In the palace of the Ghost Country, a beautiful woman exuding the aroma of ripe peaches placed a bell into the hands of a little girl.
"Shion, you must keep this with you from now on."
"It's so pretty! Is it a charm?"
A young girl in a beige kimono happily nestled against the beautiful woman's legs, her pale purple pupils narrowing. Shion savored the moment.
"Yes, it will always protect you, Shion."
The beautiful woman, Miroku, gently stroked Shion's small head and said softly, "No matter what happens in the future, even if your mother disappears before your eyes, you must not lose your composure."
"I won't! Shion will always be with Mother!"
Shion shook her head vigorously in Miroku's arms, her hair ribbon shifting out of place.
"Shion really loves to act spoiled," Miroku chuckled, but deep in her eyes, a profound worry lingered.
The witches of her clan had possessed mysterious powers for generations, capable of sealing demons and foreseeing the future. She had recently foreseen her own imminent death.
However, after her demise, a man wearing a Konoha forehead protector would take care of Shion. This was why Miroku had issued a mission to Konoha.
She was not concerned whether the Konoha ninja who arrived would be that man, for her prophecies never erred.
"Shion loves Mother the most!"
As a child, Shion was obedient and lively, her delicate and lovely appearance beyond reproach. Especially her exquisite feet, bare of shoes and socks, were enough to evoke a sense of guilt in most readers.
Both mother and daughter were rare beauties, but alas, in this country, witches were symbols. To the people of the Ghost Country, the witch was to be admired from afar, not to be trespassed upon.
"Ashina, have the Konoha ninja arrived yet?"
At Miroku's summons, a young man wearing a tall hat entered from outside and knelt respectfully on the ground. "To the Witch, there is no news of any Konoha ninja arriving."
"Is that so..."
A hint of disappointment flickered in Miroku's eyes. She did not want Shion to suffer any harm. If the Konoha ninja could arrive sooner, she could entrust Shion to him quickly and impart some information.
Shion was the most gifted witch in the history of the Ghost Country, her inner power exceeding that of any previous generation.
But precisely because of this, if Shion could not control this power, it would bring her terrible disaster!
Miroku sighed softly, took Shion's delicate white hand, and said, "Shion and I are going for a walk. Do not let anyone disturb us."
"Yes!"
...
The border of the Ghost Country.
Rumbling...
The dense forest was intermittently shaken by violent tremors. Countless sparrows and birds flew out in fear, chirping incessantly, as if pursued by some ancient beast.
Bang!
A colossal orange behemoth leaped from the sky to the ground, cracking the hard earth and leaving behind several deep pits. Its shape resembled a five-clawed creature.
"I'm telling you, Kurama, destroying the forest is wrong. The amount of forest replanted each year is less than what you damage in a single day!"
Lin Yu sat atop Kurama's head, tightly gripping its tufts of fur. He had long wanted to experience this thrilling sensation. Riding the actual Kurama was far more exhilarating than the Nine-Tails Mode!
Hearing Lin Yu's words, Kurama immediately stopped. It glanced at the boundless forest surrounding them and roared at Lin Yu, "What reforestation are you talking about in this desolate place? Don't try to trick me again, I have no money!"
"Sigh, I knew you wouldn't understand. Let me educate you on the principle that environmental protection is everyone's responsibility. You see..."
Seeing Lin Yu babbling about things it had never heard of, Kurama shook its head violently, refusing to let these heretical words corrupt its pure Tailed Beast soul.
"By the way, have you really found my brother? I didn't know I had a brother?"
It was Lin Yu's words that had tricked Kurama into coming out. Otherwise, who would follow him to this remote forest? It was far more comfortable to just sleep.
The moment Kurama mentioned this, Lin Yu's expression instantly turned somber. "That's right. When the Sage of Six Paths divided the Ten-Tails, it wasn't into nine parts, but ten!"
"Is its name Ten-Tails? That doesn't seem right either," Kurama wondered. It had no idea about this. Had the old man hidden it from them?
Lin Yu seriously fabricated, "Its name is Tentacle Monster. It has more than ten times the number of tails you do!"
"Impossible! I am the strongest Tailed Beast!"
Kurama's heart skipped a beat, and it immediately retorted.
Although the strength among Tailed Beasts wasn't determined solely by the number of tails, its own abundance of tails, combined with its perceived strength, was a subconscious belief.
Lin Yu sighed. "Unfortunately, it's true. It's much stronger than you."
"I don't believe it! I'll go beat up that... Tentacle Monster right now!"
Kurama realized its position might be threatened. It roared, baring its sharp teeth, and its four limbs pressed into the ground. Like a fox-shaped steamroller, it barreled towards the Ghost Country.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! You're not an experienced driver!"
...
Rumbling!
"Protect the Witch!"
"Heh heh heh, where is Miroku? Make her come out quickly!"
A shapeless demon rampaged within the witch's palace, accompanied by its demon army, consisting of both living beings and undead puppets. The guards defending the witch were utterly incapable of stopping their advance.
In an instant, the ground was strewn with corpses, and blood soon flowed into every corner of the palace.
The attack by Mōryō was sudden and without warning. Perhaps Miroku had foreseen it, but she couldn't know the exact time, only glimpse a scene.
Even if she had known, the Ghost Country's strength would have been insufficient to resist the demon's onslaught.
After all, most of the guards were merely well-trained commoners. Ninjas were extremely rare, and ninjas would not risk their lives for some witch.
"Found her!"
Mōryō sensed Miroku's location and transformed into a black mist, surging towards the depths of the palace.
At this moment, Miroku had already sensed Mōryō's arrival. However, she had something very important to tell Shion.
"Shion, that man has fiery red hair, and he smiles beautifully. You will follow him from now on; he will protect you."
"Mother, I want to be with you!" Tears welled up in Shion's eyes. She didn't understand why her mother wanted her to go with a stranger, but she saw the urgency and resolve in her mother's eyes.
"Shion, from now on, you'll have to rely on yourself."
As soon as Miroku finished speaking, a black mist instantly enveloped them. Mōryō's voice echoed all around, "Miroku, become one with me, and this world will be ours!"
"Mōryō, let us settle this here and now."
The crown on Miroku's head emitted a dazzling radiance, the power of a witch.