Qingyu, Chosen by the Shrine Maiden (Third Update)

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

When Qingyu and Tsunade pushed open the door to the shrine's main hall, they found it already packed with people.

Minato Namikaze and his three students.

Everyone looked serious, clearly having heard something.

Miroku stood in the center of the hall, dressed in a formal white priestess robe and wearing a golden crown.

Her face remained calm, but deep within her pale golden eyes lay the weariness of a sleepless night.

Behind her, Shion was being held by a maid.

"My lady, why have you summoned everyone so early?"

Toroi spoke first, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

Miroku looked around at everyone present, and then slowly began to speak.

"Last night, I had a precognitive dream."

"Precognitive dreams?"

Toroi frowned.

Miroku nodded.

"The priestesses of the Land of Demons have possessed the ability to foresee the future for generations. I can see my impending death in my dreams, and last night, I saw something."

She paused for a moment, then spoke the news slowly and deliberately.

"The Mōryō will strike first; the undead legion will arrive at the shrine today."

"Today?!"

Obito was the first to shout it out.

"Wasn't it said that the Mōryō hadn't fully resurrected yet? How come it's so fast—"

Precognitive dreams don't lie.

Miroku's voice was firm.

"The Undead Legion will sweep away any obstacles in their path; if we remain here, we will be surrounded."

"Then let's set off now."

Tsunade made her decision without hesitation.

"Before the Undead Legion arrives, we must head to the Land of Marshes and seal the Mōryō before it completely reclaims its physical body."

"That's what I think too."

Miroku nodded, then turned to Minato Namikaze.

"I need someone to hold off the main force of the Terracotta Army, and another team to escort me directly to the sealed land of the Land of Marshes. The Mōryō's physical body has not fully recovered yet. As long as I can reach the sealed land in time, I can reseal it with the power of the priestess."

"Then I will escort the priestess."

Minato Namikaze stepped forward.

"Even though my Flying Thunder God Technique doesn't have the coordinates for the Land of Marshes, I can still get there quickly."

"No."

Miroku gently shook his head, interrupting Minato Namikaze.

Then, she pointed to Qingyu, who was standing behind Tsunade.

"I want him to escort me."

All eyes were on Qingyu.

Qingyu was taken aback.

"I?"

He subconsciously pointed to himself.

Miroku nodded.

"The person I saw in my precognitive dream was you."

Qingyu was somewhat surprised to hear this.

Did it foresee some change in my Chakra?

Qingyu thought about it and concluded that this was probably the most likely explanation.

Everyone has their own area of expertise.

The current Minato Namikaze is stronger than him, but Chakra Minato Namikaze's Chakra is just that of an ordinary civilian and doesn't have any special effects.

However, his Chakra, enhanced by special attributes, possessed some of the characteristics of a priestess.

A subtle silence fell over the main hall.

Tsunade crossed her arms, her brows furrowed.

She was worried about Qingyu's safety, but she also knew that a shrine maiden's precognitive dreams were not something that could be easily dismissed.

The priestesses of the Land of Demons have a thousand-year-old tradition; their precognitive abilities are the foundation of their livelihood, and they would never joke around at a time like this.

Minato Namikaze was also surprised, but he quickly suppressed his surprise and looked at Qingyu thoughtfully.

He trusted Qingyu quite a bit.

Although Qingyu is young, her strength and judgment are top-notch.

Samui raised his eyes, a strange light flashing in his gray-blue eyes.

She lost to Qingyu last night and knew that the black-haired boy's strength was indeed unfathomable.

But the priestess specifically requested his escort—there seems to be another reason behind this.

Toroi stepped forward, his rugged face bearing an expression of disdain.

"My lady, escorting you is an important task, and it's probably not appropriate to entrust it to a Genin. I'll escort you myself; my Magnet Release Ninjutsu— "

Thank you for your kindness.

Miroku shook his head slightly before he could finish speaking.

"Precognitive dreams never go wrong; Qingyu is the perfect person to escort me."

Toroi's expression changed slightly, but he ultimately swallowed back what he was about to say.

Although he is Jonin of Kumogakure, we are currently on the territory of the Land of Demons, and the will of the priestess is the highest command.

Here, a shrine maiden is equivalent to a daimyo (female lord).

Besides, Konoha and Tsunade Minato Namikaze, so he can't possibly take this mission by force.

"In that case, let's do as Lord Miroku says."

Minato Namikaze spoke first, breaking the deadlock.

"Lady Tsunade and I will lead the main force here to block the main force of the Terracotta Army. Qingyu will escort Lord Miroku to the Land of Marshes via the side route. Toroi, your people will cooperate with us to block the Terracotta Army."

Toroi hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

"Sure, but my subordinate Samui will also go with Qingyu. More people mean more protection."

"No."

Tsunade spoke.

"Qingyu is one of our Konoha people; he's perfectly capable of handling the escort mission."

"Sister Tsunade."

Qingyu suddenly spoke, interrupting Tsunade.

He looked at Samui.

Let her come.

"Qingyu?"

Tsunade frowned.

"It's good to have another helper on the road."

Qingyu explained.

"Samui's swordsmanship and Lightning Style are both quite good; she can cooperate with me in case of emergencies."

Tsunade stared at Qingyu for a few seconds, and seeing his serious expression, she finally sighed.

"Whatever, just be careful."

"Knew."

Qingyu nodded.

Just as everyone was about to set off, Qingyu turned around and looked at the few Genin behind Minato Namikaze.

"Kakashi, come with me."

Kakashi nodded without hesitation upon hearing this.

He untied the short sword from his back, held it in his hand, and walked to stand beside Qingyu.

"Senior Ginka, you stay here and help Minato-sensei. Your Byakugan will be more useful on the front lines."

