To fulfill her promise, the priestess kept Team Kakashi in the Land of Demons for a while under the pretext of helping seal Moryo's soul.
Every evening, the priestess would summon Douyang alone to teach him Sealing Jutsu.
As a master of Sealing Jutsu, the priestess was unquestionably the foremost expert in the Shinobi World.
It was only because she had no chakra and could activate Sealing Jutsu only through priestess power that she was a weak woman unable to even truss a chicken. Otherwise, she would never have been so helpless.
What surprised the priestess was Douyang's considerable talent for Sealing Jutsu.
He understood many aspects of Sealing Jutsu after a single explanation and could even draw further conclusions and apply what he learned to related areas.
The priestess believed she had gotten all the advantages in her deal with Douyang, so she held nothing back while teaching him and put her heart into guiding him.
Through Douyang's deliberate efforts, the priestess gradually became drawn to his aptitude for Sealing Jutsu, and their feelings for each other rapidly deepened.
The bright moon hung in the sky, generously casting its silvery light.
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice into her bedroom.
Bathed in that silvery glow, the priestess asked with a blush, "Why do you insist on having me wear my priestess robes?"
Douyang looked at the priestess bathed in moonlight. "I like the way you look in priestess robes. There's a sacred beauty to it."
"And then you tear them to pieces?"
The priestess gave Douyang a charmingly sultry roll of her eyes.
Douyang smiled, moved close to her ear, and said with a perfectly straight face, "There are still some aspects of Sealing Jutsu I don't quite understand. Lady Miroku, please give me some guidance."
At his words, the priestess's pretty face turned crimson. She shot Douyang a coy, reproachful glare, then slowly lowered her head to guide him in practicing his techniques.
Her standing in the Land of Demons equaled that of its daimyo, and she was respected even in the Five Great Nations. She had never encountered a man as forceful as Douyang, but that also made her more willing to cooperate.
Watching the priestess earnestly guide him in practicing his techniques, Douyang was delighted.
No wonder Boss Cao liked married women.
They really were irresistible.
Their relationship progressed quickly. They were inseparable, clinging to each other all day.
Of course, Douyang had not forgotten his real business, and he never fell behind in his study of Sealing Jutsu.
For one thing, he benefited from the unreserved guidance of the priestess, a master of Sealing Jutsu. For another, after awakening the Kokugan, his comprehension had improved considerably, and he learned everything quickly.
After more than a month of practice, Douyang had learned almost all of the Priestess Clan's Sealing Jutsu.
One day, after finishing her oral instruction, the priestess asked with a blush, "I've heard there are nine tailed beasts in the Shinobi World. Are you learning these Sealing Jutsu to deal with tailed beasts?"
Douyang shook his head and explained, "Not just to deal with tailed beasts. Since Sealing Jutsu can suppress Moryo, it can also be effective against any ninja if used properly. By the way, do you think my current sealing power could seal Moryo?"
Miroku considered it for a moment, then said softly, "That's hard to say. The main reason I can seal Moryo is simply that priestess power counters him. If it were a tailed beast on the same level as Moryo, I might not be able to seal it."
Douyang rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, finding the priestess's words reasonable.
The priestess and Moryo had originally been one entity.
The priestess represented the good side, while Moryo represented the evil side.
The two inherently sustained and countered each other.
Although Moryo was a massive being on the level of a tailed beast, the priestess's record against him could not serve as a reference.
Still, even after realizing this, Douyang did not particularly mind.
After all, the strength of Sealing Jutsu varied from person to person. Once his strength increased, the power of his Sealing Jutsu would increase along with it.
Sealing a tailed beast would not be difficult then.
Seeing Douyang's brows relax, the priestess gave a seductive smile and nestled into his arms, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.
"Douyang, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Douyang gently stroked the priestess's snowy-white skin and said softly, "Whatever it is, just tell me."
The two of them were intimately joined, with no distinction between them.
After a moment's hesitation, the priestess said, "I'd like Shion to study at your Konoha Ninja Academy in the future."
Douyang looked somewhat surprised at her words.
No wonder the priestess had been so enthusiastic and proactive when teaching him Sealing Jutsu.
Besides Douyang being her savior and having an aptitude for Sealing Jutsu, another crucial reason was that she was paving the way for her daughter.
Although the priestess's line held an exalted position in the Land of Demons, they were still fundamentally ordinary people compared with ninja.
During the battle to seal Moryo, the priestess had witnessed Douyang and Shisui's formidable combat prowess and entertained the prospect of having her young daughter learn ninjutsu.
Douyang thought it over, then readily agreed. "Once Shion is old enough to enroll, I'll come take her to Konoha."
The priestess breathed a sigh of relief, then asked somewhat nervously, "Then do you think Shion has any talent as a ninja?"
Douyang nodded without hesitation. "Of course. There's no question about her talent."
The priestess's line was similar to the bloodline clans of the ninja world.
But in bloodline clans, the bloodline was spread out, and their members varied in strength. The strong could reach Jonin or Kage Level, while the weak remained at the Genin level or could not become ninja at all.
The priestess's line had only one successor in each generation. Priestess power was concentrated in each successive priestess, so there was no issue of the bloodline being spread out.
If Shion became a ninja, her starting point would already be far above other people's.
A few more days passed, and Kakashi and the others, who had gone out to find materials for sealing Moryo's soul, successfully completed their mission and returned to the Priestess Temple.
Dressed in a pure white kimono, Douyang sat upright on a meditation cushion.
The priestess sat beside Douyang, chatting and laughing as though no one else were there.
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes glanced at the priestess from time to time.
He felt that the two were far too intimate.
How many days had it even been?
They were moving far too fast.
Even when a man and woman who had been intimate deliberately concealed it, their inadvertent exchanges of glances and intentional or unintentional physical contact were different from those between ordinary friends.
What was more, the relationship between the priestess and the Konoha ninja was fundamentally one of employer and hired help.
Douyang had once approached Kakashi privately, saying that he intended to learn the priestess's Sealing Jutsu and hoped the team could stay in the Land of Demons a little longer.
Kakashi surmised that Douyang had sold his body and given himself to the priestess to learn Sealing Jutsu.
So the handsome-man ploy worked this well?
They hadn't taught that at the Ninja Academy.
Thinking about the additional chakra guzzler he carried and how listless he looked all day, he probably could not use the handsome-man ploy the way Douyang did.
Douyang spent another few shameless days with the priestess. Finally, at Kakashi's urging, he mustered tremendous willpower to climb out of her tender embrace, bid her farewell, and return to Konoha.
On the way back to the village, the four chatted leisurely.
People who had faced life and death together developed trust in one another at a rapid pace.
Even the aloof Kakashi became more cheerful.
They were in no hurry as they traveled.
Only three days later did they leave the Land of Demons and enter the Land of Grass.
Kakashi stood atop a large tree, looking out over the familiar Land of Grass as far as his eyes could see.
Before you continue