Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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Naruto walked over and handed him a rice ball he had brought with him: "Still not asleep? Have something to eat. Taking care of that... uh... spoiled and willful master must be really tough on you."

He couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark in the end.

Ashiho paused for a moment, then took the rice ball with a grateful smile on her face: "Thank you, Naruto-sama. It's not really hard work. We did it all voluntarily."

His voice was soft, carrying a sense of fatalistic composure.

Naruto sat down next to him, took a bite of his rice ball, and asked indistinctly, "Even if she treated you like that, spilling the food you painstakingly prepared, treating you like a servant, and scolding you... you still think it was voluntary?"

Foot Feather was silent for a moment, then turned her gaze toward the direction of the Purple Tent, her eyes becoming distant and complicated.

The firelight danced on his face, reflecting deep reminiscence.

"Lord Naruto, are you aware of this?"

Ashiho's voice was low and slow, as if she were telling an ancient story: "Our clan has served the priestess of the land of demons for generations."

"It has continued uninterrupted for hundreds of years."

"This loyalty stems from ancient gratitude and vows, and has long been ingrained in our blood."

"Lady Shion... wasn't born this way."

His tone carried a hint of regret: "When she was little, she was also an innocent and carefree child who longed for friends."

"but……"

Azusa's voice became hoarse: "...She was born with the ability to 'predict death,' an ability that is the source of fear for ordinary people."

"When she first unconsciously uttered the prophecy 'You will die' to a playmate..."

"And when that child actually died unexpectedly a few days later... everything changed."

Azusa clenched her fist slightly: "She is regarded as an ominous monster, the source of calamity."

“The other children were afraid to approach her, and the adults looked at her with fear and rejection.”

"Whatever she tries to do, she gets either insults or alienation as if she were avoiding a plague."

“What’s even more terrifying is…”

Azusa's voice trembled slightly: "She can't control this ability."

"She will constantly and passively witness future scenarios of people around her dying in order to protect her."

"From the time she was old enough to understand, she watched helplessly as one loyal guard after another, one close maid after another, died in the tragic ways she foresaw and could not change, in order to protect her."

"Those images...replayed in her mind over and over again..."

"She had witnessed firsthand that her most beloved mother—the previous priestess, Lady Miroku—would be devoured by demons in order to protect her..."

Azusa's voice choked with emotion: "...And later, Lady Miroku really...sacrificed herself to seal away the demon. Lady Shion was only five years old at the time."

Naruto was silent.

He put down the rice ball in his hand, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

He finally understood where the unfathomable numbness and despair in Ziyuan's eyes came from.

That's not being unreasonable; it's being repeatedly tormented by fate.

A self-protective wall, full of spikes, built with indifference and willfulness.

"Too many deaths, too much helplessness..."

Footie's voice was filled with sorrow: "She gradually closed her heart off."

"She became cold, willful, and mean, using this method to push everyone away and try to sever her ties with others."

"Because she was afraid, afraid that the more people she was close to, the more death she would see, and the deeper her suffering would be."

"She even... began to hate her ability to bring disaster, and hated her identity as a 'shrine maiden'."

"So, she scolded and harassed me..."

Azusa looked at Naruto, a bitter yet resolute smile on her face: "Perhaps... it's a way for her subconscious to hope that I will hate her, leave her, and stop dying for her in vain?"

"After all, my fate was probably already foreseen in her eyes."

His smile carried a martyr-like resolve.

Naruto stared blankly at Ashiho, then looked towards Shion's sleeping tent.

The firelight danced in his deep blue eyes, reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

Anger, sympathy, understanding...

There was also a sense of heaviness that was hard to describe.

Chapter 228 Ashiho, you'll die!

The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the forest was filled with the damp scent of grass and trees.

Azusa's explanation was like a key, heavy though it was, it slightly unlocked Naruto's understanding of Shion's cold, high wall.

He looked at the taciturn, purple-haired witch who seemed isolated from the world.

The resentment of yesterday had lessened in his eyes, replaced by a complex sigh.

'If it weren't for my dad...'

Naruto's mind flashed back to that person who always had a stern face and used the harshest words to spur him on.

Yet, in the dead of night, he silently guided the soul phantom controlled by his chakra.

The loneliness of childhood is indeed unforgettable.

But the presence of the spots filled a certain void in an extremely awkward way.

This prevented him from completely sinking into resentment.

The Ziyuan before her didn't even have such an awkward "companionship".

Only the constant rehearsals of death. He shook his head violently, trying to calm his chaotic thoughts.

"lets go!"

Sasuke's cool voice broke the brief silence, and his crimson Sharingan scanned the surroundings to confirm that it was safe.

His gaze lingered on Ziyuan for a moment, carrying a calm that seemed to know everything.

The group packed their belongings and prepared to continue their journey.

Sakura carried Shion on her back, while Naruto habitually looked towards Ashiho. Just then—

Ziyuan suddenly spoke, her voice cold and hollow.

It was as if an unalterable verdict was being read out: "Ashiho, you'd better leave now. Otherwise, you'll die."

The air solidified instantly.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all stopped moving at the same time, their eyes turning to Shion.

Zu Sui's body stiffened abruptly, her hand holding the water bag froze in mid-air, and water droplets fell onto the withered leaves, making a soft "tap" sound.

The color drained from his face in an instant; his lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Zi...Master Ziyuan..."

Azusa's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.

“I said, you will die.”

Ziyuan repeated, her purple eyes staring unfocused ahead.

It was as if he was simply stating a fact unrelated to himself: "Just today, to protect me, I was crushed by an immense force... I saw it, very clearly. Leaving might save my life."

Her tone was chillingly flat.

Sasuke's Sharingan swirled slightly as he carefully observed Shion's condition and the surrounding environment, but he did not detect any immediate threat.

Sakura had her back to Shion, but her body was visibly tense, and her emerald green eyes were filled with shock and worry.

Naruto opened his mouth, looking at Ashiho's face, which turned deathly pale, and the bottomless despair in her eyes. An indescribable emotion welled up in his chest.

He wanted to say something, to rebuke Shion for her cold-heartedness, to comfort Azuho and tell her not to believe... but the words stuck in his throat.

He recalled the words that Ashiho had spoken by the campfire the night before, and that heavy sense of destiny.

The prophecy has come once again, this time targeting the guard who is loyal to the point of being tragic.

After a brief silence, Shiho took a deep breath, as if using all her strength.

He straightened his slightly hunched back and forced a pale yet resolute smile onto his face.

He bowed deeply to Shion's retreating figure: "Lady Shion, thank you for your... warning."

"But I, Azuho, ​​will never leave your side! This is my duty, and my choice!"

Even... even if the ending is as you foresaw!

Shion's body seemed to tremble very slightly.

But her voice remained as cold as ever: "Whatever."

It was as if they had just thrown away a piece of insignificant trash.

"Hey Hey hey!"

Naruto finally couldn't hold back any longer, and he took a few steps to Ashiho's side.

One arm was casually draped over Shisui's shoulder.

His face lit up with his signature bright smile, a smile that seemed to dispel all gloom.

He patted Zu Sui hard and said, "Brother, don't listen to her scaring me! What do you mean by dying? I'm here!"

"Protecting clients is our specialty! Neither you, Ashiho-kun, nor myself will die!"

His voice was loud and energetic, carrying an undeniable confidence that instantly dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over everyone's hearts.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, falling on his golden hair and azure eyes, as if coating them with a warm halo.

Sasuke's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upwards, and Sakura's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Looking at Naruto's infectious smile, Ashiho felt the unwavering strength coming from her shoulder.