Another priestess had appeared.
The ninja could no longer afford to hesitate. Even if it meant relying on a priestess who was still so young, they had to seal Moryo at once.
Sensing Shion's presence, Moryo became certain: even if the constant assaults hadn't broken the front lines, they had still forced pressure onto the Five Great Ninja Villages.
The offensive had to become even more ruthless, pushing them to send the priestess to the shrine.
That will was relayed to his followers below.
For days, the Land of Demons ninja had lurked behind the Stone Golem Army, only making a single probing move. Now, driven by their master's command, they surged forward alongside the stone golems and launched a full assault.
—
To Yomi, it was absurd that such overwhelming power was confined to a tiny country like the Land of Demons.
That was why he had taken part in unsealing Moryo and why he led his people to serve the demon.
Even if the demon became king, as one who shared control over the world, Yomi would gain far more than he ever could now.
He had been certain of that from the moment he obtained this power.
When the nations surrounding the Land of Demons bowed before the giant stone soldiers, when Sunagakure was forced into a steady retreat, and when Iwagakure could do nothing but delay without mounting a true counterattack, his conviction only deepened.
Even when Konoha's ninja appeared on the opposite side, when their strike repelled the attack and several of his comrades died, he still didn't believe the final outcome could be changed.
Moryo's power was endless, while humans would tire, grow afraid, and eventually kneel, begging for a pathetic peace.
Even if they could somehow endure ten days, twenty days—what could mere flesh and blood do after that?
"The power of the ninja world is being steadily eaten away by Lord Moryo's Undead Army. Now is our time to prove our worth—to prove we deserve to be the masters of a thousand-year kingdom."
Under his command, dozens of Land of Demons ninjas, scattered among the ranks of stone golems, rushed toward Sunagakure's defensive line.
Their eyes burned with hunger for power, and demonic strength surged within them.
Then everything was swallowed by green.
One moment they were charging; the next, giant trees exploded from the ground, flinging ninjas into the air.
Those who tried to hide behind the stone golems found vines snaring their ankles, yanking them underground with only a muffled thud as evidence they had ever been there.
The Earth Release barriers they raised shattered like thin paper beneath tree trunks as thick as a man's arms.
Yomi, with his skill in medical ninjutsu, managed to cling to life a little longer.
Dangling from a tree branch, his pupils reflected the figure responsible for this forest of death.
That man walked calmly through the hellish grove, murmuring, "He's just ordering his subordinates to attack, but he still hasn't stepped onto the battlefield himself."
Blood streamed from Yomi's abdomen as he whispered, "We are…"
The faint sound never reached the man's ears. He passed by at an unhurried pace, not even glancing up.
Behind him, the allied forces of Konoha and Sunagakure moved in with practiced efficiency. They swept across the battlefield, dragging out any Land of Demons ninja who still clung to life and might hold useful information, stabilizing them for emergency treatment and later interrogation.
A Sunagakure ninja spotted Yomi, his body still twitching slightly as he hung from the branch.
"There's a survivor here!"
Two intelligence operatives in special uniforms and a medical ninja quickly rushed over. They carefully lowered the critically wounded Yomi from the tree, worked to staunch his bleeding, and bound him, determined to squeeze the last useful scraps from his mind.
Their efforts didn't end there. After Moryo's offensive, Roshi spearheaded the counterattack, driving their forces steadily toward the Land of Demons.
The ninjas behind him secured and consolidated every gain he made.
Under such sustained losses, the Golem Army that had been locked with Iwagakure's forces began to falter. Seizing this opening—and after receiving coordinated reports from Konoha and Sunagakure—
Kitsuchi led his troops in a renewed push.
Within a few days, the once-fragmented front lines were forcibly linked together, forming a continuous battlefront outside the borders of the Land of Demons.
Obito watched it all in silence.
Konoha was clearly prepared for any move he might make.
Three pairs of Byakugan took turns sweeping the battlefield around Roshi, and Zetsu had already picked up Uchiha Shisui's chakra.
Right now, he could only watch as Moryo, impatient and short-sighted, made a foolish choice that led to the complete loss of his remaining human forces.
And Obito himself could do nothing but quietly observe.
The noose was tightening.
As long as his existence was exposed, as long as the Akatsuki's existence was exposed, none of his plans could move forward.
The "opportunity" Orochimaru mentioned would only appear once the Akatsuki underwent a complete transformation.
Moryo… had already fulfilled most of its role. It was time to end this farce orchestrated by a demon. Time to retrieve this chess piece.
Obito stepped into the shrine in the Land of Swamps.
