"Ah!" Miroku suddenly opened her eyes in the darkness. Her bitten cherry lips parted abruptly, releasing a string of panicked breaths. After catching her breath for a good while, the nightmare still left her shaken.
"This is the Prophecy of Death…" Miroku wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. The prophecy couldn't be changed; the only way was to stay away…
***
Late at night.
The Daimyō's residence.
"How much longer until we can conquer the Five Great Nations?" In the room, where the Daimyō of the Land of Demons was alone, he suddenly spoke.
"Hehehe, can't wait, can you? Let's first seize the Uchiha clan's Bloodline. Combined with my power, they can be modified into excellent chess pieces, which will aid our plan." Mōryō's old, hoarse voice emanated from the Daimyō of the Land of Demons' body. Ordinary people could be greatly strengthened through modification, and ninjas with Bloodlines would be the same, only stronger.
His Ghost Army was powerful, but the terracotta soldiers within were all dead things; they were not as useful as living people.
"Leave only the two Uchiha alive, kill the other Hidden Leaf ninjas, and frame the Hidden Sand. Let those ninjas fight among themselves!" Mōryō incited. He wanted to provoke conflict between the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Leaf.
"Such extreme measures are too drastic." The Daimyō of the Land of Demons shook his head. Although he was arrogant, he had only recently gained Mōryō's power. The prestige of the great nations still influenced him deep down. He could talk big, but actually doing this still made him apprehensive. He needed to have a large Ghost Army first. The terracotta soldiers secretly awakened so far were only a few dozen—far too few.
"Then poison them." Mōryō spoke again.
"…Alright." This time, the Daimyō of the Land of Demons agreed to Mōryō's plan. This way, they would have more time to develop slowly.
Mōryō let out a sinister laugh upon hearing this. However, it was still not enough. He needed to absorb the Priestess's power and return to his own body! This ordinary mortal body alone could not withstand too much of his power and would age rapidly.
Soon, the room returned to silence. A glint flashed in the Daimyō's eyes. He called a guard and gave him an order. The guard's expression became stern, and he nodded in agreement.
***
The next day.
The Daimyō summoned the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand ninjas and invited them to gather. The Priestess was also present.
However, after hearing Kiyoshi's explanation the previous evening, Minato felt this was somewhat like a "feast at Death Gate." The Priestess wouldn't harm them. But the Daimyō, possibly corrupted by Mōryō, was another matter.
Yet, ninjas were not entitled to directly attack or physically examine a Daimyō. This would cause an international incident, and no one could bear the responsibility.
In the center of the main hall, the Daimyō waved his hand, and servants brought over chairs and tables, setting them with precious delicacies.
"Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Daimyō-sama." Kiku raised his cup, toasted the Daimyō from a distance, and then took a shallow sip before beginning to eat.
Seeing him start to eat, the Daimyō of the Land of Demons nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to check on the Hidden Leaf group, he noticed the Priestess was frowning today.
"Miroku, what's wrong?" The Daimyō of the Land of Demons asked with concern. Even though his ambition was so vast that he wanted to conquer the Five Great Nations with Mōryō, he still harbored his own tenderness.
The Priestess was the most sacred and greatest woman in the Land of Demons. Successive Priestesses had saved the Land of Demons, like goddesses descended from heaven.
Few people in the Land of Demons could resist this aura. This was especially true for a powerful, high-ranking man like the Daimyō, who had grown tired of common women and yearned for the ethereal sanctity of the Priestess.
"No… nothing is wrong." Miroku shook her head, her beautiful purple eyes scanning the ninjas present. Soon, Miroku locked onto the person she had dreamt of last night.
Only two people present bore the flame fan crest: Obito and Kiyoshi. Narrowing the scope, only Kiyoshi had a scroll-like object hanging from his waist. The person in last night's Prophecy of Death was likely Kiyoshi.
However, she didn't foresee Kiyoshi dying; it was just that so many people were dying outside that Kiyoshi also appeared in her dream.
"That Uchiha is…" Miroku suddenly asked for Kiyoshi's name.
"He is Kiyoshi Uchiha, my subordinate." Yūki quickly said. It was always beneficial for a ninja to gain exposure to a Daimyō. Once the Daimyō became familiar with a ninja, they might specifically request that person for future missions.
Yūki believed Kiyoshi's words from yesterday, but he wasn't sure if the Daimyō of the Land of Demons was truly being corrupted by Mōryō. Even if he was, Minato was present—a master of sealing jutsu.
