I Am Invincible Under Heaven

"I am deeply grateful to you for saving this concubine's life."

The Miko bowed gracefully, her gratitude sincere and heartfelt.

She had escaped that gray future.

Her prophecy had been shattered.

No!

That wasn't right!

It wasn't that her prophecy had been shattered, but rather that the future she had foreseen was limited.

After all, she was not omniscient; it was only natural that there would be oversights.

She summoned her retainers and offered a faint smile toward Uchiha Genmei.

"Although Moryo and its minions have been driven away by your hand, it is entirely unfazed by such minor losses."

"I, Miko Miko, invite you to the palace to discuss the matter of Moryo."

Uchiha Genmei nodded in acknowledgment:

"You all go ahead first. While you're at it, soothe the residents of the city. I will wait for my companions; they have yet to arrive."

Nodding to show she understood, Miko Miko bowed and departed under the protection of her retainers.

A cup of tea later.

The Sannin, still in their youth, arrived fashionably late.

Tsunade looked at the surrounding wreckage, and at the scorched earth outside the city, where molten lava still flowed.

She was somewhat shocked:

"Hey! Did you do all this?!"

"Yes, Princess Tsunade. The situation was quite urgent just now; please excuse the display."

Uchiha Genmei smiled slightly, responding to Tsunade's bewilderment.

Hearing this, Tsunade became even more annoyed.

"You bastard! What do you mean 'excuse the display'? A job well done is a job well done."

"You hypocritical guy, hmph!"

At this moment, Orochimaru shook his head helplessly and spoke:

"Genmei-kun, do not be overly modest. Excessive modesty in the strong is nothing but arrogance."

That's right, that's right, Orochimaru, tell him exactly that!

Jiraiya, standing to the side, nodded silently in his heart.

He was clearly stunned by the spectacle Uchiha Genmei had created, but seeing Tsunade look toward him the moment she arrived made him feel quite displeased.

"Such strength is truly admirable. I hope that after this mission, we will have many more opportunities to cooperate."

Hearing Orochimaru's exclamation, Uchiha Genmei nodded.

He smiled and said:

"We will. I have absolute faith in your talents, Orochimaru-san."

"Orochimaru, enough with the small talk. Let's go see what instructions the employer has for us."

Seeing that Orochimaru was about to start chatting with the guy who constantly got in her way—

the guy who had shown off his prowess at the gambling den—

she hurriedly suggested checking on the employer, cutting off their mutual flattery.

The journey was silent.

They arrived at the palace quickly.

Under the arrangements of the officials of the Land of Demons, they walked to a side hall.

This was the place designated to host them.

After exchanging polite greetings with Miko Miko, as the leader of this mission, Uchiha Genmei spoke directly:

"Miko Miko, please provide a detailed explanation of the mission objective so that my three companions can formulate a plan to protect you."

He paused at this point, taking a sip of the tea served on the desk.

Then, he smiled slightly.

"That way, I can track the target based on the intelligence and slay it."

Miko Miko understood the urgency of the situation.

She did not waste any words.

She explained all the intelligence regarding Moryo in detail.

After hearing the information, Orochimaru asked calmly:

"Are Moryo and your power one and the same? Does it also possess an immortal puppet army?"

"As for what your power is, forgive my lack of insight, but there is no fluctuation of power on your person."

Hearing Orochimaru's question, Miko Miko gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"It is true that I currently possess no power at all."

"My pure spiritual power has been completely stolen by Moryo, and before long, It will become even more powerful."

Thinking of this, the shrine maiden clutched her head.

With a pained expression, she said:

"Besides, even if I did have it, you ninjas wouldn't be able to perceive it."

Uchiha Genmei, hearing this, became slightly interested.

"How so?"

"My power and Moryo's power are both spiritual power, only His is corrupted spiritual power; these are all degradations of divine power."

"Degradation of divine power? Do such things as gods really exist?"

Jiraiya, standing to the side, felt the shrine maiden was exaggerating and hurriedly asked a question.

