Naruto: Drop System

Staring deeply at the four corpses on the ground, Yagyu continued to move swiftly toward the Land of Swamps with Shion.

After they left a certain distance, one of the female corpses suddenly dissolved into a puddle of liquid, stealthily slipping away in a manner similar to the Hydration Technique of the Hozuki clan.

"Ya… Yagyu-kun, just now…?"

Clinging tightly to Yagyu's waist as she lay on his back, Shion still hadn't fully processed what had just happened. Even with Yagyu supporting her by holding her firmly, her face remained full of shock, replaying the previous scene in her mind.

"That was my illusion technique."

Yagyu, seemingly aware of what she wanted to ask, smiled as he explained, "This was inspired by a friend's unique bloodline limit, which led me to develop this illusion technique."

"This technique creates an illusionary space where I can control others' five senses and turn any damage they experience into reality."

"Amazing…" Shion exclaimed, her face full of awe. "Can a ninja's techniques really reach that level?"

"Of course not."

Yagyu shook his head. "Across the entire ninja world, only three people, including myself, can make illusions cause real damage. Besides, illusions aren't even my specialty."

Shion was even more shocked. The god-like ability to create and turn illusions into reality wasn't even Yagyu's strongest skill. At that moment, Shion's belief in Yagyu's strength grew stronger.

At the same time, she unconsciously adjusted her position, releasing her grip on his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. She glanced at his handsome profile and curiously asked, "So, what technique are you best at, Yagyu?"

"See those trees over there?"

Yagyu, supporting her, pointed to the woods on the right side.

"Mhm…" Shion nodded repeatedly, her face slightly flushed as she sensed something.

"Now look over there," Yagyu said, pointing to the mountain range on the other side, his eyes flashing red.

Then, he stopped, formed a hand seal, and said softly, "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Rumble…

The ground shook violently as saplings sprang up, growing at an accelerated rate into towering trees. In the blink of an eye, the mountainous path turned into a small forest.

The forest was filled with trees, many of which held large cocoons suspended from them. If someone were to unwrap these cocoons, they'd discover puppet-like soldiers encased within.

Of course, Shion didn't know this. She only saw how Yagyu transformed the mountain path into a forest. Such incredible power was beyond anything she had seen or heard of before.

No wonder she couldn't foresee Yagyu's future, or why he was such an exceptional existence.

With such strength, perhaps he really could break fate and control his own destiny!

With this thought, Shion suddenly yearned for power herself. If she possessed such power, she wouldn't have to accept the death of those around her; she could alter the destiny foretold by the prophecy of death.

Almost as if hearing her thoughts, an unnoticed faint red glow flickered within the bell tied at Shion's collar.

Recalling the vision she had earlier, Shion's usual calm demeanor shifted. With a sense of urgency, she said, "Yagyu-kun, may I ask a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Please save Ashihara. If it's you, you surely have the strength to defy fate for him!" Shion sat up, explaining, "When we were at the shrine, I foresaw Ashihara's future. He transforms into my likeness using a secret technique to buy us time, only to die at the enemy's hands."

"I see."

With a slight understanding, Yagyu formed another hand seal. "Wood Style: Wood Clone Technique!"

A branch extended from his chest, dropped to the ground, and quickly transformed into an identical copy of Yagyu.

The wood clone then vanished into thin air.

Yagyu smiled, saying, "I've already sent him to find Ashihara; he'll be fine."

"Thank you, Yagyu-kun."

Shion sighed in relief and rested her chin back on Yagyu's shoulder, watching the scenery flash by.

Even though they had only just met, Shion hadn't realized how strongly she already depended on the young man in front of her.

Yagyu didn't know either, but he wouldn't be surprised if he did.

In the original story, Naruto won over the priestess Shion by rescuing her and defying his own fate. Compared to Naruto, Yagyu was countless times more handsome and powerful, and he was also the one person whose future Shion couldn't see. To a young, pure-hearted girl like her, Yagyu was like a lethal poison.

