Midnight.
The bells rang.
Shion was sleeping soundly on the tatami.
In this era when people had generally switched to beds, Shion, who followed the path of the Miko alongside her mother, still upheld the conservative traditions of the past.
Just like certain members of the Hyuga Clan, she continued to sleep on traditional tatami.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Not long after the bells rang, Shion was jolted awake by a series of booming noises in her sleep.
"..."
She slowly opened her eyes, somewhat puzzled.
In the silent midnight, Shion quietly listened to the booming.
Low and muffled... so faint that it was difficult to hear without careful discernment, the sound seemed to be coming from behind the main hall.
Behind... the main hall...
Shion's breathing quickened slightly.
Her heart seemed to tighten for an instant.
She slowly got out of bed, still wearing her pajamas, and went outside.
Outside, the moon hung high in the sky, bathing the unlit rear mountain in a silvery glow.
Shion lightly stepped onto the pebble-paved path and walked toward the rear hall, little by little.
Her cautious movements made it seem as though she was afraid of disturbing someone.
However...
Deep in this rear mountain of Konoha... aside from her and her mother, there were no other residents.
Oh, there were still some.
Three... Snake Demons.
They did not count as humans.
Therefore, the only people living here were the mother and daughter.
Why was Shion being so cautious?
She did not know either...
All Shion knew was that she could not make a sound. Only then... could she avoid disturbing... that possibility.
Soon.
Bathed in moonlight, Shion arrived at the rear hall.
This was the hall where the Snake Demons were sealed.
For many years, her mother had diligently reinforced the Sealing