bows, muscles tensed.
"Fire!" A volley of arrows shot towards the spectral legion, so dense it nearly blotted out the sky. The rain of arrows landed accurately among the spectral legion, and joyful expressions appeared on everyone's faces.
"They're hit! Great! Let these bastards taste our might!!"
But cries of alarm quickly followed. In their line of sight, the spectral legion seemed completely unfazed by the arrows, their pace unchanging, not slowing in the slightest.
"Continue!!!" Flaming arrows then descended. What followed was a series of "ding-ding-dong-dong" sounds; the spectral legion's sturdy bodies were virtually impervious to blades and arrows.
"Truly bizarre creatures," Naruto said, retracting his gaze. He then regrouped with his team and Shion. Next, they needed to escort Shion to the sealing grounds.
Meanwhile, ninja from other villages, alongside the Land of Demons' army, charged towards the spectral legion. Countless ninjutsu erupted on the battlefield. Initially, the fierce ninjutsu forced the spectral legion to retreat. Although they were impervious to blades, ninjutsu could still deal them fatal blows. However, as time wore on and the ninjas' chakra began to deplete, the spectral legion regained the upper hand, slaughtering the humans, who cried out in terror.
"The sealing grounds are about half a day's journey from here. We need to cross several treacherous areas." Naruto's team, along with a few other ninja, escorted Shion. Shion sat barefoot in a palanquin, her hands constantly trying to mold Reiatsu into various shapes as a training exercise. Thinking about facing Moryo, the entity her mother had sealed with her life, the girl's heart filled with apprehension. She feared she wouldn't be good enough, that she couldn't complete her mission. But when she remembered Naruto, who possessed a power that could make even Moryo tremble, her heart couldn't help but relax. Recalling the days of close training with Naruto, a smile unconsciously graced her lips.
Naruto is teaching me so carefully… could it be he likes me? If he confesses to me, should I say yes~~~
The procession moved steadily through the forest, the surroundings terrifyingly silent. Naruto's team had noticed the problem early on.
"The forest is too quiet, not even a bird chirps."
"Stay alert," Naruto said, looking at Rock Lee and Aburame Neri.
"Don't worry, always prepared!" Rock Lee flexed his muscles.
"Are these Konoha ninja? So secretive, even wearing masks. They don't look very strong," a few ninja from other villages muttered amongst themselves, looking at Naruto's team with curiosity. As the most powerful ninja village, Konoha naturally attracted the most attention. Their gazes mostly fell on Rock Lee, with his exaggeratedly firm muscles. Ninja specializing in taijutsu were few. For this Konoha ninja to be qualified for the Land of Demons mission, his skills must be considerable.
As for the other two? One was a seemingly delicate woman. The other looked harmless. They didn't seem to have anything special about them. Due to the "keep your distance" aura Naruto's team exuded, no ninja approached them to make conversation for a while.
Along the way, aside from the eerie silence, nothing unexpected happened. But as they neared the sealing grounds, trouble finally struck.
Boom! The previously stable ground suddenly cracked open, sending rubble flying. Then, several ninjutsu attacks of water and fire came from all directions.
"Bring it on!!!" Rock Lee was the first to react, directly meeting an oncoming fireball. His muscles bulged, and with a tremendous whoosh of displaced air, he punched out.
Boom! The wind from his fist stirred up a large current of air, actually forming an invisible, all-piercing spiral in front of Rock Lee, thrusting towards the fireball.
Hisss! The fireball was instantly shredded into nothing, scattering as sparks that fell to the ground. Ninja from various nations also hastily reacted, unleashing ninjutsu to block the remaining attacks. These ninja were at most Chunin-level.
Suddenly, the earth in front of them split open, and a ninja leaped out. With a single Earth Style jutsu, he sent several ninja in the front rank flying. Then, three other ninja appeared from the surroundings, relentlessly unleashing a torrent of water, fire, and earth ninjutsu. They were four siblings, originally mediocre ninja, but after receiving power distributed by Moryo, they had become exceptionally strong, able to freely use fire, water, and earth-based ninjutsu.
Boom! Amidst their savage expressions, a violent explosion occurred in the area where Shion was located.
"Mission complete. Easy enough," they said, casually lowering their hands, looking disdainfully at the billowing smoke.
Then, they noticed it.
A tall, transparent wall stood erected in front, pristine and clear. Behind the transparent wall were ninja with expressions of utter despair, now looking utterly bewildered as the anticipated pain never arrived.
"These guys are yours, Sage, Insect Queen."
"Moryo is ours."
Naruto appeared beside Shion and, amidst her shy gaze, lifted her onto his back. Shion was barefoot, her toes curling shyly together.
"Who is that man? He easily blocked the ninjutsu!" Not only Moryo's underlings but also the allied ninja were stunned. To be able to directly block a combination ninjutsu that even a Jonin would have to dodge—could this man already be Kage-level?
Naruto gave them no chance to react. With a push of his legs, he vanished from everyone's sight, carrying Shion with him.
The area fell into a brief silence, soon broken by a strange cry.
"Aiyaaaah, Konoha Root Great Whirlwind!"