In late January, the coming-of-age ceremony of the shrine maiden, the main vein of the Oni Country. Aster City already has a lively atmosphere.

As if a big festival was held, many banners were already painted on the city streets during the day.

Let this year's winter be extraordinarily warm.

The personnel of the garrison are also distributed on the important hub passages of the city, planning the security problems on the path of the shrine maiden.

Although I don't think that there will be people in such a place, at such a time, there will be any disturbance in Aster City, but we should never underestimate the spontaneous curiosity of human beings, and the role of the garrison, in addition to planning the route of the streets, is to prevent people from making trouble at such an important celebration.

As the orthodox monarch of the Oni Country, the significance of the shrine maiden's coming-of-age ceremony is extraordinary. It means that the 'Divine Domain' will interfere with the 'Human World'.' The 'Divine Domain' will be connected to the 'Human World'. At this time, the shrine maiden will also have the power to truly lead the country of demons.

Although many things have changed from the past in the Oni Kingdom, the core tenets have not changed, such as the recognition of shrine maidens as the legitimate monarch and the fact that they can be hereditary...... Even if everyone is confused about who the 'husband' of the shrine maidens of the Oni no Kuni is, each generation will be.

However, if you really dig deeper, you may find some terrifying facts that are beyond human common sense.

As the Minister of War of the Oni Country, and as the 'father' of Shion, the main shrine maiden of this generation, Shiraishi naturally has to attend such a celebration.

And it's very close to the 'daughter' asters.,Keep following the demeanor.。

First, it is to show the relationship between the two parties, get along well, and extinguish some people's thoughts that they should not have, and secondly, it is also to ensure that the ceremony can be carried out smoothly and act as a guard.

In the light and in the dark, Shiraishi could feel some people, staring at Aster with malicious eyes.

Sure enough, there are still criminals who want to assassinate the shrine maiden.

Then, under Shiraishi's instructions, General Tu, a good son, quietly dragged these attackers who were preparing to carry out 'big news' to the ground one by one, and let them engage in the idea of 'big news' directly stillborn.

There are fewer and fewer eyes with malice, which also means the loss of fresh lives.

For these guys who want to threaten the life of the monarch of the Oni Country, the shrine maiden, Shiraishi doesn't even have the idea of judging them, and he also knows that there is no point in catching them for interrogation, it doesn't matter who sent them, the important thing is that there are no accidents in today's ceremony.

Salutes roared through the winter city and exploded in the sky.

And at the moment when the salute roared, another gunshot rang out, but it was drowned out by the sound of the salute.

In the dark alleyway, a ninja armed with a long-range crossbow gun collapsed into the shadows. Bloody liquid and walls covered in shadows. The whole chest exploded and something pierced through the body.

In a backlit corner of the building, Aya silently picked up the sniper rifle, put away the shell of the sniper bullet, and disappeared around the corner to another place, aiming the muzzle of the sniper rifle at another ninja who was about to carry out the attack.

Wait for the next salute to be fired, and that's when the attacker dies." I seem to have heard some strange sound just now...... "In the crowd, Temari seems to be in the salute, and a different sound is heard.

"You heard me wrong." Kankuro put his hands behind his head and spoke.

My Airo tilted her head, her green pupils coldly glanced at the place where Aya was hiding, and quietly turned her eyes back to look at the shrine maiden strolling in the middle of the empty street.

He has no interest in witch coming-of-age ceremonies, various conspiracies and assassinations in the secret.

"It's called Iro...... It's really alert, and it's even more tricky than it was four years ago." My Airo's reaction is naturally also in Cai's observation.

Not only did he notice the gunshot, but he also figured out his position, which surprised Cai slightly. Immediately, it was indifferent. As the salute exploded in the sky again, sniper bullets burst out of the muzzle.

Without looking at the attacker's death, Cai shifted his position one after another, scanning the whole scene with his white eyes, and eliminating these 'rats' hiding in the dark one by one.

While I don't understand why these attackers think that their frustrated hidden skills will go undetected, Aya's actions will not stop the 'rats' because of this.

Strictly speaking, Shion is slightly older than him and is his older sister.

This coming-of-age ceremony belonging to my sister cannot be ruined by anyone. Let all these 'rats' disappear in the dark.

He will not be soft on these 'rats' who want to destroy the stability of the Oni Country." That's a lot of people...... I can't see it at all."

Looking at the swaying head in front of him, Ino, who is not very tall, can't see the scene inside at all.

If you want to see the demeanor of the shrine maiden of the Oni Country up close, you can't do that.

"I advise you not to bother with this, Ino, in this case, you can't see inside."

Ding Ji dissuades Ino from giving up.

Regarding Ino's idea of wanting to compare his beauty with the shrine maidens of the Oni Country, Ding Ji felt a little naïve. Ninjas don't focus on appearance, but on strength. Moreover, how can a woman have a snack to 'eat'?

