Uchiha Shinji gazed at Shion and softly said, "Does being a shinobi attract you that much?"
Shion nodded, "Back in the Land of Demons, because of my identity as a shrine maiden, everyone respected me greatly, but I didn't like it. It wasn't until I came to the Hidden Leaf that I truly made friends. And you, Shinji, you were my first friend!"
Shinji smiled, "I'm honored!"
As if recalling something, a light of yearning flickered in Shion's eyes, "I don't know what being a shinobi truly means, but I know that only by becoming one like you can I make friends and not feel lonely anymore! I don't want to return to the Land of Demons and be a lifeless shrine maiden. I want to be free like you all, chasing dreams!"
Shinji pushed off with his legs, swinging on the playground swing.
He always understood that what Shion wanted wasn't to become a shinobi—it was companionship!
A young girl born to bear the weight of protecting a nation and suppressing evil spirits—anyone in her position would feel fear and loneliness.
As a 'Lantern Bearer' guarding the shinobi world, he felt the same way.
It was this mutual understanding that made him refrain from persuading her otherwise. Instead, he simply smiled, "Hey, I believe in you!"
Shion's eyes brightened, "What!?"
Shinji's smile faded as he said calmly, "Who knows? You might one day stand at the peak of the shinobi world as a powerful ninja!"
"Shinji, you…"
Shion stared at Shinji, stunned. She thought he was joking to comfort her, but after meeting his gaze, she suddenly felt that he was serious.
"As the top prodigy of the academy… did Shinji really recognize my potential? Does he truly believe I can become a capable shinobi?"
For a moment, Shion was deeply moved.
Shinji clearly didn't realize that the same comforting words from different people had vastly different effects.
If Naruto, also labeled as a 'dead weight,' had said the same, Shion would have thought he was just being nice. But coming from Shinji, who had topped the academy assessments twice, it felt completely different.
Grrr
As Shion was about to share more with Shinji, his stomach growled again.
Shinji rubbed his stomach and laughed, "Our shinobi journey starts with filling our bellies first! Come on, ramen's on me!"
"Okay!"
Shion jumped up, full of energy.
Leading Shion to Ichiraku Ramen, Shinji ordered, "Two miso ramen!"
Soon, Teuchi placed two steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. As a regular customer, Shinji even got a few extra slices of ham secretly added.
The aroma made Shion's appetite skyrocket. As she slurped, she commented, "This place tastes amazing!"
"Of course!" Shinji nodded and casually asked, "By the way, why did you say earlier that I've gotten stronger? How could you tell?"
Shion shook her head, "I don't know… it's just a feeling. When you got close, I instinctively felt a little tense."
"A feeling?"
Shinji pondered.
Chakra is the source of everything. The fact that Shion could sense the enhanced quality of his Yin Release chakra meant one thing—her chakra quality was also exceptionally high!
As a shrine maiden, this wasn't unusual.
However, Shion was still in a sealed state. Logically, her perception shouldn't be this sharp!
Thinking this over, Shinji asked, "You're still carrying that bell artifact, right?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Shion seemed completely absorbed by the ramen's flavor, nodding while slurping away.
Shinji continued, "Have you felt anything unusual lately?"
"Unusual?" Shion paused, finishing the last sip of soup before thoughtfully answering, "Not really… Oh, wait! About a month ago, I felt my sensing abilities suddenly got stronger."
"A month ago?" Shinji's eyes shifted as he mentioned a specific date, "Was it this day?"
"Yes, yes, exactly that day! Wait—how did you know, Shinji?"
Shion was curious. She hadn't told anyone about this, so she wondered why Shinji knew so clearly.
Shinji didn't answer and quietly continued eating his ramen.
The date he mentioned was the same day the Akatsuki ambushed the Fourth Raikage.
Shion's heightened perception was likely connected to the destruction of Moryo. In other words, Moryo's defeat might have amplified Shion's abilities!
After finishing their ramen and returning to the park, Shinji explained, "That day, the demon Moryo was destroyed."
"What!?"
Shion gasped.
Moryo had always been her nightmare. Many times, she had awakened from dreams in terror because of it.
Shinji said, "Remember the ambush on the Fourth Raikage by the Akatsuki? During that battle, Moryo was wiped out in the chaos!"
"I remember that incident! But during the Five Kage Summit, they didn't mention Moryo being destroyed!"
Shion was still skeptical.
"That's just what I heard," Shinji replied vaguely, adding, "You and Moryo are two sides of the same coin. If it were truly destroyed, you would be the first to sense it."
Even Shinji wasn't entirely sure if Moryo was gone.
However, he vividly remembered the Otsutsuki elder using the Giant Tenseigan's power to absorb all the chakra from Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, unleashing an attack that evaporated an entire lake.
Moryo's dark chakra vanished completely after that, leading Shinji to suspect its demise.
Reflecting on this, Shion nodded slightly, "Now that you mention it… I haven't had nightmares lately."
Shinji smiled, "Then it's probably true!"
Shion cheered, "That's great! I don't have to face that demon anymore!"
But Shinji shook his head, "No, you're celebrating too soon. Moryo is part of the shrine maiden. As long as you live, Moryo won't be entirely gone. It might revive sooner than you think."
"What!?"
Shion's joy froze instantly.
Watching her sit solemnly on the swing, Shinji suddenly sensed something.
"Ah!"
Shion clutched her head, crying out in pain.
Shinji quickly steadied her, "What's wrong!?"
Shion's pale face trembled, "It's… it's back!"
Shinji wasn't surprised. With Shion's powerful perception, her sudden shift in mood today was likely a sign of Moryo's revival.
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