Chapter 114
Itachi listened quietly to Obito's words, discerning his hatred for the Uchiha.
"Then, this time, you will be my helper, and together we will deal with those guys..." Obitodeclared.
"As long as your father makes a move to seize power, I will intervene."
"Alright." Itachi nodded, then turned and left.
Their second meeting yielded results satisfactory to both parties.
Itachi did not want the Uchiha to seize control of the Village. If Uchiha Madara helped, the situation would be much simpler...
On his way home, Itachi suddenly stopped.
In the wind, a girl sat on a swing.
Her dark hair swayed with the wind, and her wistful face gazed at the twilight sky.
As the swing moved, it created a beautiful, picturesque scene.
"Izumi..."
Seeing Izumi, whose demeanor had undergone a drastic change after just one day, Itachi swallowed, an indescribable impulse rising within him.
Today's Izumi was completely different from before.
She seemed even more beautiful... and a certain sense of loneliness and coldness also manifested in her.
Then, Itachi walked over and sat on the swing beside her, and the two began to chat.
The sad smile of the girl with a sorrowful expression made Itachi's heart ache to the point of breaking.
What exactly had happened to Izumi?
"Izumi."
"Hmm?"
"I feel... I seem to be drifting a bit far from you..."
"!"
Itachi's words struck Izumi's heart like a heavy hammer, causing her face to involuntarily show a pained expression.
"Itachi..." Izumi whispered softly, her voice already tinged with a certain desolation and sorrow.
"I'm sorry."
Itachi, not good with words, could only apologize.
Furthermore,
"Let's just stay together like this for a little longer..."
The two sat on different swings; though very close, they also seemed very far apart.
A certain barrier had formed, pulling their different life paths apart.
"Izumi, we're not even eighteen yet, and you're already... where are you going?"
Itachi keenly sensed the growing distance from his lover.
"I'm not going anywhere~." Izumi said, almost in a crying voice. She lowered her head, tears seemingly shimmering in her eyes.
"Probably..." Izumi thought, adding those two words.
"I'm sorry, Itachi."
"I'm the one who should be sorry."
"Even though I've slain the Nine-Tailed, I can't go back, because... when I returned home last night, I suddenly discovered that I, who had bathed in the Nine-Tailed's blood, was also tainted with an evil color."
"All last night... my body was burning, I couldn't sleep..."
Chapter 57: Naruto: Tied with ropes, Priestess, please understand me.
Several days later... Konoha welcomed an uninvited guest.
Just as the renovation of the Priestess Shrine in the Konoha back mountains was in full swing... the Daimyo of the Land of Demons arrived.
Arriving in the name of the Daimyo, even if the Konoha Ninja and Land of Demons Ninja had fought each other to exhaustion, Konoha could not show the slightest disrespect to the Daimyo.
Because this was the rule of this world.
After three Great Ninja Wars, countless lives were lost, yet it barely affected the Daimyo class in the slightest.
"Hehehe... Daimyo-sama, you've come a long way. You must be tired..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi met the young man in luxurious attire at the entrance of the Hokage Building.
His ancient clothing gave off a sense of long history.
And indeed, it was true.
The Land of Demons has a thousand-year legacy and is also the country with the fewest changes.
They still wear Heian period eboshi and attire.
Perhaps this is also why the extremely rare and special profession of Priestess has been preserved to this day.
"Hokage-sama, you truly are as distinguished as the rumors say..."
The Daimyo of the Land of Demons smiled.
Although his tone was arrogant, he would not lack the necessary etiquette.
And having come so far, his purpose... was naturally to reclaim his wife and daughter.
He had already made arrangements with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
If the Hokage of Konoha did not comply,
Then he would face destruction by the power of Moryo!
Thinking this, at the invitation of the Third Hokage, he strode into the Hokage Building...
Naruto stood at the entrance of the newly renovated Priestess Shrine.
The sounds of hammering and construction were ongoing.
The construction team from the Land of Waves, with the assistance of Konoha Ninja, quickly erected a complex of buildings.
After many days of work, the Priestess Shrine in the Konoha back mountains was already taking shape.
It is worth mentioning that the ascending path started from the mountain road on the side of the Hokage Rock, climbing all the way up.
Finally, it reached the ancient Uzumaki Shrine at a high point on the other side of the Hokage Rock.
As the successor of the Uzumaki Clan, Narutonaturally visited and paid his respects there.
And at this very moment, a figure was intently watching from this direction.
Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Fugaku had dispatched him to be responsible for the Priestess's safety during this protection mission.
In Uchiha Shisui's plan, under the guise of learning Sealing Technique, the Priestess would keep an eye on the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
They would pretend not to know each other. Naruto, having completed his visit, quickly entered the renovated shrine courtyard...
One hour later, Naruto, who was training, heard a call from behind him.
"Naruto-sama..."
It was Hyuga Natsu.
Coming at this time, she naturally had something to report.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Demons... has arrived."
From Hyuga Natsu, Naruto received accurate intelligence.
Currently, the Daimyo of the Land of Demons was in talks with Hokage-sama.
The specific content of their discussion was beyond her ability to discern.
"Also, after Madam drank the second course of the secret medicine, her body has recovered even better..." Hyuga Natsu murmured.
But she also sweated more.
She had some guesses as to why this was happening.
If this continued, Madam would surely fall into darkness due to the burning sensation...
Thinking of the noble main wife of the main family actually consuming the secret medicine formulated by Uzumaki Naruto.
And during this process, she had personally helped.
Hyuga Natsu's heart uncontrollably surged with a sense of schadenfreude.
The trembling of her body made her shiver slightly.
These actions and the expression in her eyes naturally did not escape Naruto's notice.
"It's raining outside..." Naruto narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking outside and saying.
"..."
Hyuga Natsu immediately lowered her head.
The sound of rain reached her ears.
The noisy hammering stopped.
The construction workers... had stopped working.
Hyuga Natsu, feeling uneasy, wondered why she had been seen through.
"He actually... knew what just happened..."
As time passed, she increasingly dared not underestimate the young boy before her.
Despite his young age, he possessed a mind more formidable than most adults.
"Let's go, we'll go see Aunt Priestess."
Naruto stood up and walked outside.
Hyuga Natsu rubbed her legs together before following.
In the corridor under the eaves, they listened to the wind and rain.
The grass growing in the courtyard... was now wet and sticky...