Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shinji couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
However, he also understood that the Land of Demons had its reasons for doing this. After all, the priestess had sought refuge in the Hidden Leaf due to a mysterious attack. It was only reasonable that the Land of Demons would hire shinobi from the Hidden Leaf for escort, just to be safe.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Turning around, he saw Asuma Sarutobi leading two Hidden Leaf shinobi toward them.
"Great, just my luck!"
Seeing that Asuma, an experienced and capable jonin, had accepted the mission, Shinji started to feel a headache coming on.
Traveling with someone of Asuma's caliber made it much more difficult to hide anything from him.
Asuma arrived in front of the group and first glanced at Shinji, then turned to Shion and said, "Priestess, I am the jonin in charge of this mission, Sarutobi Asuma."
One of the Land of Demons' guards quickly leaned over to Shion, whispering, "This Asuma is the son of the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf."
Shion tried her best to imitate proper manners as she greeted Asuma.
At that moment, a group of people approached the embassy of the Land of Demons.
Shion pouted and snorted as she recognized them.
It was all the classmates who had rejected her invitation yesterday.
While they weren't keen on visiting the Land of Demons, they had still come to see Shion off, so they had gathered here this morning.
Seeing Shinji with a backpack standing among Shion's group, Sasuke looked surprised. "Shinji, what are you doing?"
Before Shinji could answer, Shion, hands on her hips, declared, "Hmph, Shinji accepted my invitation and is coming with me to the Land of Demons!"
Sasuke was momentarily stunned, finding it hard to understand. "You're going on a trip abroad during such a valuable holiday?"
Shinji casually made something up, "The Land of Demons is not just any place!"
Shion quickly echoed, "Right, right! Shinji's absolutely right!"
Sasuke's gaze shifted between Shinji and Shion, then finally landed on Asuma, standing behind them.
Asuma wasn't just the Hokage's son—he was also one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi of the Land of Fire, with the unique waist sash as proof of this title. Even Sasuke, still a student at the academy, had heard of this renowned jonin.
"Shinji isn't someone who would waste time on a simple trip. Plus, with a high-level jonin like Asuma escorting them, it looks like something important will happen during Shion's return to the Land of Demons."
Thinking there might be a real chance for combat, Sasuke could no longer hold back.
He stepped forward and said to Shion, "Shion, I reconsidered last night. I've decided to accept your invitation and will accompany you back to the Land of Demons."
"Huh!?" Shion was completely taken aback.
Sakura quickly pulled at Sasuke's sleeve. "Sasuke, what are you saying? We came here just to see her off, didn't we?"
Sasuke replied coolly, "I changed my mind."
As everyone looked on, surprised by Sasuke's sudden decision, another person stepped forward and said, "I've changed my mind too. Count me in."
Everyone turned to see none other than Kimimaro, who normally kept his distance from others.
Sasuke glanced at Kimimaro and thought to himself, "So he figured it out too? As expected from my rival."
Kimimaro also glanced at Sasuke.
The reason Kimimaro had suddenly changed his mind was simple: Orochimaru had instructed him to keep a close watch on Sasuke. So when Sasuke decided to head to the Land of Demons, Kimimaro had no choice but to follow.
Neji, who had also come to see Shion off, was utterly confused.
He looked at Shinji with his travel pack, then at Sasuke and Kimimaro, both of whom had suddenly changed their minds. He, too, felt the urge to join and declared, "Count me in as well."
Tenten stared at Neji in disbelief. "Neji, didn't you already have your holiday training all planned out?"
Sasuke interjected confidently, a smirk on his face, "What could be better training than this?"
Shion furrowed her brow. "Hey, hey, all of you refused my invitation yesterday, but now that Shinji's coming with me, suddenly you all want to come too. What's the deal with that?"
Shinji, too, was grumbling in his head, "I'm trying to get away to quietly fuse my Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and now you're all tagging along? Are you all nuts?"
He had already thought it through—he'd quietly complete the fusion during the journey and return to the village without any issues.
But now, not only did Asuma's team join them, but so did Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Neji—three troublesome companions!
Asuma was also feeling a headache coming on.
Initially, his task had been simple: protect the priestess and keep an eye on Uchiha Shinji. Now, he suddenly had three more troublesome kids to look after, each more difficult than the last.
Word of this quickly reached the Hokage's office.
Upon hearing the news, the Third Hokage found himself in a bit of a dilemma.
While Neji and Kimimaro weren't a problem, Uchiha Sasuke was a person of significant interest to the village, and allowing him to leave was risky.
However, outright denying the priestess's request wouldn't be appropriate either.
After some thought, the Third Hokage realized that Sasuke leaving the village might attract a certain someone. It could be the perfect opportunity to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki.
With his decision made, the Hokage ordered, "Send Kakashi to see me."
Before long, the group from the Land of Demons set out on their journey back.
Unlike the journey to the Hidden Leaf, this time, the party included several more Hidden Leaf shinobi.
As Shinji looked at his new traveling companions—Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Neji—and Asuma's team leading the way, he couldn't help but feel incredibly frustrated.
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain.
Konan approached a secret chamber and knocked on the door.
A voice came from inside. "Come in."
Konan pushed the door open and said, "Nagato, I've found the candidates."
Sitting in a wooden wheelchair, Nagato, looking somewhat tired, asked, "Who are they?"
"From the Hidden Mist, one of the Seven Swordsmen, Kurosuki Raiga. From the Hidden Leaf, the rogue shinobi Hiruko. And from the Hidden Sky Village, their leader Shinnō."
Konan slowly listed the candidates.
Nagato fell silent for a moment before asking, "Who will you send to recruit them?"
After a moment of thought, Konan replied, "I recruited Sasori, so I trust him. I also believe Kakuzu is reliable. I'll personally recruit Raiga, send Sasori's team to recruit Hiruko, and have Kakuzu's team recruit Shinnō."
Nagato nodded. "Alright, proceed."
...
Back in the Land of Demons.
Obito emerged from a swirling vortex and looked into the distance. Turning to Zetsu, who had just surfaced from the ground, he asked, "Is this the place?"
Zetsu nodded. "Yes, the hideout of the Yellow Springs Sect is right here."
Obito asked, "Is that kind of guy really worth my time?"
Zetsu responded, "He's not as simple as he seems. Even you might be surprised."
Obito chuckled softly, "Is that so…"