Chapter 120

"Shion is still the priestess of the Land of Demons. That has not changed."

The faint words came from Kusuo's mouth, spoken for all to hear. The moment they were uttered, Shion's eyes lit up. Although, with her current strength, she didn't actually need to fear these Konoha jonin. She could even summon Mōryō by herself. And with her ability to control the immortal terracotta puppets, she was even stronger, almost invincible.

But the feeling of being protected... was what intoxicated her the most.

"Thank you, Kusuo." Unconsciously, Shion had already come to completely trust the boy before her.

Kusuo gave a faint "mm," his gaze sweeping across the crowd as he explained to the Konoha ninja, "Shion relied on her own ability to break through the curse and shackles that Mōryō had placed on the successive priestesses. She can already completely control this power, though she still needs a certain amount of time to hone it. But what is beyond doubt is that she is still her. That has not changed one bit."

"Shion also has no obligation or responsibility to do anything for Konoha."

These words, when spoken, were very reasonable, but also cold. He was not considering the problem from Konoha's perspective. Instead, it was like the promise of a man protecting his little girlfriend.

Kakashi's face was impassive, his expression not changing much. He said in a deep voice, "We understand. Konoha has never had any ulterior motives. The Land of Fire and the Land of Demons are still allies."

Now, with Kakashi's guarantee, Shikaku and the ANBU captains looked at each other and also stepped forward to speak. Although they coveted Shion's powerful ability to control Mōryō, with Kusuo standing in front to protect her, they extinguished this thought. This was not like the Uzumaki clan of the past. Even with an entire country at their disposal, their final result was still futile.

Shion, who understood all this in her heart, was filled with emotion, a different kind of taste in her heart.

With a simple wave of her hand, tap, tap, tap~

The gathered terracotta warriors immediately began to march in neat steps, their aura one of iron and blood, towards the original sealing location. There, located at the boundary between the human world and the netherworld, no one could approach except for a very few people and the successive priestesses.

After a whole night of fierce fighting, everyone's minds were somewhat weary.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, a faint golden light was already in the sky. The morning sun was beginning to rise.

Kusuo placed his sword on the ground and sat down cross-legged to meditate. Shion came over and sat down next to him, pressing tightly against his shoulder. Watching the vigorous rise of the sun, Shion even felt that it signified a new birth for the generation of priestesses.

And all of this... was brought to her by Kusuo.

"Kusuo," Shion called out softly.

"Hm?" Kusuo opened his meditating eyes.

"I can feel the immense power within my body. I want to pass this power on to the next generation of priestesses," Shion said, her amber eyes staring intently at him.

"Can you lend me your power?"

The tender words came from the girl's mouth, making Kusuo pause for a moment. Such a bold confession... the result was truly surprising. But he did not immediately agree. Instead, he gently stroked her light golden long hair, then pinched her small, delicate ear.

"You see, I live in Konoha. And I still have two girls at home that I need to take care of."

So, lending you my power to create the next generation of priestesses is a bit difficult.

From the beginning, Kusuo's help for Shion was not out of lust. It was to verify his own conjectures about the hierarchy of life, and to borrow her power in the future. Power that surpassed that of a perfect Jinchuriki. Shion's power did not belong to Konoha, but it belonged to her, and it also belonged to Kusuo.

He had thought that after he said these words, Shion would give up on this idea. He never expected the girl's eyes to be filled with an unprecedented seriousness and persistence.

"I don't care. Everything I have now was given to me by you. You were the one who helped me break the fate of our priestesses. I just want to borrow your power to pass Mōryō on to the next generation of priestesses."

There were stars in Shion's eyes. Kusuo saw her heart in her amber pupils.

After a moment, he said, "I live in Konoha."

After saying this, Kusuo stood up, clapped his hands, and left. He had naturally received Shion's intentions. But it was impossible for him to stay in the Land of Demons forever. He needed to become stronger, to possess more power to protect everything he already had by his side. Besides, he still had a warm home in Konoha.

Because of this, he had given the choice to Shion. The Land of Demons no longer had Mōryō causing trouble, so naturally, it no longer needed a priestess. Whether Shion chose to continue to rule the Land of Demons as a priestess, or to follow him, was all up to her own wishes.

In the rear, Asuma, Kakashi, and the others, who had been secretly observing this young couple, were now in disarray. As experienced men of the world, they were quite clear how explicit and bold Shion's confession was just now.

But... when did this brat Kusuo become so chaste? To have a beautiful jade in his arms and still maintain self-control... this kind of determination was not at all like someone who had taken both of the Hyuga sisters into his home.

"What does he mean?" Asuma was a bit confused.

Kakashi pondered for a moment, a vague guess forming in his heart. But to Asuma, he could only say roughly, the rest, even he himself was not clear.

"My cousin Kusuo... his capacity is far beyond our imagination. I have never been able to see where his gaze is truly directed," he said. "The village is full of rumors that if he continues to grow, he will surely have the style of a God of Shinobi like Lord First in the future. However, I can feel that Kusuo will definitely not be limited to one country or one village. His gaze is on the entire ninja world. Perhaps—"

At this point, Kakashi's words came to an abrupt halt, leaving Asuma completely baffled. "What did Kakashi mean just now?" he scratched his head in confusion.

Behind him, Kurenai stomped her foot in frustration at Asuma's denseness. "What else could he mean? It means Kusuo won't just stay in the Land of Demons for one woman. If that girl wants to follow him, that's fine, but that means giving up her identity as a priestess and living with him. Even I can see that point. As for what Kakashi said after that, I don't really understand either."

The jonin were all in a tiff over Kusuo's affairs. And he himself... had long since picked up his sword and embarked on the road back to the village. The Konoha party immediately followed, not lingering any longer. The mission in the Land of Demons had, at this point, completely come to an end.

After returning to the village, perhaps because Tsunade saw that Kusuo had been running around for several months, protecting the village and then solving the Sand Village issue, and now dealing with the chaos in the Land of Demons with his own strength, she waved her hand, her body swaying with an astonishing undulation. "For this period of time, you go back and have a good vacation. Relax."

"The position of Hokage's Guard will always be reserved for you. I never said I was letting you go!"

Kusuo rolled his eyes in his heart. What Tsunade means is... she still plans to have me be her bodyguard.

In any case, he finally had a leisurely vacation.

He returned home carefree. He was surprised to find that there was no one at the door to greet him. Usually at this time, the two sisters, Hinata and Hanabi, would be eagerly waiting for him.

With a questioning look, Kusuo pushed open the door.

A beautiful girl with light golden hair and amber eyes was sitting opposite Hinata and Hanabi. The moment she saw him return, the girl's face bloomed into a smile like a flower.

"Hello there, Kusuo."

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