"Your status is above mine?"
Shion looked a little dazed, as if she understood, but not completely.
Ashio and Hinata thought it was about strength.
After all, super-standard combat power wasn't something they could compare with.
Izayoi didn't explain. He walked up to Shion, squatted down, stared into the purple eyes of the miko, and asked, "Do you mind physical contact? Just a handshake, I want to check your body."
Looking at Izayoi's handsome face, Shion didn't know if it was a suspension bridge effect or something else, but her body temperature quickly rose, her heart pounded, and her face turned hot.
The miko quickly lowered her head, raised her small hand, and whispered like a mosquito, "Yes... yes."
Hinata: "..."
Hinata wasn't jealous, just felt more and more like she was looking into a mirror.
Because Shion looked exactly like how she used to be when facing Izayoi.
If Shion's eyes weren't purple but white, Hinata might suspect she was her father's illegitimate daughter, a sister lost outside.
Izayoi didn't care about his ambiguous wording.
He held Shion's small raised hand and injected chakra into her body to check her physical state.
The result was—Shion's physical condition was no different from an ordinary person.
She had no chakra and no extraordinary power.
This further proved—Shion was not simple.
People without extraordinary power couldn't have the ability to foresee the future.
Being able to predict was, in itself, a sign of extraordinary power.
Izayoi couldn't see her uniqueness, which only meant she was even more special than ordinary ninjas.
Thinking of her entries—two golds and one purple—Izayoi's eyes suddenly showed red eyeshadow, and his blue pupils turned golden.
He entered Sage Mode instantly, and injected senjutsu chakra into Shion's body. With the perspective from the Wood Clone with the Rinnegan far away, he finally saw the power hidden within Shion.
It was vast like the sea, similar to Jinchūriki energy. Like chakra, but not quite. Like senjutsu chakra fused with nature energy, but not senjutsu chakra...
It was confusing, but it was real.
Izayoi retracted the chakra from Shion's meridians, and his eyes fell on the bell brooch on her right chest. A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.
What a high-level seal!
This seal concealed and suppressed Shion's power, making her appear like a normal person.
A seal that could only be detected through Sage Mode or the highest-level dojutsu... Shion and the ghost indeed hid unknown secrets.
For some reason, Izayoi had a feeling—this secret might be of great help to him.
Izayoi was immediately full of interest.
He stood up, looked at Shion who was still looking down, and asked, "It's said that you mikos are the nemesis of the ghost. So, do you know where it is?"
Upon hearing this, Shion's heartbeat and body temperature quickly calmed down.
She looked up at Izayoi and nodded. "Although I can't sense its exact location, I can vaguely tell the direction."
"Knowing the direction is enough." Izayoi smiled. "Let's go get rid of that monster. That way, we'll save a lot of lives."
Shion lowered her head again and said with some lack of confidence, "But... but my current miko power is too weak. I may not be able to seal the ghost."
Izayoi and Hinata's expressions changed slightly.
Izayoi looked strange, and he hesitated to speak.
He wanted to say—if even you are weak, then there are barely any strong people left in this world.
The gold-level entry's ceiling was Super Kage. As long as the potential was fully realized, it would surpass the Five Kage-level.
Even a Super Kage gatekeeper like Pain Six Paths was considered the overlord level of the ninja world.
Nagato, after losing the Rinnegan, without the Afei armor, only had one chakra control gold entry.
But Shion had two golden entries.
Even if both were auxiliary types, they were more practical than Hinata's Byakugan Princess (Red).
Especially the future-prophecy power—if fully controlled, it would be a weakened version of a divine technique.
Hinata once again saw her past self in Shion.
She too used to be so lacking in confidence.
If she hadn't met Izayoi, she might not even be as good as Shion now.
So, Hinata placed her hand on Shion's shoulder, smiled warmly, and said, "Don't worry, with Izayoi-kun here, you'll be fine. You'll successfully seal the ghost."
Shion stared blankly at Hinata, who looked so similar to herself, and couldn't understand why she had such strong confidence.
But thinking about how Izayoi was the only person she couldn't predict, Shion felt an inexplicable sense of safety.
"Mm!"
Shion glanced at Hinata, then at Izayoi, who also had a gentle smile, and nodded firmly. "Then I'll leave it to you!"
Ashio also bowed to Izayoi and Hinata. "Izayoi-sama, Hinata-sama, please protect Lady Shion!"
"Don't worry. It's our mission," Izayoi said confidently. "As long as I'm here, your miko will be safe."
Shion's heartbeat slightly quickened again from those words.
Fearing that her body temperature would rise again, Shion quickly looked away toward Ashio.
The next second, Shion's pupils changed again—blue and purple overlapping patterns.
Her expression turned blank again!
When she snapped out of it, a complex sadness flashed in her eyes.
But she quickly calmed herself and put on a cold, emotionless look as she said indifferently, "Ashio, you will die soon."
Ashio was slightly stunned, then smiled calmly and bowed. "Thank you for your care all these years, Lady Shion. I'm sorry I can't accompany you in the future."
