The Shrine Maiden's Charms

"Finally, we're here."

Everyone except Might Guy was utterly exhausted.

The situation had been urgent, so they'd had no choice but to travel at full speed. Genichi still hadn't managed to ride in a carriage along the way.

Obito: "We've had nothing but soldier pills this whole trip. I can't take it anymore! I want a feast. Kakashi, hurry up and grill some fish for the great Obito."

Kakashi: "If you want something to eat, just wait until the Land of Demons arranges an inn for us. Minato-sensei should be back soon."

At the mention of an inn, the three girls looked hopeful, too. They'd been traveling outdoors for days, covered in dust and grime. The three cleanliness-conscious little girls all felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Just then, Minato returned with guards from the Land of Demons. "Genichi, there are still ninjas from other countries who haven't arrived. Let's go rest at the inn first."

Without letting his guard down, Genichi entered Sage Mode and carefully inspected the area. Only then did he take turns keeping watch with Minato. The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, the guard from the previous day came to find them. "Ninja, everyone assigned to this mission has arrived. The Shrine Maiden requests that you all come to the palace to discuss the details."

Genichi led the group to the main hall. The Shrine Maiden sat high above them, while the various groups of ninjas stood distinctly apart below. Comparing them with the information in his memory, Genichi identified them one by one:

Sunagakure: Rasa, Baki, and an unfamiliar jonin.

Cloud Village: Fourth Raikage A, Killer B, and Dodai.

Iwagakure: Kitsuchi and two unfamiliar jonin.

They were all standard three-person teams. Had they taken advantage of this joint mission to let the villages' next generation broaden their horizons—or was this just a chance to build their reputations?

"The ninjas from Konoha are late, and they've brought six kids. Are you here to play pretend?" Rasa was the first to provoke them. The casualties of the Second Shinobi World War were still fresh in everyone's minds; there was no need to explain the enmity between Sunagakure and Konoha.

Genichi beckoned lightly, drawing Kakashi Hatake forward, then said, "His father, White Fang, killed Elder Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law."

"Who's talking about that? I'm asking whether you're taking the Shrine Maiden's mission seriously." Mention of the death of a village elder's family members stirred some anger in Rasa, too.

Genichi's tone didn't waver as he repeated, "His father, White Fang, killed Elder Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law."

"Hmph. This mission is dangerous. You'd better keep an eye on White Fang's kid. One careless mistake, and he might not make it back." When Genichi didn't respond, Rasa felt slighted and issued a direct threat.

Only then did Genichi speak. "We haven't even seen the enemy, and you're already threatening an ally. Are you here to carry out the Shrine Maiden's mission, or have you already defected to Moryo?"

"You!" Before Rasa could retort, Dodai from the Cloud Village cut in.

"That's enough! Sunagakure's ninjas, stop embarrassing yourselves. This is the White-Clad Death God, renowned for his exploits on the Land of Rain battlefield. He hasn't even bothered to remember an obscure ninja like you."

On the surface, he was breaking up the argument; underneath, he was slipping in a barb.

"Ooh, Konoha's ninjas are so haughty, Sunagakure's ninjas are so naughty, naughty~." Killer B chimed in with a laugh.

Even the honest Kitsuchi joined in. "Right. We should put aside our infighting for now. The Shrine Maiden's mission comes first."

Rasa knew this wasn't the place for a fight, so he had no choice but to hold back.

When the hall finally quieted down, the Shrine Maiden, seated high above them, began to speak. Her ethereal voice echoed through the hall. "First, I thank you all for traveling such a long way to come to the Land of Demons.

"This began when a ninja named Yomi, coveting Moryo's power, spent years lying in wait. Eventually, he broke the seal and released the demon.

"Moryo can influence people's hearts, and summon and command an Undead Army. It could threaten the entire Ninja World at any moment. I hope you'll work together to help me seal it."

Kitsuchi asked, "Then what should we do? Where is the enemy hiding?"

The Shrine Maiden's voice remained calm and even. "We only need to wait. The Shrine Maiden and Moryo have a long history, and I possess a technique specifically designed to seal demons. Once it regains some strength, it will come after me without delay.

"I hope you'll protect me during this time, keep the Undead Army from causing too much harm, and weaken Moryo with ninjutsu before I seal it."

Rasa immediately spoke up. "My teacher, the Third Kazekage, had Magnet Release powerful enough to suppress a Tailed Beast. I doubt Moryo will be much of an opponent."

Fourth Raikage A spoke, too. "I don't care about demons or undead armies. The mastermind is that ninja named Yomi, right? I'll kill him when he shows up."

Kitsuchi added, "Our team specializes in large-scale Earth Release. We can hold back the Undead Army and buy you time."

Watching everyone assign the mission among themselves in just a few words, Genichi wasn't in a hurry. "In that case, Minato, you can take the others and follow behind the Rock Ninjas, covering any gaps in their defense.

