Escape From Konoha

The country of whirlpool.

The sound of wind and sand echoed in my ears.

What is displayed in front of everyone is a dilapidated ruins.

After Chong Man and others passed by, a wall suddenly fell down, kicking up a lot of dust and making everyone choke.

"Ahem, isn't the damage here too serious?"

This is a devastated town ruins. Judging from the scale of the buildings, it is not difficult to imagine how glorious it was originally. However, with the outbreak of the war, this place became part of the dust of history.

The fate of the Uzumaki family is also ended here.

Because of the unique sealing techniques, the tribesmen were brutally killed, and many sealing techniques were used by various countries. Even if there were surviving tribesmen, they lived with their tails between their legs for a long time, hiding their names and living a dark life like mice.

"Senior Shoumei, can you really find something here?"

Following the insect man's five-person team was an old man with long white hair. He was already over seventy years old, but he was still in good health.

This old man's name is Uzumaki Morimei, and he is the oldest and highest-status surviving member of the Uzumaki clan. However, his long, withered hair has begun to turn white due to the growth of natural age.

"Our family used to preserve many books handed down from ancient times, some of which contain legends about magic and immortals."

Mamoru Uzumaki replied.

"Not history or something?"

Facing the insect man's doubts, Elder Shou Ming said helplessly: "Things in the ancient times happened too long ago, and many things may not be true. And some of them are suspected of exaggeration, because even among the Uzumaki clan, many people People also regard these things as myths and stories, rather than as history that actually happened.”

Obviously, even he himself doesn't really believe in legends about immortals.

There are traces of immortality, but most things like immortals and demons have been processed with artistic elements and spread in the form of stories in this era.

"Will these books help the leader?"

Insect Man's heart thumped.

Shiraishi's order to them was to search for books on history and legends passed down from ancient times. Although they didn't know what they were going to do, they were definitely planning something.

"I don't know for sure, but when it comes to immortals... the most famous one is the Six Paths Immortal who passed down the Ninja Sect. When I was a child, I read some myths about the Six Paths Immortal, and one of them was about him and the world-destroying monster. A legendary story about fighting to save the world.”

Insect Man and the others blinked, as if they were listening to a fairy tale.

Because of this kind of stories and legends, they have also heard a lot, but the protagonist is not a sage of the Six Paths, but a variety of people.

In the picture book stories that children like to read, you can find no less than a hundred similar stories of saving the world.

"But what we are looking for is not necessarily the Immortal of Six Paths, but... Immortals such as toads, snakes, and slugs."

Zong Nan briefly drew the figures of three animals with his hand.

"Three Holy Lands?"

"Yes."

"That's a bit troublesome, because the Uzumaki clan inherits the history of mankind, and the history of psychic beasts is rarely recorded. However, in the past, some members of our clan signed contracts with the three holy places. Maybe we can find something. .”

Speaking of which, the Elder Shouming can't guarantee that he will be able to find it.

"That's the truth, then I'll leave it to you."

The five insect men followed the elder Shou Ming.

The Uzumaki family was exterminated, but many things remained.

For example, there are large scrolls recording sealing techniques, and there are a lot of sealing technique research materials... It is definitely impossible for everything to be lost. The clan will definitely back up these precious documents.

"Here we are, right here."

There are broken walls on all sides, and the piled stone slabs are covered with moss, which is very slippery.

The five insect men used natural energy and increased their physical strength to move the piled stone slabs one by one. It took a total of half an hour. After finishing, the five of them were panting from exhaustion.

What was exposed was an ordinary slab of stone with some wear at the corners.

Chong Man and others couldn't see anything noteworthy. It wasn't until the name-keeping elder formed a seal and used a spell to activate it that they saw light shining on the stone slab. Many spells immediately appeared on it, floating up to reveal a Underground tunnel.

"The upper part was originally the intelligence department of our family, and the lower part is where the compiled information and documents are stored."

Elder Shou Ming took the lead and walked down the stairs.

Because the power supply was damaged, it was dark below.

The insect man took out a flashlight from his pocket and shone it as he walked.

