Chapter 270: Prophecies Cannot Be Changed
Naruto stood near the entrance of the ruined residence and slowly returned Ryūjin Jakka to its sheath.
Behind him, the four attackers lay dead.
Inside the sword, the system notification sounded in Asuramaru's mind.
[Ding! Intense negative emotions detected from the Four Demon Servants at the moment of death.]
[Gained 34000 emotion points.]
[Gained 17000 Demon Power.]
[Fifty percent of the Demon Power will be returned to the Sword Master.]
A warm current surged through Naruto's body.
His chakra stirred.
His muscles strengthened.
Even after three years of training, the feedback remained clearly noticeable.
Naruto flexed his fingers once.
Then Asuramaru spoke.
"Do not approach the bodies yet."
Naruto's expression sharpened.
"Why?"
"There is still some of Mōryō's power inside them."
Almost the instant he finished speaking, the four corpses convulsed.
Dark shapes tore free from their bodies.
Several strange vipers shot toward Naruto.
Each creature was pitch black, with a single grotesque eye embedded in its head.
Naruto reacted immediately.
A three pronged kunai flashed in his hand.
Slash!
One viper was cut apart.
Then another.
Several severed pieces struck the floor.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
They were still moving.
The creatures twisted unnaturally.
Their separated bodies crawled toward one another and reconnected.
Naruto drew Ryūjin Jakka.
"So ordinary weapons are not enough."
The sword flashed.
Slash!
This time, the one eyed vipers screamed.
A strange liquid form of chakra spilled from their severed bodies.
Their movements stopped.
They did not regenerate again.
Naruto looked at the remains.
"So this is Mōryō's power."
He returned Ryūjin Jakka to its sheath.
"Ordinary attacks have trouble killing things connected to him."
Asuramaru did not sound impressed.
"Troublesome does not mean strong."
Naruto smiled slightly.
Then he turned.
Two figures stood at the entrance.
Neji and Lee.
Both had witnessed the final moments of the fight.
Lee stared at the destroyed room, then at Naruto.
His eyes were practically shining.
"Naruto!"
He hurried inside.
"You have become unbelievably strong!"
Naruto scratched his cheek.
Lee continued excitedly.
"I could barely follow your movements just now!"
Neji said nothing at first.
His Byakugan remained active.
Even with his current eyesight and Jōnin level experience, Naruto's speed had been difficult to follow.
Three years ago, Flying Thunder God had already made Naruto dangerous.
Now his use of the technique had become far smoother.
Far faster.
Far more lethal.
Fortunately, that strength was on their side.
Neji deactivated his Byakugan.
"I checked the surrounding area."
Naruto looked toward him.
"There are no additional enemies nearby."
Neji glanced toward the four corpses.
"It appears these four were the only attackers."
Then he continued.
"The priestess escaped through a hidden passage leading toward the waterfall behind the mountain."
"Sakura has already gone after her."
Naruto nodded.
Lee stepped closer.
"Naruto, seriously, what kind of training did Jiraiya put you through?"
Naruto laughed.
"A lot."
Neji cut through the conversation.
"The enemy may not stop after one failed attack."
Naruto's expression became serious again.
"That is what I was thinking."
"We should leave as soon as possible."
Neji nodded.
"The Land of Swamps is not far."
"At our speed, we should reach it within two days."
He looked toward the passage.
"We will decide our exact departure time after the priestess returns."
Footsteps approached from outside.
Sakura appeared at the entrance.
She stopped when she saw the room.
Four headless corpses.
Broken walls.
Splintered furniture.
Signs of a battle that had ended almost before it could truly begin.
Her eyes moved toward Naruto.
Of course.
She had expected nothing less.
Neji spoke first.
"Sakura."
She looked toward him.
"Did you find the priestess?"
Sakura nodded.
"Yes."
"She has already returned to the city and gone to the shrine."
She gestured behind herself.
"I came back specifically to get you."
Neji immediately moved.
"Then let's go."
Sakura turned.
"Follow me."
The four left the ruined residence.
Not long afterward, they reached the shrine situated behind the city.
The atmosphere there was much quieter.
They entered the main hall.
A bamboo curtain hung before the inner chamber.
Then it was lifted.
A young woman sat behind it.
Long light grey hair fell to her waist.
A golden ornament rested atop her head.
She wore the ceremonial clothing of a priestess.
Her eyes were closed.
Tariho knelt nearby.
He immediately introduced her.
"This is Lady Shion."
"The priestess of the Land of Demons."
Naruto and the others introduced themselves in turn.
Then Neji stepped forward.
"Lady Shion."
"We are Shinobi from Konoha."
"Our mission is to protect you and escort you safely to the sealing shrine in the Land of Swamps."
Shion did not respond immediately.
Her eyes remained closed.
Then something changed.
Her breathing slowed.
The surroundings seemed to fade from her awareness.
A vision appeared before her.