"I'll protect the Shrine Maiden. I'm also skilled in the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu, so I may be able to help when the time comes to seal Moryo."

Genichi was very interested in both the Shrine Maiden and Moryo.

The others looked at one another and agreed that this was a good way to divide up the mission. If they fought shoulder to shoulder, they'd still have to watch out for kunai in their backs.

Night fell, and everyone returned to the inn to rest.

Genichi concealed his presence and went straight to the Shrine Maiden's bedchamber alone.

He'd sensed traces of Natural Energy on the Shrine Maiden during the day. Combined with his curiosity about her sealing techniques and her ability to "foresee death," he'd decided to have a proper talk with her that night.

The Shrine Maiden hadn't gone to bed yet. She wasn't dressed as formally as she had been during the day; her everyday clothes fit more closely. Moonlight streamed through the window, falling on her pale shrine maiden robes and tracing a graceful silhouette. A vermilion cord followed the line of her slender yet shapely shoulders down to her waist, then lower, where the curve of her hips pressed against the edge of the bed.

"Shrine Maiden," Genichi said softly.

Miroku jumped in surprise. The Shrine Maiden looked delicate, but she wasn't an ordinary person in the usual sense. This was the first time anyone had come so close to her without her noticing.

But the Shrine Maiden was human, too. Looking at the handsome, refined Genichi, she wasn't all that angry. Once she'd calmed down, she asked in a mildly reproachful tone:

"Ninja from Konoha, what brings you here? Don't you think coming to my bedchamber at this hour is rather improper?"

Genichi paid no mind to her attitude. "Please forgive me, Shrine Maiden. I'm simply very interested in you and Moryo. I've heard that the Shrine Maiden and Moryo were originally one being. That's why the Shrine Maiden can seal Moryo, while Moryo cannot be killed. Is that right?"

"How do you know that?" Miroku was astonished. The story of the first Shrine Maiden dated back more than a thousand years. How could a ninja from this era possibly know about it?

Genichi offered a casual explanation. "I'm a summoner from Ryūchi Cave. Have you heard of the White Snake Sage? She's lived for over a thousand years. She told me all this, but I don't know the details. Could you tell me more?

"Perhaps I can help, too. I don't think sealing Moryo necessarily has to cost you your life."

The Shrine Maiden's training was connected to Natural Energy. Miroku used a technique to enter a state of spiritual clarity, calming her mind again. "I've clearly seen myself sacrificing my life to seal Moryo. Please leave. Each of us only needs to fulfill our own duty."

"Your daughter is still very young, isn't she? If you sacrifice yourself to seal Moryo now, and it breaks free again in the future, will your daughter have to sacrifice her life, too?" Genichi said. "If you truly believe the future can't be changed, what harm is there in talking to me?"

The Shrine Maiden was a special being in her own right. She didn't need anyone else's help to have a child.

Miroku thought of her still-young daughter, Shion, and felt worried. The situation had arisen so suddenly that she hadn't been able to pass down much of the Shrine Maiden's legacy to her. She didn't know what the future held for the child.

In the end, Miroku couldn't help sighing. "Since you want to know, I'll tell you. In exchange, once the next Shrine Maiden—my daughter Shion—comes of age, you must tell her all of this again."

"I'm listening."

The Shrine Maiden seemed to be recalling something. In her same ethereal, melodious voice, she slowly began, "More than a thousand years ago, the first Shrine Maiden had mastered her art and was traveling through the Ninja World when she unexpectedly encountered a demon from another world.

"This demon created an Undead Army that terrorized the land. It could awaken the evil in people's hearts and draw power from it. Its vitality was extraordinary, and it was difficult to destroy. In the end, the first Shrine Maiden used her tremendous power to forcibly erase the demon's consciousness.

"However, during the process, the demon's power seeped into every part of her and gradually corrupted her heart. It gave rise to a negative personality filled with the desire to destroy, which inherited the demon's ability to corrupt people's hearts and control the Undead Army.

"For the rest of her life, the Shrine Maiden suppressed the new demon within her, and the two gradually merged. Although she still looked human, the Shrine Maiden had become a special form of life.

"Even in her old age, the Shrine Maiden never found a way to destroy the demon completely. In the end, she had no choice but to separate the evil part within her and seal it. That is the Moryo we must now face.

"The good part was passed down through a special method of reproduction, and has continued to the present day."

Genichi asked, puzzled, "If the Shrine Maiden and Moryo's powers come from the same source, and it can devour you, why can't you devour it?"

Miroku answered helplessly, "If it were the first Shrine Maiden, she might have had a chance to merge with Moryo and go even further. I can't do that. Over the past thousand years, the demon's power has continued to accumulate, while the Shrine Maiden's power has been reincarnated again and again, even growing weaker."