"I can't tell, look at my-"

Thinking of something, Ino began to pose a handprint, aiming at a figure in front of him, and was about to launch the Heart Turning Technique.

"Hey, don't mess around!" Shikamaru immediately stopped Ino from doing this.

This is not Konoha, if it is discovered by the garrison of the Oni Country, I don't know what the punishment will be.

Moreover, if there is a human life, it will be even more difficult to end.

For Shikamaru, the shrine maidens of the Oni Country are nothing to look at, and he really can't understand why Ino is so keen on this kind of thing.

"But if you don't, you won't be able to see inside." Ino is distressed by this." Why are you obsessed with this?"

Shikamaru asked helplessly.

"Because I heard that the shrine maiden of the Oni Country is a peerless beautiful girl, so you should take a look at it from the front."

Ino crossed his hands on his hips and said in a righteous and stern manner. Women are such a nuisance."" What do you say?"

"Uh...... I mean, don't forget about our mission. Didn't you say okay, I'm here to look for Sakura today?"

Shikamaru hurriedly changed the topic, he didn't want to be caught by Ino and preach for a long time. It's annoying to death like that." Sakura...... Yes, Sakura!"

Ino also suddenly understood.

"Use your perceptual ninjutsu to perceive it and you can know the location." Shikamaru said. Understood."

Ino nodded. With such an important celebration, Sakura is likely to appear.

So, Ino let go of his perceptual ninjutsu and looked for Sakura's chakra among tens of thousands of chakras.

Although she hasn't seen her for two years, Sakura's chakra color and breath, she won't forget.

"Found it!" It didn't take long for Ino to say loudly. Where?"

Shikamaru hurriedly asked.

Ding Ci also stopped eating snacks and put the uneaten snacks into the ninja bag." In this direction!" Ino took the lead and squeezed through the crowd.

"Hey, don't squeeze! It's almost gone!" Which bastard is squeezing around, give me some peace!" Who, who's touching my ass, ah, rascal!"

The sound of noisy noise, and the screams of women can be heard, which keep pouring into your ears from the side. Walking through dense crowds is definitely a chore.

The average person in this situation will only disarm and surrender. But in the dictionary of ninjas, there is no word for surrender.

Even in this situation, he is still walking like flying, looking for a 'target'." Oh no!" Ino suddenly shouted again.

"What's wrong?" Sakura's chakra is moving quickly."" Did you spot us?"

The movement of the three of them is a bit loud, and Sakura is a ninja who is extremely attentive to her surroundings, so she may have noticed their existence.

"Probably yes."

Thinking of this, Ino couldn't help but become anxious and chased after Sakura's rapidly shifting direction.

Shikamaru and Dingji had no choice but to follow quickly. The swearing in the crowd seemed to be louder." What's the matter, Father?"

On the cleared street, Shion and Shiraishi walked in the middle of the procession, with two dignified young shrine maidens leading the way in front of them, followed by shrine maidens, and a guard of honor composed of ninjas of the Oni no Kuni. The team is magnificent and has become the only focus of pedestrians on both sides.

The witch costume on Shion's body is extremely luxurious, and the long hair that is scattered has also been neatly combed.

He also wears a gorgeous golden crown on his head, which can highlight the majesty of the monarch even at a young age.

Maintaining the extraordinary temperament that a monarch should have, as well as the steady pace that he has achieved after a few days of rigorous training, Aster has taken a steady stride forward according to this rhythm.

Maybe it was the corner of his eye, noticing Shiraishi's slight tilt of his head, and Shion asked softly.

"It's nothing but trivial things." The movement caused by the three of Shikamaru did not hide from Shiraishi's eyes.

I'm looking for traces of the girl called Sakura Haruno.

For this matter, Shiraishi only paid a little attention and withdrew his gaze. In the end, it's just a fight between young people. When you realize the gap in reality, you will naturally take the initiative to retreat.

He, the Minister of War, would not have personally come forward for such a thing.

On this day of celebration with the country, the coming-of-age ceremony of Shion is undoubtedly the most important thing today. As long as there is no disruption to the progress of the ceremony, the children are playing, Shiraishi does not care.

But if you make an out-of-the-ordinary move, you have to 'disappear'.

In order to ensure the progress of the celebration, there were 500 ninjas dispatched on the surface alone, and he, the Minister of War, personally went into battle.

As for the number of guards in the shadows, the number is even higher.

Spread all the surrounding corridors and blocks, and start a clean-up operation to 'rats'." But it's been a hard day." Shiraishi said this, his eyes full of pity.

Shrine maidens can look directly at the sight of human death.

Seeing so many humans at once, needless to say, this is a very cruel thing for Aster, who is still unable to control his own power.

"It's okay, I'm used to this kind of picture......"

