In late January, it was the day of the coming-of-age ceremony for the main lineage miko of the Kingdom of Demons. Aster City already had a lively atmosphere.
Just like a large-scale celebration, many banners were already placed on the city streets during the day.
Make this winter seem extra warm.
The personnel of the security force are also distributed along the important hubs of the city, planning the security issues on the path the witch will take.
Although I don’t think anyone would make any noise in Ziyuan City in a place like this at this time, we can never underestimate the spontaneous curiosity of human beings. The role of the security force, in addition to planning the route of the streets, is In order to prevent anyone from causing trouble at such an important celebration.
As the orthodox monarch of the Kingdom of Ghosts, the significance of the miko's coming-of-age ceremony is extraordinary. It means that the 'divine realm' will interfere with the 'human world'. The 'divine realm' will be connected with the 'human world'. At this time, the miko will also have a real leader The power of the ghost kingdom.
Although many things have changed in the Demon Country today compared to the past, the core purpose has not changed, such as recognizing the status of miko as the orthodox monarch and being hereditary... Even if everyone will fight for each generation of Demon Country Miko So confused as to who the 'husband' is.
However, if you really dig deeper, you might discover some terrifying facts that go beyond human common sense.
As the Minister of Military Affairs of the Kingdom of Demons, and as the 'father' of Shion, the main lineage of this generation of miko, Shiraishi naturally has to attend such a celebration.
Moreover, we are very close to our 'daughter' Shion, so we should keep following her.
Firstly, it is to show the relationship between the two parties and to get along harmoniously, extinguishing some people's thoughts that they should not have. Secondly, it is also to ensure that the ceremony can proceed smoothly and act as a guard.
Overtly and covertly, Shiraishi could more or less feel that some people were staring at Ziyuan with malicious eyes.
Sure enough, there are still criminals who want to assassinate the miko.
Then, under Shiraishi's instructions, the good son, General Dou, quietly dragged the attackers who were preparing to carry out the 'big news' one by one underground, and made their idea of making the 'big news' aborted.
There are fewer and fewer malicious eyes, which also means the passing of fresh lives.
For these guys who want to threaten the lives of the miko, the monarch of the Demon Country, Shiraishi doesn't even think about trying them. He also knows that there is no point in catching them for interrogation. It doesn't matter who sent them, what matters is There shouldn't be any surprises in today's ceremony.
Gun salutes roared in the winter city and exploded in the sky.
At the moment when the salute roared, there was another gunshot, but it was drowned out by the sound of the salute.
In the dark alley, a ninja holding a long-range shooting crossbow fell into the shadows. Blood liquid covered the shadow walls. His whole chest exploded, and something penetrated his body.
At a backlit corner of the building, Cai silently picked up the sniper rifle, put away the casings of the sniper bullets, then disappeared from the corner, came to another place, and aimed the muzzle of the sniper rifle at another person. Ninja preparing to attack.
Waiting for the next round of salutes, this is when the attacker lost his life. "I seemed to have heard some strange noise just now..." Among the crowd, Temari seemed to hear a different sound in the salute.
"You heard me wrong," Kankuro said, putting his hands behind his head.
Gaara, on the other hand, tilted his head, and his green pupils glanced indifferently at the location where Sai was hiding, then calmly turned his eyes back to look at the miko walking in the middle of the empty street.
He has no interest in the miko's coming-of-age ceremony or various secret plots and assassinations.
"It's called Gaara... His alertness is really strong, and it's more difficult than four years ago." Gaara's reaction was naturally within Cai's observation.
Cai not only noticed the sound of the gunshot, but also determined his position, which made Cai slightly surprised. Immediately, he regained his composure. As the salute exploded in the sky again, sniper bullets burst out from the muzzle.
Without looking at the attacker's death, Cai moved her position one after another, scanning the whole place with her white eyes, and eliminated these 'rats' hiding in secret one by one.
Although she doesn't understand why these attackers think that their poor concealment skills will not be noticed, Cai will not stop her action of exterminating the 'rats'.
Strictly speaking, Ziyuan is slightly older than him and is his sister.
This coming-of-age ceremony for my sister cannot be ruined by anyone. Just let these 'rats' disappear in the darkness.
He will not show any mercy to these 'rats' who want to destroy the stability of the Kingdom of Ghosts. "There are so many people... you can't even see them like this."
Looking at the head swinging in front of him, Ino, who was not very tall, could not see the scene inside at all.
If you want to take a close look at the miko of the land of ghosts, you can't do that.
"I advise you not to bother, Ino. In this case, you can't see inside."
Choji dissuaded Ino from giving up.
Choji felt that Ino's idea of comparing her beauty with the miko from the Kingdom of Demons was a bit childish. What ninjas focus on is not their appearance, but their strength. Besides, how can a woman have snacks that are good to eat?
