I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 204 The Priestess Miroku's Request

"At one time, we can probably create one or two hundred Ice Knights, after which we'll have to stop and rest for a while..."

Esdeath carefully gave a number, then turned to him: "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

The so-called Ice Knight is actually another secret technique mastered by Esdeath—

"General Binglan".

On the surface, this tactic involves creating a group of tireless and immortal cavalry using ice.

But its true purpose is to use these cavalrymen to store the energy of "Demon Essence," enough for at least several days.

Once this energy is released, it will create a massive blizzard, causing severe cold to enemies within a radius of thousands of miles. Those with weaker constitutions may even freeze to death on the spot.

In the original work, Esdeath used this secret technique to create a blizzard that swept across half of the empire, causing heavy losses to the Revolutionary Army. The blizzard only stopped after her true form was killed by Akame, who activated the "En no Kanoku" secret technique.

of course……

In the current situation, there is no need to unleash a blizzard.

Otherwise, the people of the Land of Demons would have been wiped out long before the demons even made a move...

"...Should we use ice riders to deal with that monster's 'ghost army'?"

After listening to Uchiha Hikaru explain her idea, Esdeath thought for a moment and said, "We can give it a try."

"However, as a condition, I will have to deal with the monster's true form."

"no problem."

Uchiha Hikaru readily agreed.

She wasn't particularly interested in the "Wraith," after all, it was just a demon, violent and bloodthirsty, with no value in subduing it. It would be better to let Esdeath practice and familiarize herself with the fighting style of the Naruto world—

Esdeath's strength is indeed remarkable; in the ninja world, she is undoubtedly at the Kage level, and among the stronger ones at that.

but……

Some of the special techniques used in the ninja world were ones she had never seen before.

such as--

Hidan's "Death Possession Blood," Sasori's poison, Obito's "Kamui," and sealing techniques like "Reaper Death Seal"... these unpredictable methods, like Akame's "Murasame," are all capable of killing someone on first encounter.

Therefore, Uchiha Hikaru planned to first broaden Esdeath's horizons before taking her to Amegakure—it should be the place with the most powerful people in this era, and with the strength of the Six Paths of Pain, he should be able to let Esdeath fight to her heart's content.

"Speaking of which..."

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly had a thought: "If Danzo's information is correct, then Obito and Black Zetsu must be behind the awakening of 'Mouryou' this time, right?"

that……

"Could members of the Akatsuki organization also appear in the Land of Demons?"

If that happens, something interesting might happen.

the other side.

After explaining the current situation, Maitreya began to recount his plan.

"...Sealing that demon is the mission of the priestesses of the Land of Demons throughout the ages. As the priestess of this generation, I have an inescapable responsibility for this and have long been aware of it."

However, my power is only effective against demons and monsters, and I am not good at direct combat. Once a ninja gets close, I will surely die.

Therefore, I implore you all to escort me to Mount Fuma, a hundred kilometers from the capital of the Land of Demons. There, a magic circle left by the previous priestess exists, the most suitable place to seal away the demons. The demons will surely follow my trail, and then I will activate the power of the magic circle to seal them away once more.

After a pause, Miroku spoke again: "As long as you are willing to accept the commission, regardless of whether this mission succeeds or fails, I will pay you a generous reward in advance. If you are lucky enough to succeed, you will gain the friendship of the Land of Demons, and you will be treated as the most honored guests whenever you come here in the future."

"I have a question..."

Uchiha Hikaru pondered for a moment, then looked up at Miroku on the throne and spoke loudly, "I've heard that you possess precognitive abilities, is that right?"

"……Yes."

"Then, can you predict the movements of the demons?"

"...It's possible, but it might be rather vague. Because the power of the demons and monsters originates from the same source as mine, it could interfere with the prediction results."

"That's enough."

Now that we know the location of the demon, things are simple. Instead of waiting for it to arrive according to Maitreya's plan, we should take the initiative.

Even if what Maitreya said is true, and the demon cannot be sealed or killed by conventional means, at least its strength can be weakened, allowing Maitreya to deal with it more easily.

