To Abandon Everything for You for a Lifetime

Witnessing everything before her, from the moment Baiyu drew his blade to the final instant the long sword slipped from his hand, Miroku saw with her own eyes the Undead Legion recorded in ancient texts disintegrate under the edge of a single sword.

That ethereal, boundless figure moved like a gentle breeze, fortunate enough to brush petals from flowers and silently caress strands of silk.

One sword, one man—it left a profound shock in Miroku's heart.

The once-arrogant monster was like a clown before him, capable of nothing but endless shrieking and wailing.

Amidst such stark contrast, this thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth shimmered with golden light in her eyes.

As the stone puppets collapsed, her heart grew increasingly agitated, until finally, she could not help but run out.

He was the hope of the Land of Demons.

The only hero who could save her and her daughter.

For the sake of her daughter's future stability, for the peace and tranquility of the Land of Demons, and so that her people would no longer have to live in constant fear, Miroku was willing to pay any price.

Even if it meant herself! She was perfectly willing.

In her heart, her daughter was the sky, the Land of Demons was the earth, and she was but a mortal, willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of heaven and earth.

"Baiyu-kun!"

Miroku ran over at full speed, gasping for air from the strenuous exertion. Upon realizing that Baiyu could truly inflict damage upon Moryo, her emotions surged, causing her chest to heave rhythmically for a long while.

Baiyu turned his head to look at the newcomer, his hands forming the seal to dispel his summoning, sending the Kusanagi Sword back home.

"Is something the matter? Why have you come here again?"

Baiyu was somewhat speechless. The target he was meant to protect kept disregarding her own safety; wasn't this intentionally trying to make him fail his mission?

That brat Uchiha Itachi really wasn't keeping a close eye on her!

Yomi hadn't caused Uchiha Itachi any real injuries; he had merely exhausted his chakra while fending off the combined assault of the stone puppets and Yomi, and he would recover after a short while.

"Where is Uchiha Itachi? Where is he? Why isn't he following you! See if I don't give him a good scolding. Calling himself the 'perfect ninja' and he can't even keep track of the mission's protectee."

Baiyu asked, and seeing Miroku's agitated expression, he assumed she had some complaints and decided to soothe her mood.

He would drag Itachi out to be the scapegoat.

At this moment, Itachi was standing nearby, pretending he hadn't noticed.

This was the first time Baiyu had led a team on a mission, the first time he had served as captain since his days as a genin.

It was an S-rank mission, extremely important; how could he afford to be lax or careless?

Ever since he learned that Miroku had rushed from the shrine to the battlefield, Baiyu had realized his mistake. Such escort missions required someone to be by the employer's side at all times.

It wasn't that he had been negligent before; he had been aware of this, but their team was small, the shrine was extremely safe, and Itachi's intelligence indicated that the rogue ninjas' target was not the Priestess, so he had overlooked this point.

Worried that Miroku might be angry because of this, Baiyu immediately dragged Itachi out.

He absolutely had to ensure the employer was satisfied! There could be no hard feelings; he had to smooth over the relationship with the client.

"I am right here..."

Itachi's faint voice drifted from behind the two of them.

This Baiyu was truly detestable!

Itachi did not believe that with his sensory abilities, Baiyu didn't know he had followed them, yet he still said such a thing.

He was definitely doing it on purpose.

Itachi could even feel the thick sense of amusement radiating from Baiyu.

"Don't lose track of her next time."

Baiyu feigned a reprimand.

Being able to make the young clan head of the Uchiha, the genius of Konoha, and the "Itachi-god" in the eyes of many act as a scapegoat—this feeling was incredibly refreshing.

The process of "training" Uchiha Itachi began now. From now on, Itachi was the designated scapegoat.

Itachi was indeed gifted; he performed his first time as a scapegoat quite well.

Without needing a reminder, they had perfect tacit understanding.

He answered with his voice, then retreated in silence.

It started with cooperation in their work; in a team, there was always a bad cop, a good cop, a scapegoat, and someone to take the credit.

