Chapter 235 I think you should go to the Nakagawa Theological Seminar for further study.
The envoy from the Land of Lightning slunk away from the main hall. Given the conditions proposed by Uchiha Touko, he had no authority to make a decision. He could only return to negotiate after consulting his daimyo.
After attending the morning assembly, Uchiha Touko returned to the Hokage's office to handle the aftermath of Naruto's departure from the village.
First, there was the nature of Naruto's escape.
If he hadn't punched Naruto and learned what he was planning, Uchiha Touko could have simply ignored the matter and labeled Naruto's actions as a training trip. After all, those who knew about the incident were not from the core Konoha circle; the group of genin who were ambushed by Naruto could have been silenced with a simple gag order. As for the destruction of the Valley of the End, it could have been easily covered up with a tourist attraction renovation project.
However, after learning what Naruto wanted to do, he still needed to carry on with the identity of a rogue ninja for a while. Otherwise, if this kid caused trouble throughout the ninja world under the guise of a Konoha ninja, it would bring considerable trouble to the village and be detrimental to Konoha's long-standing image as a peace envoy. Furthermore, only with the identity of a rogue ninja would the Kara organization, which was lurking in the ninja world, have the possibility of contacting him.
As for what impact this identity of a rogue ninja would have on Naruto, the bounty hunters in the ninja world were also discerning. Just like Roshi from Iwagakure and Deidara, who recently ran away with his headband, although they were nominally rogue ninjas of Iwagakure, the bounty offered by Iwagakure was actually sending a message: although these people had defected, you bounty hunters had better not bother them.
The only potential trouble for Naruto might be the covetousness of the fox within him from other forces in the ninja world. However, having mastered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto has firmly established himself as a Kage-level ninja. Moreover, with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode combined with Naruto's current mastery of Wind Release ninjutsu and taijutsu, even those who can defeat him will find it difficult to hold him down. Therefore, his safety is not a concern.
"Inahime!" Uchiha Touko summoned his secretary. "Where is Jiraiya lately?"
"Lord Jiraiya is currently holding a signing event in the Land of Hot Springs," Uchiha Inahime replied.
"The Land of Hot Springs? I understand." Uchiha Touko nodded, then wrote a letter detailing Naruto's current situation. He instructed Inahime to find Naruto, keep an eye on him, and train with him. Afterward, Uchiha Touko took out the Scroll of Sealing, copied the Flying Thunder God Technique from it, sealed the letter with an additional seal, and handed it to Uchiha Inahime.
"Go there yourself and give this to Jiraiya."
"Yes!" Uchiha Inahime nodded, took Uchiha Touko's letter, and left the Hokage's office.
Not long after, the person in charge of the mission hall below the Hokage building knocked on Uchiha Touko's door.
"Hokage-sama, there's an S-rank request from the Land of Demons that you need to review."
"The Land of Demons?" Uchiha Touko took the document and glanced at it.
"A person named Yomi has usurped the throne of the priestess and daimyo of the Land of Demons. They need our Konoha ninja to assist in protecting their priestess and sealing away the demons of their country?" Uchiha Touko looked at the request document, scratching his head. He remembered this part of the plot; after all, the movie was called "Naruto's Death." But Naruto wasn't in the village right now. Who should he send?
"How about we send Sasuke on this trip? It'll help him clear his head, and that power of the Demon Spirit might be useful to him too." Uchiha Touko tapped his desk, then looked at the person in charge of the mission center. "Go tell the client that Konoha will send an elite team for this mission."
"Yes, sir!" After the other party acknowledged the order and left, Uchiha Touko also got up from his office and headed to the Senju clan's territory.
...
After Tsunade's treatment, Sasuke, exhausted both physically and mentally, slowly woke up in his hospital bed. Upon waking, he saw his friends gathered around his bedside.
"Sasuke, you're awake." Seeing Sasuke awake, Neji quickly brought him a glass of water.
After taking the glass, Sasuke drank a couple of sips before looking around with some difficulty.
"Sorry, I lost. I didn't bring him back." Sasuke leaned against the bed, pounding the bed in frustration.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this now," Neji quickly said, seeing this. "You should focus on getting better first."
Sasuke fell silent upon hearing this.
Just then, Uchiha Touko entered the ward.
"Sensei."
"Hokage-sama."
The people in the ward greeted Uchiha Touko one after another upon seeing him. Uchiha
Touko nodded and then said, "You can all go back now. I need to talk to Sasuke alone for a bit."
"Yes." The others in the ward left one after another.
After the others left, Uchiha Touko found a place to sit by Sasuke's bedside, then took an apple from the cabinet and began peeling it with a kunai.
Sasuke didn't speak, just leaned against the bed, looking up at the ceiling of the ward.
Uchiha Touko finished peeling an apple and handed it to Sasuke before breaking the silence.
"You've awakened your Sharingan?"
Sasuke nodded after taking the apple peeled by Uchiha Touko.
"What kind of eye techniques?"
"Takematsu and Kagutsuchi," Sasuke said. "One allows me to summon lightning with annihilation chakra abilities, and the other allows me to freely control this lightning form."
"Sounds pretty good." Uchiha Touko nodded. Lightning Release versions of Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi—both eye techniques directly enhance combat abilities, perfectly suited to the characteristics of an Indra chakra reincarnation.
"But even with the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan, I couldn't bring that guy back." Sasuke took the apple, somewhat dejectedly, and said, "Besides, I could sense that he wasn't using his full strength."
