Ambush

Under the Miko's careful guidance, Hyuga Kagami learned quickly.

For one thing, the artificial Tailed Beast materials had already explained the principles and functions of these Sealing Jutsu formulas in great detail. For another, after obtaining the Tenseigan, his ability to comprehend things had indeed improved considerably.

After more than ten days of study, he finally mastered every Sealing Jutsu formula in the artificial Tailed Beast materials.

Having finished her instruction, the Miko raised a question. "These Sealing Jutsu formulas are meant for Tailed Beasts, aren't they?"

Knowing he could not hide it from the Miko, Hyuga Kagami nodded directly, then asked in return, "Your Highness, do you think Sealing Jutsu of this level can suppress a Tailed Beast?"

The Miko pondered for a while before shaking her head. "I cannot judge that either. However, the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu is exceedingly intricate, and much of it surpasses my own. It may be possible."

Hyuga Kagami frowned slightly. "Your Highness has sealed Moryo before. Shouldn't you have strong judgment in this area?"

Seeing Hyuga Kagami's confusion, the Miko smiled and explained, "You misunderstand. The only reason I was able to seal Moryo was because my Sealing Jutsu countered it. If I were asked to seal a Tailed Beast, the result would be difficult to predict."

As the two halves of good and evil within one entity, the Miko and Moryo were naturally locked in a mutually restraining relationship. Thus, their confrontation could not serve as a basis for judging Tailed Beasts, even though Moryo had truly reached the level of a Tailed Beast.

After understanding this, Hyuga Kagami's frown did not ease. Instead, it deepened.

Previously, he had always used Moryo as a benchmark. Seeing how easily the Miko had sealed Moryo, he had begun to underestimate Tailed Beasts.

But now that he understood the circumstances behind the Miko's sealing of Moryo, he finally realized that the village had most likely abandoned the artificial Tailed Beast project because the Sealing Jutsu formulas in the materials were not reliable enough.

Something like an artificial Tailed Beast had to be absolutely reliable. Otherwise, it would not be a weapon against the enemy, but a ticking time bomb for oneself.

After mulling it over, Hyuga Kagami asked tentatively, "Your Highness, have you ever seen a Tailed Beast?"

The Miko shook her head.

"Personally, I estimate that Moryo was at least at the level of the One-Tail, perhaps even higher!" After a pause, Hyuga Kagami continued, "Setting aside the matter of counters and speaking only of Sealing Jutsu, do you think the formulas I gave you could seal Moryo?"

The Miko considered it before answering, "If Moryo were in a weakened state, there would be a fair chance."

At that, Hyuga Kagami's expression darkened somewhat.

After giving it some thought, the Miko added, "If Konoha needs to seal a Tailed Beast, perhaps I can help."

"How so?"

The Miko explained, "The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu and mine focus on different things. Theirs emphasizes internal sealing, while I specialize in external sealing."

Having already learned quite a bit about Sealing Jutsu, Hyuga Kagami quickly understood.

The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu emphasized practicality. Their techniques often worked from the inside out, allowing them to obtain the sealed entity's power even as they sealed it. The best example was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Starting with the First Hokage's wife, Mito Uzumaki, then Kushina, and now Naruto.

Every Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Konoha had possessed since the village's founding had come from the Uzumaki Clan. The reason the Uzumaki Clan had been chosen was precisely because their constitution and Sealing Jutsu made them the most suitable Jinchuriki.

The Sealing Jutsu passed down through the Miko lineage of the Land of Demons was far more traditional. Their seals were equivalent to isolation and suppression. They were far inferior to the Uzumaki Clan's in intricacy, but considerably superior in stability.

Thinking of this, Hyuga Kagami suddenly came up with a new idea: a double-layered seal.

The first step would remain the same: follow the method in the materials, use Purple Mud Glue to mold a shell, then combine it with the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu formulas to create an unstable artificial Tailed Beast.

The second step would be to use the Miko's Sealing Jutsu to seal the entire artificial Tailed Beast inside a ritual vessel that could be carried around.

This would greatly reduce the risk of the artificial Tailed Beast going berserk. In daily life, there would be no need to remain on edge at all times, and in battle, if anything seemed wrong, the outer seal could suppress the artificial Tailed Beast within the ritual vessel and prevent it from going berserk.

Several more days passed, and Kakashi and the others, who had gone out to eliminate the Yomi Cult, returned to the Miko's palace one after another.

This cleansing operation had not gone smoothly. Perhaps because Moryo had been sealed, the Yomi Cultists throughout the Land of Demons had nearly vanished overnight.

Kakashi and the others spent tremendous effort, yet only managed to eliminate some outer-circle cultists. The injured leader of the Yomi Cult remained nowhere to be found.

The Miko did not pay much attention to this.

Without Moryo's support, the Yomi Cult was no different from an ordinary group of rogue ninja. As long as they exposed themselves, the Land of Demons could simply hire ninja from any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to deal with them easily.

Kakashi remained somewhat bothered by it, but he also knew that Team 11 could not remain in the Land of Demons for long. After apologizing to the Miko, he bid farewell.

At this point, Hyuga Kagami also received the Purple Mud Glue the Miko had promised him.

Over the past few days, the Miko had mobilized the resources of the Land of Demons and gathered nearly a ton of Purple Mud Glue. Though it had cost quite a bit of money, she did not utter a single complaint.

After all, compared to the debt of saving her life, this amount of money was nothing.

Moreover, Hyuga Kagami and Shisui had repeatedly promised not to reveal that the demon Moryo and the Miko were two halves of good and evil within one entity, preserving the Miko's reputation in the world. Naturally, the Miko cared even less about such minor details.

After bidding the Miko farewell, the four members of Team 11 finally set out on their return journey.

On the way back, the four, who had grown increasingly familiar with one another, chatted idly now and then. This mission had not only broadened their horizons, but also strengthened the trust between them.

Even the aloof Kakashi occasionally chimed in with a word or two, seemingly showing signs of integrating with the group.

The group traveled on, stopping and starting along the way, and soon left the Land of Demons and entered the Land of Bears.

There was a Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears, but it was not very strong. Thus, many rogue ninja operated within the Land of Bears. It was even said that some of them were deliberately supported by Iwagakure from the neighboring Land of Earth, their goal being to quietly infiltrate the Land of Bears through these inconspicuous rogue ninja and plunder its resources.

As they walked through a dense forest in the Land of Bears, Hyuga Kagami, who was at the very front of the group, suddenly stopped.

Guy hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Hyuga Kagami's face sank. "This place seems to have been deliberately set up..."

Kakashi sniffed the air, then immediately became alert.

His nose was exceptionally keen, able to detect scents others would not notice. During the Third Shinobi World War, he had used this ability to detect enemies in advance many times.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

At that moment, a series of violent explosions suddenly erupted all around them, and the flames of the blasts swallowed the four members of Team 11 in an instant...