"You can't say for sure, it depends on me——"
Ino thought of something and began to place hand seals, aiming at a figure in front of him, preparing to activate the Heart Turning Technique.
"Hey, don't mess around!" Shikamaru immediately stopped Ino's behavior.
This is not Konoha. If someone from the Ghost Country's security force discovers it, I don't know what the punishment will be.
Moreover, if someone is killed, the outcome will be even worse.
For Shikamaru, the shrine maidens of the Demon Country were not interesting at all, and he really couldn't understand why Ino was so keen on this aspect.
"But, if you don't do this, you won't be able to see inside at all." Ino was worried about this. "Why do you insist on this?"
Shikamaru asked helplessly.
"Because I heard that the miko from the land of ghosts is an extremely beautiful girl. You should take a look at her from the front no matter what."
Ino put her hands on her hips and said sternly, "Women are really troublesome." "What did you say?"
"Uh... I mean, don't forget our mission. Didn't we agree that we came here today to look for Sakura?"
Shikamaru quickly changed the topic. He didn't want to be caught by Ino and lectured for a long time. It would be annoying to death. "Sakura... yes, Sakura!"
Ino also suddenly understood.
"Use your perception ninjutsu to sense and you will know the location." Shikamaru said. "I understand."
Ino nodded. For such an important celebration, Sakura would probably appear.
So, Ino let go of her sensory ninjutsu and searched for Sakura's chakra among tens of thousands of chakras.
Although they haven't seen each other for two years, she will never forget the color and aura of Sakura's chakra.
"Found it!" After a while, Ino said loudly. "Where is it?"
Shikamaru asked quickly.
Choji also stopped eating snacks and put the uneaten snacks into his ninja bag. "In this direction!" Ino took the lead and pushed through the crowd.
"Hey, stop squeezing! You can't even see me anymore!" "What bastard is squeezing here and there, please calm down!" "Who, who is touching my butt, ah, gangster!"
The noisy sounds, and the screams of women, were constantly pouring into my ears from the side. Walking in the dense crowd was definitely a chore.
In this situation, most people would just surrender. But in the dictionary of ninjas, there is no such word as surrender.
Even in this situation, he was still walking like flying, looking for the 'target'. "No!" Ino suddenly shouted again.
"What's wrong?" "Sakura's chakra is transferring rapidly." "Did you notice us?"
The movement of the three of them was a bit loud, and Sakura was a ninja who was extremely attentive to her surroundings, so she might have noticed their presence.
"I guess so."
Thinking of this, Ino couldn't help but become anxious and chased after Sakura in the direction where she was quickly moving.
Shikamaru and Choji had no choice but to follow quickly. The voices of the crowd seemed to be cursing louder. "What's wrong, father?"
On the empty street, Shion and Shiraishi walked in the middle of the team. In front were two dignified young shrine maidens leading the way. Behind them were the shrine maidens, as well as a guard of honor composed of ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni. The grandeur has become the only focus of pedestrians on both sides.
Ziyon's miko uniform was extremely luxurious, and her long, disheveled hair was neatly combed.
There is also a gorgeous golden crown on the top of the head, which can highlight the majesty of the monarch even at a young age.
Maintaining the extraordinary temperament that a monarch of a country should have, and the steady pace that was achieved after several days of rigorous training, Ziyuan moved forward steadily according to this rhythm.
Perhaps out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shiraishi's slight tilt of his head, and Shion asked softly.
"It's nothing, just some trivial things." The noise caused by Shikamaru and the others did not escape Shiraishi's eyes.
He is probably looking for traces of the girl named Haruno Sakura.
Regarding this matter, Shiraishi only paid a little attention to it and withdrew his gaze. In the end, it was just a fight between young people. After realizing the gap in reality, he would naturally take the initiative to retreat.
As the Minister of Military Affairs, he would not personally come forward for such a matter.
On this day of national celebration, Shion's coming-of-age ceremony is undoubtedly the most important thing today. As long as the ceremony is not disrupted, Shiraishi doesn't care about the play among the children.
But if he makes any extraordinary move, he must be 'disappeared'.
In order to ensure the progress of the celebration, there were 500 ninjas dispatched on the surface alone, and he, the Minister of Military Affairs, personally went into battle.
As for the number of guards in the dark, there are even more.
They densely covered all the surrounding corridors and blocks, and launched an operation to clean up the 'rats'. "But it's really hard on you today." Shiraishi said, his eyes full of love.
Miko can look directly into the sight of human death.
Seeing so many human beings at once, needless to say, this is a very cruel thing for Shion who is still unable to control her own power.
"It doesn't matter, I'm used to this kind of scene..."
There were so many that it was impossible to even compare the death scenes of each person. Ziyuan's face remained calm.
