Land of Demons, Miroku

The Land of Bears is adjacent to the Land of Demons. At a ninja's pace, traveling at full speed, it would take at most half a day to reach them.

However, considering the need to conserve energy, and the need to desensitize Jiangtai along the way, the pace naturally needs to be slowed down.

Late at night, this was a travel time specially set by Taiichi, the reason for which was self-evident: to leave Jiangtai time for special training.

The cool Gekko, the tranquil woods, the wind rustling the branches, the shadows of the trees swaying.

Jiang Taiichi ran alone through the woods, and within a radius of more than a hundred meters in all directions, he could not see any other people.

His eyes were wide open like copper bells, and his ears were perked up like antennas. It wasn't that he was as wary as a black cat; rather, his heart was already filled with anxiety and unease.

Taiichi's spirit floated in the air not far from Jiangtai, taking in everything. At the same time, one could hear him muttering incessantly.

"White robes flutter, black shadows swirl, demons and monsters flee in terror."

There's no day or night, my teacher Taiichi.

I'm a ninja, who am I afraid of? Those mere brats run away when they see me.

Jiangtai's name is renowned far and wide; don't bother joining in the fun in front of him!

Taiichi forced a smile. This guy is really something else; he even made up a poem to dispel his fear.

It seems that we have been too lenient in educating them. People will never know where their bottom line is until they are pushed to the brink.

Jiangtai had no idea that his muttered words, meant to encourage him, would be interpreted in this way by his teacher. As the night deepened, he felt the hairs on the back of his head standing on end.

In the quiet forest around him, it felt as if pairs of eyes were watching him intently, making his scalp tingle.

As the spirit of Taiichi approached, a chilling aura pierced Jiangtai's collar. The sudden shock caused Jiangtai's pupils to dilate instantly, and a scream escaped his lips.

"Ah!"

"Plop plop~"

A flock of birds in the forest were startled awake by the pitiful scream.

One kilometer ahead, Taiichi's Shadow Clone was carrying Yami and Itachi forward, listening to the sounds coming from behind.

Yami couldn't help but look back at the forest where the birds had taken flight in fright. Even though it was pitch black, she could almost see her companions running away in terror.

Shaking her head helplessly, Yami looked at Itachi beside her and muttered softly, "How many times has this happened tonight?"

Itachi turned to look at her, rolled his eyes, sighed softly, and after a long pause, replied, "This is the fifth time."

Yami covered her forehead, speechless. Was it really that scary?

Taiichi remained unmoved by the funny expressions on Yami's and Itachi's faces behind him. If Jiangtai could overcome his difficulties before reaching the Land of Demons, that would be fine. But if he didn't improve, he would have to be sent back to Konoha, and this training would be out of his reach.

Taiichi is both their teacher and Konoha ninja. He cannot allow unqualified children to participate in this mission because of personal feelings.

As dawn broke, the Shadow Clone, carrying Yami and Itachi, had already crossed the forest and entered the Land of Land of Demons.

To their relief, they didn't hear Jiangtai scream again in the latter half of the night. In any case, it was at least a step forward.

As they moved forward, the space around the Shadow Clone rippled, Taiichi's true form flickered out.

The group immediately stopped, a flash of white smoke appeared, Taiichi casually scooped up the falling Flying Thunder God Kunai.

Yami and Itachi's gazes also turned to Taiichi. Yami couldn't wait any longer and grabbed Taiichi's hand, shaking it.

"Teacher, what about Jiangtai? How is he?"

Taiichi was shaken from side to side, and couldn't help but raise his hand and flick Yami on the forehead, which finally calmed the girl down.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Taiichi recalled everything that had happened in the second half of the night and was quite speechless. He could only say that everyone has their own fate. "Alright, let's wait here for Jiangtai. He'll be catching up soon."

Taiichi's nonsensical words immediately made Yami and Itachi look worried, fearing that Jiangtai's poor performance would affect his evaluation in the teacher's eyes.

Not long after, the sound of branches rustling rapidly came from deep within the forest. Yami and Itachi stood up together and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Jiangtai moved swiftly through the forest, quickly passing through the dense woods and arriving before the group.

His clothes were disheveled and covered in mud and grass, clearly indicating that he had fallen and crawled a lot before.

Yami and Itachi felt a pang of anxiety as they watched from afar; could it be that this guy really hadn't made any progress at all?

When Jiangtai walked in, his bright smile made the two of them jump. Not only had he not made any progress, but they were also terrified!

Just as the two were trying to figure out how to comfort each other, a golden light shattered all their thoughts.

