Protect the Shrine Maiden! Taking a Girl for a Helicopter Ride

After hearing the guards' reprimands, Naruto looked thoughtful. "Such a young sorceress..."

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately flew into a rage. "I already said she's Miko! Miko, don't you understand?!"

Naruto shrugs. "Miko and a fortune teller are pretty much the same thing... (◔◡◔)"

At this moment, a sensible guard from the Guard Unit stepped forward and bowed deeply to Naruto and Shinki.

"You two must be Konoha Ninja traveling here. The wood and rain just now were your Ninjutsu, weren't they?" said the guard, Taruho.

Naruto shook his head and pointed to the Shinki standing beside him. "It's not just the two of us, it's all his."

Shinki nodded modestly. "Yes."

Upon seeing this, the guard sized up the Shinki, then bowed deeply to Shinki: "You must be Mr. Shinki of Konoha. I have long heard of your Wood Release..."

Shinki was very pleased with the guard's praise, and even raised his face with a little pride:(ﾉ∇︎ )

The guard continued, "I am Shion- sama's guard, Taruho. I have a favor to ask of Lord Shinki."

Having just been showered with Shinki, Shenmu continued, "Well, what is it? All people under heaven are one family, so please speak freely. (´∇ﾉ`*)ノ"

The guard immediately said solemnly, "Right now, the Undead Army has returned with a vengeance. The soul of the Moryo sealed in the Land of Demons has been released. Their next step should be to go to the Land of Swamps to retrieve the Moryo's body..."

"I wonder if Mr. Shinki has ever heard of the chaos caused by the Moryo back then, and how the previous Miko Miroku, successfully sealed away the Moryo."

"And after Lord Miroku's death, only Lady Shion, the Miko of the Land of Demons, possesses the power to seal it away..."

"Therefore, I would like to ask Mr. Shinki to escort Shion to the Land of Swamps to seal away the Moryo..."

As she finished speaking, Taruho and her Guard Unit knelt down on the muddy ground washed by the heavy rain.

Everyone shouted in unison, "Please!!"

Shinki exchanged a glance with Naruto beside him.

Actually, when they go out, they don't have a specific destination; they're fine with going anywhere.

Taking this unruly witch along on our trip to the Land of Swamps wouldn't be a bad idea...

However, other expenses incurred along the way, such as tolls, security fees, food expenses, and compensation for emotional distress, should still be claimed.

As if sensing Shinki's thoughts, Taruho immediately instructed her subordinates to retrieve a money pouch and respectfully addressed Shinki, "I'm truly sorry, but the shrine's resources are limited, and this is all the deposit we can offer at the moment."

"Once things have calmed down, I will report to the higher-ups in the Land of Demons, and then I will pay the commission fee..."

Shinki took the money bag and roughly weighed it.

To be honest, not many.

However, since the Land of Demons is a nation, it should certainly offer generous rewards upon completion of the mission.

So Shinki readily agreed.

"Okay, I'll take this order. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"

Seeing Taruho finally felt relieved.

He had heard of the legendary fame of Shinki.

A young Wood Release Ninja single-handedly Elite Jonin from Cloud Ninja Village, and even defeated the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki...

A young genius, a pillar of Konoha!

With him around, Shion will surely be safe and sound!

And so, Shion, Naruto, and Shinki's group embarked on their journey to the Shrine in the Land of Swamps...

The Hokage's Office.

An intelligence officer who had come to report a message stood in front of the Hokage's Desk.

"Not long ago, the shrine where the Miko of the Land of Demons resided was attacked by the Undead Army, but the Shinki intervened in time to save the Miko..."

"After that, the guards entrusted Shinki and Naruto to escort the Miko to the Land of Swamps, and the group is currently on their way."

After listening to the intelligence officer's report, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction.

"Now that Shinki has accepted the commission, we don't need to worry anymore."

"However, just in case, let's notify Team Kakashi and Asuma's team and have them go to the Shrine in the Land of Swamps to provide assistance..."

"Yes."

The intelligence officer nodded, accepted the order, and left.

Just then, the door to the Hokage's Office was pushed open again.

A masked Anbu entered, panting, and said, "Breaking news: the Undead Army is approaching the Land of Fire Border..."

Tsunade nodded.

From the moment she received the message from Shinki, she knew this moment would come.

"Notify all registered Chunin and Jonin in the village that, except for a few who will remain in Konoha, the rest of you come with me to meet the enemy!"

"We must stop the Undead Army outside the Land of Fire Border!"

In the mountains and forests.

The Miko Shion was pampered from a young age and was always carried in a sedan chair when she went out, so she could hardly go far.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps before they were so tired they gave up on the spot.

"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving."

Shion suddenly sat down on a rock, puffing up her cheeks.

After walking for so long, she felt like her feet were about to get blisters...

Moreover, these two men had absolutely no gentlemanly manners; they didn't even offer to carry me for a while...

"We can't walk anymore. We haven't even covered ten kilometers since we set off," Shinki said, speechless.

"Besides, Naruto and I deliberately slowed down to accommodate your pace, otherwise we would have reached the Land of Swamps long ago... ┐(´-`)┌"

Naruto nodded. "Shinki is right!"

Seeing that the two of them were clueless, Shion simply crossed her arms, tilted her head back, and said, "Anyway, I can't walk anymore. ╭(╯ε╰)╮"

Shinki began to think, "How about I carry you on my back..."

Shion:(´◊ω◊`)

Upon hearing this, she immediately screamed in her heart: Okay! Okay! Carry me!! Carry me!! (づ′▽`)づ

However, before Shion could even awkwardly express her refusal...

Shinki thought for a moment, then immediately dismissed his own idea, scratching his head. "I've been thinking about it, and it's a bit inappropriate. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. I'm not married yet, and you might taint my innocence..."

Shion:(╯‵□′)╯┻━┻

"Fine, I won't carry it then! I'm the girl, okay? Who's smearing whose innocence?! Ծ‸ Ծ"

Shinki waved his hand. "If you say so, then so be it. ┐(´-`)┌"

Shion:ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ

I'm so angry! That clueless, unromantic man!

I'll never marry a redhead!

Meanwhile, Shinki was still pondering how to bring Shion to the Land of Swamps in a simple and effortless way.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, remembering that he still had the airplane sketches that Sai had helped him draw...

Driving this thing to the Land of Swamps is simple, effortless, and fast!

So, Shinki took out the Summoning Scroll from his back and used Summoning Technique to retrieve an airplane blueprint...

"Ninja Art: Steel Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"

"Whoosh--"

A helicopter made of black and white appeared from the smoke!

Shion: ⊙▽⊙

Naruto:(´°Δ°`)

Shion: "W-what is this thing? A dragonfly made of steel?!"

Shinki stepped into the cockpit first, waving his hand and saying, "You could say that. Hurry up and get in, I'll fly you to the Land of Swamps! ૧(●´৺`●)૭"

Soon.

"Splash--"

The helicopter's rotors spun, carrying the three people on board vertically upwards...