According to the original storyline, Miroku would die during this sealing, and Shion would inherit the position of priestess. Compared to a mere immature girl, Uchiha Hikaru was more interested in Miroku, the mature priestess. She could extract more useful information from him.

the other side.

Tsunade was moved by the commission Miroku mentioned and immediately guaranteed her safety in the name of the Sannin.

"Thank you very much."

Miroku paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, right, there's one more thing... Before I even heard about your news, I had already sent letters to the five great nations requesting assistance. The ninja teams from Konoha and Kumogakure are on their way and should arrive here soon. This was just a precaution, not a sign of distrust towards you two, so please don't take offense."

"That's natural."

……

It's getting late.

Maitreya ordered a lavish banquet to be arranged.

After the meal, Uchiha Hikaru and his group were taken to a side hall of the palace to rest and recuperate for tomorrow's operation.

Esdeath begins to create the Ice Knight.

Uchiha Hikaru stood to the side, watching with a hint of curiosity for a while:

"By the way, how exactly do these ice blocks move? Do they have a will?"

"...Pretty much, mainly because of 'Demon's Essence'."

Esdeath offered a brief explanation.

As a Blood Imperial Arm originating from a Super Dangerous Species, "Demon's Essence" contains some residual will within its power. As long as it is infused into the humanoid bodies constructed of ice, these ice knights will spontaneously take action, killing and destroying everything in their sight.

Based on this, Esdeath can also infuse her own thoughts into the Ice Knight, giving him some simple "instructions" so that he can obey orders without question, and even "distinguish" friend from foe based on certain specific symbols.

However, they are still essentially a group of marionettes, lacking any self-will and unable to discern more detailed identifying information.

"I see……"

Uchiha Hikaru understood.

It seems that the Ice Knight's uses are somewhat limited.

If given the chance, perhaps we could take Esdeath to the Land of Snow, or look for the orphans of the Minazuki clan, and see if we can combine "Demon's Essence" with ninjutsu from the Naruto world to come up with some new tricks.

……

Silent all night.

The next morning.

When Uchiha Hikaru got up and went outside, he saw that outside his room, rows of white cavalrymen, sculpted from ice and snow, stood. Even just standing there, without making any other movement, he could feel a chilling aura emanating from them.

"...It's quite spectacular."

Uchiha Hikaru walked up to one of the ice knights, tapped his chest, and felt that it was hard and strong.

As she made this movement, the Ice Knight seemed to instinctively swing his sword, which she gently pinched with her right thumb and forefinger, slightly feeling the force transmitted from the blade.

"These ice knights must be at least at the level of a chunin in taijutsu, right?"

Overnight, nearly two hundred elite Chunin-level immortal cavalry were created. This ability alone is enough to bring a shock to the world of Akatsuki.

Seeing that the ice knight was about to continue attacking, and even the other ice knights beside him were beginning to show signs of movement, a cold, hard voice came from behind:

"Don't move."

The Ice Knight immediately stopped moving and stood still with his sword raised high.

Uchiha Hikaru took two steps back and glanced back. He saw Esdeath, dressed in a blue military uniform, walking out of the room. She looked a little tired.

"How is it? Has your strength returned?"

"Almost there... Although it's only recovered to 70%, it won't affect the battle anymore."

"That's good."

Uchiha Hikaru thought for a moment, then took out a small packet of Senzu Beans from his pocket and handed it over: "You should be familiar with these, right? They're the same kind of beans that I gave you and Donghai Yunlong before. Eat one when you need it, but remember to use them sparingly, I don't have many left."

—Not many, meaning less than two hundred.

However, Esdeath was unaware of the Cat Sage's abilities. In her eyes, Senzu Beans, being such a miraculous medicine, were normally produced in small quantities, so when Uchiha Hikaru handed her the Senzu Beans, her expression clearly showed a slight tremor.

"...If it's just to deal with that monster, you don't need so many Senzu Beans. One is enough."

"These are certainly enough to deal with monsters, but they're not just for missions; they're gifts between friends."