That was golden light emanating from the depths of his eyes.

They were very familiar with this golden light; it was something they had personally experienced multiple times every day for the past two months.

The defining characteristic of entering Sage Mode.

"Ah!"

The scream didn't come from Jiangtai, but from Yami quickly stepped forward.

The little girl's scream was sharp and piercing, but it fully demonstrated her astonishment at that moment.

"Jiangtai, how did you do that? You can already use your Sage Mode?"

Yami was hopping and skipping around, as if she, not the others, had entered Sage Mode.

Itachi also perked up his ears, his eyes sparkling like stars. The three of them were originally at about the same level in their progress in cultivating Sage Mode, although Jiangtai was slightly ahead, the difference was obvious to the naked eye.

To everyone's surprise, in just half a day, the opponent made rapid progress, and now even the shadows behind the opponent were no longer visible.

"Haha!" Jiangtai laughed loudly, hands on his hips, his smugness causing Yami to unconsciously clench her fists.

Fortunately, Jiangtai knew when to stop. Once the laughter ceased, the golden light in his eyes also faded.

Seeing this, Taiichi glanced at the sky and decided not to rush on his way. He said to the three little ones, "Rest for an hour, eat and drink, and then continue our journey."

The three cheered, Yami pulled Jiangtai and Itachi to sit down on the spot, urging Jiangtai to tell her about his experience last night.

Jiangtai also stopped smiling. Recalling the unbearable experience of last night, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily. It was truly—too painful.

Leaving aside the series of frights she experienced in the first half of the night, by the second half, Jiangtai finally realized that continuing like this was not a solution and that she had to change.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a ninja.

Jiangtai, who was usually carefree, finally learned to think.

What is fear? Fear stems from the unknown.

Why am I afraid of ghosts? Because they are invisible, intangible, and I know nothing about them.

But if you could see them, would ghosts still be so scary?

At this moment, Jiangtai recalled all the abilities he possessed, and finally focused his attention on Sage Mode.

Even if the training sessions only last for a few minutes, the enhanced perception and the feeling of clarity are still deeply imprinted in the mind.

Under the pressure of this extreme fear, Jiangtai unleashed all his potential.

Enter----

Quit----

Enter again----

Exit again----

After countless attempts, he finally grasped that balance and completely stabilized Sage Mode.

At that moment, golden light appeared in his eyes, turning the night into day, and everything was so clearly visible that he could even see Taiichi's hidden spirit body clearly.

Then he saw Taiichi give him a relieved smile, before turning into a streak of light and disappearing.

Jiangtai spoke with great enthusiasm, eventually even using his hands and feet, his facial features contorted with excitement.

Yami and Itachi listened with great interest, their eyes occasionally flashing with envy.

This is Sage Mode! They don't even know how long they'll need to train to truly master it. Jiangtai is just incredibly lucky.

Time flew by, and after the four of them Resupply their supplies and rested, they set off again. This time, however, the four of them traveled together, and their speed was even a bit faster.

As time moved forward, while Taiichi was leading the three little ones on their way to the Land of Demons, his Shadow Clone and the Nine-Tails had already arrived Land of Demons first.

Shrine Maiden Palace.

Taiichi, carrying the Nine-Tails, slowly walked to the political and spiritual core of this Land of Demons.

Passing through the vermilion torii gate at the foot of the mountain, and following the winding mountain path upwards, one arrives at the shrine where the Shrine Maiden resides, but it would be more accurate to call it a palace than a shrine.

Even just looking out from the foot of the mountain, Taiichi could tell that the shrine perched atop the mountain was so mysterious and magnificent.

Of course, if the Samurai guards in front of the torii gate weren't so nervous, like frightened birds, the atmosphere would be even more solemn.

As Taiichi approached, the guards in front of the torii gate all turned their attention to Taiichi. Without the leader giving any orders, each of them lowered their spears and pointed them at Taiichi.

Seeing this, Taiichi frowned slightly. His gaze swept over the guards whose hands were trembling, and he had a rough idea of the situation in the Land of Demons. The situation was worse than he had expected.

He didn't provoke the guards. Instead, he stopped, took out his identification from his Ninja Tool Pouch, gestured to the guard Captain, and tossed it to him.

"I am Taichi Matsushita of Konoha, here to provide reinforcements at the request of the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons."

The Captain of the guard caught the document that Taiichi to him, but did not check it immediately. He kept staring at Taiichi. Only when Taiichi stopped in place and did not move forward did he open the document and carefully check whether the person and the document matched.