So much so that it is impossible to compare which is the same as which is the death scene of each person. Shion's face remained calm.

Looking at the respect and yearning on the faces of the people on both sides, the heart wants to say that nothing is touched is fake. This is the existence guarded by the shrine maidens for generations. It is also an important thing that she will always protect in the future.

Until the day of death.

The constant noise in my ears is completely different from the ethereal silence of the shrine. This is a breath that belongs to the 'world'.

Although Shion enjoys such an aura, she also knows that as a shrine maiden, she can't stay in such a place for a long time.

Maybe it was because she wanted to see the people and things here again, and Aster couldn't help but slow down a little bit as she moved forward, just to stop here for a while......

The noise is gone, the atmosphere of industrialization is gradually disappearing, and the 'parade' is over.

The people who came with him, in addition to the officials of the Oni Country, ninjas, and shrine maidens, were the envoys of other countries.

The breath of the 'human world' gradually faded away, and the next step was to return to the 'divine domain' and worship the ancestors to the witches of the past generations.

The three of Shikamaru are still chasing.

Finally chased out the crowd, it was already empty, the streets were empty, only empty shops were still open.

"Over here!"

Ino shouted, although he couldn't find Sakura's figure, but Chakra's reaction was still in the process of perception and was not lost.

"Wait ......" Shikamaru was about to say something, but Ino had already run out first. Ding Ji took a breath and stood beside Shikamaru.

"What to do, Shikamaru?" Ding Ji asked Shikamaru's opinion. What else can I do, keep catching up."

Shikamaru shook his head helplessly, caught up with Ino's galloping footsteps, and chased towards the uninhabited alleyway of the commercial street.

In fact, he really wanted to say that since Sakura-chan saw them, the first thought was to hide and remember everything in the past. So, that means they're not chasing after them in the slightest.

No matter what you say, the other person will not come back.

Therefore, it is better to give up than to chase it desperately.

It's not that Shikamaru doesn't care about this past companion...... It's because we care that we should let it go.

For them, and for Sakura, this could be the best outcome.

Even if they still live together in this world, there is a 'barrier' in the middle, which is enough to divide them into two worlds.

However, this kind of thing still didn't come out of Shikamaru's mouth. It's too unkind, and it will hurt Ino's heart.

Like a precision machine that is constantly working, cold-blooded, calm, sensible, and devoid of human emotions.

Therefore, although he knew that if this continued, meeting Sakura would not produce any good results, Shikamaru's footsteps subconsciously ran faster.

"It's just ahead, she's stopped!" Sensing Sakura's chakra, Ino's face showed joy. In her perceptual range, Sakura's chakra stops.

"Wait a minute, it looks like ...... ahead"

This time, Shikamaru quickly grabbed the idea of Ino quickly stepping forward.

Because the atmosphere of the building complex in front of you is very quiet, which is completely different from the bustle of the shopping street.

Judging from the structure of the building complex, it is obvious that this is a residential area that is different from the commercial street, and it is quite high-end.

Shikamaru had heard that this place was a military residential area in the country of Oni. It is very different from a residential area in the general sense.

Sure enough, before they could get closer, at the entrance of this unimaginably large residential area, two Oni no Kuni ninjas in black coats suddenly flashed in front of the three of them, intercepting them directly as strangers.

"Stop, no entry ahead!"

Not to mention that the three of Shikamaru are strangers, not only have they never seen each other as 'doormen', but it is obviously unruly for the three of them to break into such a place with their identities wearing the Konoha ninja forehead guards.

"What, who are you guys?" Ino was desperate to rush over.

One of the ninjas immediately pulled out the ninja knife behind his back, and in just a flash, the tip of the blade was against Ino's face, rapidly dilating in her pupils.

A trace of cold sweat slipped down Ino's forehead.

Looking at the ninja knife that was close at hand, Ino couldn't help but have a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

"You're a ninja of Konoha, aren't you? Sorry, there is a no-visit area ahead, please don't add to our workload, let's go back."

Another Oni no Kuni ninja walked over, a young woman in her twenties, with a slightly better attitude than the male ninja next to her, but there was also a clear refusal in her words.

Then, she pressed the ninja knife from the male ninja's hand." But ......"

Shikamaru patted Ino on the shoulder, stood in front of Ino, and explained to the two Oni no Kuni ninjas: "That, in fact, we and the cherry-haired girl who ran over just now are old acquaintances, if you can, can you pass it on our behalf?"

"Ah, do you mean the daughter of the Haruno family?" The female ninja tilted her head and asked aloud.

As janitors, they know the names and locations of all the residents in this military residential area." Yes." Shikamaru nodded affirmatively.

The female ninja groaned slightly, then nodded in agreement and replied, "I know, then you guys wait here for a while. However, I can't guarantee that they will come out to see you."

"Thank you." Shikamaru politely thanked him.