When we got downstairs, we found that it was a relatively spacious basement. The overall space was slightly tilted, but there were no cracks.

According to Elder Shou Ming, there is a shock-proof sealing barrier around it, which can also avoid perception.

In times of crisis, the Uzumaki clan can take refuge below, so a certain amount of water and food will be stored here.

The amount of books here is astonishing. Half of them are intelligence information, and they are all out of date. They are only recorded after the First Ninja War, but the rest are all kinds of precious documents.

"There are very few books about legends... Anyway, let's take them all back first."

Not knowing which book here Shiraishi needs, or whether they all need it, the five insect men began to move it.

Find empty boxes, pack the books, and move them up.

Not far away, there is their transport team, and the work can be completed before the sun sets today.

◎

The country of ghosts.

Yesterday, I had passed a long sea route, bypassing most of the territory of the Kingdom of Wind, and arrived here.

The cultural environment of the Kingdom of Ghosts is very different from that of the five major countries. As the ruler, the witch seems to give this country a layer of mysticism.

When Shiraishi came here, he did not go to see the miko for the time being. Instead, he stayed at the headquarters of the organization and began to arrange the personnel of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.

Is it difficult to arrange their arrangements? As long as their existence is hidden at this stage, there won't be much of a problem.

The only problem is that because the organization has been recruiting people in recent years, and with so many people transferred this time, the space here at the headquarters seems to be much more crowded.

While Shiraishi was thinking, Liuli walked in from outside.

"What, have the arrangements been made over there?"

"It's generally arranged, but after I walked around, I found that the space here is a bit small."

Liuli said what the problem was.

"I was thinking about this too."

Shiraishi took out a floor plan of the capital of the Kingdom of Demons. The residential areas, commercial areas, and military control areas were all clearly distinguished.

Liuli looked at the floor plan with interest. This management model was completely different from that of Konoha.

In Konoha Ninja Village, the living areas of ninjas and civilians are not separated, but live together.

In an apartment building, there are both civilians and ninjas. At some special times, it will appear disorganized, and it will be troublesome to deploy and cannot be planned uniformly.

When Shiraishi first established the organizational headquarters in the Kingdom of Ghosts, it was completely separated from the residential and commercial areas. It was clear at a glance and orders could be issued faster and more effectively.

To a certain extent, the organization established by Shiraishi is one of the manifestations of the military power of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

He usually assists officials in the capital of the Kingdom of Ghosts to manage public security issues in the city.

Belongs to a semi-official type of organizational structure.

However, Shiraishi did not expect that the miko could agree so readily.

I just know that Liuli's parents played a big role in this.

According to Liuli, when she was very young, her parents had already started doing business under a pseudonym in the Kingdom of Demons and established the Ziyuan Flower Merchant Association, which represented the officialdom of the Demon Kingdom.

The Ziyuanhua Pharmaceutical Technology Company later established by Shiraishi was also under the jurisdiction of the Chamber of Commerce.

Thinking about it this way, the relationship between Liuli's parents and the shrine maiden of the Demon Country may be more than what it seems.

This has directly interfered with the official power system of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

"Next, I plan to expand the size of the organization's headquarters. Also, it's time to give the organization a name. We can't hide underground like this all the time, and it's not a bad thing to be exposed to the water at the right time."

Blindly hiding it will make people feel that something is abnormal and make them feel fearful.

On the contrary, showing off part of your strength will make people relax their guard.

Of course, some sensitive things in the organization cannot be revealed, such as the affairs of Uchiha, Hinata, and the Uzumaki clan.

"This matter requires the permission of the witch."

"I will visit her later, and I have many follow-up plans that also require her support."

Liuli nodded in agreement.

"By the way, does that miko have any taboos?"

Shiraishi asked.

"Taboo? I've never heard of this. I've only heard that she has the ability to see into the future. She seems to be able to predict life and death with perfect accuracy."

"...This ability sounds really ominous."

Predicting life and death... no matter what, it will give people a chilly feeling.

And it's always on target... To be honest, this is scary.