Moryo, possessing a White Zetsu body, was slumped against the wall.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Waiting to deal with the ninja's last reliance," Moryo rumbled. "That little priestess… she's coming."
Obito's tone was flat. "Now that your toy army has been driven back into the Land of Demons and the subordinates you so carefully gathered have been completely wiped out?"
The demon scoffed. "I can have as many of those as I want. As for manpower… this world will never lack fools obsessed with power and desperate for change!"
"They've set up their defenses in the Land of Demons. That just means the time to clash with the main army will come even sooner."
"How long can the ninja stay here?"
"The priestess has already reached the front lines! That means they have no choice left! In the end, they'll have to obediently send her to the shrine—to me!"
"By then, everything will be reversed," Moryo stressed. "The young priestess cannot defeat me."
"Having already lost Miroku, if they also lose this only method to completely defeat the Undead Army, then the Allied Forces' current advantage is nothing but a temporary illusion!"
Obito fixed his gaze on it. "Your judgment has no basis."
"The Allied Forces don't need to completely seal you, nor do they need to utterly destroy every stone golem. They just have to keep shrinking your range of activity, find where you're hiding now, and then… destroy this borrowed body of yours. That's enough."
"If you really think things will go that way, then hand Miroku over to me!"
Obito continued forward. "This is as far as it goes. You still have a use, so you can't be thrown away here."
"You…!"
Countless twisted black chakra tentacles exploded from behind Moryo, but they only whipped uselessly through Obito's phased body.
The vortex of Kamui opened.
"Let's end it here for now," Obito said calmly. "In the future, I'll give you another stage to perform on."
—
Shion stood in the familiar courtyard.
She had left home, left the scorching sands of Sunagakure, then one day been suddenly taken away from Konoha… only to end up back here, in the Land of Demons.
"…This was an emergency measure necessitated by the threat of Moryo. Please rest assured, I will protect your safety," Shisui had told her.
Shion was afraid, but she neither cried nor complained.
She simply clutched the bell Miroku had left her and waited for whatever fate decided.
They would surely send her out again soon.
Moryo was waiting for her.
Yet the expected order to head for the sealing grounds never came. Instead, she had advanced step by step with the combined forces of Konoha and Sunagakure, moving from beyond the Land of Demons' border… and, to her surprise, had returned to this palace, which should have been the very heart of the battlefield.
Ninjas from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure moved busily in and out, carrying scrolls and examining lingering traces of chakra and destruction.
Those shinobi in green flak jackets or yellow uniforms would sometimes glance at her—the small shrine maiden standing alone—then quickly look away.
"What are they doing?" She finally couldn't hold back and tugged at the hem of Shisui's clothes.
Shisui stopped, half-crouched down, and met her eyes. "Moryo... and its undead army have suddenly vanished."
"We're searching for clues about their retreat."
"Va… vanished?" Shion froze, her mind going blank. "Then… I …"
"Based on our current assessment, the mission here is temporarily concluded," Shisui went on. "We'll be escorting you back to Konoha soon."
"Back to Konoha?" Shion's voice trembled without her realizing it. "This is my home…" And if Moryo had disappeared, didn't that mean it was over?
"This place is no longer safe."
Shion looked up, searching his eyes desperately for an answer. "Where's Mother? Did you… find Mother?"
Shisui's gaze shifted just slightly, dodging her hopeful stare. "Having you stay in Konoha is also to fulfill Princess Miroku's entrustment."
Shion lowered her head, staring at the silent bell in her hand. Mother's entrustment... was this all that remained?—
Inside the main hall of the palace.
"Investigation complete. No trace of Moryo found," Kakashi reported. "The reconnaissance squad previously stationed at the Swamp Country Shrine said they came under an unknown attack and briefly lost visual on the shrine."
"It appears now that was Moryo's cover and cleanup operation for its withdrawal."
Kitsuchi grumbled, "That demon, avoiding the main force of the alliance like this, is probably planning to relocate and wait for another chance."
Baki said, "We've dispatched additional search parties and expanded the reconnaissance perimeter."
Roshi stood by the window, gaze resting on the desolate, silent courtyard outside. "Leave three squads each along the borders of the Land of Demons for rotating surveillance, and send two more teams to the Swamp Country Shrine to establish an early-warning barrier."
"The main forces will begin withdrawing in batches after half a month."
After all, the Land of Demons was remote. Even for the Lands of Wind and Earth, there would be enough time to respond if anything else happened. Keeping the main army here any longer was meaningless.
Kitsuchi glanced at Baki. Seeing no objection from the Sunagakure commander, he nodded. "Iwagakure agrees to this arrangement."
Then he fell silent, turned, and strode out, his heavy footsteps echoing through the hall.
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