41: Thunder Breathing: Second Form-Rice Soul

The Land of Demons, the Shrine of the Priestess.

When Baiyu pushed open the door, Miroku stopped what she was doing, stood, and turned to look at him.

Miroku wasn't wearing her formal ceremonial attire. Instead, she wore a white kimono, her hair loosely pinned up. Her waist was slender, and a gentle smile played on her face.

"Baiyu, what brings you here?"

Miroku asked softly.

"We've found traces of the rogue ninja. I came to confirm their purpose with you."

Baiyu said. The Land of Demons' ordinary shrine guards were no match for the rogue ninja; they could only deal with ordinary people.

This time, Uchiha Shiraha and Itachi were handling the rogue ninja.

The mission had been tentatively classified as A-rank. The Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons was paying well, but the village took a sizable cut—ten percent—which went into the village coffers.

Uchiha Itachi recounted the information they had gathered, and Miroku fell into thought.

After a while, Miroku looked up and said, "They're probably looking for the demon Moryo. I don't know where they learned about it, but we absolutely cannot let them undo the seal and release Moryo."

The rogue ninja's movements, as revealed by the intel, made their purpose clear.

Baiyu said, "Then tell us where Moryo is sealed. They've had plenty of time; they've probably found it by now. Even if they haven't, we can ambush them at their destination."

Miroku hesitated for a long time at the suggestion.

She hadn't mentioned the mission's true objective at first because she was worried that the location of Moryo's seal might be exposed.

But now, after Baiyu's reminder, she considered the rogue ninja's movements and realized that they would find Moryo's seal sooner or later.

"You have to promise me you won't reveal the location."

Miroku gritted her teeth. Revealing the sealed location came with enormous risks.

"What would I want with Moryo? What can he even do? He's a freakish, inhuman thing. Only trash would willingly become a puppet for something like that."

Baiyu said disdainfully. Become Moryo's servant? He'd rather slit his own throat with the three-foot blade in his hand and start over in another world.

Any attempt to alter Baiyu's resolve would be nullified by his Sword Heart.

Miroku stubbornly looked at Uchiha Itachi. Only after Itachi also promised did she reveal where Moryo was sealed.

"Beautiful and brainless, worrying about this and that all day. It would've been easier if she'd just told us earlier. Such a hesitant, married-woman type."

Baiyu muttered. Miroku had kept the seal's location so tightly hidden that she'd only revealed it after he arrived with Itachi and the crucial intel.

"Let's go."

Baiyu turned and told Itachi, then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Baiyu could now enter Thunder Breathing at will and maintain it for more than twelve hours. He had begun to shift his focus toward learning some essential ninjutsu.

For example, the Body Flicker Technique and the Clone Technique.

He hadn't learned the Shadow Clone Technique yet. After this mission, he could try copying the Hand Seals from his clan or the village.

He could also learn some genjutsu.

The other ninjutsu didn't matter.

All ninjutsu was useless before his Wind Wall.

There was already a genjutsu expert at his side. Though Uchiha Itachi was still young, he had learned well from Shisui, and his genjutsu skills far surpassed those of some of the clan's jōnin.

Itachi followed Baiyu out of the main hall.

Left behind, Miroku looked worried. Still uneasy, she immediately called out, "Guards! Assemble! Prepare to head to..."

She had also decided to go to Moryo's sealed location. If Moryo broke free, two Konoha Ninja wouldn't be enough to hold him back.

While the guards assembled, Miroku went to find her daughter, who was playing nearby.

Looking at her daughter's innocent face, Miroku felt a pang of reluctance.

Thinking of her duty as a Shrine Maiden, the countless people of the Land of Demons, and the safety of the entire world, all her feelings gathered around the little girl before her.

Everything was for her!

The world belonged to her.

Filled with tenderness, Miroku picked up her daughter and gave her careful instructions. At last, she placed a protective bell in Shion's little palm.

"Take good care of yourself, my daughter."

Miroku sighed inwardly. She feared she wouldn't return from this journey.

The Land of Demons, an underground palace. Part of Moryo's soul was sealed here, while his body was sealed at a shrine in the Land of Demons.

Later, when Miroku sacrificed herself to seal him, Moryo's body was sealed in the Land of Swamps, while his soul remained sealed in the underground palace in the Land of Demons.

Following the Shrine Maiden Miroku's directions, Baiyu arrived at the palace entrance. The gates were already open.

"Are we too late?"

Baiyu murmured. The enormous palace gates stood open, and strange noises came from within. Something was clearly wrong.

With Moryo's revival, the Undead Legion under his control had also returned to the world.

"Apply this to your kunai. I don't know if it'll work."

Baiyu handed Uchiha Itachi a jar of poison. They were about to face the Undead Legion; fighting them head-on would be hopeless.

Baiyu was pinning his hopes on the Spirit Poison, a poison specifically designed to counter ghosts. He had no idea whether it would work in this world.

Itachi took the poison and examined it closely. It was the first time he'd seen Baiyu look so serious.

"Is it that bad?"

Itachi asked.

"Hard to kill, aren't they? You tell me."

The Stone Puppet Legion seemed to be controlled by ghosts. No matter how many times they were smashed apart, they reassembled and came back to life.

Without a way to counter them, there was nothing they could do.

"Immortal?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, and his expression turned serious.

The word "immortal" made him realize how troublesome this mission would be.

"Cover me. I'll scout ahead!"

Baiyu ordered, deciding to enter the palace and take a look.

After all, this was the era of Shion's mother. The layout of Moryo's sealed location and its surroundings might differ.

Inside the palace, he was met by seven or eight bodies. Judging by their clothes, they were rogue ninja from various countries.

"So many dead. I wonder how many rogue ninja are left."

Baiyu took some evidence from the bodies. Collecting it was part of the mission he and Itachi had undertaken in the Land of Demons.

As he went farther in, he suddenly heard someone speak.

"I didn't expect you to find us so quickly. Aren't you the Shrine Maiden Miroku?"

A man in a black robe appeared before him, accompanied by more than ten shadowy figures that looked neither human nor ghost.

"So this is Moryo? He gives off a chilling, sinister malice. What an unpleasant feeling."

Baiyu felt a cool sensation from his Sharingan, and the goosebumps on his skin gradually subsided.

Yin Release Chakra was taking effect.

"So you're Konoha Ninja. You lot, stay here and deal with him. I'm going with Lord Moryo to create the Undead Legion!"

Yomi ordered. After receiving Moryo's power, the dozen or so pathetic rogue ninja had become extraordinarily strong.

A mere Konoha Ninja wasn't even worthy of being an appetizer for Lord Moryo.

"Leave him to us!"

Several people stepped out of the crowd, grinning viciously.

Thunder Breathing: Second Form—Rice Soul: Ryusho Sen!

An ambush was an attitude.

If you could strike, don't waste time talking!

A flash of cold light—and a head hit the ground.