Thanks to the enthusiastic support from numerous viewers, a massive amount of Affection Value successfully elevated her chakra level to Super Kage first, representing a qualitative breakthrough compared to before.
If previously dealing with Mōryō still required someone else's cooperation to successfully seal it, now she could easily handle and subdue it all by herself.
This unprecedented power also gave Furina a somewhat lightheaded feeling. If she had not read the original story and known there would still be many powerful enemies in the future, she might really have started floating away.
But this kind of mindset was absolutely unacceptable. Before truly possessing strength that stood unrivaled in the world, one still needed to remain cautious. Many traverser seniors had already set examples of this.
"Although there's no issue on my side, unlike Hikari, Shion, you're the shrine maiden here. If you come with me, won't that cause some trouble?"
After explaining the situation with Konoha, Furina brought up the matter of the Land of Demons. Due to various factors, the shrine maiden held a very high status there.
Although it was just a small country, rashly taking away the shrine maiden might still create some undesirable consequences. For example, after some time passed,
Rumors might start circulating that Konoha ninja had abducted the esteemed shrine maiden from the Land of Demons. Then she would really be in trouble. Eh, wait, why did that feel somewhat familiar?
"It's fine. Master, during the time the two of you stayed here, although the others in the shrine did not say it openly, privately they all expressed goodwill toward you.
They feel that not only did you save me and save this place, but you're also a very good person, different from most of the ninja they've seen before. So if you're taking me along for my safety, they definitely won't have any objections at all."
Although it sounded a bit like deducting a three-bedroom apartment, Shion's tone was very serious. Clearly she was not making it up but genuinely conveying the attitude of this place toward Furina.
"Looks like they really trust me. Since that's the case, I'll prove their trust isn't misplaced. Don't just stand there dazed—go back early, make preparations, say your goodbyes to them. We need to get moving quickly too."
Listening to Shion's righteous and solemn "praise," Furina pulled her wandering thoughts back on track and began arranging the next steps.
...
"Speaking of which, this is your first time leaving the Land of Demons, right? How does it feel? There are no outsiders here—you can vent to your heart's content, haha."
Although Shion's strength had also advanced by leaps and bounds during this period of "special" training, it was still somewhat lacking compared to Furina and Uchiha Hikari. So during the journey, the two of them were adjusting to Shion's speed.
This was fine for a short time, but after a while Furina could not stand the boredom anymore and decided to find some fun from her good disciple.
As for why not tease Uchiha Hikari? Come on, they had known each other much longer than Shion. Plus, with certain factors about Uchiha Hikari herself, the two of them had already become way too familiar by now.
In other words, when it came to Uchiha Hikari, Furina had already completely understood her. She probably understood her even better than Uchiha Hikari understood herself. Totally understood (accordion pull).
"Indeed. Ever since leaving the Land of Demons and no longer needing to care about my identity as shrine maiden, I've seen many things I had never seen before, and..."
Just as Furina was listening with amusement, Shion suddenly paused mid-sentence. This unusual behavior immediately caught the attention of the other two.