Seiya was concerned about his Konan-neesan waiting on the adjacent mountain.
After a few pleasantries with Shion, he decisively bid her farewell, "I should be going. Perhaps we'll meet again!"
With that, he put on his mask and turned to leave.
Shion quickly called out, "Please wait a moment!"
Seiya turned back, puzzled, "Is something the matter?"
Shion smiled sweetly.
"Passing masked Shinobi, you should have heard my mother tell me not to stay confined to the Land of Demons, but to go and see the wide world outside. I want to fulfill my mother's wish, but I don't know anything about the Shinobi world. So, can I commission you to be my tour guide?"
"I'm afraid not," Seiya shook his head. "I'm heading to the Land of Fire, and there might be battles, which could be dangerous. After that, I have to go back to my village."
Shion quickly said, "It's alright. I'm not afraid of danger! Kurotsuchi told me before that I have at least Jonin level strength, and I just released the power within the bell, making me much stronger! I can help you and won't slow you down!"
"It's fine if you're returning to your village. I can follow you to your village and see the scenery along the way. It won't interfere with your plans at all."
"How about three million Ryo as compensation?"
Hope sparkled in Shion's crystalline eyes.
A sightseeing escort and tour guide for three million Ryo-this price was quite generous.
Although he didn't care about money, Konan-neesan was scheduled to return to Amegakure to deal with village matters in a few days.
If he had a beautiful girl as a companion for the rest of the journey, it wouldn't be a bad thing and would certainly lift his spirits.
With this thought, Seiya smiled, "You don't need to pay me, and we don't need to call it a commission. Let's just be companions and walk this path together."
"Yes!" Shion nodded happily.
Seiya thought for a moment and added, "Since we're traveling together, you'll inevitably learn a lot about me. Can you keep a secret?"
"I can!
Shion's face was solemn. Ancient, obscure characters flashed in her eyes.
She raised her right hand, which was surrounded by golden light, and solemnly swore, "I swear by the name of the Priestess that I will resolutely keep your secrets and never disclose them to anyone!"
"Good!" Seiya nodded in satisfaction. "Let's go together!"
"Yes!" Shion replied joyfully.
The two walked down the mountain together.
Shion asked curiously, "What are you going to the Land of Fire for?"
Seiya countered with a smile, "Have you heard of the Konoha 'Sannin'?"
"No, I haven't."
"The Sannin are three very powerful Shinobis. When I was very young, they teamed up to try and kill my mother!"
"So, that's a deep-seated hatred, then! Even deeper than your dislike for Kurotsuchi!"
"Yes. I'm going to the Land of Fire this time to try and cause some trouble for those three."
Shion was righteously indignant and volunteered, "Do you want to kill them? I'm willing to help!"
"I can't kill them."
"Why?" Shion frowned in confusion.
"Because my mother said that unless the Sannin were determined to die, it would be virtually impossible to take their lives. So, I don't plan to waste my energy. I just want to annoy them as much as possible, as a small revenge for their despicable act of obstructing my mother back then!"
"Oh," Shion lightly nodded her chin, understanding now.
Seiya then smiled and added, "Actually, there's another reason for not killing them-with my current skill level, even if the Sannin fought to the death, I don't have a powerful enough method to kill them."
Shion smiled faintly and quietly lamented, "That's a truly regrettable reality."
Seiya nodded in agreement, unable to help but sigh.
This trip to the Land of Demons and the Land of Swamps, although he found Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi, he didn't get to fight them as he wished.
He didn't experience the expected perilous situation, so he couldn't find that mystical feeling and couldn't stimulate the power within his bloodline.
What a pity!
However, saving the lives of the two girls was not entirely without reward.
With this thought, Seiya glanced at Shion's gentle profile, leading her toward the adjacent mountain to meet up with Konan-neesan.
...
Ten days later, the three passed through the Land of Rain. Konan said goodbye and left the group to return to the village.
From then on, Seiya removed his mask, took off his ring, shed his black robe with red clouds, and replaced the Kiba with the Mikazuki Munechika.
He began to travel the Shinobi world openly under his identity.
After all, he only had Shion, a person with a clean identity, by his side now.
There was no longer any suspicion of collusion with a rogue Shinobi organization, so he didn't have to worry about damaging the village's reputation.
Two months later, following Zetsu's real-time updates, Seiya took Shion to the latest location of Jiraiya-Tanzaku Town in the Land of Fire.
This was a very prosperous city, encompassing everything, with beautiful famous sites, thriving gambling, and nationally renowned cuisine...
Shion experienced such a developed material culture for the first time in her life.
She was dazzled and lingered everywhere.
Seiya led her directly to the city center and checked into an inn.
This location made it convenient to track Jiraiya's movements at any time.
The single man and woman booked a double suite.
This was not Seiya taking advantage of Shion's inexperience or deliberately trying to be intimate.
Nor was it for the sake of safety, to cohabit for protection.
In fact, there was no danger whatsoever.
This was a legitimate bustling city in a major nation.
Any Shinobi who caused trouble had to seriously consider the consequences. Generally, Shinobis wouldn't be so foolish.
Those who were foolish would likely be quickly suppressed.
The Shinobis who were foolish and wouldn't be suppressed were all in the Akatsuki organization.
Getting back to the main point, the reason Seiya booked one room was that Shion had always lived a life of luxury, accustomed to the service of palace maids.
Now, living independently, she was somewhat unaccustomed to it and often needed Seiya's small help.
For instance, at this very moment.
Shion was bathing in the bathroom. Her graceful figure was cast as a faint outline on the frosted glass of the bathroom door.
Seiya sat on the sofa, casually flipping through a magazine.
A moment later, Shion finished bathing, pulled the bathroom door open a small crack, and called out, "Tojo-kun, please hand me my clothes."
"Oh."
Seiya answered.
Still looking at his magazine, he got up, took the neatly folded clothes from Shion's bed, and handed them to her.
"Thank you."
Shion reached out through the crack, took the clothes, and closed the door.
Being forgetful was her normal state.
Even if she tried hard to remember, she inevitably forgot.
After all, in the past, she never had to worry about these things; the palace maids would prepare everything.
Seiya was accustomed to Shion's forgetfulness.
In the beginning, when he saw the girl's silhouette during her bath, he would blush a little.
Now, he no longer cared and could browse his magazine with a clear mind while handing over the clothes.
Shion was equally accustomed to it.
At first, she asked Konan-neesan for help.
After separating from Konan, she could only ask Seiya.
Since they were of different genders, she was inevitably shy at first, but gradually, the shyness faded.
Now, it felt as natural as drinking water.
It was this very naturalness that led to her consistent forgetfulness.
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