Hearing the unusual sound, guards rushed into the room.
Under the moonlight, Shion was ashen-faced, her eyes filled with an icy chill and profound confusion. She sat bathed in the moonlight, seemingly lost in thought. The guards dared not speak, merely waiting nearby. Priestess Shion's prophecies were one hundred percent accurate. Every night, she would foresee the future in her dreams. Judging by the current situation, this particular future seemed far from simple.
Shion mentally reviewed everything she had seen in her dream. Recalling those pure eyes, she felt a sense of having experienced it before. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her mind, and she exclaimed, 'I want to see Shinigami, that Konoha ninja!"
Upon being summoned, Naruto arrived at Shion's chambers. The large room contained only a tatami mat and Shion, seated upon it. A faint, alluring fragrance permeated the room—whether it was Shion's natural scent or sandalwood, he couldn't tell. After Naruto stepped inside, the guards closed the main door, leaving them alone.
Naruto chuckled softly and, with elegant strides, sat down about a meter away from Shion. "Good evening, Priestess Shion. To what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night summons? I was rather hoping to admire the ancient city under the night sky a bit longer."
Shion lifted her head and looked directly at Naruto, an inexplicable light shining in her purple eyes. She suddenly reached out and seized Naruto's large, warm hand.
This unexpected action caught Naruto somewhat off guard, but he maintained a polite smile and asked gently, "Priestess Shion, you called for me in the dead of night… is it simply to hold my hand?"
Naruto was convinced Shion wasn't the type of woman to be interested in his body. There had to be a reason she had summoned him. Naruto certainly didn't believe his charm was so overwhelming that someone would fall for him at first sight and offer themselves to him.
Shion ignored Naruto's question, gripping his hand tightly, her eyes wide with terror. The reason priestesses could foresee the future and seal Moryo was because their power was connected to the Pure Land. The moment she grasped Naruto's hand, Shion, by focusing her senses, could feel the energy flowing within his body—an energy distinct from chakra.
It possesses the aura of the Pure Land!
This was the first time Shion had encountered a human connected to the Pure Land. No wonder he had asked how to enter it. Combined with what she had seen in her dream, this man's identity was anything but simple.
Shion recalled what her mother had once told her. The priestess lineage had always been the sealers of Moryo. Their entire lives were to be sacrificed for this purpose. But in reality, Moryo was merely a rather powerful demonic beast that had mutated from a soul within the Pure Land. Theoretically, humans should not be able to possess the power of the Pure Land.
Yet, the Shinigami before her…
Shion felt a chill in her heart. She looked up and demanded, "You possess a power that doesn't belong to the ninja world. Who are you?"
Naruto was momentarily stunned, then a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. The growth of his Reiatsu had always been a pressing concern for him. Before coming to the Land of Demons, he had been extremely worried about whether Shion would know anything about the Pure Land. If she were completely ignorant, this trip would have been for nothing.
Upon hearing Shion's question, Naruto understood. This trip was the right decision!!
He let out a hearty laugh, more unrestrained than any before, feeling utterly elated. "Indeed, just as I anticipated! You have a connection to the Pure Land. You can sense… my Reiatsu!"
"Voom!" As he spoke, Kyoka Suigetsu pulsed with an intense blue light, and the entire room seemed to ripple violently. The guards who had rushed in due to his laughter found their vision blurring, then stood frozen in place like statues. Their five senses plunged into an endless darkness, completely manipulated by Naruto.
"You!!" Seeing this, Shion snatched a small knife from beside her and pointed it at Naruto, her voice a mix of bravado and fear. "What did you do?!"
"Relax, I just don't want any irrelevant people disturbing us," Naruto said, raising a hand to remove his mask. He revealed a gentle, handsome face and offered Shion a warm, harmless smile.
"You…" A flicker of astonishment crossed Shion's eyes. It was said that first impressions were crucial. Naruto's sunny and handsome features instantly lessened Shion's hostility.
"Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto's voice was rich and magnetic. He placed Kyoka Suigetsu on the ground beside him, a gesture of goodwill.
Shion, however, remained wary and did not lower her knife.
Naruto began to explain his power. "As you've seen, I possess a power related to the Pure Land. I call this power Reiatsu."
"I am human, and yet, not entirely human." Naruto extended his right hand, and white Reiatsu condensed within it. Under his control, it then bloomed like a firework, illuminating the moonlit night, highlighting his gentle smile and Shion's slightly surprised expression.
"I possess not only Reiatsu but also chakra. I can use ninjutsu, and I can also use Kido, which is born from Reiatsu." Naruto then infused different chakra natures into the Reiatsu. The small white firework instantly became dazzlingly colorful, blooming with breathtaking vibrancy in the small space above his palm.
"How beautiful," Shion murmured. Having spent her entire life in the Land of Demons, she had never witnessed such a spectacle and was momentarily entranced.
"By a chance encounter, I entered Mount Myoboku in the natural world. There, I heard about the Pure Land's existence from two Sages, and they confirmed that my abilities originate from it." Naruto's Reiatsu in his hand condensed into the forms of Lady Shima and Lord Fukasaku. "Since then, I have been searching for a way to enter the Pure Land, because I know that only by entering it can my power truly be developed."
Naruto retracted his Reiatsu, his gaze sincere as he looked at Shion. This is why I came to the Land of Demons.
Shion lowered her knife, a bewildered look in her eyes. She truly couldn't reconcile the refined Naruto before her with the domineering, indifferent figure from her dream. If not for the similar energy she sensed, she would have sworn they were two different people.
"The Pure Land is forbidden to humans. You still have a human body, after all. If you enter the Pure Land, the chance of death remains extremely high," Shion said coldly.
Naruto smiled faintly and shook his head dismissively. "I think you've misunderstood something."
Under Shion's astonished gaze, Naruto placed his hand over his face. Instantly, an incredibly terrifying, pure energy from the Pure Land erupted forth, condensing into a surging white mist that swirled around his face. Merely looking at it, Shion could feel an endless wave of resentment and obsession.
The white mist writhed on Naruto's face, forming a half-mask of ghastly white. The eye visible beneath the mask was the same clear, azure blue as in her dream, yet it sent an unnerving chill down her spine.
A slightly distorted voice came from under the mask: "I do not fear death. On the contrary, death should fear me."
"This is… power from the Pure Land itself!" Shion couldn't help but stumble back a step, her eyes flickering with terror and a thread of dread.