Chapter 197: I've Been a Priestess My Whole Life
Damn.
After Shiromo pointed it out like that, Tsunade followed the logic through and realized it actually made sense.
That was way too hellish.
Especially since Tsunade herself was the product of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
Because of the Strength of a Hundred Seal, she herself possessed an enormous amount of chakra.
If the total amount of chakra were truly fixed, wouldn't her seal basically be equivalent to performing a vasectomy on the entire world?
Forget it, forget it, it's better not think about it anymore.
---
"I think what you said is absolutely right."
Tsunade agreed with Shiromo with a serious expression.
She stopped dwelling on the issue of total chakra.
Shiromo and his group returned to the Land of Demons.
Without saying a word, Shion ran straight back to her room and started packing.
After stuffing her luggage together, Shion dragged a huge bag with great effort to the doorway, only then remembering she still hadn't arranged matters for the Land of Demons.
Shiromo and the others were standing outside. Uchiha Hikari had already removed the genjutsu from the guards and had been waiting for quite a while, and only now did Shion finally come out.
Thinking about it this way, Shion going abroad to study really was a very suitable idea.
Before today, Shion had been a gloomy shut-in girl who handled nothing and did nothing.
And the Land of Demons had been doing just fine.
The real fear was that now Mōryō was gone, Shion had no pressure anymore, had gained powerful strength, and with nothing else to do decided to start "managing" things, randomly messing everything up. Then the Land of Demons would truly be doomed.
That was what Shiromo and the others were thinking when they saw Shion completely ignore official matters and focus on packing instead.
But they didn't blame her.
Shion was, after all, just a little girl barely over ten years old, no one had ever taught her anything, and she hadn't experienced much either.
You couldn't expect her to "think like a Hokage at seven years old."
If she really could do that, what if she turned around and launched a "Night of Konoha Annihilation"?
But while Shiromo and the others thought this way, the guards didn't.
Thump.
After hearing the whole story from Shiromo and the others, the guards initially didn't believe it. But when they saw Shion dragging her luggage out, they had no choice but to believe it.
Faced with this situation, led by a few people, everyone knelt down.
"Priestess-sama, you can't leave! You can't abandon the Land of Demons!"
With this posture, with this scene,
Shion clearly did nothing, yet these people insisted she stay.
If it weren't known that they were truly loyal to Shion, the whole thing would've looked exactly like trying to control the priestess and rule in her name.
Shion clutched the opening of her luggage bag, completely at a loss about what to do.
See? She couldn't even handle something like this. And they wanted her to manage a country. Even if that country only had a tiny population, maybe just one or two villages, that was still absurd.
Fortunately, Shion now had a solution.
When you encounter something confusing, don't be afraid, smile and face it… then go ask Shiromo.
Shion looked pitifully toward Shiromo, seeking help.
Shiromo leaned over and whispered a couple of sentences into her ear.
Shion stared at him in shock.
As if asking, can this really work?
Shiromo smiled and nodded, giving her an encouraging gesture.
With that encouragement, Shion took a deep breath and raised her head.
Facing the rows of guards kneeling before her, she spoke, "In the Land of Demons, am I the one in charge, or are you?"
"..."
The moment those words came out, the guards panicked.
They were all loyal subjects, how could they dare to overstep and rebel against authority?
"Priestess-sama, we would never dare!"
"Exactly! Priestess-sama, blame Taruho, he was the one who started it! We're all loyal to you!"
Once that was said, no one dared mention making Shion stay anymore. Everyone immediately started proclaiming their loyalty.
"Good then. I've already decided. The affairs of the Land of Demons will be handled by you as usual. I trust your loyalty.
"I'm still too immature. I'm going to the Amegakure Village to study. Only after I return having learned properly will I be worthy of truly taking over Mother's position."
Seeing everyone's attitude change, Shion suddenly gained confidence. Her speech became smooth and coherent, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Then may I ask, Priestess-sama, when do you plan to return? The responsibilities of the priestess are still on you…"
One guard asked cautiously.
"Responsibilities? Mōryō is already dead. Didn't they tell you? The priestess's duties ended long ago.
"I've been a priestess my whole life, can't I enjoy myself a little?"
Shion snorted lightly.
Uh… this kind of gave it away.
It wasn't really about studying. She wanted to cast off the priestess's responsibilities and go enjoy life.
But this time the guards didn't dare object again.
Nor did they dare complain that her "whole life as a priestess" was only a few years long.
They were afraid she'd suddenly ask, "In the Land of Demons, am I the one in charge or are you?" and then the others, eager to show loyalty, would rush in and stab them to death.
Everyone was forced into having no objections.
Shiromo took out a second piece of intel and a map, laying them on the ground.
"Next we'll go here. After this place, we can return to the village."
He pointed to a small island on the map.
"Okay."
Shion studied the map seriously.
"What are you saying 'okay' for? You're heading straight back to the village in a moment."
Shiromo shot her a glance, shattering her expectations.
"Huh? Why?"
Shion looked aggrieved.
She had never left the Land of Demons before and was very curious about the outside world.
To her, the Amegakure Village was already a brand-new world, but she clearly hoped even more to travel together with Shiromo and the others she knew.
"The priestess's original duty was sacrifice, sacrifice for others, right? It couldn't have been self-sacrifice for self-satisfaction, could it?"
Shiromo countered with a question.
Shion deeply respected her mother, and hearing Shiromo's words, she immediately understood.
"Alright then. I won't be a burden. I'll go back to the village."
She sighed.
After being unsealed, the priestess possessed explosive power.
She had never learned how to use that power, she only knew a single sealing technique.
But that one sealing technique alone was enough to casually seal away the final boss at Shiromo and the others' next destination.
If she learned even a bit more about applying her strength, she'd easily reach jōnin level or higher.
But no matter how strong she became, it didn't matter.
Shion had personally witnessed the power of Shiromo and his group.
The priestess's power was a bit stronger than Mōryō's, but not to the point of overwhelming him, otherwise there would've been no need to seal him; she could've just killed him outright like Shiromo and the others did.
And Mōryō, in Shiromo's hands, had been like a helpless lamb waiting for slaughter.
So compared to them, even an unsealed priestess being a burden made perfect sense.
"Wait, who's sending me back? Don't tell me I'm going alone?"
Shion suddenly thought of something.
Kurotsuchi was heading back to the Land of Earth. Shiromo and the other three were continuing northeast, and even going out to sea.
"I will."
Uchiha Hikari formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone.
"..."
Damn ninja techniques.
Shion muttered in her heart, helplessly setting off on the road.
(End of this chapter)