Inside the inn,
Ritsu is lying on the bed with a gloomy expression on his face. He hurt himself from the backlash of the powerful, evil chakra of the assassin.
Uncle Yugo's shadow clone carried him towards his family. They met his mother on the way. His mother, seeing him hurt, instructed another shinobi to escort him and Princess Natsumi to the inn to ensure their safety.
Back then, looking at his mother's expression, he felt like he would be up for a scolding soon.
"Just what kind of chakra was that? I have never seen such color of chakra before?" He ponders.
The chakra had a malevolent and sinister feel to it. It has a wicked nature and a sense of otherworldliness in it.
'It's hard to put it in words, but the word 'Demonic' might be the most suitable for it.' He ponders.
Creak…
The door opens, and Ishiko enters the room.
"Ritsu, are you alright?" Ishiko quickly walks towards him and checks his body.
"I am fine Mom! Just a bit of a headache and my eyes are feeling sore." He flashes a smile and gives a thumbs-up to ease his mother's worries.
"Let me take a look at your eyes!" Ishiko forces him to lie down on the bed and pries open his eyes to inspect them.
"There is an inflammation in the blood vessels around your eyes. Mother will heal it for you."
Ishiko places her palm over Ritsu's eyes. Her hand glows with a cyan light and a soothing, warm sensation spreads across his eyes, relieving the soreness in them.
After treating his eyes with the 'Mystic Palm Technique', Ishiko takes out a vial of herb extract from her belongings. She drips its content into Ritsu's eyes and wraps a bandage around his eyes.
"I feel much better now!" Ritsu nods, but noticing his mother's silence, he braces for her scolding.
Sigh…
However, Ishiko sighs and gently strokes his forehead.
"Son, you were a bit too careless. It's good to use your abilities to help your friends and allies, but don't overdo it. You had me worried to death."
"Then, mom, why didn't you stop me?" Ritsu asks involuntarily.
"Because you need to grow and you need to learn. If I control your every action, then it will hinder your growth. As your mother, I will always worry for your safety even if you become the strongest shinobi alive as you proclaim." Ishiko chuckles slightly.
Mm…
Ritsu stays silent and enjoys the care and love of his mom. However, Ishiko is lost in thoughts.
'Parents need to be strict with their children to guide them towards a proper path. However, Ritsu is different from others. Even at such a young age, he already has developed a sense of good and evil in his discretion. So, I will let him make his decisions and act on them. Besides, Yugo was with him. He would rather sacrifice his life than let Ritsu's in harm's way.'
Ishiko recalls an incident from five years ago during her pregnancy. Back then, Yugo almost died while protecting her, persisting to the very end and even defying her orders.
Ritsu also notices the complicated emotions in Ishiko's eyes.
"Mom, can I ask you something?" He opens his mouth slowly.
"Mm…" Ishiko nods.
Ritsu describes everything he saw when he glanced at the assassin.
"Mom, just who was that person? And what kind of chakra nature is purple? Is it some Kekkei Genkai or something entirely different?"
Sigh…
Ishiko sighs and opens her mouth.
"It's fine if you learn about it now. Eventually, you will learn about it; since this responsibility will fall on your shoulder."
'Is it that serious?' Ritsu glances at his mother in surprise.
"The person who attacked us was a demonic human."
"Demonic human?" Ritsu tilts his head in confusion.
'Since when did Naruto have demons and shit? I mean, they do have a concept of a demon since Naruto's nickname in the village is 'Demon Fox'. But I thought that was just a title they gave to the Nine-tail fox because of its evil nature. Seems like there is much more to it.' He curiously perks his ears to learn more.
"Yes, a demonic human. They are ordinary people; it can be either a shinobi or even a civilian. Through a special ritual, they can inject demon blood into their body to gain power. When there is enough demon blood in their body, they turn into demonic humans. The power within the demonic blood is so great that it can strengthen a human manifold. However, this power comes at a substantial cost.
The demon's blood is a force of pure evil. It corrupts their chakra and consumes their sanity.; turning them into a mindless monster that only know death and destruction. They will become a servant of the demonic entity and their life and death would be under the demon's control."
'Holy crap! I didn't know there was something this insane in the Naruto world.'
Noticing Ritsu's interest, Ishiko continues.
"The demons are a foreign entity, a being of another world. They constantly invade our world to take control of it. There had been several demonic invasions in the past, and on multiple occasions, they were even close to conquering the world. However, each time, we humans fought against them and took control of our world.
Several millennia ago, the nation of the Land of Grass came into possession of a demon and used its power to almost destroy the world. In the end, they failed.
But that was not the end. Several centuries after that, a major demonic invasion occurred in a faraway nation. Hordes of demons walked out of a special gate and launched attacks on several nations. Within a few days, they conquered and destroyed several nations.
Back then, the members of our Uzumaki clan stepped forward and fought against them, alongside other shinobis. It was a brutal war with hundreds of thousands of casualties.
However, the demon that invaded was too powerful. Even though we won the war, we couldn't kill the demon. The only solution was to seal the demon for good. We managed to seal the demon away, but with its great power, there is always the risk of it breaking free from the sealing.
So, every few years, we, the members of the Uzumaki clan, will strengthen the seal to prevent the demon from wreaking havoc on the world."
Suddenly, it dawns on Ritsu.
"Mom, does that mean this time?"
"Yes, the purpose of my journey is to strengthen the seal on the Demon. However, it's not a simple task. Despite the seal, the demon can still exert an influence on its surroundings.