He would keep the rewards for himself, split the credit, lower Itachi's sense of honor toward the village, cultivate in him the noble sentiment of viewing money as dirt, and shoulder all the hardships himself—Baiyu's painstaking cultivation had just begun.

"It is not Itachi-kun's fault; I have a request! I hope Baiyu-kun can agree to it. I am terribly sorry to ask something of you outside the scope of the mission!"

Miroku bowed deeply, her long hair cascading like a waterfall, hanging straight to the ground.

Her attitude was so sincere that she forgot to cover herself.

Baiyu pondered for a moment, not answering directly, but instead reached out slightly to help Miroku up.

He did not know if she had done it intentionally or not.

Only when she bent over did Baiyu realize that this Priestess was actually quite well-endowed.

"It is getting dark now; let us head back first!"

Baiyu declined, worried that if things continued like this, he would lose his focus.

"Lord Baiyu, as long as you can agree to my request! I am willing to do anything you ask, even if it means the Land of Demons must submit to the Land of Fire."

Miroku lifted her head, refusing to rise, and increased the stakes once more.

Baiyu gripped his hands tightly, his gaze darting toward the scenery elsewhere, his eyes wandering aimlessly.

"It's getting late, and I promised little Shion I'd treat her to a delicious meal. I should hurry back!"

In this situation, Baiyu realized just how difficult that straightforward answer Naruto had given back then truly was.

Now, it was practically a buy-one-get-one-free deal...

Baiyu did not want to make an irrational decision due to a momentary lapse in concentration.

What if this Priestess intended for him to marry into her family? This... well, it wouldn't be impossible, would it?

He cast all such delusions out of his mind, silently reciting the key principles of the Thunder Breathing Method, and only then did his heart gradually regain its clarity.

"What I pursue is the ultimate path of the sword, not these flashy, superficial desires."

"The road is long, and only the sword shall be my companion."

Baiyu secretly admonished himself, tossing the distracting thoughts out of his mind once again.

Only the path of the sword could be truly loyal.

Under Baiyu's insistence, Miroku finally stood up and followed the two of them back toward the shrine.

On the way, Miroku's slow pace delayed their progress.

"At this speed, it will be morning by the time we get back."

Itachi watched their pace and spoke up.

"Then what should we do?"

Baiyu asked. Miroku was not a ninja; her travel speed was at best only slightly better than an ordinary person's.

"How about you carry me?"

A playfulness that did not belong to her age appeared on Miroku's mature face.

"Me?"

Baiyu pointed at himself, asking in return, then looked toward Itachi, attempting to make him the mount. Itachi turned his head without a trace, pretending he hadn't heard.

"Mm-hmm."

Miroku nodded slightly, her expression at this moment—aside from her figure—completely unlike that of a child's mother...

Baiyu sighed inwardly; sometimes, when a married woman acts cute, the lethality is countless times higher than that of any older sister archetype.

If she had acted like this earlier, would he have been able to maintain his resolve?

Baiyu asked himself, and the final answer he arrived at was unknown.

There was no help for it.

To eliminate Moryo, the Priestess had abandoned even her last shred of reserve.

It was clear how deeply she hated Moryo in her heart.

Baiyu had no choice but to carry her on his back, sprinting and flashing all the way back to the shrine.

Upon arriving at the shrine entrance, they happened to see little Shion sitting blankly on the stone steps of the gate, quietly gazing at the distant scenery.

When she saw the figures approaching, she jumped up happily.

"Mommy's back! Mommy's back! And the big brother too! Everyone's back! Hehehe..."

Due to her excitement, the pink ribbon tied in little Shion's hair accidentally slipped off, and her pale yellow locks fluttered in the wind.

Stepping down from Baiyu's back, Miroku felt a wave of frustration.

This guy was impervious to reason and extremely difficult to deal with.

Miroku was so angry she felt a headache coming on; was this guy really a block of wood?

From the time she was born until now, she had never been this close to anyone, and yet it had been completely ineffective.

This massive blow made Miroku doubt her own life.

Deep inside, she repeatedly calculated her age from birth to the present.

For a moment, she almost thought she was truly old.

She was clearly only twenty-four years old! Damn it!