As Yagyu carried Shion on his back, he was thinking to himself.

By now, Moryo should be aware of the situation, right?

Yes, Yagyu had noticed when one of the Four Celestials, the female member, had escaped earlier. Not only did she survive, but so did the rest of the group. Yagyu had deliberately held back.

The reason? He wanted them to go back and report to Moryo.

If Moryo could share his vision with the Ghost Legion or gather intelligence from them, he should already know Yagyu and Shion's whereabouts.

Yagyu was curious—would Moryo personally take action and come to ambush him and Shion?

Thus, Yagyu deliberately didn't rush to the Land of Swamps at his fastest speed.

That night, in the forest near the mountain range connecting the Land of Swamps and the Land of Demons…

By the shore of a lake, a fire was burning, roasting a few fish.

"Shion, this one's for you."

Yagyu handed one of the roasted fish to Shion, who was sitting beside him.

Shion hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands, saying, "No need. Yagyu-kun, you've been traveling all day. You should eat first."

"It's fine. I already had a soldier pill," Yagyu said, insisting and pushing the fish into her hands.

Shion, feeling hungry, didn't argue any further and began eating the fish in small bites.

Her ladylike manner reminded Yagyu of Hinata. The more he looked, the more similar she seemed, and his affection for Hinata temporarily shifted toward Shion.

Yagyu only ate one fish, leaving the rest for Shion.

Surprisingly, Shion ate all of it. Her appetite suggested she might also have the trait of a big eater.

After she finished eating, Yagyu pulled out a water flask from somewhere and handed it to Shion.

Shion only took a few sips before returning the flask to Yagyu. When she saw him drink from the same flask, her cheeks flushed, and she shyly lowered her head.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yagyu and Shion leaned against a large tree, gazing up at the starry night sky.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional crackle from the fire.

"Yagyu-kun…"

Suddenly, Shion turned her head to look at Yagyu, her eyes filled with hope, and asked, "Can I learn ninjutsu?"

"What made you suddenly want to learn ninjutsu?" Yagyu asked, curious.

"Because…"

Shion hugged her knees, staring at the flickering flames of the fire. In a soft voice, she said, "I don't want to keep seeing the deaths of those around me, foreseeing their demise, yet being powerless to do anything about it."

"In the past, I always thought that fate was unchangeable, so I buried my sorrow and forced myself to be cold as I told them about the prophecy of their death."

"But in truth, the reason I told them about their death was because I hoped that by knowing in advance, they could find a way to escape and break free from their fate."

"Yet without exception, they all failed."

"I used to believe that destiny couldn't be changed, but your arrival changed my thinking."

Shion turned her head to look at Yagyu again, half of her face resting on her knees. Her beautiful eyes reflected the firelight, resembling the flame of hope kindled in her heart.

"Yagyu-kun, you are the only person whose future I cannot see, so I believe what you say... As long as you have absolute strength, you can break free from the chains of fate."

"I want to become strong, to take control of my destiny, to shatter the prophecy of death!"

Yagyu gazed quietly into the girl's eyes, and the two of them held each other's gaze for a long time.

Then, Yagyu smiled and said, "I understand your determination."

"I can teach you ninjutsu, but let me check your potential first."

After saying that, Yagyu grabbed Shion's arm and channeled chakra into her body.

"Hm?"

In the next second, Yagyu's expression changed slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing his reaction, Shion asked nervously, "Is my potential too poor?"

"No."

Yagyu shook his head, taking a closer look at Shion, and said with a meaningful tone, "Your potential is excellent—beyond imagination."

Yagyu hadn't expected this; he had completely misjudged her.

On the surface, Shion seemed like an ordinary girl, yet within her body was an astonishing amount of chakra.

Even more surprising was the fact that neither his Kagura's Mind Eye nor his Red Eye Vision had detected Shion's secret.

This level of concealment was as flawless as a top-tier disguise technique.

If not for seeing Shion's purity, Yagyu might have thought she was intentionally teasing him.