Looking at the respect and yearning on the faces of the people on both sides, it would be false to say that there is no touching in the heart. This is the existence that the witches of the past have guarded. It is also an important thing that she will always guard in the future.
Until the day I die.
The constant noise in my ears is completely different from the ethereal silence of the shrine. This is a breath unique to the 'human world'.
Although Shion enjoys this kind of atmosphere, she also knows that as a miko, she cannot stay in such a place for a long time.
Perhaps because she wanted to take another look at the people and things here, Ziyuan could not help but slow down her pace, just to stay here for a while longer...
The noise stopped, the industrial atmosphere gradually disappeared, and the 'tour' was over.
Accompanying him were not only officials, ninjas, and witches from the Kingdom of Ghosts, but also envoys from other countries.
The breath of the 'human world' gradually fades away, and the next step is to return to the 'divine realm', paying homage to the ancestors and making declarations to the witches of the past.
Shikamaru and the other three were still chasing.
After finally chasing the crowd, there was no one here, the streets were empty, only various empty shops were still open.
"Here!"
Ino shouted. Although he could not find Sakura, the chakra reaction was still being sensed and had not been lost.
"Wait..." Shikamaru was about to say something, but Ino had already run out first. Choji took a breath and stood beside Shikamaru.
"What should we do, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked Shikamaru for his opinion. "What else can we do? Keep chasing."
Shikamaru shook his head helplessly and caught up with Ino's running footsteps, heading towards the deserted alleyway of the commercial street.
In fact, he really wanted to say that since Sakura's first thought when she saw them was to avoid all the memories of the past, then this meant that there was no trace of them chasing after them.
No matter what you say, the other party will never come back.
Therefore, instead of pursuing it desperately, it would be better to just give up.
It's not that Shikamaru doesn't care about this former companion... but because he cares, he should let go of everything.
This may be the best outcome for them and for Sakura.
Even though they still live together in this world, there is a 'barrier' between them, enough to divide them into two worlds.
However, such words could not come out of Shikamaru's mouth. They were too inhumane and would also hurt Ino's heart.
Like a precision machine that is constantly working, cold-blooded, calm, rational, and devoid of human emotions.
Therefore, even though he knew that meeting Sakura would not produce any good results if things continued like this, Shikamaru's footsteps subconsciously started to run faster.
"It's right in front, she has stopped!" Sensing Sakura's chakra, Ino's face showed joy. Within her range of perception, Sakura's chakra stopped.
"Wait a minute, it seems like there is..."
This time, Shikamaru quickly stopped Ino from stepping forward quickly.
Because the atmosphere of the buildings in front is very peaceful, which is completely different from the bustle on the commercial street.
Judging from the structure of the building complex, this is obviously a residential area different from the commercial street, and it is quite high-end.
Shikamaru had heard that this place was a military residential area belonging to the Kingdom of Demons. It was completely different in nature from ordinary residential areas.
Sure enough, before they could get close, at the entrance of this unimaginably huge residential area, two ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni in black coats suddenly appeared in front of the three of them and intercepted them as strangers. Come down.
"Stop, no entry ahead!"
Not to mention that Shikamaru and the other three were strangers. Not only had they never met each other before as 'gatekeepers', but the three of them were wearing Konoha ninja forehead protectors. It was obviously against the rules to break into such a place as themselves.
"What, who are you guys?" Ino wanted to rush over eagerly.
One of the ninjas immediately drew out the ninja sword from his back. In just a flash, the tip of the blade was in front of Ino, and her pupils quickly dilated.
A trace of cold sweat slipped from Ino's forehead.
Looking at the ninja sword so close at hand, Ino couldn't help but have a flash of fear in his eyes.
"Are you ninjas from Konoha? Sorry, the area ahead is prohibited. Please don't increase our workload and go back."
Another ninja from the Kingdom of Oni came over. She was a young woman in her twenties. Her attitude was better than that of the male ninja next to her, but she also expressed a clear rejection in her words.
Then, she pressed down the ninja sword in the male ninja's hand. "But..."
Shikamaru patted Ino's shoulder, stood in front of Ino, and explained to the two Demon Country ninjas: "Well, actually, we are old acquaintances with the cherry-haired girl who ran over just now. If possible, we can Can you pass it on for us?"
"Ah, are you talking about the Haruno family's daughter?" the female ninja tilted her head and asked.
As gatekeepers, they know the names and locations of all the residents in this military residential area. "Yes." Shikamaru nodded affirmatively.
The female ninja pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement and replied: "I understand, then you guys wait here for a while. However, I cannot guarantee that the other party will definitely come out to see you."
"Thank you." Shikamaru thanked him politely.
After signaling with her eyes to the male ninja next to her, the female ninja flashed and headed towards Haruno's house in the residential area.