Glancing at the male ninja next to him, the female ninja flashed and headed towards Haruno's house in the residential area.

It didn't take long, about half a minute, for the female ninja to be back here." I'm sorry, but they don't seem to want to see you." The female ninja informed about this.

"What?" Ino's eyes widened in disbelief. And so it is."

The female ninja replied patiently.

Ino looked towards a certain direction in the residential area and bit his lip, with a thick look of unwillingness and confusion.

Shikamaru sighed, patted Ino on the shoulder, turned around and said, "Forget it, Ino, since the other party doesn't want to see us, there's no point in staying here, let's go."

It's not that he can see it, but in front of him, he has to make a choice that is in line with the position of the Konoha ninja.

"Are you going to give up just like that?" Ino asked. Leaving like this is unacceptable to her.

"How else? Like Naruto, said that he was going to bring people back to Konoha anyway? The moment Sasuke leaves Konoha, you should understand that this is absolutely impossible."

Shikamaru replied. ......" Ino was speechless and didn't know how to refute it.

"But Sakura is our companion......"

"It was, it wasn't now, and it won't be in the future. Ino, there are some things I don't want to repeat a second time, don't forget, you're a Konoha ninja."

Shikamaru stared into Ino's eyes, causing Inono to take a step back in fear. I...... I see."

Ino had no choice but to obey Shikamaru's meaning, and when he turned around, he still looked in a certain direction with nostalgia.

She knew that in that place, Sakura must be watching the movement here.

Looking at the back of Ino who had lost his soul and left, Ding Ji was silent for a moment and said, "Shikamaru, your psychology is not good. You've been keeping all sorts of things on your mind lately."

"Who knows? Perhaps, this is the troubles that ninjas will inevitably experience when growing up. We're not fledglings anymore who just graduated from ninja school. If you want to be the pillar of the village in the future, you can't be naïve. Originally, there was a naïve stupidity, it was enough trouble, and if everyone became like this, Konoha would be finished directly......"

Shikamaru sighed and walked away. Ding Ci silently followed. Window on the second floor.

The girl with long cherry pink hair looked at the backs of the three people in the distance, and lost her mind for a while. A murmuring voice sounded in his mouth: "I'm sorry, Shikamaru, Ino, and Dingji, I'm ...... now"

◎

"So, where do you start, Big Scorpion?"

Coming to the sky above the northern border of the Land of Winds, Deidara, who was standing on the white bird, looked at the endless desert below, and asked the scorpion standing next to him.

Scorpion is a ninja in the sand, and is most familiar with the environment of the Land of Wind. With him as a guide, capturing a human pillar force will definitely get twice the result with half the effort.

Scorpion holding a map.

The territory of the Land of the Wind has changed a lot from the time he left the Sand Hide.

After the War of the Wind Country eight years ago, a large area in the northwest of the Wind Country was ceded to the Land of Demons.

Two years ago, during the Fourth Ninja World War, some resource areas in the desert were also temporarily 'borrowed' by the Oni Country.

No matter where you do it, you can't involve the country of ghosts.

After all, the military power of this country is too strong, and it is very troublesome to capture a human pillar force, and if this terrible country is involved again, it is likely to cause strong interference to the capture of the tailed beast.

Therefore, it is not possible to move within the jurisdiction of the Oni Country.

Soon, the scorpion used his pen to enclose a piece of land on the northern border of the Land of Winds.

"I remember that there is a workshop base that I used to abandon, and if no one finds it, I think I can use it. And here, it is also a must-pass place for a human pillar to return to the country of wind. When the time comes, we will ambush here."

The scorpion spoke.

"Brother Scorpion, how did you learn from that guy from Orochimaru and make holes everywhere? Hmm." Instead, Deidara is concerned about it." Shut up or I'll kill you, Deidara!"

The scorpion raised his eyebrows, and his voice suddenly became cold and rude. Obviously, he is an extremely handsome young man." Got it."

Deidara closed her mouth aggrievedly.

Obviously a handsome teenager, but his temper is still as irritable as ever. Has this kind of contrasting art become popular lately?

"In addition, the location of the seal is carried out in the country of grass. The base for the seal over there has been prepared. However, considering that after capturing a human pillar force, there will be pursuers in Shayin Village...... Therefore, it is necessary to make traps in advance to delay the time for their rescue."

The scorpion said clearly. How to divide the labor? Hmm."

"I'll do the traps on the way to the country of grass, and you'll be responsible for the traps on the human pillar side." The scorpion turned its head to look at Deidara. Without hesitation, Deidara nodded in agreement.

"No problem. Not only C3, but also C2 this time...... It is very suitable for waiting for the prey to be caught. Hmm."

"Well, let's go over there and stop first."

The scorpion pointed to a huge sand dune covered in wild sand in the desert in the distance.