Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

"Lady Priestess!"

The roaring flames howled towards her, carrying an无比 (wúbǐ) - incomparable - and intense high temperature, as if one were being placed in a furnace. Shion, the priestess, was still lying on the ground at this time, motionless.

This scene made the guards protecting her feel as if their eyes were about to split. The guards, protecting her at the cost of their own lives, leaped out, using their bodies to block the fatal attack. However, the power of the Fire Style ninjutsu was undiminished. Its momentum was too fierce, and it continued to push forward, about to engulf the girl's body.

VMM!

The hum of a sword suddenly rang out, shaking the heavens and the earth. As if it had cut through the very world, a sword of moonlight descended from the sky, shattering the flames.

Clang!

The blade was sharp. It stood embedded in the floor, trembling slightly.

Following it, a graceful figure in red, like a god descending to earth, leaped down from above and landed in front of Shion.

"Who are you?!"

This sudden scene... the four people in white had looks of shock and uncertainty in their eyes. They had been so focused on killing Shion's guards that they hadn't even noticed when this person had arrived. Who is he? This thought popped into the minds of all four.

"Have you seen him before?" Kusuna, one of the four, asked.

Beside him, Banna, Shizuku, and Setsuna all shook their heads, indicating they didn't recognize him.

"Did something happen to Yota's side?"

Looking at Kusuo, the four of them chatted amongst themselves. Looking at each other, their tones carried an indescribable pressure.

On the other side, Kusuo casually pulled out the sword that was in front of Shion and used it to lift her chin. "Why didn't you run just now?"

Her face lifted by him, Shion saw a very handsome face. That dashing elegance and composure... suddenly made her dazed for a few seconds.

Seeing that she wasn't speaking, Kusuo understood and didn't press further. He swung his sword with a backhand.

SWISH!

Like a crescent moon. A dazzling crimson sword aura shot out, like a flash of lightning. It was brilliant, blinding, and overshadowed everything else, as if the entire world was left with only the color of this one sword aura.

Fast. Too fast. In the blink of an eye, these four ninja, whose bodies contained the chakra of Mōryō, stared blankly as the sword aura from Kusuo's swing grew closer and closer in their pupils. They didn't even have time to react before they were slain by the single slash.

Schlick! Schlick!

In an instant, just an instant, the sword aura swept past. Everyone's limbs were severed, and fresh blood splattered all over the ground.

Shion's pupils widened, magnified by this bloody scene. She looked with some surprise at the boy before her, who seemed to be about her own age. So besides being so good-looking, he's also this strong.

In an instant, Shion, who had been dejected, now had a new motivation for the hope of escape.

Kusuo reached out in a timely manner and wrapped his arm around the girl's waist.

One slash. Another slash. He swung his sword casually.

POW!

The door leading to the secret passage was directly cut open, revealing a smooth, mirror-like opening. Then, Kusuo leaped in with the girl.

After a long tunnel, they finally saw the light of day again.

Kusuo released the girl's waist, took out a water canteen from his clothes, took two big gulps, and then handed it to Shion.

Shion was somewhat dumbfounded. She stared at the canteen he handed her. She wanted to refuse but felt thirsty. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said "thank you" and took it. After drinking a few gulps, she wiped her small mouth.

Shion asked curiously, "Are you a ninja sent by the Land of Fire? What's your name?"

"Hatake Kusuo," he said succinctly. After stating his name, he had no intention of talking to her any further. After all, based on his impression, although this girl was beautiful, looked very much like Hinata, and had a very moving figure, like Naruto, she had grown up in a twisted environment. Therefore, her personality was a bit "yandere." Being刁蛮 (diāomán) - willful and bossy - was her outward expression.

As for getting to know her better and exploring the kindness in the girl's heart... sorry, he didn't have the spare time for that right now.

Shion was a little pouty. After this mysterious and powerful Konoha ninja had saved her, he looked like he had no intention of talking to her. What kind of medicine is he selling in his gourd?

"Hey! Why did you save me? You might as well have let me die." The signature willful words were spoken. Kusuo just gave her a flat glance. Then he turned his head away and said nothing.

This action... completely angered Shion. All her life, only guards had revolved around her, willing to give their lives. Although this was not her intention, and it pained her, in the end, she was still treated like a real princess. When had she ever encountered such a situation, being saved by a mysterious strange man, only to be completely ignored? Had her charm decreased?

"Hmph! If you're not going to talk to me, then I'll just leave on my own!" When Shion's little-girl personality came out, it was hard to suppress. At that moment, she was about to get up and leave.

A hand gripped her arm, making it impossible for her to break free.

"You!" Shion's delicate eyebrows furrowed. When she was angry, she looked even more like Hinata.

Kusuo pulled her into his arms with one motion. With a backhand, he tied her hands behind her back with a rope, then threw her on the ground.

Huh? This series of霸道 (bàdào) - domineering - actions completely baffled Shion. From beginning to end, her mind was buzzing. Who am I? Where am I? Why is this mysterious ninja treating me like this?

Kusuo knew very well what the girl was thinking. But he wasn't prepared to explain, and explaining would be useless. A刁蛮 (diāomán) - bossy - personality cultivated over a dozen years would be hard to change in a short time. Rather than getting angry himself, it was easier to just tie her up directly.

As for the matter of sealing Mōryō, Kusuo also had his own ideas. First, Mōryō and the priestess were one body. As long as the negative emotions of the human world did not disappear, Mōryō would always exist. No matter how many times it was killed, it would be useless. Every so often, some ambitious person would stir up trouble.