"Wow... amazing. Is this the power of prophecy?" Hinata was a bit amazed. Then she looked at Shion and asked, "How did he die?"
She quickly added, "If you can't say, it's okay."
"He was killed," Shion said directly. "I saw him pierced by dark purple tentacles."
"If you know how he'll die, why not prepare for it?" Hinata asked in confusion.
"It's useless. This is fate." Shion shook her head. "Destiny cannot be changed."
"Really?"
Izayoi said with interest, "Then let's do an experiment."
While the others were puzzled, Izayoi's right shoulder squirmed. A branch extended, expanded like a balloon, and quickly turned into a Wood Clone.
The clone placed a hand on Ashio's shoulder and smiled. "Can you still see his future?"
Shion instinctively looked at Ashio, and her eyes once again turned into blue-purple patterns.
After a moment, she snapped out of it, looking shocked. "Destiny... changed."
Ashio's face lit up with joy.
Did that mean Lady Shion wasn't the incarnation of death after all—and her predictions could be broken?
Izayoi laughed. "Looks like fate isn't fixed. It can be broken with strength."
If not for Shion and Ashio being present, Izayoi might have laughed out loud.
In a secluded country like the Land of Demons, with no ninja village or many powerful figures, the mikos had no power of their own—how could they break fate?
But for Izayoi, it was easy. He just needed to send a Wood Clone to protect Ashio.
Even a clone had power beyond the Five Kage.
Unless a Super Kage came, no one could kill Ashio while the clone was around.
If necessary, Izayoi could teleport Ashio off the continent or seal him up.
He had countless ways to save him.
"..." Shion looked stunned. It was clear her worldview had been shaken.
In the past, she wanted to change others' fates.
She always warned them, hoping they'd take precautions.
But no matter what, the deaths still came.
Eventually, she believed fate couldn't be changed. To numb the pain, she distanced herself from others, pretending to be indifferent, to keep them away.
If she didn't see their deaths, maybe they wouldn't die.
That was how Shion consoled herself.
But today, that belief was shattered.
The first time she met someone whose future she couldn't see.
The first time she saw someone change fate.
Izayoi, already special and dazzling in her eyes, became even more brilliant.
That heart-throbbing feeling returned.
Izayoi gave the Wood Clone a nod. The clone and Ashio vanished together, and then Izayoi spoke to Hinata and Shion: "Let's go, quickly."
In an instant, Izayoi disappeared inside the shrine.
Hinata asked: "Shion, do you know the Instant Body Technique?"
Shion shook her head. "I'm not a ninja."
"Then let me carry you," Hinata offered, squatting down. "We need to hurry."
"Thank you." Shion, slightly embarrassed, lay across Hinata's back.
"Our mission is to protect you," Hinata smiled, then took off—Byakugan activated—as they followed Izayoi's chakra trail.
They entered a dense forest. Shion, lying on Hinata's back, could've crushed famous kunoichi like Sakura or Ino—but instead of intimidation, she was just flattened by Hinata's stronger frame. She clutched Hinata's neck, her gaze fixed forward.
Izayoi stood amid four mutilated corpses, with strange purple blood pooling and dark-purple tentacles nearby.
"They're the ones who'll kill Ashio in that future you saw," Shion murmured.
"See? Izayoi-kun is powerful," Hinata said proudly. "With him, you'll definitely seal the ghost."
"Yes!" Shion nodded firmly.
Izayoi turned to Shion: "Has the direction changed?"
Shion closed her eyes and concentrated. Then she opened them and pointed at the 2 o'clock direction. "That way."
"Let's go!"
Izayoi dashed forward using the Instant Body Technique; Hinata and Shion followed closely behind.
Shion whispered to Hinata: "Is your name… Hinata?"
"Yes, I'm Hyūga Hinata." Hinata nodded as they surged ahead.
Shion asked softly: "My name's Shion. Please… teach me. Um—what is your relationship with Izayoi?"
Hinata's gentle eyes suddenly sharpened—she declared firmly: "He's my fiancé."
Shion turned pale—not from jealousy, but shock at that intense, decisive look.
Hinata softened again, smiling sweetly, adding: "Sorry if I startled you."
Shion managed, "No... it's okay." She dared not look at Izayoi again—or trigger Hinata's fierce side.
After over an hour, they exited the forest and entered a rocky mountain range. While rough terrain hindered most, Izayoi and Hinata moved as if on level ground—leaping over outcroppings.
Suddenly, undead stone creatures erupted from the ground and walls—like golems—attacking them.
Shion began to cry out…
But before she could, Izayoi clapped and unleashed Wood Release: Tree Realm Advent!
The mountain shuddered. Branches exploded from earth, transforming the rocky slopes into a dense green forest, burying the "ghost army" under a growing sea of roots and wood—neutralizing them swiftly.
With the threat neutralized, Izayoi slowed. "Is the direction still the same?"
Shion shook her head. "It's stronger—so it must be close."
Izayoi grinned, touched Hinata's shoulder, and teleported them both ahead to the forest's edge.