Glancing at the boisterous Jiraiya, Miko Miko explained helplessly:

"I do not know if gods exist either, but that is what the traditions say; Moryo is a fallen god."

"In ancient times, our lineage of shrine maidens all obtained blessings from deities to gain power."

"My power has always been the yin to Moryo's yang; this is evidence that could not be more true."

Seeing the expressions of disbelief still on the faces of Jiraiya and Tsunade, Miko Miko sneered.

"If you do not believe me, as those who serve as envoys to the so-called sacred lands of today, you can simply go and ask those demon..."

Realizing she had nearly made a slip of the tongue, Miko Miko hurriedly coughed to cover it up.

"Ahem... ahem... the summoning beasts would know."

Orochimaru nodded to show he understood.

Possessing a spirit of research, he would naturally investigate such secrets in the future.

He spoke calmly, continuing:

"I have a general understanding of the situation. My two companions and I will do our best to protect you, My Lady."

"We will go into the city first to prepare for the sealing jutsu."

Miko Miko nodded and said:

"You are all truly reliable."

She turned to look at the youth, who was lost in thought.

Her expression turned serious.

"As for the other mission, the slaying of Moryo, I hope to speak with Genmei-kun at the shrine."

Uchiha Genmei signaled his understanding and stood up.

He parted ways with the Sannin, who were off to do what was necessary to prepare for the immortal army's siege.

He followed Miko Miko, arriving at a shrine within the city.

Walking into the shrine, Miko Miko looked at the altar.

Seeing the shattered bow, her expression was sorrowful.

"The Spirit Bow is broken; Moryo no longer has any weaknesses."

She turned around and bowed gracefully.

"Genmei-kun, please allow this concubine to help you understand the incantations of the Onmyodo."

Hearing this, Uchiha Genmei was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion, "Learn incantations from you, Miko? Why?"

Raising her eyes, Miko Miko looked solemn and said gravely, "This Concubine can sense that the technique you used to save me... was the power of a god."

"Furthermore, there are traces of you having used spiritual power!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Genmei was a bit baffled and spoke directly, "The power of a god? Traces of spiritual power?"

Listening to the young man's questions, Miko Miko paced in front of him and looked straight into his eyes. "Indeed. The power of a god requires the coordination of incantations and spiritual power to be fully unleashed upon this land."

"And spiritual power is the power of nature, gathered within the human body and obtained through refinement."

The Miko's categorical tone made Uchiha Genmei raise an eyebrow.

Indeed! Ever since his ocular jutsu had been upgraded by Aura Epiphany, they had all undergone miraculous changes.

And wasn't the power of nature just Sage Mode? He hadn't even used it in front of her, yet she could still tell.

It seemed her words were not empty; learning from her would likely yield significant gains.

Thinking this, he said with a hint of interest, "Oh... you've piqued my interest, Miko. Let's begin now."

While Uchiha Genmei and his companions were sharpening their weapons and preparing for battle, deep within a gloomy valley in the Land of Demons:

"My power has finally returned in full!"

Following this whisper, the heavens and earth shifted, and the atmosphere churned like waves. A violent purple hurricane tore through the sky, allowing the moonlight to descend!

A bolt of lightning struck from a clear sky! The hurricane transformed into an ominous light, staining the moon with a layer of blood. Twisted, baleful black winds descended, forming a cloak that draped over the massive demon. The magnificent, ominous power pulsed, wrapping It into a giant egg.

[Child of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni,]

[Why do you tremble?]

Crack—

Cracks appeared on the surface of the giant egg. Vast and magnificent ominous power surged from the fissures.

Bang!

The giant egg shattered, and surging black water condensed into a humanoid form. The black water swirled around It, forming an archaic garment. Black eyes, black hair, black ancient robes. At this moment, It was as dark as the night sky, as if It could devour everything.

Clenching Its fists, It felt Its own power. "Hahahaha, only now am I in my complete form."

"Thousands of years of planning have finally succeeded!"

"I am invincible under the heavens; it is time to exact revenge upon the Outer-Heaven Demon!"