70 Land Of Demons
The following morning...
Naruto strolled into the Hokage's office.
"Naruto, you're going to head up a mission with your team," Tsunade announced.
"Wait, it's not just me on this one?" Naruto inquired.
"No, you'll be joining forces with Sakura and..." Tsunade was saying, just as a knock interrupted her, "Enter!" she called out, and in walked Sakura, Rock Lee, and Neji.
Neji, Sakura, and Rock Lee gave their respects to Tsunade with a bow.
"You'll be teaming up with Sakura, Neji, and Rock Lee for this mission," Tsunade declared.
"Got it... But what about Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke?" Naruto probed.
"They've got their own assignments to tackle," Tsunade clarified.
"Alright then, details on this mission," Naruto said.
"We've received an escort mission for a VIP," Tsunade revealed.
"Why would an escort mission require two Jounins and two Chunin?" Naruto questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"Well, the person you'll be escorting is incredibly important, and the mission itself is far more dangerous than you might think," Tsunade explained, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
"Who exactly are we escorting, and who are our adversaries?" Sakura inquired, her interest piqued.
"Our enemies have been wreaking havoc for several days now, leaving destruction in their wake. They seem to possess a powerful puppeteer jutsu," Tsunade elucidated.
"So, someone is controlling those lifeless dolls?" Sakura deduced.
"Exactly," Tsunade confirmed.
"Do we have any information on this puppeteer?" Naruto asked, eager to gather any intel available.
"It would be advantageous if we knew more about the puppeteer," Rock Lee added, his determination shining through.
"The one pulling the strings is not human. Mōryō is a formidable demon," Tsunade revealed.
"A demon?" Sakura and Lee exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yes, long ago, a group of ninja harnessed the power of the demon Mōryō to create an immortal army. They sought to conquer our world. Mōryō controlled this army and managed to seize several countries. He was on the verge of annihilating the entire continent. That's the truth behind the ghost army that is currently threatening the surrounding nations," Tsunade explained, leaning forward with a serious expression.
"That's when the priestess of the Demon Country, Miroku, invoked a powerful Ninjutsu," Tsunade declared, standing up from her chair and unrolling a map on the desk. "She sealed Mouryou's soul in the underground palace of the Demon Country and his body in a shrine located in the swamp country. By separating and sealing him in two different places, they were able to halt his ambitions. However, now that Mouryou has been revived, he is using his armies to pass through the Demon Country and make his way towards the shrine where his body is kept."
"If Mouryou manages to reunite his soul with his body and fully revive himself, there will be no stopping him," Tsunade warned, her gaze focused on the team.
"And it would spell the end of the world," Naruto stated with a grave expression.
"Yes," Tsunade confirmed, her eyes still fixed on the map. "Your mission is to escort the high priestess of the Demon Country to the shrine where Mouryou's body is kept. The only way to save the world is to seal away Mouryou's soul once again."
"Understood!" the team responded in unison, their determination evident.
At the Konoha gate, the team gathered, prepped and ready for the mission ahead.
"Alright, listen up. This mission is key, and we can't afford any slip-ups. Our job is to guard the priestess Miroku, and we've got to nail it," Naruto said, his tone casual yet carrying an unmistakable seriousness.
"Got it!" Rock Lee responded, his enthusiasm as evident as ever.
"As for the plan... I'm more of a 'play it by ear' kind of guy, adapting to the situation as we go. But, here's the gist of it," Naruto continued, laying out the strategy with a confident ease.
With Naruto leading, they departed from the village.
In a secluded area within the Land of Demons...
Yomi, the mastermind aiming to resurrect the demon Mouryou, was orchestrating his plan.
Surrounded by his puppet soldiers, Yomi awaited his underlings. "Where are my men?" he demanded.
"We stand before you," responded his four subordinates, appearing in front of him immediately, bowing deeply.
"I need you to rush to the Demon Country immediately. Eliminate the priestess skilled in sealing techniques," Yomi ordered.
"As you command."
"Take these," Yomi said, handing over some snake-like creatures from his sleeves. "You four are the only ones who can manage them." Their eyes briefly glowed red, then returned to normal.
"Now, go!" With Yomi's command, they set off.
Soon after, the village where Shion resided came under attack. The infiltrating subordinates of Yomi overwhelmed most of the village guards, leaving chaos in their wake.
As they made their way to Shion's room, only a handful of guards stood in their way. In the ensuing conflict, one brave soul laid down his life to protect Shion from the lethal kunais hurled by the assailants.
"Looks like we'll be taking that priestess with us," one of the intruders announced as they closed in on Shion, with the last guard positioning himself protectively in front of her, sword drawn.
"Give it your best shot... though I wouldn't bet on your chances," came a sudden voice from behind. The attackers spun around, only to realize their mistake. "Looking the wrong way," the voice said with a smirk. They turned again to find Naruto, now standing beside Shion and the guard, who was just as shocked by Naruto's sudden appearance.
"What's the deal with this guy? Popped up out of nowhere! Think he's as tough as us?" Shizuku wondered aloud.
"Must be a fool to show up by himself," Setsuna mocked.
"Whoa there! Who said I was flying solo?" Naruto retorted. In that moment, Neji, Rock Lee, and Sakura launched a surprise attack on the assailants.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!" Neji unleashed his technique on Kusuna, sending him reeling back.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Rock Lee charged at Setsuna and Shizuku, his kicks swift and precise, forcing them to dodge in surprise.
Naruto turned to Shion and Taruho, who were visibly shaken. "Hey, no worries now. We're from the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha," he reassured them, his confidence radiating.
"Konoha?!" Taruho echoed in disbelief.
"Yep," Naruto confirmed with a nod.
Meanwhile, Neji, Rock Lee, and Sakura were engaging the enemies, forcing them to regroup.
"I'm drained, out of chakra. We shouldn't have wasted so much taking down the guards," one of them lamented.
"Yeah, time to pull back. We'll make our move again later," Shizuku decided. With that, the four made their retreat of the place, leaving the scene for the time being, as Neji, Lee and Sakura watched them ran away.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]