"What if I had a seal that could perfectly seal a Tailed Beast, then release its power gradually so its Jinchūriki could adapt and grow stronger?" Genichi meant the Eight-Trigrams Seal.

Miroku considered that gradually merging with Moryo's power might indeed be possible, but then shook her head. "Ordinary sealing techniques won't work on Moryo. The seal designed specifically by the first Shrine Maiden uses the Natural Energy of the world around us. That's something you ninjas can't—"

Before she could finish, pale red markings appeared around Genichi's eyes. He had entered Sage Mode, drawing in a great amount of Natural Energy. The Shrine Maiden was so shocked that she forgot what she'd been about to say.

Moryo's combat strength was only around that of a low-tier Tailed Beast, so Genichi wasn't worried about it. His only concern was that these strange demons from the movies might have some nasty special ability.

"If you mean this Natural Energy, then I happen to know a little about it," Genichi said with a calm smile. So Natural Energy was the answer. It looked like dealing with Moryo would be even easier than he'd imagined.

The person before her radiated an aura that felt familiar and comforting. There was no doubt that it was the Natural Energy the Shrine Maiden cultivated.

"How is that possible?" the Shrine Maiden murmured.

"Shrine Maiden, let's share our knowledge of sealing techniques so we can seal Moryo without sacrificing your life. Then you'll be able to watch your daughter grow up." Genichi was also curious about the Shrine Maiden's power system, which seemed native to the Ninja World and had nothing to do with chakra.

"The prophecies have never been wrong." Thinking this, the Shrine Maiden used her ability to foresee death on Genichi. And yet...

Nothing happened, as if she had never used her ability at all.

Genichi felt a faint sense of being watched and guessed that the Shrine Maiden was using her ability to foresee death. He asked, "Shrine Maiden, did you see how I die?"

"No. I didn't see anything. Ninja, what's your name?" Miroku asked in shock.

"Chiba Genichi."

She had already come to terms with her own death. But now that she could see a chance to live—to care for Shion as she grew up—her usually still heart stirred and wavered, until it was swept by a rising tide of emotion.

If this man, who had surpassed prophecy and could even defy death, also knew a special sealing technique and could control Natural Energy, then perhaps he really could change the Shrine Maiden's fate.

Miroku's heart stirred, and she made up her mind. She rose and walked over to Genichi.

"Moryo might arrive as soon as tomorrow. Sealing techniques are complicated, and there may not be time to learn them slowly. Let me pass this entire series of sealing techniques on to you, using the Shrine Maiden's traditional method."

The Shrine Maiden was tall, only a little shorter than Genichi. He watched as she rose onto her toes and lifted her face, her beautiful features—so full of sacred, untouchable grace—drawing closer.

Ah, I'd meant to avoid this.

Genichi, who could calmly react to Flying Thunder God while in Sage Mode, somehow failed to react this time.

Then their foreheads touched gently, and their spiritual realms overlapped slightly.

So that's how it works. Before he could finish marveling, Genichi was distracted by the sudden flood of intricate sealing knowledge that appeared in his mind, knowledge wholly unlike the Uzumaki Clan's.

As the transmission took hold, Genichi's body instinctively pulled the Shrine Maiden close. One hand rested on her shoulder, while the other wrapped around her lower back, pressing their bodies tightly together.

Miroku had never been so close to a man. A flush spread across her face, and she felt a wave of heat wash over her. Her chest felt tight, and her strength seemed to leave her. She went limp in Genichi's arms.

He's absorbed in the transmission. He's doing this to save me. It's all right. I just have to wait a little longer. Unable to resist without interrupting the transmission, the Shrine Maiden could only reassure herself in her heart.

Time passed. The moon had shifted slightly in the sky.

When Genichi came to, he felt the delightful softness in his arms. Before he could marvel at the intricacies of the sealing techniques, he instinctively lowered his head.

The Shrine Maiden was already caught up in the moment and responded warmly.

Unlike Mikoto and Kushina, who were a little inexperienced, the Shrine Maiden was like a fruit that had fully ripened, with a charm all her own.

"I'll take responsibility." Sitting on the bed, Genichi held the Shrine Maiden in his arms and spoke softly.

"It was only a kiss." The Shrine Maiden bit her lip, her thoughts in turmoil. "This was my first time using this kind of transmission technique. I didn't expect it to briefly connect our minds, too. Oh, your hand."

"I couldn't help myself. Haha. Let's talk about something happy. I've already figured out how to deal with Moryo. We can add the Shrine Maiden's Nature Seal inside the Eight-Trigrams Seal." Genichi recalled the various intricacies of the Shrine Maiden's teachings and felt confident.

"Now we only need to wait and let Moryo come to us."

Miroku rested quietly in Genichi's arms, feeling the comforting warmth radiating from his body. She felt completely at ease, as if both Moryo and death were gradually drifting farther away.