Secret

Chapter update is here.

Find a quiet spot, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🌙

✦

Traveling day and night, everyone finally reached their destination, Demon-Sealing Mountain, several days later.

Looking at the dangerous mountain before them, Pakura suppressed the unease rising in her heart and asked, "This awful place is Demon-Sealing Mountain?"

The priestess nodded, then explained, "Inside Demon-Sealing Mountain is a natural lava chamber. It can suppress Moryo's evil, cold chakra. It is the perfect place to seal Moryo."

Pakura immediately asked, "Then what do we do next?"

Unlike when they had arrived, the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone shinobi no longer showed arrogance after witnessing Moryo. Only the anxiety to complete the mission as quickly as possible remained.

The priestess pointed at the cave leading directly into Demon-Sealing Mountain. "We lure Moryo into the cave, then seal its body here."

The captain of the Hidden Stone beheading unit looked puzzled. "Only its body?"

The priestess nodded lightly. "Yes. Only its body."

The Hidden Stone captain asked the question in everyone's mind. "Why?"

"Moryo's power is too great, and its chakra is extremely corrosive. If it is sealed whole, then within a few years, it will destroy the seal and escape." After a pause, the priestess continued, "That is why its body and soul must be sealed separately. Only then can we ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Then please begin your preparations immediately." After Kakashi finished speaking, he looked into the distance and added, "I have a bad feeling. I fear we do not have much time to arrange the seal."

Naoki stepped forward and said to everyone, "You only need to hold the outside. I will handle the final seal."

Everyone was surprised.

Sealing Moryo inside Demon-Sealing Mountain was the most dangerous part of the entire mission. Not only the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone shinobi, but even Kakashi and Guy from the same village looked at Naoki in confusion. They did not understand why Naoki wanted to take such a dangerous job onto himself.

Pakura asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by that?"

Naoki spoke calmly. "My meaning is clear. When Moryo arrives, you do not need to stop it. You only need to block the terracotta warrior puppets it controls. Leave everything else to me."

The captain of the Hidden Stone beheading unit questioned him. "I do not trust a brat like you with that."

Although the Hidden Stone captain did not want to fight a monster like Moryo, he also did not want to ruin the mission. Because of that, he instinctively resisted Naoki's request.

At that moment, Shisui also stepped forward, bowed to everyone, and said sincerely, "I will complete the final seal with him. Please rest assured. We will not fail this mission."

Naoki looked at Shisui. "Thank you."

Shisui said nothing and only smiled gently.

Pakura's tone turned cold. "If this fails, Konoha must bear all responsibility."

In Pakura's view, if Naoki and Shisui were still this confident after witnessing Moryo's power, there was only one possibility: they truly had a way to deal with Moryo.

As captain, Kakashi had some doubts. In the end, however, he did not voice them.

On the Hidden Stone side, seeing that both Pakura and Kakashi had nodded in agreement, the captain of the beheading unit looked uncertain. After a moment, he still nodded and compromised.

Once the discussion ended, everyone immediately began making arrangements.

Naoki pulled Guy aside and instructed him quietly, "After we enter Demon-Sealing Mountain, you are only allowed to let the demon Moryo in. No one else, including you and Kakashi, is allowed inside. Understand?"

Guy looked confused. "Why?"

"I will explain later. For now, you only need to remember what I said."

Guy said anxiously, "Then what if something happens to you inside? Are we supposed to just watch from outside?"

Naoki said calmly, "If Shisui and I cannot solve it, then anyone else going in would only be sending themselves to die."

"Naoki, you have to trust your comrades. Even if I cannot help you, Kakashi is really strong. If it is him, he will definitely find a way to help you."

"It is precisely because I trust you that I am asking you to hold the entrance. Do you think blocking those terracotta warrior puppets will be easy?" After smiling, Naoki's face darkened. "Remember what I said. Aside from the demon Moryo, no one is allowed inside. If necessary, use the Eight Gates."

Seeing Naoki speak so solemnly, Guy could only nod. "I promise."

After obtaining Guy's promise, Naoki, Shisui, and the priestess walked into the belly of Demon-Sealing Mountain.

Inside the dark cave, Naoki asked the priestess, "How long will arranging the seal take?"

The priestess seemed to have considered this long ago and answered immediately, "If I only need to arrange the sealing formula, it will not take long. But to activate the seal, I need at least fifteen minutes. Perhaps... perhaps longer."

Naoki frowned slightly. "In other words, we need to control Moryo for at least fifteen minutes?"

The priestess nodded with a grave expression.

She also was not certain whether Naoki and Shisui could control Moryo for fifteen minutes. Before coming to Demon-Sealing Mountain, she had already prepared herself to perish together with Moryo.

At this moment, the only thing she could not let go of was her daughter, Shion.

Hearing that, Shisui gritted his teeth. "Senior, leave those fifteen minutes to me."

Naoki shook his head. "You are not even twelve yet. If you overuse your ocular power, your body will not be able to endure it."

Shisui's strength lay more in ocular techniques. In pure constitution, he was only slightly above the Uchiha average, not especially outstanding. Add the fact that he was still young and his body had not fully developed, and in terms of chakra volume alone, he had only barely reached ordinary jonin level. He was still far below Naoki.

Shisui wanted to continue. "But..."

Before Shisui could finish, Naoki interrupted him. "I already have a plan. You only need to handle the early suppression. I will deal with what comes after."

The priestess beside them thought for a moment and said, "I may be able to delay for some time."

Naoki asked, "What method do you have?"

The priestess hesitated. Finally, she sighed and said, "Speaking of it, the demon Moryo has some connection to the line of priestesses of the Land of Demons. If one must be precise, it can actually be considered part of me."

Shisui's eyes widened. "This..."

Naoki was not too surprised. Although he could not clearly remember the details of the relationship between the priestess of the Land of Demons and the demon Moryo, he vaguely recalled that there seemed to be some hidden connection between them. Otherwise, Moryo would not cling so relentlessly to the priestess, chasing her from the Land of Demons all the way to the Land of Swamps.

After revealing the secret in her heart, the priestess seemed much lighter. Then she knelt before Naoki and Shisui. "I am deeply ashamed for causing all of this."

✦
✦
✦

Ready for more?

The next chapters are already waiting on my Patreon, along with early access, previews, and extra story updates 🗝️

https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheBacklotFanfiction