Task Complete, the Shinobi World Catches Its First Glimpse of the Evil God's Authority

The ruins of the Land of Demons are located halfway up the mountain, and climbing up them isn't too difficult. Naruto didn't use the Gate of Hades because the coordinates were too small and it would be easy to jump to the next mountain range.

Along the way, noises kept coming from halfway up the mountain, Naruto remained calm. He seemed not to hear anything and continued to walk up step by step.

He suddenly remembered that there was still a large sum of money in the Sealing Space, so there was no need to waste space by throwing the Mōryō inside; he could just seal it directly inside the Death Reaper's belly.

The Shinobi World is always teeming with all sorts of demons and monsters, and all kinds of powers. Whether they are priestesses or spirits, everyone is thinking about destroying the world or saving it.

"I'll quit after this job. Once I've dealt with the Otsutsuki, I'll hide away and enjoy myself. Anyone who cares about this mess in the Shinobi World is a coward," he muttered, shaking his head.

Go up the mountain.

~~

Bang! A wooden house exploded, sending dozens of White Zetsu flying backward, their bodies contorted like roasted shrimp. With a deafening roar, a crater a hundred meters wide was blasted into the street.

The heavy snow on the street was instantly swept away, attracting passersby to watch from a distance.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a figure in a loose blue robe slowly emerged, loosening his fist. Another woman dressed in black, holding a pig in her arms, was pale-faced and muttering about having to pay compensation again.

"Shizune, stop saying such discouraging things, it's really pointless."

"Lord Tsunade, I'm not trying to be discouraging, but we're really running out of money." Shizune pleaded, tears welling in her eyes, as she tugged at Tsunade. "We can't gamble anymore, Lord Tsunade!"

"Enough with the fuss, just borrow some money from someone." Tsunade, ruthlessly shoving Shizune aside and shouting, "I don't care, I'm going to gamble!"

"Lord Tsunade! Waaaaah!"

"So verbose!"

The scene was truly comical; Shizune's plaintive plea contrasted sharply with Tsunade's stubborn gambler-like defiance. Her face flushed from the alcohol, she turned to see the White Zetsu had actually gotten up.

"Um?"

"Lord Tsunade, those monsters aren't dead!"

"Don't make a sound, I have eyes."

Those are

Boom!

The White Zetsu was blasted into dust by the immense force and eventually dissipated within the territory of the Land of Peace. Tsunade's expression wasn't too good, but she didn't seem to care much.

"Shizune, is there any news from the village?" Tsunade stopped and looked at the falling snowflakes, then suddenly asked.

"No, we went too far." Shizune was a little flustered. "Lord Tsunade said she didn't want the villagers to know our whereabouts, so she shook them off three months ago."

"Hmm, let's try to make contact," Tsunade said slowly, her expression gradually becoming serious.

"Yes," Shizune replied, but couldn't help asking, "Lord Tsunade, are those monsters related to the village? We haven't seen any along the way; this is the first time."

"Because we've been passing through mostly small countries along the way, we deliberately avoided the Five Great Nations to prevent those people from constantly bothering us," Tsunade explained.

"Then I'll go and find out."

Shizune carried Tonton away, leaving Tsunade on the street as she walked towards the inn where she would stay. Her brows were furrowed, and she had a vague sense of foreboding.

She never liked staying in Konohagakure, but it was the village her grandfather left behind, and it was her home. With the Hokage Konohagakure vacant and the village beset by internal and external troubles, she had no choice but to return.

She hadn't thought much about it originally; she just wanted to shirk her responsibilities and leave early. Anyway, Danzo and those two old geezers had been brought down by her, and they would abdicate along with her.

Tsunade didn't care about power or the village's prosperity; she only wanted Konohagakure to last forever. At least she could see Konohagakure last forever, and after that, it was none of her business.

Even though her grandfather and the others never explicitly asked Tsunade to protect the village, her loved ones sacrificed themselves one after another, shedding blood and dying for Konohagakure.

How could she abandon Konohagakure and let her loved ones' blood be shed in vain?

They need to manage it, but they can't keep pressing it indefinitely; Konohagakure is too big. It's a nation, the most powerful nation in the Shinobi World. In the past, Kumogakure could only be considered a barbaric land.

Back at the inn, she skillfully straddled the window, gazing absently at the monotonous scenery outside.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Tsunade, her face calm as she stared at the direction of the shoji door. She could already guess what Shizune was going to say.

She opened her mouth and silently mouthed the words.

"Lord Tsunade, something terrible has happened!"