"I see." Miroku nodded slightly. She sat at the same table as the Daimyō. The other ninjas were at two separate tables, with guards standing around for security.
"Wait." Kiyoshi grabbed Kurenai's small hand, stopping her from raising her cup to drink.
"Ki—Kiyoshi, what are you doing?" Kurenai's voice was very small, and she was completely flustered. Kiyoshi was holding her hand in public?
Asuma, standing nearby, nearly ground his back teeth together, immediately demanding to know what Kiyoshi was doing.
"Daimyō-sama, something is wrong with this." Kiyoshi's dark eyes had changed to the Sharingan at some point. By pouring a large amount of Dōjutsu power into the Sharingan, its insight could be pushed to the limit, allowing him to clearly see floating objects about one-eighth the size of a strand of hair in the water.
These floating objects were transparent and difficult to see. Even if an ordinary person saw them, they would assume they were just impurities in the spring water.
Kiyoshi had studied Poisons with Nonō Yakushi and recognized this toxin.
The moment he spoke, the atmosphere became immediately tense. Kiku of the Hidden Sand nearly popped his eyes out, looking at the cup he had already taken a sip from, unsure whether to put it down or immediately try to induce vomiting.
Kiyoshi immediately cast a Sharingan Genjutsu on the guard behind Yomi who was responsible for setting out these items. Caught off guard, the ninja was instantly controlled by the Genjutsu. Kiyoshi made him drink the un-drunk, poisoned water from Kurenai's table.
Then, a faint green light appeared on Kiyoshi's fingertip, and he touched the guard's abdomen. This was a D-rank Medical Ninjutsu that used medical chakra to rapidly accelerate the patient's stomach digestion. It was a Jutsu Nonō Yakushi taught Kiyoshi to prevent patients from having enough time to digest poisons.
The next moment, the guard foamed at the mouth, his face pale, his lips black. He collapsed instantly. Both the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand ninjas were startled by this scene. Kiyoshi had clearly used Medical Ninjutsu; how could the result be poisoning and collapse!
"Mōryō, you have been possessing the Daimyō's body all along." Kiyoshi declared.
In the original work, Mōryō was simply defeated by one of Naruto's Giant Rasengan. It was only his immortal nature that made him difficult to deal with.
If they couldn't defeat him, Kiyoshi could run at any time, let alone Minato, who was present. Minato could immediately use his Hiraishin to escape with all of them.
Miroku's expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to speak, an ancient, hoarse voice echoed through the hall.
"I should have used brute force from the start." A purplish-black chakra enveloped the Daimyō of the Land of Demons, much like a Jinchūriki entering Tailed Beast transformation. This chakra emanated like a kind of mist, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"Are you truly still misguided?" After a brief moment of shock, Miroku immediately rebuked the Daimyō of the Land of Demons. In her mental scale, her loyalty had already tipped toward the people of the Land of Demons.
Sealing Mōryō was the duty of successive Priestesses. If the Daimyō of the Land of Demons persisted in his delusion, she would have no choice but to set aside her personal feelings and proceed with the sealing!
"Miroku, why won't you agree to what I propose?" The Daimyō's own voice came from within the purple-black mist surrounding him. "With Mōryō's power, combined with your technique, ruling this world would be child's play!"
*Boom!* The dense black mist instantly swallowed the entire hall like a torrent bursting its banks. Countless purplish-black tentacles emerged from the mist, slimy and twisting, faintly outlining the shape of a ferocious dragon.
As Mōryō's roar reverberated, the palace's foundations shook violently, the walls cracked, and beams and pillars crashed down.
"The Daimyō… the Daimyō is possessed by Mōryō!" The guards' eyes widened in terror. Their bodies stiffened. They barely managed to suppress their fear and guarded the Priestess.
"Minato-sensei, let's go." Kakashi frowned and drew his short sword. Their mission was to protect the Priestess. Since Mōryō truly existed, they had to ensure the Priestess's safety. A ninja who failed a mission was ultimately useless.
"Be careful." Minato's expression was grim. He pulled several specialized kunai from his ninja tool pouch and quickly threw them at several points.
This would enhance his mobility, allowing him to instantaneously teleport using the Flying Thunder God Technique to any point marked by these kunai.
Kurenai and Rin stood up, quickly assuming combat stances. Asuma drew his chakra blade. Obito carried his black pot in one hand and a kunai in the other, immediately pulling down his goggles to protect his eyes. Kiyoshi summoned his ninja blade.
