46 All I Had to Give, Just for You

Witnessing everything from the moment Baiyu drew his sword to the moment it accidentally slipped from his hand, Miroku saw with her own eyes how the Undead Legion recorded in ancient texts crumbled before a single blade.

That ethereal, boundless figure was like a gentle breeze, blessed enough to blow flowers from their branches, yet gentle enough to brush against a woman's hair.

One sword, one man—he left Miroku deeply shaken.

The once-arrogant monster had been like a clown before him, able only to scream and howl in agony.

Against that striking contrast, the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy shone like gold in her eyes.

As the Stone Puppet fell, her excitement grew, until at last she couldn't hold back and ran out.

He was the Land of Demons' hope.

The only hero who could save her and her daughter.

For her daughter to live in peace, for the Land of Demons to enjoy tranquility, and for its people to go about their days without fear, Miroku was willing to give up everything.

Even her own life! She would gladly do it.

In her heart, her daughter was the sky, the Land of Demons was the earth, and she was the people, willing to sacrifice herself for them both.

"Baiyu!"

Miroku ran over at full speed. The exertion left her gasping for breath, and after seeing that Baiyu could hurt Moryo, her excitement made her chest heave for a long while.

Baiyu turned to look at her, forming the hand signs to release the summoning technique and send the Kusanagi Sword back home.

"Is something wrong? Why are you back again?"

Baiyu was a little exasperated. The person he was supposed to protect kept disregarding her own safety. Was she trying to make him fail his mission?

Uchiha Itachi really should have kept a closer eye on her!

Yomi hadn't injured Itachi at all. He'd only used up a lot of chakra fighting the Stone Puppet and Yomi together. He'd recover after a little while.

"Where's Uchiha Itachi? Why isn't he with you? I'll give him a good scolding. Some 'perfect ninja' he is, losing track of the very person he's supposed to protect."

Baiyu asked, seeing Miroku's excited expression. He thought she might have a complaint, so he decided to soothe her.

He'd drag Itachi out to take the blame.

Itachi was nearby, pretending not to notice.

This was Baiyu's first time leading a mission, his first time as a team captain since becoming a Genin.

And it was an important S-rank mission. How could he afford to be careless?

As soon as he learned that Miroku had left the shrine and reached the battlefield, Baiyu realized his mistake. On escort missions like this, someone had to stay with the client.

He hadn't simply overlooked the matter. He'd been aware of it, but their team was small, and the shrine was very safe. Itachi's intel had indicated that the missing-nin weren't targeting the priestess, so he'd let his guard down.

Worried that Miroku might be angry, Baiyu immediately shifted the blame to Itachi.

The client's satisfaction had to be guaranteed! No hard feelings—he had to smooth things over with her.

"I'm right here..."

Itachi's voice drifted over from behind them.

Baiyu really was awful!

Itachi didn't believe Baiyu's senses were so poor that he hadn't noticed him following behind. And yet he'd still said that.

He had to be doing it on purpose.

Itachi could practically feel the amusement radiating from Baiyu.

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

Baiyu pretended to scold him.

Getting the Uchiha clan heir, Konoha's prodigy, the Itachi everyone called a god, to take the blame felt incredible.

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

Itachi really was gifted. He'd handled his first time taking the blame remarkably well.

No reminder needed—they were perfectly in sync.

He answered aloud, then slipped away without a sound.

They would start by learning to work together. Every team needed someone to play the bad cop, someone to play the good cop, someone to take the blame, and someone to claim the credit.

Baiyu would keep the reward for himself and split the credit in half, dampening Itachi's sense of honor toward the village and cultivating his noble disdain for money. He would shoulder all the hardship himself. Baiyu's painstaking training had only just begun.

"It's not Itachi's fault. I have a request! I hope you'll agree, Baiyu. I'm terribly sorry to ask this of you outside the mission!"

Miroku bowed deeply. Her long hair fell like a waterfall, trailing all the way to the ground.

She was so sincere that she forgot to hide it.

Baiyu paused, not answering right away. Instead, he reached out to help Miroku stand.

Whether she'd done it on purpose or not, he couldn't say.

It wasn't until she bent forward that Baiyu realized just how well-endowed the priestess was.

"It's getting dark. Let's head back first!"

Baiyu tried to put her off. If this went on, he was afraid he'd lose his head.

"Lord Baiyu, if you agree to my request, I'll do anything you ask. Even the Land of Demons can become a vassal of the Land of Fire."

Miroku lifted her head but refused to get up, raising her offer once more.

Baiyu used both hands to help her up, his eyes darting toward the scenery elsewhere.

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

In that moment, Baiyu realized how hard it must have been for Naruto to give that straightforward answer back then.

This was a two-for-one deal...

Baiyu didn't want a moment's distraction to lead him to an irrational decision.

What if the priestess wanted him to marry into her family? Well... it wasn't out of the question?

He banished the fantasies from his mind and silently recited the principles of Thunder Breathing Method. Only then did his thoughts gradually clear.

"What I pursue is the pinnacle of the sword, not these shallow desires."

"The road is long, but the sword is my companion."

Baiyu silently reminded himself, casting the distracting thoughts aside once more.

Only the sword could have his loyalty.

At Baiyu's insistence, Miroku finally stood and followed the two of them back to the shrine.

On the way, Miroku's slow pace held them up.

"At this rate, we won't get back until tomorrow morning."

Itachi watched their progress and spoke up.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Baiyu asked. Miroku wasn't a ninja; at best, she could travel a little faster than an ordinary person.

"Why don't you carry me?"

A sly smile, at odds with her age, appeared on Miroku's mature face.

"Me?"

Baiyu pointed at himself and asked, looking toward Itachi as if to make him serve as their mount. Itachi turned his head without a trace, pretending he hadn't heard.

"Mhm."

Miroku nodded quickly. At this moment, apart from her figure, nothing about her seemed like a mother's...

Baiyu sighed inwardly. When a married woman acted cute, she could be a hundred times more dangerous than any mature older woman.

If she'd acted like this earlier, would he have been able to resist?

Baiyu asked himself, but the answer was uncertain.

There was nothing for it.

To destroy Moryo, the priestess had even abandoned the last of her reserve.

That showed just how much she hated Moryo.

Baiyu had no choice but to carry her and rush back to the shrine, sprinting all the way and even flashing ahead.

When they reached the shrine gate,

they saw little Shion sitting on the stone steps, gazing quietly into the distance.

When she spotted them approaching, she jumped up in delight.

"Mommy's back! Mommy's back! And big brother too! Everyone's back! Hee-hee-hee..."

She was so excited that the pink ribbon tied in her hair slipped loose, and her pale yellow hair fluttered in the breeze.

Miroku climbed down from Baiyu's back, seething with frustration.

The guy was impossible to deal with. He was utterly impervious to persuasion.

Miroku was so annoyed that it made her chest ache. Was this guy really a block of wood?

She'd never been this physically close to anyone in her life, and it still hadn't worked.

The blow was so devastating that Miroku began to question her entire life.

She kept calculating her age over and over.

For a moment, she nearly believed she really was old.

She was only twenty-four! Damn it!