Miroku turned to look at Kiyoshi, slightly clenching her hand.
The recent incident with Kiyoshi was born out of necessity.
Now that Mōryō was dead, their relationship had become somewhat awkward.
Kiyoshi directed his gaze towards the esteemed Priestess.
It had to be said that contrast was a very appealing thing.
Who would have thought that under her *chihaya*, Miroku was wearing white stockings, presumably to prevent accidental exposure.
Those white stockings actually made her thighs look even rounder, leaving slight marks where they constricted her skin.
It was a shame that they looked so plain and lacked any decorative patterns.
Or perhaps they were very conservative, not much different from a ninja's compression pants, successfully preventing any exposure.
"You know Medical Ninjutsu?"
Miroku asked.
She was very familiar with that gaze.
Kiyoshi had the same look back in the corridor entrance.
But this was in public!
"Hmm…"
Just then, a look of pain surfaced on the Land of Demons Daimyō's face, drawing everyone's attention.
The Daimyō's death would not be a trivial matter. It was said that the Land of Demons had no qualified successor.
If the Daimyō were to die like this, the Land of Demons would definitely fall into a period of chaos until a new Daimyō ascended.
Miroku also turned to look.
Kiyoshi, meanwhile, walked behind Miroku, also looking at the pained Daimyō.
At the same time, his hand unintentionally brushed past her.
Kiyoshi felt a texture like silk.
Miroku's eyes widened, not daring to look back.
Her face held disbelief.
Kiyoshi was incredibly bold!
"That's great, the Daimyō-sama is waking up."
Ashisō exclaimed excitedly.
He looked at Miroku, who he assumed was showing surprise at the Land of Demons Daimyō's awakening, an expression mixed with relief and bitterness.
Just like the stories in novels, the knight forever protects the princess, while the princess usually ends up with the prince.
Everyone has their role.
Ashisō quickly composed himself.
"Next time, try something more complex."
Kiyoshi walked away.
Miroku's faintly furrowed brow tightened, and she almost instinctively blurted out a reprimand.
Does this guy enjoy taking an inch when given an opportunity?
"Kiyoshi, I haven't learned more complex medical ninjutsu yet."
Rin shook her head.
She only thought Kiyoshi was referring to the low level of the medical ninjutsu she was using.
"It's nothing. I'll take over."
Kiyoshi asked Rin to step down, and a faint green light appeared in his hand as he began to treat the Daimyō, maintaining his life.
Seeing Kiyoshi start to treat the Daimyō, the Priestess suppressed her emotions.
After performing the emergency treatment, Kiyoshi took advantage of Minato and the others being outside to collect several corpses of the Land of Demons ninjas.
Those bodies were barely recognizable as human, not because of the injuries from the ninjutsu, but because of their mutations.
They made it increasingly difficult to call them "humans."
...
After a period of time, Kiyoshi and the others returned to the Land of Demons.
Yūki saw Kiyoshi return and immediately asked Kiyoshi to treat his hand.
Emergency treatment could only ensure the condition didn't worsen severely; proper healing still required medical ninjutsu.
Kiyoshi directly refused, claiming priority had to be given to treating the Land of Demons Daimyō.
When Yūki tried to find Rin, Kiyoshi used the same excuse, saying Rin needed to be on rotation duty because the Daimyō's life force was critically low.
Yūki's expression changed repeatedly, but he ultimately had to let Kiyoshi and Rin prioritize the Daimyō's treatment.
His hand, belonging to a regular Jōnin, could not be more valuable than the life of a Daimyō.
Even the Daimyō of the smallest country is still a Daimyō.
Even the Third Hokage needed to treat the matter cautiously to avoid causing a diplomatic incident.
After all, these Daimyō are fundamentally outside the ninja system and belong to a different structure.
Nominally, they are on the same level as the Kage.
The Hidden Sand ninjas, after confirming that the Priestess would arrange for the Land of Demons to export the necessary resources, hurried back to the Hidden Sand Village to report the intelligence.
By accomplishing this, their mission was considered complete.
"In view of the Daimyō's condition, I will come back and check on him periodically."
Kiyoshi stopped releasing the ninjutsu.
The Daimyō on the bed was pale. Even speaking required him to pause and gasp for breath.
"Will I be able to recover my… abilities?"
The Daimyō was referring to his virility.
The Land of Demons currently had no heir. If he was unable to perform, he would have no choice but to let a collateral family member inherit the title, adopting a child from his brothers to raise as the next Daimyō.
"It will be difficult. This requires precisely channeling the limited life force downwards."
Kiyoshi feigned a look of difficulty.
"What about the Princess of the Senju? Isn't her medical skill supposed to be powerful?"
Upon hearing this, the Daimyō nearly collapsed onto the bed. The attendant beside him quickly held him up.
"Tsunade-sama hasn't performed surgery in many years, and she would likely find this ailment difficult to deal with."
Kiyoshi shook his head.
Medical Ninjutsu is not omnipotent. Tsunade's success rate for treating Rock Lee's aftermath injuries from Gaara was only 50%, and that was contingent on her having recovered from her fear of blood at the time.
As for the current Tsunade… well.
Unless the Daimyō possessed the ability of a talk-no-jutsu master, it would be impossible.
Tsunade's status is special and very esteemed; the Daimyō cannot force her.
She is the granddaughter of Hashirama, the ninja who re-established order.
That is why Tsunade is referred to as Princess it's not just because she's powerful, but also due to this blood relation.