Shion checked again. "It's still ahead." She pointed at a tall volcano— "Inside!"
Hinata opened her Byakugan: "No chakra visible."
Izayoi entered Sage Mode again. "I can sense it—let's go!"
They arrived at a rocky outcrop near the volcano. Shion spotted a dark entrance in the cliff. At her signal, undead soldiers reappeared. Izayoi and Hinata slid into motion.
Izayoi formed into a lingering shadow and dashed in, Hinata close behind, Shion in tow.
Izayoi then unleashed Storm Release Judgement—condensing water and lightning chakra into a massive storm chakra ball, firing a destructive beam that pulverized the stone undead as it morphed into a lightning-chakra saber, slicing through the rest and clearing their path to the cave entrance.
Once inside, Izayoi sealed it with Wood Release. The undead didn't tunnel through—as though controlled by a ghost—they respected his barrier.
Inside the temple: a volcanic tunnel lined with magma-flanked paths, leading to an altar. Izayoi paused instead of advancing—formed seals with hand signs and injected Wood Release chakra into the ground.
Without sensing Black‑ or White‑Zetsu clones, he concluded they weren't present. Then, he led Hinata and Shion toward the altar.
Hinata's Byakugan picked up a person ahead, and she warned Izayoi.
Izayoi, serene in Sage Mode, replied: "No worries—I've already spotted him."
As they reached the altar, a figure emerged: Huang Quan, plagued with black curse marks, weak and puppet-like, barely alive.
Shion trembled and hid behind Hinata. Huang Quan noticed.
"My name is Huang Quan. Once, your mother stopped my ambition. But this time—Master Wuliang and I will not fail again!" He laughed, then collapsed. His body dissolved into a dark purple spiritual form.
"My 'flesh body' has finally arrived!" the spirit boomed.
Shion recognized it: "It's the Wuliang."
Her hand darted toward a box on the altar. "Mother said this temple seals the Wuliang."
Hinata asked: "How to use it?"
Shion replied, "I stand in the center of the altar; it'll take some time to activate."
Wuliang laughed ominously. "I knew you'd come here, daughter of Miroku. You have no chance—merge with me! Such power, wasted on you!"
He focused on Izayoi first, ignoring Hinata and Shion.
Izayoi launched Storm Release: a destructive beam that split Wuliang's dark form in two.
Wuliang cried out in pain, then remerged.
He asked, "Are you the heir of the Immortal Power of the three?"
Izayoi was surprised. "All three shrines know of it? Then do you know Six Paths Sage?"
Wuliang's laugh was scornful: "Boy, don't insult me! I even know the Rabbit Goddess."
Izayoi realized something—Wuliang should've been trapped and matured only recently. But he was knowledgeable...
Izayoi stepped beside Shion. "My power alone can't kill it. Shion—it's your turn."
Shion was alarmed, but steeled her resolve—
"Izayoi, Hinata—go. I'll handle this. Even if I die, I won't let Wuliang seize me."
Izayoi smiled, placed a hand on her shoulder: "Your stage—show me your power, Shion!"
He closed his eyes, activated the Rinnegan, and channeled Yin-Yang closure into Shion.
The bell brooch on her chest shone brilliantly, shattering darkness and lighting the cave.
Wuliang laughed, thinking he'd forced her to take the amulet—but moments later, his voice trembled:
"The seal has lifted? Impossible!"
He tried to reach Shion—but the brooch shattered in a flash of white light. White photons entered Shion's body.
A barrier erupted around her, repelling the dark spirit and turning it to smoke. It struggled to reassemble.
Wuliang shrieked: "How... could a miko's seal break so effortlessly?"
Meanwhile, Shion floated, glowing pure white, halo-like energy condensing above her head in a vertical loop.
Her hair grew longer, turning gold. Light retracted into the halo, and Shion hovered—angelic, ethereal.
She opened her eyes—cold and emotionless—raising a palm against the spirit. A magical barrier emerged, enclosing them.
The Wuliang's mist whined in terror; it dissipated under the barrier. White photons flooded the altar and returned into Shion.
One of the three colored orbs around her shifted from gold to red:
[Power of the Miko (Red)]
A tremendous aura swelled in her mind—immortality, dual poles reuniting, destiny's guidance.
"I need your help now, Shion!"
Shion's expression changed—she grinned. Her eyes took on the Rinnegan pattern. She thrust a green beam of light through her chest and absorbed it back.
She used Yin-Yang Escape, merging the energy with her fairy chakra.
Boom — the volcano trembled.
A terrifying chakra surge radiated through the Ninja Continent.
All perception-capable ninjas, near and far, looked toward the volcano—then lost the signal.
Hinata caught Shion's thrilling display as Shion levitated in the volcanic cave.
Izayoi closed his Rinnegan; the red iron-shadow under his eyes vanished—but his pupils remained gold, radiating senjutsu energy. Nine black spheres, the size of ping-pong balls, hovered around him.
This was... the Six Paths Sage Mode!