"By the way, before you go to see that witch, go see my mother first. She has something to do with you."

Liuli suddenly remembered something and said.

"Find me?"

Shiraishi froze on the spot.

"Yeah, but don't pay attention to what she says. That woman has a bad character and is not a decent person."

When Shiraishi was stunned, Liuli reminded him again.

◎

Ruri's mother's name is Uchiha Miyoko.

To be honest, Shiraishi has seen her only a handful of times. The times when she returned to Konoha to visit Ruri were often irregular and there was no pattern to follow.

Shiraishi's impression of her was that she was rich, well-dressed, unfashionable, not too serious, and a beauty.

A high-end mansion in the capital of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Miyoko Uchiha is wearing a gorgeous black kimono, with her hair tied up, fair skin, and holding a paper fan in her hand. Her real age is in her thirties, but she looks like a young woman in her twenties, Shiraishi. Believe it all.

When Bai Shi came here, before she could speak, she already smiled and said:

"Have you and Liuli slept with each other?"

"Ahem!"

Shiraishi coughed violently and choked on the tea that rolled down his throat.

He thought of a lot, but he didn't expect that Miyoko would be the first to ask such a question.

"Oh, is this shyness? What a cute reaction. It turns out that boys are more fun to play with."

"Well, I'm not shy..."

"Don't admit it, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You know, when I was Liuli's age, Liuli was already two or three years old. But if I had to guess, Liuli would definitely be the one above."

It seems to be sure of it.

"..."

Shiraishi was powerless to complain about this woman's brain circuit.

Seeing Shiraishi's confused look, Miyoko giggled and took pleasure in it.

Just like Liuli said, a woman with a bad personality.

"Please stop teasing me. Why did you come to me? There are a lot of things to deal with over there."

Shiraishi shook his head and smiled bitterly, ending this vulgar topic. Unlike her gorgeous and noble clothes, this woman's character was quite naughty.

"Don't worry, we agree to your marriage. After all, it is Liuli's choice. Because if we object to stop it, the child will definitely rush up and punch us each."

Miyoko hit her head with a paper fan, looking quite helpless.

Is that why you don't object? It feels so casual. Shiraishi sighed inwardly.

"Okay, that's the end of the previous topic, let's talk about the business now."

Hearing Miyoko say this, Shiraishi sat upright and listened carefully.

Miyoko took out a medicinal glass bottle from her clothes, which contained a pair of scarlet eyeballs.

The black pattern on the eyeball is a complex pattern Shiraishi has never seen before.

"Is this the Sharingan?"

Shiraishi asked uncertainly.

"To be precise, its name is Kaleidoscope Sharingan, which is a more advanced form beyond ordinary Sharingan."

Miyoko spoke in a light tone, watching the reaction on Shiraishi's face, a funny smile appeared on her face.

"!?"

Mangekyō Sharingan?

There was surprise in Shiraishi's eyes.

"Is it incredible? This kind of eyes does exist, but it is not as magical as you think. The power of taboos is often accompanied by many risks."

Saying so, Miyoko pushed the glass bottle in front of Shiraishi.

"What is this doing?"

I don’t understand what Miyoko means.

"This is something someone entrusted me to give to you. I hope it can help your research. I will also send someone to send you any subsequent information about these eyes."

"May I ask, who is the owner of these eyes?"

As far as he knows, no one in the Uchiha clan has awakened these eyes.

"I will never tell you what I promised to others. However, you can ask others. If the witch doesn't mind, she might be able to tell you something."

Miyoko opened the paper fan and half covered her face, with a smile in her eyes, but the answer she gave was ambiguous.

"Miko?"

"I don't know whether this is true or not. I just heard that the previous generation of shrine maidens from the Kingdom of Ghosts once held a 'purification' ceremony for the owner of these eyes. However, whether this is true or not, I just heard that It’s just what people say. Just don’t take it completely seriously.”

After Miyoko finished speaking, she elegantly picked up the tea cup in front of her and slowly tasted the fragrant tea in the cup without saying a word.

It seems that it is impossible to get the answer from here.