Not long after, only about half a minute, the female ninja returned here. "Sorry, the other party doesn't seem to want to see you." The female ninja informed this matter.
"What?" Ino widened her eyes in disbelief. "That's true."
The female ninja answered patiently.
Ino looked towards a certain direction in the residential area and bit her lip, with a strong look of unwillingness and confusion.
Shikamaru sighed, patted Ino on the shoulder, turned around and said, "Forget it, Ino, since the other party doesn't want to see us, there's no point in staying here, let's go."
It wasn't that he could look away, but the reality before him forced him to make a choice that was in line with Konoha's ninja position.
"Are you going to give up like this?" Ino asked. She couldn't accept leaving like this.
"What else? Like Naruto, saying you have to bring people back to Konoha no matter what? The moment Sasuke left Konoha, you should have understood that this is absolutely impossible."
Shikamaru replied. "..." Ino was speechless, not knowing how to refute.
"But, Sakura is our companion..."
"It was in the past, it is not now, and it will never be possible in the future. Ino, there are some things I don't want to repeat a second time. Don't forget, you are a Konoha ninja."
Shikamaru stared into Ino's eyes tightly, making Ino take a step back in fear. "I...I know."
Ino had no choice but to obey Shikamaru's wishes, and when she turned back, she still looked in a certain direction with nostalgia.
She knew that in that place, Sakura must be paying attention to what was going on here.
Looking at Ino's dejected figure as he left, Choci was silent for a moment and said, "Shikamaru, you must not be feeling well mentally either. You have been keeping all kinds of worries in your heart lately."
"Who knows about this kind of thing. Perhaps this is the trouble that ninjas will inevitably experience when they grow up. We are no longer chicks who have just graduated from ninja school. If we want to become the pillar of the village in the future, we must not be naive. .Having one naive fool would be troublesome enough. If everyone becomes like this, Konoha will be completely destroyed..."
Shikamaru sighed and walked away. Choji followed silently to the window on the second floor.
The girl with long cherry-pink hair looked at the retreating figures of the three people in the distance, and was lost for a while. A murmuring voice sounded in her mouth: "I'm sorry, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, I'm already..."
◎
"So, where to start next, Brother Scorpion?"
Arriving at the sky above the northern border of the Kingdom of Wind, Deidara stood on the white bird, looking at the endless desert below, and asked Scorpion standing next to him.
Scorpion is originally a ninja from Sunagakure, and he is most familiar with the environment of the Kingdom of Wind. With him as a guide, capturing a Jinchuriki will definitely be more effective with less effort.
Scorpion is holding a map.
The territory of the Country of Wind has changed a lot compared to when he left Sunagakure.
After the Wind Kingdom War eight years ago, a large area in the northwest of the Wind Kingdom was ceded to the Ghost Kingdom.
During the Fourth Ninja War two years ago, some resource areas in the desert were also temporarily 'borrowed' by the Kingdom of Demons.
No matter where you take action, the Kingdom of Ghosts cannot be involved.
After all, this country's military power is too strong. It would be very troublesome to capture the one-tailed jinchūriki. If this terrible country is involved again, it is likely to cause strong interference to the capture of the tailed beasts.
Therefore, you cannot take action within the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Demons.
Soon, Xie used a pen to circle a piece of land on the northern border of the Kingdom of Wind.
"I remember that there is an abandoned workshop stronghold here that I used to have. If no one discovers it, we should be able to use it. And this is also the place where a Jinchūriki must pass when returning to the Kingdom of Wind. When the time comes, we will ambush here. ."
Scorpion said.
"Brother Scorpion, why are you imitating that Orochimaru guy and digging holes everywhere? Hmm." Deidara instead focused on this issue. "Shut up, or I'll kill you, Deidara!"
Xie Xie raised his eyebrows, and his voice suddenly became cold and rough. He was obviously a handsome young man with an extremely delicate appearance. "I know."
Deidara closed his mouth in embarrassment.
He is obviously a handsome boy, but his temper is still as bad as ever. Is this kind of contrast art popular recently?
"In addition, the location for sealing the One-Tail Jinchuuriki is in the Land of Grass. The stronghold for sealing there has been prepared. However, considering that after the One-Tail Jinchuuriki is captured, there will be pursuers from Sunagakure Village... Therefore , we must prepare traps in advance to delay their rescue time."
Xie said clearly. "How to divide the work? Hmm."
"I will make the traps on the way to the Land of Grass, and you will be responsible for the traps on the Jinchuriki side." Scorpion turned his head and glanced at Deidara. Deidara nodded in agreement without hesitation.
"No problem. Not only C3, I also specially prepared C2 this time... very suitable for waiting for the prey to take the initiative to catch. Hmm."
"Then, let's stop there first."
Xie pointed to a huge sand dune covered by wild sand in the desert in the distance.
