Arima and his team traveled through the night toward the Land of Demons, hoping the situation with the Priestess wasn't too dire.
By the afternoon of the following day, they finally reached the region where the Priestess' Shrine was located. After another hour of travel, they would arrive at their destination.
But to their surprise, the road ahead was blocked, by an army of massive stone puppet statues.
For Arima and the others, this was an ominous sign. The presence of such a force could only mean one thing, the demon Moryo had already broken its seal.
With tens of thousands of puppets clogging the way forward, Arima knew that relying on their six-man squad to force a path would take them well into the next morning.
Handing the sleeping Natsuka over to Tsunade, Arima freed his hands to unleash a powerful technique.
All they needed was to immobilize these puppets for now, once Moryo was sealed again, everything else could be dealt with.
Arima unleashed Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, summoning a massive growth of vines and roots that quickly wrapped around the lifeless stone giants, binding them tightly.
Though everyone had seen the jutsu before, they couldn't help but marvel in their hearts. Only when faced with an entire army does this technique reveal its truly terrifying power.
Within seconds, the stone puppet army had been rendered motionless.
Without wasting time, the group followed Arima as he led them toward the shrine at full speed. As they arrived at the entrance, a messenger had already come out to greet them.
Seeing that reinforcements from Konoha had finally arrived, and that the famed Third Hokage himself was leading them, the messenger's face lit up with joy. He stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for Konoha's aid! I am Ashiji, personal guard to Lady Priestess. By her order, I have been waiting here to receive you!"
Arima nodded and asked, "Have you encountered attacks from the Sky Ninja? Has the demon Moryo already broken free?"
Ashiji's face still bore the pale expression of someone who had survived disaster. His voice trembled slightly with emotion as he replied.
"The demon broke free not long ago! Lady Priestess tried to stop it, but its allies were too powerful.
She could only watch helplessly as Moryo reemerged into the world! Fortunately, your arrival, Lord Hokage, allowed you to restrain the terrifying stone puppets.
Without your help, the shrine might already be in ruins!"
He led them into the shrine's main hall. At the far end of the grand room, the Priestess Kasumi was already seated, calm and composed, as if she had been waiting for them all along.
Arima exchanged polite greetings with her before taking his seat opposite.
Kasumi appeared to be a graceful woman in her early thirties.
Her serene expression carried a sense of wisdom and rationality, and she showed no sign of blame or disappointment despite their late arrival.
She, too, was carefully observing the famed Third Hokage. Arima's calm, assured demeanor radiated quiet confidence, and in that presence, she felt an unmistakable sense of security.
With a gentle smile, Kasumi said, "Thank you for coming in person. On behalf of all the people of the Land of Demons, I offer you my deepest gratitude."
She then prepared to kneel in a formal bow.
Startled, Arima stepped forward to stop her. Such a grand gesture was not something he felt he deserved, not when they hadn't arrived in time to prevent Moryo's release.
But Kasumi insisted. Unable to dissuade her, Arima had no choice but to accept the honor in silence.
When she finally rose, she smiled warmly and said, "You may not understand now why I offered such a formal bow, but I believe you soon will."
The cryptic comment hinted at something deeper, but also seemed deliberately vague. Arima was left puzzled.
Curious, he asked, "Aren't you worried about the consequences of Moryo's release?"
Kasumi shook her head and answered calmly, "Of course I'm worried. Its release spells devastation for the world, this is my failure as a Priestess.
But I once caught a glimpse of the future. I saw a fragment where Moryo was once again swallowed by darkness.
So I believe, despite what's happening now, the ending will be a good one. All I can do is fulfill my duty and leave the rest to fate."
Arima wasn't surprised. He knew Kasumi had the gift of foresight.
They continued exchanging information about Moryo and the Sky Ninja. According to Kasumi, the one who orchestrated the seal's break was none other than the Sky Ninja leader, Miyadera.
He had used a diversion tactic, sending Sky Ninja to create chaos elsewhere, which drew the guarding forces away from the seal.
Then, in a flash, he had personally struck the sealing site, destroying the barrier and taking Moryo's core with him.
By the time Kasumi arrived, it was already too late. She had quickly gathered people to defend against the awakened puppet army.
Thankfully, Arima and his team had arrived in time to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control.
As Arima processed the intelligence, several troubling thoughts surfaced.
First, Miyadera had personally captured a being as strange and intangible as Moryo, he must have some secret weapon capable of restraining such an entity.
Second, all of Miyadera's recent moves seemed to center around chakra sources.
As far as Arima knew, another extraordinary chakra source existed in the desert of the Land of Wind, within the ruins of Roran, the Ryumyaku. Could this be the Sky Ninja's next target?
Third, Miyadera's origins were a mystery. The Sky Ninja's sudden emergence as a powerful force seemed unnatural.
There had been no prior intelligence on them in any major village, something that was nearly impossible on a continent like this. Where did they come from?
Putting all this together, Arima had some theories.
There had been reports that Miyadera possessed a creature resembling a tailed beast, but unlike traditional tailed beasts, this one required a constant supply of chakra from external sources.
Arima also suspected that the Sky Ninja might have originated from an island nation, possibly linked to the Land of Water.
Their ability to fly gave them an unparalleled aerial advantage, an unusual trait that could hint at a hidden, sea-bound origin.
Perhaps the Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure held some relevant intel. After all, sealing techniques that could bind tailed-beast-like entities were their specialty.
Arima resolved to send a team to Roran. If the Sky Ninja struck there next, they could intercept, and perhaps trace the enemy back to its roots and eliminate the threat in one blow.
As for Uzushiogakure, he planned to go there personally.
If they had any intelligence on the Sky Ninja, he wanted to hear it firsthand, and use that information to crush this dangerous faction before they could grow stronger.
With his thoughts clear, Arima stood and bid farewell to Kasumi. It was time to move.
When he regrouped with the rest of the team, he noticed that Natsuka was no longer by Tsunade's side.
Looking around, he soon found the little girl in the garden behind the hall, playing with another child her age.
Kasumi spotted them too, a gentle smile spreading across her face.
"That's my daughter, Miroku. She looks about the same age as the little one with you. It seems they're getting along well."
Arima nodded.
"Natsuka is a child we rescued from the ruins of Hoshigakure. She's four years old. Her parents' whereabouts are unknown, likely taken by the Sky Ninja.
She was all alone, so we brought her here with us. We'll be moving constantly soon, so I want to leave her here for now. Once everything's over, we'll come back for her."
Kasumi agreed readily. She was glad her daughter would have a companion. As a Priestess, her powers often made others wary.
Even her daughter had been quietly isolated as a result, a sorrow she could do little to change.
Sensing Arima had big plans, Kasumi offered, "Is there anything I can do to help with what comes next?"
Arima gathered the rest of the team. Hearing her question, he simply shook his head.
"What comes next is based on speculation. I plan to go on the offensive, so we'll be moving fast and far. If I get any updates about Moryo, I'll inform you immediately."
Kasumi didn't press the matter. She knew her only role was to assist in resealing the demon, she wasn't someone who could fight on the front lines.
Arima then addressed the group solemnly.
"From here, we split into two teams. Dodai will lead one to Roran in the Land of Wind. If the Sky Ninja appear, follow them in secret and trace them back to their base.
Tsunade's team will come with me to Uzushiogakure to search for intelligence on them."
"Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads. They didn't know why the Third Hokage was interested in those two places, but their job was to follow orders.
Arima nodded firmly.
"We leave in half an hour."
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