"So what are you going to do?"
"What to do? Of course go to the Land of Demons to deal with the problem. What else? We can't just pretend we didn't see it."
"As expected. Every time you're all unwilling on the surface, but in the end you make the same choice. I think I heard you use a term to describe this before—what was it again?"
"Ahem."
Seeing the boomerang about to fly back at her, Furina quickly coughed twice to interrupt Uchiha Hikari's thoughts. It seemed she would have to think carefully before speaking from now on. The other's memory was a bit too good.
"Although I don't really want to go, if I don't, Tsunade-sensei might cry and get all sad. Plus, Kakashi-sensei will be going there too.
A crisis that threatens to destroy the world sounds very dangerous. What if Kakashi-sensei sacrifices himself there? Kakashi-sensei is my beloved close friend. He can't just die so easily."
After defending herself, seeing Uchiha Hikari no longer bring up the earlier matter—as if she had already forgotten—Furina breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright. According to Slug, Kakashi-sensei and the others will hurry to the Land of Demons in the next few days. I need to speed up and meet them soon.
As for you, this trip is dangerous with an uncertain outcome. Why don't you return to the Land of Iron for a few days? Chiyo has already been taken as a disciple by Mifune, so there would be someone looking after you."
"..."
Faced with Furina's suggestion, Uchiha Hikari gave no reply. She simply looked at the other expressionlessly until Furina awkwardly turned her head away.
"Eh eh, I know what you mean. But there's something I need to say first. The legends say Mōryō has the power to destroy the world—though it might be a bit exaggerated,
its strength is definitely not weak. In other words, this trip carries some danger. And my reason for going to the Land of Demons is mostly personal. You're just coming along with me.
So if there's truly some danger we can't resist, please withdraw first and run quickly. I don't want anyone dying because of me."
By the end, Furina's expression grew much more serious. Or rather, this was her true thought—she did not want unrelated people to get involved.
Although she had mentioned Tsunade and Kakashi again just now, those were secondary reasons. The main reason was her system.
Since escorting a princess to the Land of Snow last time had resulted in a short side story, a world-destroying crisis this time would surely warrant a full theatrical edition or something. Participating would make her Affection Values skyrocket.
Since that was the case, she definitely could not miss it. Even without Tsunade's message, she would have gone to help out at such a big event. The message just sped up her journey.
If she could have leisurely made her way to the Land of Demons before, now she had to go at full speed.
"Understood."
Since Furina had been so serious this time, Uchiha Hikari could only agree. But the subsequent drop in her mood was hard to hide.
"Hey, don't look so down. Smile more. What I said just now was only in case of the worst. With our strength, how many people in the entire ninja world can threaten us?
Besides, didn't I say back when we first met that I would protect you? I've always been someone who keeps promises."
"But you also said to let me live according to my own will from now on. And fighting side by side with you is my choice. Since you keep promises, you shouldn't go back on what you said before, right?"
"You... you're pretty good at applying what you've learned."
Seeing her own boomerang hit back, Furina smiled helplessly and reached out to flick the other's nose, adding a touch of resentment to her face.
"Since we've said this much, let's go together. Honestly, I'd be a bit worried going alone in case something happens. But with you along, I feel much more at ease. Just don't blame me later for not warning you how dangerous it is."
"Do you think I'd be afraid of that?"
"True enough." Recalling the other's past experiences, Furina could not help but smile helplessly, realizing she had asked a pointless question.
.....
Land of Demons
"Sigh, we haven't seen many people along the way. The few we did encounter were all running outward. I don't know what's going on—Mōryō's revival has spread so widely."
"It's indeed a bit strange. But this is good too—it prevents ordinary people from getting caught up. Still, didn't we come here to deal with Mōryō? Why are we coming here?"
Hearing Furina's sigh, Uchiha Hikari stepped forward to ask. Right in front of them was a heavily guarded massive residence. One look made it clear that ordinary people did not live inside.
"Eh, didn't I tell you before? In the legends, the shrine maiden is the one responsible for sealing Mōryō. So cooperating with her is necessary. And as I mentioned earlier,
my teacher Kakashi and some other ninja will come to deal with Mōryō together. The shrine maiden's residence is our meeting point. I just don't know if they've arrived yet."
"Your teacher, Furina?"
Hearing that Kakashi would also come, Uchiha Hikari's voice inexplicably carried a hint of nervousness. Even her blinking sped up slightly.
"Yes. His name is Hatake Kakashi. You might not know him, but he's quite famous in the ninja world. When handling serious business, he's very reliable.
But when he's off duty, remember to keep your distance. He likes reading some not-so-good things. Don't let him corrupt you."
"It seems you and your teacher get along very well."
Having lived in this era for so long, Uchiha Hikari could still tell whether something was a joke or not. She no longer took everything at face value like at the beginning.
But while this proved the other had adapted to daily life, it also meant fewer fun moments. Furina felt a pang of sadness ( Ĭ ^ Ĭ ).
"Of course. Didn't I say so? Kakashi-sensei and I are beloved close friends. Our relationship is great."
While teasing Kakashi, Furina also took out her Konoha forehead protector and put it on. At a time like this, she needed it to prove her identity.