At the same time, he whispered to one of his guards, "Go, go inside and call a ninja from Iwagakure."

The guard nodded and quickly ran into the torii gate. The Captain then bowed slightly to Taiichi and smiled apologetically, "I apologize for the trouble. Please wait a moment. Things haven't been peaceful at the Shrine Maiden Palace lately, and everyone is quite tense."

Taiichi nodded slightly in understanding, his right hand resting on the back of the Nine-Tails, stroking it lightly, but his heart grew heavier.

"Even though Iwagakure has already sent people over, the guards of the Land of Demons are still so tense. Could it be that something has happened to the Shrine Maiden?"

He slightly extended his Chakra Perception, and the situation of the people on the periphery immediately came into his mind.

Tension, vigilance, and paranoia perfectly describe the outer guards; their eyes darted around in a panic, clearly showing signs of being frightened.

Even so, all Taiichi could see were ordinary guards, not ninjas. It seemed that either there was a shortage of manpower or the battle on the front lines was fierce, but either way, it was not a good thing for the current situation.

Taiichi withdrew his Chakra Perception and looked at the mountains inside the torii gate, but unfortunately, a Barrier sealed them off, preventing his senses from penetrating them.

Taiichi long before a burly and honest-looking Iwagakure Ninja strode out from behind the torii gate, with the guard from before quickly chasing after him.

Taiichi's gaze followed the burly figure as it approached. Upon seeing the figure's face, even Taiichi was momentarily stunned, not expecting that Ōnoki would send his son over.

That's right, the person who came was Kitsuchi.

As he stepped out of the torii gate, he immediately spotted Taiichi, who was holding a fox in the middle of the road. No further verification was needed; the unique aura of a powerful figure instantly confirmed his identity to Kitsuchi.

His smile widened, as if a Taiseki had been lifted from his heart. With this "god of death" around, the losses of the Rock Ninja would be greatly reduced.

"It really is Taiichi! Konoha sending you here has truly saved the day!"

"Kitsuchi! I didn't expect it to be you. What? The enemy is strong? The Rock Ninja heavy losses?"

Kitsuchi's smile froze, but he ultimately nodded helplessly, which was considered an affirmation of Taiichi's statement.

"Come with me to see the Shrine Maiden first. We'll discuss the details when we meet Shrine Maiden."

Upon hearing Taiichi nodded slightly, then, carrying Nine-Tails, followed Kitsuchi into the torii gate.

Taiichi stepped into the Barrier formed by the torii gate, he felt a clear difference between the inside and outside.

The mountain where the Shrine Maiden Palace is located has a significantly higher Natural Energy level than the outside world. Living in such an environment, one wonders if the Shrine Maiden's power is also related to this Natural Energy.

Following the footsteps of the Kitsuchi, the two walked in silence, traversing the long mountain path and finally arriving at the shrine located at the summit.

Upon arriving here, Taiichi finally met the first person he had met since coming up the mountain. It was a middle-aged woman dressed in a red and white Shrine Maiden outfit. Judging from Kitsuchi's attitude, this woman was of high status.

Through Kitsuchi's introduction, Taiichi learned that this was the Shrine Maiden's female attendant, who was in charge of the Shrine Maiden's daily life and protection. Taiichi also sensed a strong Chakra fluctuation from her, which was just at the level of Jonin.

The two followed the female official through a series of twists and turns until they finally met the Shrine Maiden Miroku in a grand hall.

Upon meeting her, Taiichi sensed that the Shrine Maiden seemed to be seriously injured.

Although she concealed it well, and her pale face was covered by makeup, Taiichi's eyes were incredibly sharp. The Shrine Maiden's body trembled involuntarily, and the light in her eyes told Taiichi everything.

Therefore, after Taiichi introduced himself, he asked directly, "Shrine Maiden Highness, are you alright? You seem to have suffered a serious injury. My Medical Ninjutsu is still quite good; would you like me to take a look?"

Miroku's small mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, clearly Taiichi's question had interrupted her train of thought.

But she quickly understood the meaning behind Taiichi's words, and her eyes lit up.

In fact, she had indeed suffered severe injuries. After the Moryo was unsealed, the enemy sent assassins to kill her, the one who could reseal the Moryo.

Fortunately, she had a precognitive dream and made preparations in advance. Even so, she was seriously injured during the assassination attempt and was on the verge of death. If it weren't for the fact that she had to handle the follow-up matters, she should be resting in bed right now.

"Taiichi, can you heal me?"