It was clear, however, that someone had likely placed a seal on Shion. That person was most likely her mother, the previous priestess, Miroku.

Shion didn't catch the underlying meaning of Yagyu's words. Hearing that her potential was excellent, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she asked, "Does this mean I can start learning ninjutsu?"

"Yes."

Yagyu nodded, smiling as he promised, "After we seal Moryo, I'll teach you ninjutsu."

"Thank you, Yagyu-kun—or rather, Yagyu-sensei!"

Shion's true personality started to show, and the once cold priestess now revealed a playful, mischievous side.

Yagyu hadn't expected that he'd become Shion's teacher even before guiding his future sister-in-law as her jōnin instructor. With Kurama Yakumo as well, it seemed they could soon form their own team.

During the day, Yagyu continued traveling with Shion on his back.

Meanwhile, parts of the elite forces from the Leaf Village had arrived in the Land of Demons, assisting in combating the undead puppets of the Ghost Legion, who were still armed with traditional weapons and bows.

Although the undead puppets had bodies that couldn't be killed, their strength was akin to the large numbers of puppets controlled simultaneously by a puppeteer from the Hidden Sand Village—very weak individually.

If they were facing only genin and chūnin units, these undead puppets could have exhausted them, possibly leading to casualties. But the Leaf Village's elite force members were all highly experienced, well-prepared, and equipped with diverse tactics.

Their mission was simply to hold off the Ghost Legion, waiting until the priestess could seal Moryo, who controlled these undead puppets.

This was why Tsunade entrusted this mission to Yagyu.

Apart from Yagyu, there was no one else Tsunade could rely on. If even Yagyu couldn't accomplish this mission, it would mean the world was on the brink of an unstoppable catastrophe.

After half a day's journey, Yagyu finally passed through the mountainous and forested regions, arriving on the other side in the Land of Swamps.

Along the way, Yagyu and Shion encountered no ambushes, nor did Moryo himself make an appearance.

"Shion, do you know where the sealing location is?"

"Yes, Yagyu-kun, just head straight in this direction."

Under Shion's guidance, Yagyu sped southeast through the Land of Swamps.

Over an hour later, they arrived at the base of a large mountain.

"The temple where Moryo's physical body is sealed is inside that cave," Shion pointed toward the cave.

Rumble...

Just as Yagyu prepared to enter with Shion, the ground began to shake violently. Numerous cracks appeared in the earth, and countless undead puppets resembling terracotta warriors emerged from underground, slowly advancing toward Yagyu.

"Shion, hold on tight."

"Yes."

Obediently, Shion wrapped her arms around Yagyu's neck, tightening her legs around his waist.

"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Yagyu formed a single hand seal and unleashed a massive stream of water beneath his feet. Moisture from the air gathered into an enormous tidal wave, submerging the hundreds of undead puppets before him.

With Shion on his back, Yagyu manipulated the water beneath him to form a surfboard, gliding toward the temple entrance as if surfing.

"Wood Style: Tree Wall Barrier!"

Once inside the cave, Yagyu summoned sturdy tree branches that burst from the ground, sealing the entrance completely.

"Let's go. The enemy is already waiting for us."

Yagyu set Shion down and led her deeper into the cave before she could fully process everything that had just happened.

Deep within the cave was an altar, overlooking a cliff with a flowing river of lava below.

Beneath the altar lay a throne, where a shadowy figure reclined, blending into the darkness.

"You've grown, daughter of Miroku."

As soon as Yagyu and Shion arrived, a man named Kōrō, who was so overcome by Moryo's spirit that he couldn't even stand and was covered in curse-like black markings, introduced himself. "I am Kōrō, the one whose ambitions your mother once thwarted."

"Yagyu-kun, Moryo's spirit is inside him," said Shion, the priestess, immediately discerning Kōrō's true nature.

With a quick gesture, Yagyu silently formed a hand seal.

A sharp branch shot out, piercing through Kōrō's body. Already on the brink of collapse, Kōrō died instantly.