Of course, the title "Hime" can be used for women other than princesses, but currently, only Tsunade in Hidden Leaf is referred to as Tsunade-Hime.
"Is there really no cure?"
The Daimyō, still unwilling to give up, continued to ask.
"There is one method, but it requires the assistance of the Priestess-sama. I can sense that the Priestess-sama's chakra has a suppressive effect on Mōryō. Coincidentally, I still have Mōryō's physical body with me. We can see if we can restore the life force the Daimyō-sama has lost."
Kiyoshi said lightly.
Replenishing life force is by no means easy. Even Shinno's Medical Forbidden Jutsu: Body Genesis and Medical Forbidden Jutsu: Body Vitalization, which transformed him from an old man to a robust middle-aged man, were merely temporary buffs.
They would have no effect unless continuously maintained.
Sasuke sealed his chakra points with the Chidori Needle, and he instantly reverted to his original state.
"Really?"
The Priestess, who had been standing behind, suddenly asked, her eyes filled with hope.
"I can't guarantee success, but there is a possibility."
Kiyoshi looked at Miroku.
Saying this was, of course, to have a legitimate reason to continue visiting the Land of Demons and interacting with Miroku.
It was also a fallback plan in case of war.
If the Great Five Nations ever descended into an all-out war, Kiyoshi could use this excuse to take refuge in the Land of Demons.
Who knows if the Fourth Great Shinobi War would change now that he was around, or if it would become even more intense.
"Alright."
Miroku agreed to the arrangement.
Regardless of everything, the Daimyō and she had known each other for so long.
Now that he couldn't even perform as a man, she felt somewhat sorry for the Daimyō.
The Daimyō was also very happy to see Miroku agree.
Kiyoshi then naturally suggested speaking with the Priestess-sama alone to discuss the treatment plan.
The two came to an empty room, filled with expensive decorations and furniture.
"By the way, what about the bell ritual tool I gave you earlier?"
Miroku didn't wait for Kiyoshi to speak. She immediately extended her fair, delicate hand, demanding her property back.
"Let's consider it my reward. Anyway, even without this, it won't affect the continuation of the Priestess line, will it?"
Kiyoshi smiled faintly.
The Priestess choked on Kiyoshi's matter-of-fact tone.
It was said that the Uchiha clan was an arrogant clan, valuing reputation and honor the most.
Why did Kiyoshi act as if the honor of the Uchiha meant nothing?
She took several deep breaths before calming her bubbling anger.
She parted her red lips and said:
"What do you need me to do to assist you?"
"I need to understand the Priestess's sealing formation."
Kiyoshi said.
"Will this… truly help treat the Daimyō?"
Miroku still harbored a trace of suspicion.
"Doesn't the Priestess-sama trust me?"
Kiyoshi glanced at Miroku's hand, which she hadn't lowered, and gently touched her skin.
Miroku immediately withdrew her hand as if shocked by electricity, and said with a hint of indignation:
"Do you know how much older I am than you?"
"Older means more alluring."
"…"
Miroku realized that in Kiyoshi's presence, she was completely unable to maintain the noble temperament of a Priestess.
She just wanted to grab Kiyoshi by the neck like a shrew and ask him how he could be so shameless.
"By the way, you also owe me some money."
"Owe you money?"
Miroku almost laughed in anger.
The red stone in the bell ritual tool was a treasure passed down through generations of Priestesses. Did he really think any object could store chakra?
Miroku estimated that even when she has a child in future, the child could still use the chakra inside the bell ritual tool.
Kiyoshi had shamelessly appropriated such a valuable item, and now he wanted money too?
"This sword was acquired for me by a senior I highly respect. Don't you think I should be given some compensation for its repair?"
Kiyoshi summoned the ninja sword. It was visibly damaged.
Miroku bit her lip, standing still to compose herself for a moment. Thinking that she still needed to rely on Kiyoshi for the Daimyō's treatment, she finally agreed to give Kiyoshi 500,000 Ryō.
When the attendant delivered the money, Kiyoshi pocketed it, instantly feeling like he'd shaved a few years off his future labor.
Afterward, he asked Miroku about the relevant aspects of the Priestess lineage's sealing jutsu.
Miroku, assuming Kiyoshi was beginning to work now that he had been paid, began to explain the details to Kiyoshi.
These were originally secrets never to be divulged, but now that Mōryō was gone, the rules did not need to be strictly followed.
Three days later.
Kiyoshi stabilized the Daimyō's condition, keeping him alive and preventing his condition from worsening further.
He then returned to Hidden Leaf with Minato and the others.
During these few days, in addition to the Sealing Jutsu personally taught by Miroku, Kiyoshi also obtained some Sealing Jutsu scrolls.
They were all techniques meant to deal with Mōryō.
Although they might not be very effective against humans, they could potentially be tried against Tailed Beasts.
Tailed Beasts, like Mōryō and other demons, are not conventional life forms.
They are basically composed of chakra, and their physical bodies and blood are as well.
This involves the mysteries of the Yin-Yang Release Technique, and Kiyoshi is currently unable to grasp the underlying principle.
For example, Mōryō is an aggregate of negative emotions, or a mass of dark chakra, so why does it have flesh and blood?
The Nine-Tails is the same. It's clearly a chakra aggregate, yet it also has flesh and blood. Kinkaku and Ginkaku of the Land of Lightning even gained the Nine-Tails' power and could use the Tailed Beast Cloak after eating the Nine-Tails' flesh.
***
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