A battlefield.
A figure standing in front of something monstrous.
A dark tendril shot forward.
It pierced straight through his chest.
Blood spread across black clothing.
The young man collapsed.
Shion's eyes opened.
Her gaze immediately found Naruto.
She froze.
The face.
The same face.
The person she had just watched die.
Shion slowly stood.
Everyone watched as she walked toward Naruto.
She stopped directly before him.
Her expression was distant.
"I saw it."
Naruto blinked.
"What?"
Shion looked into his eyes.
"You will die."
The room fell silent.
Naruto's smile disappeared.
Shion continued.
"Soon."
"Something will pierce through your chest."
"That is the fate waiting for you."
Naruto stared at her.
"I'm going to die?"
Sakura looked equally stunned.
Lee stopped smiling.
Even Neji's expression became more serious.
Tariho hurriedly spoke.
"Please forgive Lady Shion's directness."
Naruto looked toward him.
Tariho continued.
"Lady Shion possesses the power of prophecy."
"She can foresee the deaths of others."
His voice became solemn.
"And until now, every death she has foreseen has happened exactly as she predicted."
Naruto fell silent.
Then he spoke inwardly.
"Asuramaru."
"What?"
"How much do you believe this?"
Asuramaru thought about it.
Shion's ability was essentially a glimpse into the future.
The problem was that the future she had seen made little sense to him.
Naruto was already Kage level.
Flying Thunder God alone made him extraordinarily difficult to hit.
He also had Asuramaru.
Healing.
Demonization.
Kurama.
And multiple abilities far outside the normal rules of this world.
Could Mōryō really pierce his chest and kill him?
Asuramaru could not immediately reconcile that future with Naruto's current strength.
So he gave the only answer he considered reasonable.
"Who knows."
Naruto nearly stumbled.
"That is your answer?"
"Yes."
Naruto sighed inwardly.
He had expected something more useful.
Still, when he looked back at Shion, there was no fear on his face.
Instead, he smiled.
"So I am definitely supposed to die?"
Shion nodded.
Naruto rested one hand against the sword at his waist.
"Then I guess I will have to disappoint your prophecy."
Shion's expression did not change.
Naruto continued.
"I have not become Hokage yet."
"So I am not dying here."
For the first time, Shion's eyes shifted slightly.
Then she spoke.
"Give up."
Her voice remained emotionless.
"A prophecy cannot be changed."
Naruto did not argue.
There was no point.
He simply did not believe his life would end because someone had already seen it happen.
Sakura stepped closer.
"Do not worry, Naruto."
She smiled confidently.
"With your strength, you will be fine."
Naruto nodded.
Neji finally interrupted.
"Whatever the prophecy says, our mission remains unchanged."
He looked toward Tariho.
"When are we leaving?"
Tariho bowed slightly.
"We still need time to prepare."
Neji frowned.
"How much?"
"Please wait in the guest room for now."
"We will leave once everything is ready."
The four agreed.
Unfortunately, preparation took far longer than expected.
The entire morning passed.
Naruto sat inside the guest room, staring through the window.
His fingers tapped lightly against his knee.
Finally, he spoke.
"They are still preparing?"
The door opened.
Neji walked inside.
His expression was clearly irritated.
"Tariho wants to gather soldiers to escort the priestess."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"That will slow us down."
"Exactly."
Neji sat nearby.
"It is a waste of time."
Lee, who had been waiting restlessly, sighed.
"Even I think they are taking too long."
That was impressive.
Lee was rarely the impatient one.
The door opened again.
Everyone looked over.
Shion stood there.
Her expression was composed.
"Ninjas."
She turned.
"Come with me."
"We are leaving."
Naruto rose immediately.
Neji frowned but followed.
None of them questioned her until Shion led them toward the waterfall behind the mountain.
Only then did Neji glance back.
"Tariho is not coming?"
Shion did not even turn around.
"No."
"He intended to bring soldiers."
She continued walking.
"I do not need them."
Neji's eyebrows drew together.
"Is that really wise?"
Shion answered with absolute confidence.
"I am the priestess of this country."
"I decide who accompanies me."
That ended the discussion.
The group passed through the waterfall.
A hidden path stretched into the mountains beyond.
Once they began travelling in earnest, Sakura carried Shion on her back so they could maintain Shinobi speed.
Naruto and the others moved alongside them.
For several minutes, everything was peaceful.
Then Shion spoke from Sakura's back.
"Are you really a girl?"
Sakura's expression froze.
"What?"
Shion shifted slightly.
"Your body is surprisingly hard."
Silence.
Naruto looked away.
Lee suddenly found the scenery extremely interesting.
Even Neji wisely kept his mouth shut.
Sakura's eyebrow twitched.
Her face went through several expressions in the span of a second.
Then she forced out a smile.
"Lady Shion…"
The atmosphere around her became dangerous.
Naruto quietly increased the distance between them.
....
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