"Seems like Obito had a good reason for keeping Sasuke hidden in a secret base while he fused his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Leaning against the cave wall, Uchiha Shinji sighed.
The disturbance in his eyes just now was clearly a normal reaction during the fusion process.
Even with Susanoo Tomoshibi, there was no way to completely avoid these side effects. He simply had to get used to it.
Each disturbance signified that the two pairs of eyes were getting closer to becoming one, and the primary reason for this discomfort was the sharp increase in dojutsu power.
Rubbing his chin, Shinji began to contemplate.
In his memory, both Sasuke's fusion of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Ōtsutsuki Toneri's fusion of the Tenseigan had an obvious fusion period.
Although Susanoo Tomoshibi helped him bypass the issue of being unable to use his eyes during the fusion, it couldn't prevent the potential abnormalities that might arise during this time.
The best solution for now was to leave the village for a while.
There were simply too many sensory-type shinobi in the Hidden Leaf. If his eyes acted up and emitted Yin Release chakra while around them, it would surely arouse suspicion.
"But how can I leave the village?"
He was at a loss.
As a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, the most natural way to leave the village was by taking on a mission or accepting a request.
But he was still only a student at the academy and couldn't officially accept missions.
"Should I just stay hidden in my apartment?" He frowned, then shook his head. "The fusion period could last several weeks, maybe even a month. I can't just hide at home the whole time— that would be even more suspicious!"
The rapid increase in dojutsu power, which had once been a blessing, was now causing him some trouble!
Carefully sneaking out of the Forest of Death, Shinji didn't dare wander around the village in case his eyes acted up again. He quickly returned to his apartment.
As he approached the hallway leading to his home, he paused.
A shadowy figure was crouched by his door.
"Shion!?" Recognizing the figure, Shinji was puzzled. "What are you doing sitting outside my door so late at night?"
Shion raised her head from where it was buried in her arms, her face filled with sadness.
Shinji walked over. "What's wrong?"
Avoiding eye contact, Shion mumbled, "I wanted to invite you to visit the Land of Demons with me."
"Visit the Land of Demons!?" Shinji's eyes immediately brightened as he nodded. "Sure, I'd love to!"
"Ah, I'm sorry for being so forward." Shion, looking downcast, stood up and bowed. She began walking down the stairs like a lifeless puppet.
But after just a few steps, her head snapped back at an odd angle, staring at Shinji. "What did you say?"
Shinji repeated, "I said yes. The Land of Demons sounds great; I've wanted to visit for a while. When do we leave? Right now?"
The tension that had been building up in Shion finally broke, and she burst into tears, rushing into Shinji's arms. "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't turn me down!"
Shinji patted her head gently, like stroking a cat. "What's going on?"
Through her tears and sobs, Shion explained how she had gone from house to house all day inviting people, only to be turned down by everyone.
"No one accepted?" While silently rejoicing at this turn of events, Shinji outwardly responded, "That's terrible of them!"
Earlier, he had been racking his brain for an excuse to leave the village and endure the fusion period outside. He hadn't expected Shion to provide the perfect opportunity on her own.
Even though she was currently sobbing all over him and smearing her snot on his clothes, Shinji felt like laughing out loud.
After calming her down, Shinji asked, "When do we leave?"
Shion, who originally wasn't in a rush, now felt energized by Shinji's enthusiasm. She declared, "I've decided! We'll leave tomorrow!"
"In that case, I won't keep you. I'll head inside to pack right now!"
With that, Shinji quickly unlocked his door and shut it behind him with a bang, before Shion could react.
Stunned, Shion stood outside, realizing she still had a lot of things she wanted to share with Shinji!
But seeing how eager he was to visit the Land of Demons, she wiped away her tears and smiled. "I had no idea Shinji was so fond of the Land of Demons. He really is my best friend!"
Not long after.
A notice from the Land of Demons regarding the priestess's return, along with a request for the Hidden Leaf to provide shinobi for escort, landed on the Third Hokage's desk.
As the Third Hokage scanned the document, his eyes caught Uchiha Shinji's name on the list of accompanying personnel, and his brow furrowed.
Iruka, who had delivered the notice, stepped forward to explain. "Shion and Shinji are friends at the academy. Shion specifically invited Shinji to visit the Land of Demons when she returns, and he accepted, which is why his name appears on the list."
The Third Hokage stared at the list, deep in thought.
Having a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf with a personal connection to the priestess of the Land of Demons wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the village.
But Uchiha Shinji's identity made things more sensitive. If it had been anyone else, the Third Hokage wouldn't have hesitated.
Seeing his hesitation, Iruka asked, "Hokage-sama, is there something wrong?"
The Third Hokage shook his head. "No, issue the travel permit."
"Understood, I'll take care of it right away."
After Iruka left, the Third Hokage summoned the ANBU and ordered, "Have Asuma's team on standby. Tomorrow, they will escort the priestess back to the Land of Demons."
The Third Hokage had previously investigated the attacks on the priestess from the Land of Demons.
All clues pointed to the culprits being a rogue shinobi group known as the Yellow Springs Sect operating near the Land of Demons.
This group wasn't particularly well-known. It was said that only the leader had the strength of a jonin, while the other members were at best chūnin or genin.
Asuma's team was more than capable of handling them.
Plus, this would also give the priestess a chance to witness Asuma's strength, potentially building connections for the future.
The next morning.
Shinji slung a bag over his shoulder and headed toward the Land of Demons' embassy.
Before he even got close, he heard Shion calling out, "Shinji, over here, over here!"
Following her voice, he spotted Shion, now dressed in formal priestess attire, waving at him.
Walking up to her, Shinji asked, "When are we leaving?"
Just that morning, his eyes had acted up again without warning. Along with a significant increase in his dojutsu power, it served as another reminder that he needed to leave the village as soon as possible.
Shion responded, "I've been ready for a while. We're just waiting for the shinobi escort."
Shinji looked puzzled. "Shinobi escort?"
A guard from the Land of Demons, standing next to Shion, explained, "To ensure a smooth journey, we've hired shinobi from the Hidden Leaf to escort the priestess."