Conspiracy

Uzumaki looked at the desolate land in front of him and ignored it. He was about to turn around and leave, but found a strange light on the ground. Uzumaki took a closer look and found that it was a ring with a north character carved on it. Uzumaki immediately understood that this was a ring belonging to Kakuto and the Akatsuki organization. Uzumaki put it away and turned around to leave. Soon, he returned to the Miko Palace.

The main gate had just been breached by Kakuzu, but a dozen or so men were guarding it. Upon seeing Uzumaki Hane, they all bowed respectfully. After Uzumaki Hane responded, he walked through the gate. The gate was gone, and the soldiers who had been attacked by Kakuzu were nowhere to be seen; they had presumably been knocked down to receive treatment, leaving only scorched earth. At this moment, soldiers were everywhere in the palace, clearly on guard against intruders. Upon seeing Uzumaki Hane return, all the soldiers bowed respectfully.

Uzumaki Hane arrived at the palace where Shion was. Taruho was directing soldiers in the corridor. Upon seeing Uzumaki Hane, she hurriedly came to greet her. Uzumaki Hane said, "It's all alright now." The two entered the palace.

Shion sat upright in the main seat, her face full of anxiety. Upon seeing Uzumaki Hane, she quickly stood up and went to greet her.

Shion asked, "Uzumaki Hane, are you alright?"

Uzumaki Hane smiled slightly, reached out and stroked her long hair, and said, "It's alright, I've dealt with the intruder. This time, I'm the one who dragged you into this. That person came looking for me; he's an sworn enemy of mine."

Shion pouted and then said angrily, "What do you mean by 'implicate'? Your enemy is my enemy. If I ever run into him, I'll show him the power of a priestess."

Taruho said solemnly, "Uzumaki Hane, given your contributions to our Land of Demons, we will fully support you no matter what."

Uzumaki Hane said, "It's alright, everything is resolved." Having dealt with Kakuzu this time, Uzumaki Hane felt as if a burden had been lifted from his heart. He had been unconscious at the time and didn't know Kakuzu's condition. If Kakuzu died, given Kakuzu strength, and if Kakuzu had kept him in his sights, he might have been defeated by him one day. He would just wait until the crater was built before going back to train.

Uzumaki Hane then asked, "How are the soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Shion and Taruho's expressions turned grave. Taruho said, "More than fifty soldiers were killed or wounded this time, thirteen of whom died on the spot, and the rest are seriously injured and are receiving treatment."

A look of apology appeared on Uzumaki Hane's face. He had just experienced the chaos of the Moryo, and now, because of him, so many casualties had occurred.

Shion and Taruho were busy until nightfall, with Uzumaki Hane assisting them. They only stopped when it was late, and Uzumaki Hane returned to her room to rest.

Meanwhile, in the quiet of the night in Konoha Ninja Village, at the headquarters...

Danzo stood upright, leaning on a cane.

A ninja appeared before Danzo, kneeling on one knee, and said, "Lord Danzo, we have discovered Uzumaki Hane's whereabouts." If Uzumaki Hane were here, she would recognize the ninja kneeling before Danzo as the mysterious ninja who had been constantly scheming against her.

Danzo looked at the ninja and said, "Suzuki, Uzumaki Hane fought with Akatsuki's Kakuzu before, and then disappeared. How come it took so long to find his whereabouts?"

Suzuki said, "Lord Danzo, the two sides were locked in a fierce battle at the time, and their strength was too great for me to approach the battlefield. After the battle, the entire area turned into a lava field, and all clues disappeared. Even I couldn't be sure if Uzumaki Hane was still alive. I've been searching for clues there for some time now. A few days ago, I finally discovered Uzumaki Hane's whereabouts and immediately returned to report."

Danzo said, "Oh, so you discovered Uzumaki Hane's whereabouts because of the Moryo?" Danzo had already obtained information about the Moryo's resurrection, and Suzuki had already sent the information back. Danzo already knew where Uzumaki Hane was.

Suzuki said, "Uzumaki Hane is in the Land of Demons. Because the Land of Land of Demons is located in a remote area, and there is an agreement that ordinary ninjas will not go there; in addition, it seems that he has been staying in the Sealing Shrine the Moryo is sealed, so I have not been able to find his whereabouts. It was only because of the Moryo's resurrection that I was able to find his whereabouts."

Danzo pondered for a moment and said, "Given Uzumaki Hane 'Uzumaki Hane rapid growth during this time, his strength must have increased. Take my secret letter and go find Orochimaru, and have them deal with Uzumaki Hane."

Suzuki replied, "Yes, Lord Danzo."

Danzo continued, "Remember, joining forces with Orochimaru to deal with Uzumaki Hane is secondary; your main task is to check on Orochimaru's injuries."

Suzuki replied in a deep voice, "Yes, Lord Danzo." Orochimaru, as one of the Legendary Sannin, was infamous. Suzuki's heart was filled with extreme apprehension as he wanted to investigate the true nature of such a person.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Uzumaki Hane stayed in the priestess's palace. Kakuzu's appearance made Uzumaki Hane realize that her whereabouts had been exposed and that her enemies would come looking for her. Although Shion Awakening awakened the priestess's power, Uzumaki Hane didn't know how strong she was and was a little worried, especially about Danzo. Danzo wouldn't give up easily. The fact that Danzo sent people to intercept and kill her when she left the village to train showed that Danzo was probably already plotting something after her whereabouts were exposed.

Uzumaki Hane spent her days practicing Taijutsu and her nights strengthening her body. Time flew by, and Uzumaki Hane could feel her strength gradually increasing.

Over the past month, with the help of Taruho, Shion has become increasingly adept at handling affairs in the Land of Demons. Coupled with her busy schedule, Shion has finally finished dealing with all the matters concerning the Moryo.

In the shrine maiden's palace, Shion sat upright in the main seat, her lips pursed, clearly displeased. Taruho, however, knelt beside her, her expression serious, and said, "Lady Shion, I absolutely disagree with this." She then looked at Uzumaki Hane beside her, signaling him to speak and dissuade Shion.

Uzumaki Hane's face was also full of helplessness. After the incident with the Moryo, Shion and she had become very close, and Uzumaki Hane loved her like a younger sister. During this time, Uzumaki Hane had been staying at the shrine maiden's palace, Shion seemed to be becoming more and more clingy to her.

This morning, the craftsmen brought news that the crater had been repaired. Since there hadn't been any lava training for a month, Uzumaki Hane decided to head to the crater immediately for training, so she went to the palace to say goodbye to Shion.