The journey to the Land of Swamps was more difficult than expected. It wasn't because there were any enemies along the way; the main reason was simply—the priestess Shion of the Land of Demons!
This is a little girl who has never received ninja training. She is also a priestess of a country, equivalent to a ruler. She has been pampered since childhood and is always served and protected by others.
She couldn't keep up with the ninjas' pace and could only move forward slowly.
Taruho had already carried her once, but she complained that the ride on Taruho's back was too bumpy.
"You're so spoiled!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at Shion's face.
Shion remained silent, seemingly unresponsive to Naruto's words, simply walking forward. But how could her delicate frame withstand such a long journey?
Moreover, she is about the same age as Shinsei and the others, probably only around 13 years old.
It's simply unrealistic for an ordinary little girl like her to walk from one country to another.
At this moment, Shinsei began to miss the incredibly advanced transportation network of his previous life's country. Unlike this Shinobi World, which, despite possessing advanced technology, had developed very unevenly.
Most of the time, when carrying out tasks, we rely on our own two feet to travel as fast as we can.
Yes, this is a problem worth taking seriously. If I ever get the chance to manage this world, I'll definitely build a lot more roads.
There's an old saying, "To get rich, build roads first." Only with strong transportation capabilities can different places be connected, boosting their economies.
Naruto scratched his hair in frustration. He had never imagined that the difficulty would come not from the enemy, but from his own people.
"Alright, alright! I'll carry you on my back!" Naruto walked up to Shion, squatted down with his back to her, and stretched out his hands.
Despite Naruto's kindness, Shion did not choose to let him carry her; instead, she took a step back.
Naruto waited for a long time, only to find that Shion had actually gotten further away from him. He angrily shouted, "You can't walk fast on your own, and you won't let me carry you! What do you want?!"
Perhaps it was a gentle breeze that ruffled Shion's pale golden hair and brushed against her eyes, causing them to redden. She stubbornly refused to answer, simply turning her face to the side.
Shion's red eyes immediately left Naruto at a loss.
He didn't know what to do next—should he go over and comfort the little girl, or continue to persuade her to let him carry her?
Taruho walked up to the Shion maiden Shion and bowed apologetically to the crowd:
"I apologize, everyone. There's a reason why the priestess wouldn't let Naruto carry her; it's not that my lady is being unreasonable."
Shinsei didn't care; Killer B was fine, so arriving a day earlier or later made no difference.
However, he also wanted to hear Taruho's explanation for the shrine maiden's behavior. Although he hadn't said it like Naruto had, he also felt that the shrine maiden's behavior was a bit strange, as if she was deliberately distancing herself from others.
"You should know that our priestess has the ability to foresee the future."
She foresaw that her closeness to others would bring them unhappiness.
Because the priestess foresaw many people dying for her from a young age, she gradually closed herself off and became unwilling to get close to others. The priestess believed that this would prevent her from bringing misfortune to others.
This explanation silenced all the ninjas. They never expected that the reason behind the priestess's eccentric personality was so unique.
Naruto's anger vanished instantly. He stepped forward and loudly addressed Shion:
"A person's fate is not immutable! I was once hated by everyone as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but now no villagers hate me!"
As long as you work hard, you can ultimately change your destiny!
Unfortunately, Naruto's words did not move the priestess Shion. Faced with Naruto's approach, she took a step back. "You cannot get too close to me. I foretold your death."
Naruto didn't believe in these so-called fates, but the little girl in front of him was unwilling to get close, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Taruho explained, "Those whom the priestess prophesied to die, without exception, have all perished. The priestess's wish is for Naruto to live, so she wants to stay away from you."
Naruto was both angry and touched by Taruho's explanation, and he told Shion that he was not afraid of these things.
But Shion shook her head, pointing with her slender finger at Shinsei, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines. "He can, but I can't predict his fate."
Shion had never felt so curious about anyone before. She had tried various methods, but none of them could make any predictions about the boy in front of her, as if her abilities vanished into thin air when she touched him.
The young man in front of me always had a bright smile on his face, confident and warm, as if everything was under his control.
Shinsei hadn't intended to get involved, but the little girl in front of him had pointed him out, so carrying her for a while wouldn't hurt. He walked up to Shion and squatted down.
This time, Shion didn't refuse. Instead, she obediently climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. The little girl on his back was very light; he could hardly feel her weight.
Of course, as Shinsei's Tsunade, Shinsei's weight wouldn't make much of a difference even if there were 100 more of him.
Without Shion's burden, the group's pace quickened considerably. Even Samui, who had just recovered from his injuries, did not slow them down.
As they sprinted quickly, the wind ruffled Shion's long, neatly styled golden hair. Shinsei felt Shion's face flush slightly behind him.
She whispered, "My name is Shion."
"Yes, I know."
"May I have your name?"
Shinsei felt something was off and couldn't help but ask, "My name is Shinsei. Didn't you say you knew my name before?"
Shinsei felt that Shion's face was getting even hotter.
Do you think fate can really be changed?
"Of course," Shinsei replied matter-of-factly. "When I first started training, my grandfather told me that my Chakra would be around the level of a regular Jonin."
My grandfather has a very accurate eye for talent; his judgments are generally correct. Although this is already quite good in most people's eyes, I am not satisfied with it.
So through various efforts, my Chakra reserves have now far exceeded those of Jonin.
Shion nestled on Shinsei's shoulder and nodded her little head. The Land of Demons wasn't a closed-off place; she had heard tales of ninjas, including Shinsei's name.
According to her understanding, Shinsei was already one of the strongest ninjas in the entire Shinobi World. She never expected that someone like him would be predicted by his maternal grandfather when he was a child to only reach the Jonin at most.
Can fate really be changed? The wind generated by her rapid running tousled Shion's hair and stirred her thoughts.
Suddenly she felt that the surroundings were no longer as cold as before, as if a beam of light was shining in.
The Land of Demons is not a place that can be reached in a day from the Land of Swamps. The sun gradually set and the moon slowly rose. The group found an open space as a temporary resting place.
Because there were wounded and a priestess among the group, the temporary camp was no longer as rudimentary as before.
Fortunately, Shinsei had brought enough storage scrolls to carry a lot of things, and after some preparation, he was able to set up several comfortable tents.