A fragile alliance

Sukunahikona!

The two square shuriken flying toward the priestess vanished without warning.

"How is that possible?"

Toroi's expression changed drastically. Then, with a wet puncturing sound, a short black rod pierced through his chest.

The chakra throughout his body spun out of control, and his strength rapidly drained away.

The veteran elite Jonin finally collapsed to the ground, his face filled with unwillingness.

"That was close."

At the sight, Shisui let out a long sigh of relief.

Then seven Shisuis charged straight at the other three Cloud Ninja.

Shluk!

As several sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out, three more corpses appeared in the lava cavern.

After finishing them off, Shisui exhausted his chakra and slumped to the ground.

Uchiha Douyang, on the other hand, was in much better shape than Shisui.

[Template: Ōtsutsuki Isshiki (8%)]

The fierce battle with Moryo had increased his template unlock progress by 2%.

Although he had gained no other abilities, Douyang's chakra reserves and physique had both improved noticeably.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's greatest strengths were, first, the Kokugan, whose ocular abilities had absurdly powerful mechanics, and second, his extraordinary Taijutsu, strength, and speed, which were no less than Might Guy's with the Gate of Death open.

Every 1% of template progress unlocked brought Douyang a noticeable improvement.

After recovering in the cavern for a while, Miroku sincerely thanked Douyang and Shisui. "Douyang, Shisui, it was all thanks to you this time. From now on, you will be eternal allies of the Priestess Clan."

Her gratitude was utterly genuine. Before coming here, Miroku had already prepared herself to die together with Moryo.

She had never expected that, despite the dangers during the sealing process, it would end smoothly and successfully.

Douyang walked up to Miroku and said quietly, "Lady Miroku, don't forget our agreement."

Miroku nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Douyang. I will keep my promise."

By then, Shisui had also recovered. He looked at Douyang in puzzlement. "Douyang, was that golden eye with the eight-spoked pattern you used just now a special ability?"

Douyang did not conceal anything, giving an ambiguous answer instead. "That's the Kokugan, a wondrous eye I obtained through a chance encounter. It might be because of a mutation in my bloodline, or something else. I'm not quite sure either."

"The Kokugan?"

Shisui was slightly startled.

It was an eye he had never heard of.

And judging by the battle just now, the Kokugan's abilities were no weaker than the Sharingan's, perhaps even superior.

Douyang smiled. "Shisui, your eyes are different from an ordinary Sharingan too. Could they be..."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan."

Before Douyang could finish, Shisui said, "The ultimate power of our clan's bloodline. Toward the end of the Third Shinobi World War, I witnessed a comrade's death in a desperate situation and obtained these eyes. The power I used to suppress Moryo just now is called Susanoo. It's an ability of the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Douyang feigned surprise. "To think you've already obtained our clan's ultimate power at such a young age, Shisui."

Shisui shook his head, looking far from happy.

Awakening the Mangekyo required first experiencing love, then losing it.

For the Uchiha, who treasured their comrades, that process was agonizing.

They had faced life and death together and learned one another's secrets.

The three of them grew considerably closer.

Then Douyang walked up to Toroi, searched his body, and found a storage scroll. After opening it, he discovered a strange ninja tool inside that looked like a pickling jar.

A hint of surprise appeared in Douyang's eyes. "The Amber Purifying Pot?"

The Amber Purifying Pot was one of the Six Paths Tools. It contained a space of its own and possessed the ability to seal anything.

Its previous owners had been the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure.

After ambushing and killing the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage, the brothers had themselves been slain by Kumogakure's Anbu.

The Amber Purifying Pot, along with several other Six Paths Tools, had then fallen into Kumogakure's hands.

The sight of the Amber Purifying Pot made everything clear to Douyang.

No wonder Toroi had dared to set his sights on Moryo.

As long as they sealed Moryo inside the Amber Purifying Pot, they could safely bring him to Kumogakure.

As for choosing a suitable jinchūriki and taming Moryo, that would come later.

Miroku solemnly put away the bottle containing Moryo's spiritual body and spoke.

"Douyang, Shisui, I intend to seal Moryo's spiritual body in the shrine. The shrine is a hundred li from Demon-Sealing Mountain. It will be almost impossible for Moryo to escape."

Although Moryo was powerful, without his soul, he could cause no trouble.

With a priestess standing guard, Moryo's spiritual body could never see the light of day again.

Afterward, the three agreed on their story, insisting that Toroi and the other three had been killed by Moryo.

Although Toroi had harbored designs on Moryo, he had ultimately died at the hands of Konoha Ninja. If word got out, it could cause unnecessary disputes.

Supporting Shisui, Douyang walked out of Demon-Sealing Mountain.

Seeing the three emerge from the cave, Guy flashed his white teeth. "Douyang, Shisui, I knew all along that you could do it."

When Kakashi saw that all three were unharmed, he said nothing, but visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Pakura glanced suspiciously at the cave and asked, "Why are there only three of you? Where are Toroi and the others?"

Before Douyang or Shisui could speak, the priestess said with grief written across her face, "Pakura, Kumogakure's brave warriors gave their lives to seal Moryo. I will write to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning to commend their heroic deeds."

Pakura frowned slightly at her words.

They just died like that, without any clear explanation?

Although she had her doubts, she did not dwell on them.

For one thing, everyone had witnessed how terrifying Moryo was. A few deaths were entirely reasonable.

For another, the priestess's words carried considerable credibility. If Toroi had died for some other reason, the priestess had no need to conceal it, much less fabricate a lie.

After resting for half a day, the team escorted the priestess back to the Land of Demons.

When Yan Luoya of Iwagakure and Juzo Biwa of Kirigakure learned the general course of Moryo's sealing, however, their gazes toward Douyang and Shisui became less than friendly.

Juzo Biwa of Kirigakure, in particular, narrowed his eyes slightly, a contemplative expression appearing on his face, as though he were pondering something.

Douyang keenly picked up on Iwagakure and Kirigakure's hostility, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Konoha and Sunagakure were allies.

But relations with Iwagakure and Kirigakure had never been particularly friendly.

Now that the mission was complete, their brief alliance had vanished entirely.

Holding her daughter, the priestess bowed deeply to all the ninja, thanking them for their help.

Afterward, the ninja from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure took their leave one after another.

Before leaving the shrine, Pakura sought out Team Kakashi and offered a pointed warning. "Be careful. That fellow from Kirigakure seems to have set his sights on you."

Kakashi blinked and nodded. "I'll remember that, Pakura. Take care."

Douyang suddenly spoke up. "You should take care too. I hear things aren't peaceful in Sunagakure."

Pakura's heart trembled slightly at his words. She gave Douyang a long look, but said nothing, quickly leaving with her team.

In the original timeline, Pakura had died in a political struggle toward the end of the Third Shinobi World War. Douyang remembered that Rasa seemed to have sold her out to Kirigakure.

The butterfly effect caused by Douyang had saved Pakura's life, but as long as Rasa remained the Fourth Kazekage, her situation was still perilous.