During the war, several of its fellow demons hid in the shinobi world after we sealed the demon. These followers gradually influenced the humans to free the demons. Our Uzumaki clan fought against these remnant demons for centuries and sealed most of them.
Despite our best efforts, there are still several clans that worship the demon. Clans like the Akuma clan, the Majin Clan, and a few other hidden clans.
Every few years, they will attempt to disrupt the sealing process to free the demon. These demonic humans are their puppets. The members of these clans will secretly seek humans with vulnerable mental states and slowly influence their minds.
They will use a drop of demon blood and a contract ritual to infuse the human with demonic chakra. The person you saw today signed a performed a similar ritual to gain quick power.
Most likely, someone from a demon clan promised him great power. Nobody in this world can resist the allure of power." Ishiko explains in detail.
'So, if there are demons in this world. Then does that mean the Uzumaki clan is similar to a demon hunter clan? Well, they sure look like it.'
Ritsu recalls several strange sealing formulas, weapons, and other strange contraceptions in his grandma's study.
He turns to his mother.
"Mom, does that mean your life is in danger? Then shall we inform Grandma and call more people from the village?" He asks with worry.
'Looks like I made a mistake to travel with mother. Now, she would have to constantly worry about me while fighting against these demonic humans.' Guilt appears in Ritsu's eyes.
Ishiko notices his expression and shakes her head.
"Eventually, you will shoulder this responsibility. So, it's better for you to learn these things as early as possible. This is a burden that the Uzumaki clan must bear, and as the successor of the Uzumaki lineage, you too will carry it." She ruffles Ritsu's head.
Saying such words to a four-year-old might seem a bit much, but as his mother, she knew Ritsu understood her words very well. It pains her heart to pass this responsibility to her child, but he can't escape from the burden of his bloodline.
Ritsu also notices his mother's solemn expression and thinks to himself.
'I plan to live a peaceful life in this world with my family. But if the safety of my family is in danger, I can't sit idle. I will train hard and grow strong. In the future, whether it's a demon or a ghost; I will crush them.'
His state of mind undergoes a slight change. He had made a promise to his late grandma to cherish his family and he won't back down on it.
"Mom, when I grow up; I will end that demon for good." Ritsu clenches his fists.
Pfft… Haha…
Ishiko burst into laughter at his adorable expression.
"Alright, mother will believe you! My Ritsu is very brave." She ruffles his hair.
As for his words, she didn't take them to heart. There had been several powerful Uzumaki clan members in the past, and yet none of them could kill the demon. So, how can a kid like Ritsu achieve something like that? However, she still commends and feels a sense of pride in her son's courage.
Hehe…
Ritsu also flashes a cheeky grin.
Suddenly, Ishiko's hand moves towards his ears and she twists it tightly.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ritsu grimaces in pain.
"You cheeky brat! I commend your courage. But being brave is one thing, and being reckless is another. And what you did today was very reckless? Who told you to rush on your own and dive into danger? Don't overestimate your abilities and underestimate your enemies."
"Mom… I…" Ritsu's smile vanishes and a guilty expression appears on his face.
"Sigh… I know you want to help your Uncle Yugo and others and share some of their responsibilities. But it's not the time yet! You didn't even start the academy, much less your shinobi journey. There will be plenty of time in the future. So, don't be so reckless in the future." Ishiko sighs helplessly and scolds Ritsu.
"Yes, mom!" He lowers his head in guilt.
Ishiko scolds him for another hour and teaches him the importance of one's action and their consequences.
Only when he fell asleep did she stop.
"Sigh… this kid!" Ishiko shakes her head and covers her son with a blanket.
She walks out of the room and confronts Uncle Yugo in another room.
"Lady Ishiko, I investigated the details as per your instructions." He reports.
"The person who attacked you today is a chunnin named Seto from the Natsu Province. He graduated from the Natsu province shinobi academy and climbed his way to chunnin rank, fifteen years ago.
Since then, he had been trying hard to raise his rank to jounin. However, he always failed to meet the criteria because of his lack of talent and strength.
Frustrated by his constant failures, he begins to inadvertently treat his subordinates and colleagues with coldness. It was only recently that he somehow increased his strength and completed multiple difficult missions. I believe it's most likely the result of the demon blood.
We investigated his apartment and interrogated his friends and family, but couldn't find any clue about his possession of the demon blood." Yugo finishes the reports.
"Hmm… it's as I suspected. The demon clan had made their move. Seto was just one of their puppets. Perhaps there are even more of them hidden in shadows. The journey ahead is going to be arduous." Ishiko nods and dismisses Yugo.
Escorting Princess Natsumi to the Land of Silk was a cover for their real objective. The main responsibility of Yugo and his team members was to protect her.
The body of the demon, Mōryō, is sealed within the Land of Demons and the Land of Silk falls halfway through that journey.
'Initially, I planned to let Ritsu travel alongside me to visit the Land of Demons, but looking at the current states of things that seem unfeasible. I will leave him in the Land of Silk under Princess Natsumi's care and continue the rest of the journey.' Ishiko makes up her mind.
------------
Tch…
"Hopeless fool!"
In a dark gloomy corner of the Nanten city, a cloaked person with long black hair and purple eyes clicks his tongue in frustration.
"I expected him to be a bit useful, but he couldn't even act as a distraction. At this rate, she would reach the Land of Demon before our plan could be set in motion.
If she strengthens the seal, then our years of effort to weaken the seal will go to waste. We can't let her reach the Land of Demons. Lord Mōryō shall rise again and his Thousand-Year Kingdom shall reign over the world.
Purple chakra shrouds the figure, and he vanishes from the secret hideout.