Whoosh!

Shizune was panting heavily, her shoulders heaving, one arm around Tonton. Her face changed drastically, like a frightened bird, and she shouted at Tsunade.

"Lord Tsunade, something terrible has happened! Something has occurred in the village!"

"Catch your breath first. You're a grown man, what kind of behavior is it to shout and yell all day long?" Tsunade rolled her eyes and calmly sat down to the side.

"White Zetsu. The White Zetsu we encountered on the road, numbering around White Zetsu, are attacking the Land of Fire. They've been fighting for quite some time," Shizune said, gesturing exaggeratedly.

"Did they break through?"

"Ah?"

Has the Land of Fire perished?

No, not at all.

"Then let's ignore it." Tsunade answered decisively, crossing her arms. "Nothing serious is going to happen in Konohagakure, so why are you in such a hurry?"

"But."

"Do you think Kakashi is dead? Besides, isn't that bastard still in the village? Konohagakure won't suffer any major losses."

"Naruto?" Shizune hesitated. "Does he really care about the village? No, I mean, Naruto doesn't seem to have a very good attitude towards the village."

"Of course he won't care about the village, but he won't watch Konohagakure perish either," Tsunade said calmly. "I know he has no sense of belonging to the village at all."

"No matter how good you are to him, it's useless. He resents the village to the core, there's no doubt about that."

"That," Shizune froze.

"But he hides it very well, never showing it, always with that nonchalant attitude," Tsunade said lazily. "Securing the hearts of Jinchuriki is one of Konohagakure's important strategies. When I took over, those higher-ups told me this so bluntly."

"The Uzumaki Clan will be wiped out, and they won't be able to contain the Nine-Tails anymore. Every Hokage has worried about this, until that kid extracted the Nine-Tails."

"He is ruthless, ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to his enemies. Trying to win him over with small favors or sentiments is probably not going to work."

Upon hearing this, a look of worry appeared on Shizune's face.

"Then what should we do?"

"I can't control him." Tsunade glanced at Shizune. "The village insists on doing it this way. When he's being ostracized, we should do him a little favor. When he grows up and has his own ideas, he'll naturally understand."

"But those things have nothing to do with Lord Tsunade. Besides, Naruto and Lord Tsunade have a good relationship, right?"

"So what? I'm not going to make a fool of myself with petty favors." Tsunade jumped down from the window, stretched, revealing her curves and surging flesh.

Shizune paused, wanting to say something more. Suddenly, she thought of Ino and Hinata, and then it all made sense. Naruto's hatred for Konohagakure didn't seem to conflict with his protecting their home.

If someone uses personal relationships to pressure him into fighting for Konohagakure, that would be a real conflict.

After a moment of silence, Tsunade suddenly looked up and stared at Shizune for a while, making Shizune feel a little uneasy. Then she suddenly brought up a completely unrelated topic.

"Shizune, shouldn't you be getting married by now?"

"Get married!!!" Shizune took a dozen steps back, staring at Tsunade in horror. "Lord Tsunade, why... why did you suddenly say this?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered." Tsunade frowned in thought, then asked, "What about Kakashi? It seems he's also planning not to get married."

"Kakashi?" Shizune scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Who would want to marry this boring guy? He's always been like that since he was a kid."

In fact, many ninjas don't get married; not everyone is so lucky. They can maintain a sincere heart while also being full of hope for the future.

Most ninjas are actually quite pessimistic. Having experienced too many casualties, they have lost much interest in worldly matters.

"Then forget it," Tsunade said helplessly; she had only thought of it by chance.

~~

"Is that all?" Guard Sakuho shouted excitedly at the Miko Shion, "That bastard is going too far! Does the Great Ninja Village think it can bully our Land of Demons like this?!"

"I'm going to Konohagakure to find the Hokage!"

"Quiet down! It's so noisy!" The Miko Shion turned around, looking at Sakuho with considerable resentment. "So what if he bullied me? He killed Yomi, and the Mōryō was sealed away!"

Shion was exceptionally beautiful, with purple eyes, long milk tea-colored hair, and bangs that reached her eyebrows. Her face looked innocent, yet her eyes and brows carried a hint of innate charm, subtly revealing a touch of willfulness.

The shrine maiden dress she wore looked a bit immature, and the white undergarment on her chest couldn't hide her curves, revealing an undeniable cleavage.

"But... even so, he can't!" Sakuho retorted, clearly furious. "Why should he? Does he think we, the Land of Demons, have no one to rely on?!"

