Miroku's Expectations

Rushing out of the Underground Palace in a panic, Yomi had no time to concern himself with his surroundings, fleeing at his maximum speed.

Uchiha Itachi, following Baiyu's orders, had been keeping a close watch on the area from the outside.

The moment Yomi appeared, Uchiha Itachi spotted him.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Uchiha Itachi formed hand seals, released a shadow clone on the spot, and then quietly followed behind Yomi.

Yomi fled the entire way, following the instructions of Moryo in his mind, heading step by step toward the location of the Ghost Army.

It was a large canyon, surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only one opening facing the Shrine of the Priestess in the Land of Demons.

Uchiha Itachi followed behind, witnessing every move Yomi made.

Not long after Yomi left the Underground Palace, Baiyu's figure appeared.

Seeing Itachi's shadow clone, he secretly cursed his miscalculation.

Itachi, don't you dare kill Yomi.

Baiyu had intentionally let Yomi go, hoping he would quickly summon the Ghost Army to increase the count for his Draw-Sword Technique training.

Given Itachi's strength, killing Yomi might take a bit of effort, but winning shouldn't be a problem at all.

"Which way did the enemy go?"

Baiyu inquired.

Uchiha Itachi's shadow clone pointed in a direction and replied, "He went that way, the main body is following behind."

Baiyu glanced at him and said, "I'm telling you, don't just act on your own! Keep your distance and scout the intelligence clearly. Dealing with the troubles of the Land of Demons is not our mission; we are here to protect the priestess and eliminate rogue ninjas."

As soon as the words fell, Baiyu slashed his blade, directly sending the clone back into Uchiha Itachi's mind.

Just as Baiyu was preparing to give chase, he suddenly saw a group of people appear.

Shrine Maiden Miroku arrived with a group of samurai guards, completely disregarding her own safety.

Baiyu walked up to Shrine Maiden Miroku with a dark expression.

"What is going on? Why have you come here?"

"How are things now? Has the enemy been eliminated? I came to help you; the demon Moryo has a unique nature. Ordinary power cannot stop him."

Miroku replied, noticing the displeasure on Baiyu's face.

"Do not wander around. As the client, you should trust in our strength. If you didn't trust us, you shouldn't have hired us in the first place. Now that we have accepted the mission, you must leave everything to me to handle."

Miroku possessed a certain level of strength herself, but compared to a ninja, she was certainly inferior.

"I understand. I have caused you trouble, and I am very sorry."

Shrine Maiden Miroku replied very sincerely.

She also realized her mistake and apologized solemnly.

Facing someone who yielded so quickly, Baiyu found it difficult to continue saying anything.

"What is the situation now?"

Miroku asked once again.

"So far, everything is under my control."

Baiyu replied. Miroku was very tactful and kept her posture humble.

Talking to someone like this, even trying to be angry felt like punching cotton.

"Has the demon broken the seal?"

Miroku asked, as Baiyu's words had been essentially meaningless.

"No."

"That is good, the situation is not yet critical."

Baiyu gave her an annoyed look; he truly didn't understand how she could lose her life dealing with Moryo.

Based on what Moryo had shown so far, there was no way he could threaten Miroku's life.

Although Miroku was a woman, her true power went far beyond this.

She was not Shion, whose powers were constantly sealed.

On the contrary, Miroku had been training all along and was very strong.

She was proficient in sealing techniques and could even foresee parts of the future; her strength was greater than that of an average jonin.

"I will go inside and take a look first. Please wait a moment, Baiyu-kun."

Miroku said afterward, leading several guards toward the interior of the Underground Palace.

Entering the palace, they were met with the corpses left behind by the infighting of the rogue ninjas, and walking further in, one could see the battlefield where Baiyu had been.

After some of Baiyu's cleanup, the specific details of the battle and the identities of the combatants were no longer clear.

However, the scope of the battle and the number of enemies could still be discerned from the state of the battlefield and the fallen corpses.

The seventeen corpses lying on the ground had all been killed by a single strike.

The wounds were distinct, followed by traces of additional strikes to ensure death.

Miroku carefully examined the condition of the bodies, murmuring to herself, "How is this possible? They clearly possessed the power of Moryo; why have they all died here?"

"Are the ninjas of Konoha truly this powerful? The power bestowed by the demon can only be overcome through sealing, yet now they all lie dead here..."

"Such a bizarre occurrence is not recorded even in the ancient texts."

"Does Konoha possess the power to eradicate Moryo?"

Numerous thoughts flashed through Miroku's mind. She had come here prepared to die, ready to sacrifice her life to reseal Moryo.

The only power in the world capable of restraining Moryo was that of the Shrine Maiden, who, through fusion and sealing, constantly delayed the negative effects and balanced Moryo's power.

Doing so was merely drinking poison to quench thirst; once a generation of Shrine Maidens grew too weak to suppress Moryo, the demon would inevitably break free.

By then, the demon, nurtured by the power of several generations of Shrine Maidens, would be even more terrifying than the Otsutsuki clan.

"Miroku, where did you find that guy! He actually possesses the power to erase spiritual entities. We must eliminate him; only then can we ensure the lineage of the Shrine Maidens continues forever!"

Moryo's voice drifted from the depths of the palace into Miroku's ears.

A look of shock appeared on Miroku's face.

Moryo was actually pleading with her?

"It" was truly afraid, to the point of casting aside the hatred it had held for the Shrine Maiden lineage for countless ages.

Ever since the power of the First Generation Shrine Maiden was split in two, with the evil side becoming Moryo, it had remained in a state of being sealed.

The benevolent side survived in the form of Shrine Maidens, continuing from generation to generation.

Each generation of Shrine Maidens would fuse with Moryo, suppressing its growing evil emotions and sealing it away once more.

Therefore, Moryo carried the spiritual will of every generation of Shrine Maidens.

The souls of the Shrine Maidens were fused with Moryo, suppressed by its evil power, unable to break free.

Having always assumed it would never vanish, Moryo had never held the Shrine Maidens in any regard.

But now that it had truly encountered an opponent, it was afraid.

It began to incite Miroku to use the power of the Shrine Maiden to help "it" deal with the great trouble that was Baiyu.

"Heh, is that so?"

Miroku's expression at this moment was completely different from before.

The mission of every generation of Shrine Maidens had left her unable to catch her breath.

Generation after generation of dying Shrine Maidens had pinned all their hopes on the next.

Miroku was the same; as the legacy passed down, by the time it reached Shion's generation, the power would reach a terrifying level.

Miroku hoped that Shion would be able to master her power in the future, using this strength passed down by their ancestors to completely eradicate Moryo and break free from the fate of the Shrine Maidens.

"If I can destroy Moryo, then Shion will no longer be bound by this destiny..."

Upon learning this news, a thought slowly emerged in Miroku's mind, and eventually, this thought gradually filled her entire heart.

"Moryo, prepare yourself for your final expansion! Every time your negative emotions swell, a Shrine Maiden must sacrifice her life to seal you, but this time... ha!"

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Miroku's mouth. For her daughter, there was nothing she wouldn't do.

Even if it meant devouring a little boy!