"Heh heh heh…"

However, even as Kōrō's body fell silent, a low, eerie laugh echoed. "In such a hurry, were you? I had hoped to deceive you with this puppet, but it seems I now have an even better puppet available."

As he spoke, Kōrō's body began to wither at a visible rate, though it wasn't the tree branch that was draining him.

Then, Kōrō opened his mouth wide and spewed a stream of purple energy, forming a large energy mass that surged toward Yagyu and Shion.

Yagyu continued forming hand seals, summoning branches from the ground to pierce the purple energy mass, though they failed to damage it.

Seeing the purple energy getting closer, Shion cried out anxiously, "Yagyu-kun, that's Moryo's spirit! He's trying to possess your body—be careful!"

Just then, the bell on Shion's priestess robes began to emit a blinding white light.

The light formed a spherical barrier, surrounding Yagyu and Shion.

Upon seeing this, the advancing purple energy mass halted, hovering above the barrier and speaking in a low tone. "That wretched white light again. Let's see how long your protective charm can last this time."

As if remembering something, Yagyu pointed at the swirling purple energy above and asked Shion, "Shion, can you seal it?"

"Yes, but I need to stand on that altar to do it," Shion replied, looking troubled. "I can't move right now, or the barrier will fail."

"Make your choice, daughter of Miroku," Moryo taunted from above. "Will you give the protective charm to the little brat next to you, allowing me to consume your body? Or will you abandon him and attempt to seal me?"

"Why… does it have to be like this…"

Facing the painful choice between Yagyu and the fate of the ninja world, Shion felt a surge of despair, unaware of the strange expression on Yagyu's face beside her.

He had remembered something!

The altar was just a distraction, and Moryo's attempt to regain his body was a lie, aimed at the second choice.

The true goal was to devour the priestess and return to his original form.

The original priestess had chosen to divide her heart and mind, creating the dual powers that evolved into Moryo and the priestess.

In reality, Moryo and the priestess possessed the same power.

Moryo represented evil, the priestess represented good; Moryo was malice, the priestess was benevolence.

Whenever Moryo attempted to possess a body, it would eventually deteriorate and collapse, as his true form was an indescribable entity of negative energy. Only by possessing a priestess's body could he live as a human without facing erosion.

Unfortunately, each time he tried to possess a priestess, he failed.

Each priestess bore a protective charm, like the bell Shion wore, which emitted a white light that blocked Moryo from possessing them.

Now, however, Moryo was eagerly anticipating Shion handing her charm over to Yagyu, which would finally allow him to possess her.

With his strength, he was confident he could completely take over Shion's body.

Realizing this, Yagyu finally understood the true nature of the chakra within Shion and the seal that hid it.

Suddenly, Yagyu turned to Shion and smiled. "Shion, your dream of defying fate and controlling your destiny is about to come true."

With that, Yagyu waved his sleeve, drawing moisture from the air and forming an ice sword in his hand.

At the same time, his eyes glowed red, and a fleeting pattern of a black lotus flower appeared over his pupils before vanishing.

Yagyu's aura transformed drastically.

Dark chakra emanated from him in the form of black energy, radiating an intense, ominous power.

In an instant, Yagyu's figure disappeared from the barrier of light that blocked Moryo but had no effect on humans.

When he reappeared, he was airborne, slicing the purple energy mass in two with his ice sword.

"It's useless! Only a priestess can kill—argh!"

The split purple energy mass began to taunt, only to break into a horrified scream. "A soul attack—impossible, you—you…"

Suspended in mid-air, Yagyu held his ice sword in one hand and raised the other, palm outstretched toward the purple energy mass. "Yomi!"

In his palm appeared a black hole, similar to the ability of a gravitational force, pulling the two halves of the purple energy mass toward it.

"No!!"

In Moryo's despairing scream, both parts of the purple energy mass were completely absorbed by Yagyu.

Shion stared in awe, her gaze fixed on this sight.

Before her eyes, Yagyu, who had vanquished Moryo with a single strike, radiated a light like the sun, as if he were a divine being.

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