Shiraishi picked up the glass bottle and looked directly into a pair of scarlet eyes in the bottle.

Even if he is not an Uchiha ninja, he can feel that there is a danger and power in these eyes that can confuse people's hearts.

Shiraishi thought that Liuli's parents had already been doing business in the Kingdom of Ghosts when Liuli was very young. They had laid a solid foundation and were able to interfere in the official decisions of the Kingdom of Ghosts. This was not something that ordinary businessmen could do.

Perhaps, the relationship between the miko and Uchiha in the Kingdom of Ghosts is more complicated than he thought.

◎

The shrine maidens of the Kingdom of Ghosts have passed down incomparable mysterious power from generation to generation.

One is to seal the demon.

The second is to predict the future and decide the life and death of mortals.

The matter of sealing demons is too bizarre, but the ability to predict the future and determine death is widely spread in the country of ghosts and surrounding countries.

As long as you ask the nobles and commoners of the Kingdom of Ghosts, they will tell the inquirer that the ability of witches to predict the future is 100% accurate.

So far, there has not been a single failure.

Sacred, unknown, and a messenger of God, this is the impression that all the people of the Ghost Country have on the witch.

In this country without a daimyo leader, having a miko as the leader is considered an anomaly in the ninja world.

Pass through the red torii gate and walk up the mountain path. At the top of the mountain path is the shrine where Maitreya, the current shrine maiden of the Demon Country, lives.

This shrine is built on the outskirts not far from the capital of the Kingdom of Demons. From this height, you can have a panoramic view of the entire capital.

The sky was getting dark, and the sunset dyed the western horizon red. It was an extremely beautiful dusk.

Led by a maid, Shiraishi walked up the steps on the mountain path.

After crossing the long steps, we finally arrived at the shrine.

On the front of the shrine, there are still rows of red torii gates standing in front, with birds perched on them.

A huge building was erected on a huge platform, more like a palace than a shrine.

If so, Shiraishi would not be surprised.

After all, it is the residence of the highest miko in the Kingdom of Demons. It is normal to have such a majestic palace.

However, there is really a lack of people here, and there are very few guards.

As a miko, there shouldn't be so few guards here to protect her.

Or...is there something else hidden here?

Shiraishi didn't think much about it. Under the leadership of the maid in miko uniform, he started to walk towards the palace. Walking along the long corridor of the palace, the trees in the courtyard and the dusk reflected each other and complemented each other.

The atmosphere inside the palace is very quiet, just enough to make people feel comfortable.

The influence of witches? Bai Shi thought to himself.

Such a strange change in mood is definitely due to some strange force at work.

Living here, you will find primitive tranquility and nature in your heart.

"Father..."

The voice of the shadow dancer came from the ear.

She also sensed something was wrong.

"Don't worry, the other party is not malicious."

Baishi responded to the shadow dancer.

Although he didn't know why he thought this way, Shiraishi judged it subconsciously.

Maitreya, the witch from the land of ghosts, poses no danger to him.

As the maid arrived at the main hall, the door was opened generously, allowing ventilation on all sides.

The interior is paved with smooth solid wood floors, with screens erected on both sides. The pillars supporting the palace are also exquisite and strong, with bright and beautiful patterns.

Just the arrangement like this shows that this Maitreya witch is... very rich.

Compared with this, iconic places such as the Guard Building and the Hokage Building in Konoha Village are really shabby.

On the spacious platform at the front of the main hall, there was only a young woman wearing a luxurious miko uniform, sitting there on her knees. Her bright and gentle eyes gave people an unfathomable feeling, as if they could penetrate people's hearts.

—— Maitreya, the current priestess of the ghost country.

After the maid retreated, a sense of emptiness and silence enveloped the hall.

She didn't even arrange a guard for herself, which shows that this miko has absolute confidence in her abilities.

When the other party looked at her, Shiraishi naturally raised his head and met Maitreya Miko's gaze.

I don't know why, but when he looked at this miko, Shiraishi felt that he was not facing a human being.

(PS: The pace will be slower next. While others are playing in full swing, start farming and jungle development...)