"Yes, there's no one left in the Land of Demons." Shion spoke directly, frowning as she said, "I couldn't deal with Yomi, so he killed him for me. Now he's making demands of me, and I can't refuse."

"There must be another way!" Sakuho urged anxiously. "We can."

"No need to say anything more, I've already made up my mind." Shion walked towards the room, her back to him, and said, "It's worth it to exchange my life for the peace of the Land of Demons."

When Shion appeared before Naruto, he didn't react much. He knew from the beginning that Shion would yield; with war raging outside, who would uphold justice for them?

Although the methods were somewhat underhanded, it didn't stop Naruto from accepting this last contract. Rather than trying to influence him gradually, it was better to make his stance clear from the start.

"Well, since you're here, there are some things I need to tell you beforehand," Naruto said after a moment's thought. "After signing this contract, you..."

"Forget it, it's too much trouble. Just sign it first." He waved his hand and said, "You don't need to say anything after you sign it. You'll know eventually. Just the fact that you came here means you agreed."

Shion could sense his agitation, but she didn't know why. She wanted to ask, but the thought of that man bringing a bloody human head to see her yesterday made her courage vanish.

They were truly ferocious and menacing.

Naruto had no idea what was going on. Yesterday, he became increasingly agitated as he fought Yomi. When he was sealing the Mōryō, he even slashed it several times, letting the Death Reaper devour it piece by piece.

Lately, Kabuto's tricks have almost completely worn down his already dwindling patience. He's actually very annoyed and really wants to find Kabuto and kill him.

But this bastard is like a turtle; Naruto doesn't have many men under his command, and they're all scattered. He has no idea where Kabuto is hiding; it's driving him crazy.

But after calming down, Naruto knew that now was not the time to act rashly. Mission Three was not yet complete; it would have to wait until he and Shion completed the Evil God Contract.

Task three is complete, but I don't know if this damn system has reacted at all. It seems the system has been silent for a long time now.

It was also his fault for not being willing to compromise; Mission Three dragged on for several years before it was finally nearing completion. But he wasn't in a hurry to do missions; his intuition told him to prefer quality over quantity.

The benefits brought to him by the Evil God follower far outweighed the rewards. The ten people who signed the Evil God Contract would never betray Naruto in their lifetime.

Conversely, some of them hold high positions in the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

No one knows what the future holds, but Naruto sees a more distant future and knows what he's doing. He wants stability, he wants peace, and then he wants to find a place where no one knows him to lie down and enjoy himself.

They indulge in all kinds of luxuries and eat whatever is expensive, living a life of unbridled pleasure and oblivious to worldly affairs.

Shion cooperated, and the Evil God Contract was successfully signed. It seemed that a large amount of information flooded into her mind, and Shion stood there stunned, unable to come back to her senses for a moment.

[Miko Shion]

[Land of Demons - Genin - Female - 18 years old]

[Evil God follower - Playable. (Options hidden)]

[Talents: Prophecy, Sealing Jutsu]

The left side of the panel features a full-body 3D image of Shion, with only a few words in the system evaluation: Prophecy Witch.

Before Naruto could finish looking at Shion's panel, he suddenly heard a ding in his mind, and several panels popped up one after another, layer upon layer.

[Ding! Quest Line III is now complete! Follower of the Evil God!]

[An invitation has been extended to you by the Evil God. Gather ten followers, and the reward will be: Hashirama Cell Activation Technique (complete body activation, returning you to level 18). This technique has been distributed.]

He glanced at the panel, and sure enough, after mission three ended, a new mission popped up.

[Ding! Mission IV has been activated.]

He didn't open the panel to take a closer look for the moment, but instead closed all the panels. He turned to look at Shion, who was standing there in a daze, and after thinking for a moment, asked.

Do you understand now?

"I," Shion, was still a little confused. The contents of the Evil God Contract were still drilling into her mind. Her rudimentary understanding was that it was impossible to betray it.

"Then you can figure it out slowly. I'm still very busy. You should go back first." Naruto waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Shion was a little scared, but she still mustered up her courage and shouted. She didn't understand why the person in front of her didn't ask her anything.

As a descendant of a shrine maiden, she had always held a pessimistic view of prophecies, yet she possessed her own pride. But from yesterday until now, she felt like she was being used as a tool.

Shion wanted to ask Naruto, "Why is that?"

"What's wrong?" Naruto looked at her. He probably knew what Shion wanted to ask, but he really didn't care and was too lazy to indulge her. "Just say what you want to say."