Chapter 112: The Land of Demons
The Land of Demons, like the Land of Birds, is a small nation sandwiched between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
However, its location lies deep within the territories of these two great nations, far from the center of conflict.
Compared to the perpetually war-torn Lands of Birds, Rivers, Rain, and Grass, the internal environment of the Land of Demons is relatively stable. As a result, the Land of Demons does not possess its own ninja forces. Instead, what has been passed down in this country is a mysterious power known as the "Priestess" and the legend of the demonic entity Mōryō.
When Rasa arrived with Honoka and his four subordinates, Ōkuro, Ishiomo, and Koishi immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"How is the investigation into Mōryō going?"
The three promptly reported everything they knew.
Honoka, standing to the side, finally realized that Rasa had long been eyeing the demon of the Land of Demons. It wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment idea after encountering ghosts. As expected, men's words are as deceptive as ghosts.
After finishing their report, Ōkuro immediately asked,
"Kazekage-sama, what should we do next?"
Without hesitation, Rasa replied,
"We're pressed for time, so let's go meet this Priestess of the Land of Demons directly."
---
In the palace of the Land of Demons.
Under the night sky, a strange and bizarre dream caused Miroku, the Priestess of the Land of Demons with her flowing golden hair, to wake up in a start. Her disturbance naturally alerted the maids waiting outside.
"Lady Miroku!?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine…"
Miroku declined the maids' offer to come in and assist her, instead sitting up on her own, her forehead damp with cold sweat as she panted heavily.
She knew, of course, that it wasn't just an ordinary dream. As the inheritor of the destiny of the Priestesses of the Land of Demons, Miroku had also inherited the powers of her predecessors.
This granted her the ability to catch brief glimpses of certain future events. In that vision, the sealed demon, Mōryō, had broken free.
This was the scene she least wanted to see, but she knew it was real. Because in that vision, she also saw two men.
One of them was familiar to her—her minister, Yomi of the Land of Demons.
Although the Land of Demons was a small nation, she was still aware of the events happening in the outside world. The entire shinobi world was in a state of chaotic warfare, with the Lands of Fire, Lightning, and Earth locked in continuous conflict.
If it weren't for the fact that the Land of Demons was located deep within the territories and bordered the relatively stable Land of Wind, it might have also been plunged into chaos.
Yet, this very peace had given some people within the Land of Demons ideas they shouldn't have. The power of Mōryō had also sparked ambitions in certain individuals.
The leader of these ambitions was Yomi, who had recently been advocating for the Land of Demons to utilize Mōryō's power, release it, and then use that power to dominate the entire shinobi world.
Now, from the future vision she had seen, it seemed Yomi had succeeded. The seal on Mōryō had truly been broken.
But...
Who was the other man?
Though it was only a fleeting glimpse in the vision, the sight of that man fighting Mōryō made her suspect that perhaps he wasn't an enemy like Yomi.
Unfortunately, the future-predicting ability of the Priestess of the Land of Demons stopped there. She couldn't see any more of the vision.
At this point, Miroku found it difficult to fall back asleep. Perhaps it would be better to go outside for some fresh air.
With this thought, she composed herself and called out,
"Someone, come in!"
The palace doors slid open, and Miroku looked up, only to be stunned.
The person who entered wasn't one of her maids but a beautiful red-haired girl she had never seen before.
"You're the Priestess of the Land of Demons, right?"
Even if Miroku were foolish, she would know something was wrong. She furrowed her brows slightly and assumed a defensive posture as she asked,
"Who are you? Where are my maids?"
"Don't worry, they've just fallen asleep. They're fine. As for you, please get dressed. Someone wants to meet you."
With that, the girl glanced at Miroku's pampered appearance and, after a moment of thought, coldly asked,
"Do you need help?"
"Huh!!!"
---
Of course, Miroku didn't need help! Although her status as the Priestess of the Land of Demons was highly revered, she was perfectly capable of dressing herself.
She also wisely didn't ask who wanted to see her. After all, she would find out soon enough. Moreover, the fact that someone could approach her so easily without alerting the guards in the city indicated that the other party had the ability to kill her at will.
By the time Miroku had put on her elegant and luxurious priestess robes and was ready to follow the girl, the red-haired girl suddenly spoke up.
"She's dressed. You can come in now."
"Huh?"
Miroku was startled. Before she could react, she saw a man slowly walking out of the shadows.
Miroku, feeling violated by a man entering her private chambers, was about to reprimand him when the sight of the man's face made her eyes widen in shock. She exclaimed in disbelief,
"It's you..."
Her words left both people in the room stunned.
Rasa was about to ask how the Priestess knew him when a sudden realization dawned on him. He seemed to understand something and asked,
"I've heard that the Priestesses of the Land of Demons possess the ability to foresee the future. Given how surprised you are by my appearance, can I assume you've already seen me in your visions?"
"Foresee the future?"
Honoka, who was also in the room, was astonished and looked at Miroku with curiosity.
Miroku, equally surprised, thought for a moment and decided not to deny it.
"That's correct. I've already seen you in my dreams."
Miroku's confirmation once again made Rasa feel the wonder of this world.
The ability to foresee the future? How interesting!
However, Rasa wanted to know what she saw.
"So, what did you see?"
At this point, Miroku saw no reason to hide anything.
"Mōryō was released. Also, I saw you fighting Mōryō, along with our minister, Yomi."
Rasa raised a brow.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. The future-predicting ability of the Priestesses of the Land of Demons is limited. W-we can only see fragments of the future."
"I see."
Having obtained the information he wanted, Rasa decided to be upfront about his purpose for coming here.
"First, let me introduce myself. Priestess of the Land of Demons, I am the Kazekage of Sunagakure, in the Land of Wind."
Hearing this, Miroku was stunned but what Rasa uttered later really put her on high alert.
!!!
"I came here to learn more about Mōryō. Additionally, if necessary, I need you to release the seal on Mōryō. However, you don't need to worry about Mōryō causing harm to the world. This is Honoka from the Uzumaki clan. Her sealing techniques are exceptional, and I've also prepared barrier techniques. Mōryō won't be able to escape. If possible, this time I can help you completely eliminate the demon known as Mōryō, freeing the Priestesses of the Land of Demons from the fate of having to seal it."
At that moment, Miroku's pupils contracted sharply.