He needed to force Mōryō out. Otherwise, they couldn't guard Miroku until she gave birth. If they waited until she gave birth, the Third Great Ninja War would be almost over!
Looking at the enormous Mōryō, an instinctive pressure towards the colossal creature descended upon Kiyoshi. The Sharingan in Kiyoshi's eyes spun rapidly, pushing his Dōjutsu power to its extreme.
All this time, Kiyoshi had never truly exerted his full strength. He defeated Pakura by exploiting the information gap, which prevented Pakura from fully utilizing her Scorch Release advantage.
Now that Pakura knew his Taijutsu was strong, she would certainly be guarded next time. Only against Mei Terumī was he able to manipulate the situation effortlessly.
Gradually, a sense of excitement welled up within Kiyoshi. Suddenly, Kiyoshi could feel his eyes throbbing. This was a sign of rippling Dōjutsu power.
"So that's what it is?" The Sharingan was a reflection of the deepest parts of the human heart. Kiyoshi understood. This was not about bloodlust but a release of emotion. It was like the Savoring Beautiful Things Trait witnessing the fall of beauty.
The long-standing sense of insecurity made Kiyoshi want to flatten everything. When he was born, his father left.
Kiyoshi only managed to survive with the occasional care of neighbors and his adult insights. Upon arriving at the Hidden Leaf, nothing essentially changed.
The future Third Great Ninja War, the Nine-Tails incident, and the Uchiha Clan Massacre were still imminent problems. A moment of carelessness would result in becoming a corpse.
And even if he returned to the Land of Lightning, lacking strength would only lead to him being reduced to a stud male.
"The path to destruction has been chosen." Kiyoshi lightly touched his eye socket.
Then things would be easy. The second fast way to enhance Dōjutsu power. The method was simply…
*Swoosh!* A spark of electricity appeared beneath Kiyoshi's feet, and he dashed out first.
No matter what, to become a true powerhouse, one must have the heart of a powerhouse and extensive combat experience.
Even someone as powerful as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, lacking proper combat experience, could only manage to severely wound Isshiki Ōtsutsuki through unexpected sneak attacks.
When she faced Naruto and Sasuke, she was exposed, relying on Black Zetsu to act as her tactician. An upstart who only knows how to squander chakra can never unleash the true power of that chakra.
The scene instantly became incredibly chaotic. After Mōryō appeared, several black, maggot-like insects burrowed from Yomi's body into the ninjas of the Land of Demons.
Their pupils flashed with Mōryō's color, and then their entire eyes, including the whites, turned pitch black. Their skin became dark purple, and strange patterns appeared on the surface.
Seeing the Land of Demons ninjas, who they had been getting along with, transform into monsters in the blink of an eye, the guards were even more terrified by this abnormal sight. If they weren't protecting the Priestess, but some other official, they probably would have bolted immediately!
The four Hidden Sand ninjas also couldn't avoid the chaos and were forced into the fray. They immediately used their specialized Ninjutsu to attack Mōryō's reaching tentacles and the transformed ninjas.
Kakashi's short sword quickly severed Mōryō's tentacles, but every severed piece rapidly regenerated. Seeing this, Kakashi released a C-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu from his hand, severing a cluster of Mōryō's encircling tentacles.
Yūki was unfortunately the first target of the Land of Demons ninjas' coordinated attack. It was clear they aimed to eliminate them one by one.
Kiyoshi, who was entangled with Mōryō nearby, saw this scene. Instead of choosing to save Yūki, he flashed a sinister smile. Hadn't he found an opportunity? This old man was always looking down on him; did he really think Kiyoshi had no temper? Kiyoshi would only repay malice with malice!
*Crack!* A fine layer of electricity faintly appeared on Kiyoshi's body. His mobility and reflexes were further enhanced. The ninja blade in his hand ignited with flames, and he continued fighting Mōryō.
When he accidentally sustained an injury, the White Snake hidden in his robe would extend her tongue and gently lick Kiyoshi's wound. A faint green light would soon appear, slowly healing the injury.
The Priestess watched the chaotic scene and Mōryō's continuous expansion with silent stillness. As Mōryō burst out, many guards died trying to protect her, either killed by Mōryō or by the ninjas loyal to the Daimyō of the Land of Demons. Even more distant, innocent guards were crushed to death by the collapsing building!
A trace of regret settled in the Priestess's heart. She regretted not sealing Mōryō immediately. Unfortunately, past regrets were useless. Now, she could only try her best to atone for her mistake.
Kiyoshi looked at Miroku from behind, knowing the time was ripe!
***
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