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Seeing Shion's serious expression, Uchiha Obito froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahahaha… do you even know what you're saying?"
"Destroy the entire ninja world?"
"If you're going to joke around, at least keep it within reason."
Seeing Obito's attitude, Taruho angrily clenched the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Do not speak so disrespectfully to the Priestess!"
"The Priestess possesses the power of prophecy. Her predictions have never been wrong!"
Obito curled his lips in disdain and snorted. "Prophecy? Sounds more like the nonsense a fraud would spout."
Taruho couldn't hold back anymore and rushed straight at him.
But he was only an ordinary person. Even if he had some skill, he was no match for Obito at all.
In an instant, he was kicked away and sent flying.
"Damn it!"
Taruho clutched his chest and struggled to stand.
Shion stepped in front of him and said in a low voice, "If you don't believe us, then forget it. We'll go somewhere else and find people willing to help."
Obito was about to say something else when Uchiha Yuzuru raised a hand to stop him.
Looking at Shion, Yuzuru asked, "What did you see in your prophecy?"
Shion shook her head.
"For some reason, ever since Mōryō appeared, my dreams have stopped showing anything related to prophecy."
"All I know is that if Mōryō isn't stopped, this entire ninja world will be destroyed."
Hearing that, Yuzuru stroked his chin with slight disappointment.
He had hoped to hear something about his own future from Shion…
Shaking his head, he said, "I'll help you deal with Mōryō."
Obito looked shocked. "Brother Yuzuru, you actually believe what this so-called Priestess says?"
Yuzuru glanced at him calmly. "You and Kakashi stay here and help Hanare stabilize the situation. You don't need to worry about the rest."
After saying that, he turned his gaze back to Shion.
"So, what do we do now?"
Shion had already given up hope that Yuzuru and the others would help, so the sudden turn of events caught her by surprise.
A hint of joy appeared on her face.
"When my mother sealed Mōryō back then, she separated its body and soul before sealing them."
"The soul was sealed in the Land of Demons, while the body was sealed in the Land of Swamps."
"Now that Mōryō's soul has broken free from its seal, and since it couldn't find me, it will definitely try to retrieve its body."
"We should find it before it reaches its body!"
Yuzuru nodded. "Then I'll take you to the Land of Swamps right now."
Taruho immediately spoke up. "I'm going too!"
Yuzuru glanced at him and said flatly, "No need. You'd only slow us down."
Taruho gritted his teeth. "Then can you guarantee the Priestess's safety by yourself?"
Yuzuru looked at him with faint amusement.
"In this ninja world, there isn't anyone who can kill someone I've decided to protect."
"But it's different. Mōryō—"
"Mōryō can't either. I said so."
After speaking, Yuzuru directly grabbed Shion's hand.
"Kamui!"
With a ripple in space, the figures of Yuzuru and Shion vanished instantly.
Seeing Taruho standing there in a daze, Hatake Kakashi stepped forward to reassure him.
"Don't worry. I don't know how strong the Mōryō you mentioned is, but it definitely won't be a match for Lord Yuzuru."
"Just wait. Lord Yuzuru will bring the Priestess back safe and sound."
————
Land of Swamps.
On a dark and barren mountain.
Yuzuru and Shion appeared out of thin air and landed steadily on the ground.
After surveying the surroundings, Yuzuru asked, "This is where Mōryō's body was sealed?"
Shion nodded and pointed toward the collapsed ruins at the top of the mountain.
"The shrine has already been destroyed. Mōryō must have arrived here long ago."
"It probably set traps all over the mountain. We should be careful."
Yuzuru snorted and walked straight toward the summit.
Traps?
Those were things only the weak needed to worry about.
Seeing Yuzuru's confidence, Shion could only grit her teeth and follow.
Soon, the two of them stopped before the ruins.
Standing atop the rubble were four masked figures.
When they saw Yuzuru and Shion, the leader smiled.
"Priestess, we've been waiting for you here for quite some time."
"Next, please die obediently so that Lord Mōryō can rest easy."
Seeing the four of them, Shion nervously grabbed Yuzuru's arm.
"I told you there would be an ambush. What should we do now?"
Yuzuru's expression remained calm as he slowly walked forward.
"They're just trash. No need to be afraid."
Hearing this, the eyes of the four masked figures sharpened.
"Setsuna, Shizuku. You two deal with them."
"Yes!"
The two immediately formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Wind Flow!"
"Fire Release: Fire Flow!"
Wind Release and Fire Release combined, forming a massive high-temperature tornado that swept toward Yuzuru.
Yuzuru formed hand seals with both hands.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Boom!
A wave of flames surged forward like a blazing tide, instantly shattering the enemy's combined ninjutsu.
Before Setsuna and Shizuku could even scream, they were swallowed by the sea of fire.
"So strong…"
"Kusuna, what do we do now?"
Gitai stared with his mouth wide open in shock after watching his companions get killed instantly.
The leader, Kusuna, snorted coldly.
"We possess the power granted by Lord Mōryō. What are we afraid of?"
The two immediately launched a coordinated attack.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Flow!"
"Water Release: Water Flow!"
Another combined ninjutsu appeared, a towering wave dozens of meters high carrying crackling lightning as it crashed down toward Yuzuru.
Yuzuru remained motionless.
A mass of yellow sand suddenly rose into the sky, blocking the entire wave.
The next moment, Kusuna and Gitai felt a sharp pain in their chests.
Looking down, they saw two sharp bone spikes piercing straight through their bodies.
"When did he…"
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and despair.
When had the enemy moved behind them?
Thud!
Thud!
The two lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground.
Yuzuru looked at the stunned Shion and urged, "Let's go. Mōryō should be inside."
Shion snapped out of her daze and quickly ran after him, staring at Yuzuru's back.
She had seen these four subordinates of Mōryō once in the Land of Demons.
At that time, hundreds of guards had attacked together, yet the four of them slaughtered them all.
But now…
Yuzuru had dealt with them as easily as crushing ants.
Just how strong was this man?!