"Of course not. He's only one seal away from becoming a perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Your newly awakened Mangekyou Sharingan is naturally no match for him," Uchiha Touko said.
"Teacher, can you teach me how to use the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Sasuke looked up at Uchiha Touko.
"If you're referring to the Mangekyou Sharingan's genjutsu against tailed beasts, then I suggest you go find your brother Shisui or go to the Land of Water to find your father. But if it's about eye techniques and Susanoo, I don't recommend you start training in those areas right now."
"Why?" Sasuke asked, somewhat puzzled.
"You must have noticed when you used your eye techniques and Susanoo, right? Your eyesight gradually decreases with each use of your eye techniques. As for Susanoo, it's too much of a burden for your still-developing body," Uchiha Touko said.
"But… Master, you awakened your Sharingan much earlier than me," Sasuke asked.
"I had no choice back then," Uchiha Touko said, "and later, I paid a heavy price to resolve these side effects. But you're different; you don't need to rush."
"But if I don't do this, how am I supposed to catch up with that guy!" Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, "Master, I hope you can help me."
"Alright, focus on getting better first. After you complete this mission, I'll take you somewhere else, and you can decide then." Uchiha Touko nodded and placed the mission report from the Land of Demons on Sasuke's bed.
"I understand." Sasuke nodded from his sickbed and picked up the mission report to read.
Three days later, after Tsunade's care, Sasuke had almost fully recovered and reunited with Neji, Sakura, Karin, and Lee, who had been sent by Uchiha Touko to handle this mission. They then headed towards the Land of Demons.
" Sasuke, if you're feeling unwell, let's stop and rest for a while," Neji, the team leader, reminded them after they had traveled day and night for two days and finally entered the Land of Demons.
"I'm fine, let's keep going so we can finish the mission sooner," Sasuke shook his head, indicating that Neji didn't need to worry about him.
"Alright," Neji nodded, and the group continued into the Land of Demons.
After entering the Land of Demons, they rushed towards the place agreed upon with their employer. However, the sheer number of shrines they saw along the way left Karin somewhat puzzled.
"There seem to be too many shrines here," Karin couldn't help but ask.
"That's normal. The Land of Demons is a theocratic state, and priestesses hold a transcendent position there. The daimyo of the Land of Demons is always a priestess from the Temple of Demons." Sakura, being the top student, answered Karin's question.
"A priestess can be a daimyo?" Karin was puzzled. She knew that priestesses in the Land of Fire only presided over festivals and spent their time fortune-telling. She never expected that priestesses in the Land of Demons would have such a status.
Soon, the group arrived at the agreed location. However, upon arriving at the shrine built in a valley with a huge waterfall, they immediately saw a figure carrying a white-haired woman fleeing in a sorry state, pursued by a group of armed men.
"That looks like our target! There are enemies!" Neji observed the situation with his Byakugan, then entered battle mode with a serious expression, took out his long staff from a scroll, and charged forward.
Seeing this, the others followed. The attackers weren't very strong, and the group easily dealt with them.
Upon seeing Neji and his group arrive, the attackers decisively abandoned their pursuit and retreated.
With the crisis averted, the person carrying Shion breathed a sigh of relief. .
"Gentlemen of Konoha, thank you for your timely arrival. Please come inside for a chat." .
Neji nodded, but Shion, being carried, looked up and surveyed the Konoha members. However, when her gaze fell on Sasuke, her purple pupils suddenly narrowed.
Sasuke was somewhat confused by the woman's gaze, but now was clearly not the time to investigate. Thus, led by Azusa, the group entered the shrine.
Inside the shrine's main hall, after waiting for a while, Shion, now dressed in formal attire, reappeared before the group.
"Everyone from Konoha, thank you for arriving in time. Otherwise, we truly cannot imagine what would have happened." Azusa, now dressed in formal attire, bowed to the group in gratitude.
. "It seems we're still too late; otherwise, we could have saved many more lives," Neji said after returning the bow.
Just then, a discordant voice rang out from the platform. "That's only natural. My safety is also those people's wish,"
Shion's words stunned everyone from Konoha. Karin stared blankly at Shion in her elegant dress on the steps, unable to comprehend why such beautiful, 37-degree angled lips could utter such cold words.
"I foresaw their deaths, and as prophesied, their souls returned to the Pure Land." Facing the strange looks from the crowd, Shion remained unfazed.
"Prophecy?" Neji frowned upon hearing this.
"Yes," Shion nodded, then looked at Sasuke, "Your eyes can turn red, right?" "Yes, I come from the Uchiha clan," Sasuke replied.
"Then that's it. In the scene I just saw, you, with red eyes, were pierced through the body and died."
"What did you say?" Lee stood up angrily and questioned him. Everyone had come all this way to help him, and now, before the mission even started, he was already cursing them to die?
Neji and Sasuke, the person whose fate was predicted, both sneered upon hearing Shion's words.
"Is this your prophecy, Miko?" Neji asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That's right. I can see scenes from the future, and in the future I saw, this young man died in this manner," Shion said expressionlessly, as if she had already sentenced Sasuke to death.
"Regarding this prophecy, I have a suggestion," Sasuke said with a cold smile.
"In our Konoha, clergy members like you go to a place for training before entering the workforce. That place is called the Nakagawa Theological Conference. I think you, Miss Shrine Maiden, would gain something there."
For Sasuke and Neji, who had received training from Uchiha Touko, a charlatan like Shion should be sent to the Nakagawa Theological Conference so that the instructors there could properly teach her the principles of divine authority!
...
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(End of Chapter)