Secondly, the power of the priestess was very strong, strong enough to deal with a Tailed Beast-level battle. If developed properly, it would be equivalent to having another perfect Jinchuriki. After all, Mōryō was sealed within the priestess's body and could be summoned for use, as long as the priestess's strength was sufficient.

Thinking of this, Kusuo suddenly asked, "You've always been wearing that bell, right? Let me see it."

Shion was very angry and didn't want to talk to him. Kusuo shrugged, not having the slightest awareness that he should be coaxing an angry girl. Seeing the bell on her chest, he reached out and took it. The moment they made contact, Shion's face immediately became scorching hot. Her delicate willow-like eyebrows stood on end as she looked at him with a pout.

But Kusuo was focused entirely on the stone. A single stone that can seal such a powerful force... truly a product of another dimension. Shion's power was even greater than her mother's, and her talent was even more outstanding. Miroku, as the previous generation's priestess, had been able to suppress and seal Mōryō alone, let alone Shion. Yet this stone could seal a large part of Shion's power as a priestess. It had to be said, it was very magical.

Seeing that the girl's emotions had stabilized a bit, Kusuo helped her untie the rope behind her back. His movements were very gentle, not hurting her at all.

Shion was stunned by this one rough, one gentle hand. When they first met, the swordsmanship of Kusuo descending from the sky replayed in her mind. Shion was very curious. This mysterious boy clearly looked about the same age as her. Why was he so calm, so powerful? It was as if there was a magical charm attracting her to understand him, to explore him.

"Have you encountered any scenes of death?" After releasing her restraints, Kusuo began to ask this question. The ability of the priestess to predict death with the function of the bell in his hand was still very well-known.

Speaking of this, Shion's face darkened, and she pursed her small lips lightly.

"Have you foreseen my death?" Kusuo asked again. Her appearance just now must have been because she had recalled many scenes of death from her prophecies.

"No. The image I see of you is a fog. I can't see anything clearly." Speaking of this, Shion's curiosity grew even stronger. She could see the future of the people around her. Only this boy before her... from beginning to end, it was as if he were a ball of fog, shrouding her entire vision so she couldn't see anything.

So that's how it is. Kusuo had a sudden realization. As a butterfly stirring the world, he would not be suppressed by the priestess's ability.

"You stayed put and didn't run before... was it because you had foreseen the deaths of your guards and were too sad, so you had lost the will to live?" Kusuo said again.

This one sentence... struck a chord deep in Shion's heart. The guards around her had accompanied her since she was a child. Yet she had seen the scenes of their deaths one by one, and there was nothing she could do to change it. This feeling of powerlessness made her despair. Therefore, she didn't even dodge when faced with the enemy's attack.

At this moment, it was as if she had found a soulmate. Shion didn't know why this boy seemed to be able to see through everything and speak her innermost thoughts with a single sentence. There was a profound, unfathomable magic about him.

Then, she threw herself onto his shoulder and began to sob lightly.

Kusuo smelled the fragrance of Shion's light golden long hair, his expression still calm. He gently patted her on the shoulder in comfort. This set of procedures... he was very familiar with from his time training Hinata's courage. His heart was as steady as an old dog, without any fluctuation.

After a long time, Shion seemed to have vented her emotions. She looked at Kusuo with red eyes. She had only just met this person for such a short time, yet she had experienced a series of emotions: despair, sadness, curiosity, anger, warmth, and the feeling of a soulmate. She was being led by the nose by him. This feeling, on the contrary, made her a little fascinated.

Kusuo held Shion's slightly red, lowered face and said gently, "Now, let's set off."

"Mm," the girl hummed softly and was led by the wrist by Kusuo on their journey.

Looking at the obedient girl, Kusuo's mind was thinking about what came next. According to what Tsunade had said, this time the incident in the Land of Demons... besides Konoha and some of the surrounding small countries and villages providing emergency all-around assistance, there was no sign of ninja from the other villages.

Logically speaking, they absolutely shouldn't have just stood by and watched to this extent. From Tsunade's anxious face, one could tell that the great nations were still very worried about the Mōryō rampage in the Land of Demons. It was definitely not just because Konoha had experienced the Nine-Tails' chaos. It was more likely that there had been more than one disaster caused by Mōryō's appearance in history. This disaster had to be profound enough to make an entire ninja village like Konoha so anxious.

If that was the case, then the other great nations had even less reason to stand by and watch. Unless there was one reason. And that was... they were currently uniting to discuss how to deal with Konoha. To be more precise, how to deal with him.

They were afraid that if he grew up, he would become another figure like Hashirama Senju, pushing through the entire ninja world, distributing the Tailed Beasts like the First Hokage, and establishing a new order.

His thoughts instantly became clear. A cold smile lifted the corner of Kusuo's mouth. The game between the great nations looked so profound and complex. But in reality... it was nothing special.

When he unlocked the next stage of his template, even if he were to be an enemy of the entire current ninja world, he was confident he could survive. After all, super-Kage and Six Paths-level combat power had not yet appeared. Ordinary Kage-level, or even the Kage of a village with peak Kage-level strength... none of them were a match for him.

"What are you thinking about?" Shion asked curiously, being led by the hand.

Kusuo turned his head back and asked her in return, "If I can help you subdue Mōryō, will you choose to use this power, or do you plan to seal it away?"

This... subdue Mōryō? How is that possible?! That terrifying power, how could it be controlled by a person? Shion shook her head, feeling it was incredible.

Just as she was about to refute, she saw Kusuo speak again. "Don't talk about whether it can be subdued or not first. If I can really help you, are you willing to control its power and protect the people around you, or will you seal it away like the priestesses before you?"

This one sentence was like a heavy hammer, smashing into Shion's heart.

Control... Mōryō's power? To protect the people around me!

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