Uchiha Hikaru said with a smile.

"A friend...?"

Esdeath's eyes flickered, and she lowered her gaze slightly as she accepted the Senzu Bean.

"Alright, it's time to call Erii and the others to go have breakfast together."

After the group arrived at the side hall, finished breakfast, and chatted briefly with the priestess Miroku, they heard someone announce the arrival of ninja teams from the five great nations. Moments later, two teams of ninjas wearing headbands were led into the hall.

One of the ninja teams came from Konoha, led by Kakashi, followed by Hayate Gekko, Genma Shiranui, and a ninja from the Hyuga clan.

The other group of ninjas were headbands from the Hidden Cloud Village, led by a woman with long blonde ponytail.

—Two wooden figures.

That is, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails from Kumogakure.

In fact, Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) probably has the best treatment of Jinchuriki in the entire ninja world.

Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails, and Yugito, the Two-Tails, were both Jinchūriki appointed as Jonin by their respective villages. They were authorized to lead missions independently, and Killer Bee even participated in the Third Shinobi World War alongside the Fourth Raikage, A, and fought against Minato Namikaze, who was not yet Hokage at the time. Such treatment is unparalleled in other ninja villages.

Upon meeting.

Kakashi looked surprised and uncertain: "...Lady Tsunade, what are you doing here? And...Lord Hikaru is here too? What are you two doing here?!"

"Light?"

The only one of the four, a Hyuga clan ninja whose name he didn't know, looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze: "So you're that Uchiha great-grandmother? I've always heard people talk about that name, but you look so young in person..."

As he spoke, the Hyuga ninja seemed to subconsciously want to activate his Byakugan to spy on the situation.

however……

"snort!!"

With a cold snort, the Hyuga ninja's expression changed drastically.

Uchiha Hikaru crossed his arms and looked at him with a cold gaze: "I'm warning you, don't try to spy on me with your Byakugan, or I might consider you an enemy... If you don't want to die here, you'd better behave yourself."

no way.

The whites of the eyes have X-ray vision.

If this Hyuga ninja were a woman, she could tolerate it to some extent, but as a man, his immediate attempt to use his Byakugan to spy on her, even if it was just to check her chakra levels, was an extremely rude and presumptuous act. The fact that she didn't kill him on the spot was already a sign of mercy from Uchiha Hikaru.

Kakashi realized what was happening and quickly apologized.

the other side.

The Cloud Village squad, who did not recognize Uchiha Hikaru, were standing not far away, observing the situation and whispering amongst themselves.

Although they spoke in a very low voice.

However, Erii, thanks to her royal-level hybrid physique granted by the high concentration of dragon blood, overheard their conversation clearly, wrote it down in her notebook, and showed it to Uchiha Hikaru.

Unsurprisingly, these conversations all revolved around Tsunade and her.

After all, both of them were uninvited guests from the Land of Demons, not mentioned in the Hidden Cloud Village's intelligence network. Their sudden encounter naturally caused considerable surprise.

In particular, the "unfamiliar Konoha ninja" Uchiha Hikaru puzzled them even more.

—As for Erii and Kikyo, although they were also strangers, they were mistaken for Miroku's relatives because they were both wearing shrine maiden outfits.

After a while.

Miroku, also dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, emerged from the other side of the palace, accompanied by Endo Sakumo.

"...Everyone, everyone has arrived."

"Although I would love to treat you all to a proper meal, the situation is urgent. This morning, I received a message from my subordinates via carrier pigeon, saying that the 'Wraiths' have revived and, starting from the area around Ogani Castle, have already slaughtered several towns overnight. They will probably be near the capital soon. Therefore, I urge you all to set off as soon as possible."

"no problem."

present.

After making some quick arrangements, the group began their operation.

Uchiha Hikaru created a shadow clone and left the capital with Esdeath and the Ice Knight, heading towards the location where Miroku had predicted the appearance of the demon.

Her true form, along with Erii and Kikyo, followed Miroku and began their journey towards Mount Fuma, more than a hundred kilometers away.

(End of this chapter)