"Understood."

Hyuga Ginka nodded, a hint of solemnity flashing in her white pupils.

"Obito, Rin."

Qingyu's gaze swept over the two of them, lingering briefly on Rin Nohara's face.

"You all stay here too, and be careful."

"Understood, Qingyu."

Rin Nohara nodded slightly to Qingyu, reminding him to be careful as well.

"Then it's settled."

Miroku said.

"Set off."

She handed the Shion in her arms to a maid, whispered something in the maid's ear, and then turned and walked out of the hall.

The white priestess's robe fluttered in the morning breeze.

Less than two hours after the group left the shrine, the scouts ahead sounded the alarm.

The Terracotta Army has entered the borders of the Land of Demons.

Their numbers were far greater than Miroku had anticipated.

They lined up in neat square formations and advanced towards the shrine along the narrow passage through the valley.

"So much?"

Obito stood on a hill, looking at the dense, dark shadows in the distant valley.

Those puppet terracotta warriors were even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Each step leaves a deep footprint in the ground.

Qingyu stood on another high point and activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Within the Sharingan's vision, the flow of Chakra within each terracotta warrior was clearly visible.

The Chakra was a deep purple, just like the Dark Chakra of the demon, and it spread outward from the core of the terracotta warrior's chest.

"The core is in the chest."

Qingyu made a judgment.

"Destroying their core will stop their actions."

"But that's only temporary."

Miroku stood behind Qingyu.

"The Chakra of the Terracotta Army originates from the true form of the demon. As long as the Mōryō's true form is not sealed, these cores will continue to regenerate. Even if you destroy them a hundred times, they will rise again on the hundred and first time."

"Then let's stall for time."

Tsunade said.

These terracotta warriors are a special kind of puppet, constructed entirely of clay, so even if Tsunade were to deliver a powerful punch, no blood would be drawn.

"Minato, you take the men and guard the left flank, the Cloud Village men guard the right flank, and I'll guard the front."

"Understood."

Minato Namikaze nodded, already holding three Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hands.

Toroi produced an exceptionally large, square-shaped Shuriken.

"Cloud Village troops, form ranks!"

The Cloud Village behind him quickly dispersed, each taking up advantageous positions.

The Terracotta Army is getting closer and closer.

Their footsteps shook the earth.

Shadow Clone Shuriken!

Minato Namikaze threw Shuriken.

The Shuriken in the air began to surge, like a green lightning rain, heading towards the puppet terracotta warriors.

In an instant, many terracotta warriors turned into dust.

"Good!"

Obito couldn't help but shout "Good!"

But the next second, his expression froze.

Under the pull of some unseen force, the broken soil began to slowly recombine.

"It really can regenerate----"

Obito's voice sounded a little dry.

That's why they're called the Undying Legion.

Genma Shiranui stood beside him, holding Senbon in his mouth.

"Don't stand still, don't let them break through the defenses!"

Tsunade's angry shout came from the front.

She slammed her fist into the ground.

Strength of a Hundred!

Boom!

The ground beneath her feet exploded, a huge crack extending forward from where her fist landed, shattering the terracotta warriors along the way.

The shattered rocks and flying dust mingled together, forming a gray wave.

But the fragments of the terracotta warriors began to come together again.

Moreover, the aggregation speed is even faster than before.

"Just as Lord Miroku said."

Minato Namikaze's figure also began to flash across the battlefield.

He can suppress these immortal puppets, but suppression is not the same as annihilation.

Furthermore, his own Chakra is limited, making it impossible for him to maintain a high level of Ninjutsu output indefinitely.

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Hyuga Ginka unleashed a palm strike from mid-air, her Gentle Fist Chakra condensing into an invisible wave of energy that sent two attacking terracotta warriors flying.

Just then, Toroi also made his move.

Magnet Release: Magnetized Shuriken!

The Shuriken he threw was coated with Magnet Release Chakra and embedded itself in the chest of a terracotta warrior.

Then, Toroi Hand Seals.

Magnet Release: Sand Iron Convergence Strike!

The magnetized Shuriken suddenly unleashed a powerful magnetic force within the terracotta warrior's body, crushing its clay form from the inside.

Unseen by anyone, Qingyu had already carried Miroku on his back, and with Kakashi and Samui in tow, they quietly left via another path.

Their destination was the Land of Marshes.

The location of the true form of the Kui Liang.

The Land of Marshes is located northwest of the Land of Demons, and is a low-lying wetland surrounded by mountains.

--

This place is shrouded in thick fog year-round, and the air is filled with the pungent, sweet smell of decaying plants.

Qingyu carried Miroku on his back and swiftly traversed the swamp.

The Chakra gathered beneath his feet allowed him to move across the water as if it were flat ground, his speed unaffected by the muddy terrain.

Miroku lay on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Qingyu discovered that the shrine maiden Miroku was surprisingly knowledgeable.

Perhaps because she had already had a child, her body appeared more mature than Tsunade's.

Meanwhile, Miroku would occasionally look up and gaze ahead, guiding Qingyu in the right direction.

Kakashi and Samui followed on Qingyu's right, both of them warily observing the thick fog around them.

How much further?

Qingyu asked without turning her head.

"Soon."

With Miroku eyes closed, Miroku sensed the source of the Mōryō Chakra.

"Once you cross that hill, you'll reach the sealed land."

"Why not just destroy the Mōryō's physical body, but instead seal its soul and body separately?"

Samui suddenly spoke.

"Because the physical body and soul of Mōryō are immortal."

Miroku said.

"Therefore, it is now possessing the body of the daimyo of the Land of Demons, and its strength is far less than when it had its own physical body."

Qingyu nodded.