Chapter 36: Recruitment

Outside the Sealing Demon Cavern.

"56."

"57."

"58."

"Kakashi, I've already taken down 59 puppets!"

Might Guy kicked a soldier puppet, gave Kakashi a thumbs-up, and smiled confidently.

"Yeah, yeah."

Kakashi casually responded, kicking away a nearby puppet.

"Guy-sensei, I've taken down 61 already."

Beside them, Anko Mitarashi shouted excitedly, thrilled to have surpassed Jonin Guy.

She had been trained by Orochimaru. Although she couldn't summon giant snakes, she had a few large ones, and she had summoned them to help her tally points.

"What?"

"Youth, burn bright!"

Hearing that Anko had surpassed him, Might Guy was fired up and rushed off to score more points.

The terrain outside the Sealing Demon Cavern had been completely transformed by Iwa Shinobi Kurotsuchi, creating a high platform around the cave entrance.

This prevented the soldier puppets controlled by the demon Moryo from advancing any further.

As for the cultists of the Yellow Springs Cult, most of whom were Chunin level, they were swiftly dealt with by the ambushing Kakashi and his team as soon as they showed up.

Thanks to Kurotsuchi's terrain modifications, Kakashi's team only needed to knock down the few puppets that climbed onto the platform. Though not easy, it wasn't too difficult either.

More worrisome for them was the priestess and her companions inside the cavern.

Boom!

Hearing the occasional loud noises from inside the cavern, Kurotsuchi, Kakashi, Pakura, and the others were alarmed.

Especially Kakashi, who had used his Sharingan to observe the immense, malevolent chakra of Moryo, which shocked him deeply.

It was a chakra as evil and vast as the Nine-Tails.

If it weren't for the girl named Shion guarding the cave entrance, looking as if no one should enter, Kurotsuchi and the others might have rushed in to help.

"Roar!!"

Suddenly, a terrifying roar came from the cavern, causing the ground to tremble violently.

Then, Pakura and Kurotsuchi noticed that the soldier puppets in front of them were quickly disintegrating into dirt.

Not long after, Shishou appeared at the cave entrance, holding the exhausted priestess Miroku in his arms.

The girl named Shion was glaring at them, especially at their tightly held hands.

Even in Shishou's arms, priestess Miroku did not let go of his hand.

Stepping out of the cavern, Shishou felt a surge of relief.

The demon Moryo's last struggle had been fierce, but fortunately, he had activated Susanoo in time, and with priestess Miroku's sealing jutsu, they managed to seal Moryo.

Without the priestess' sealing jutsu, even with Susanoo and the Red Centipede fighting together, Shishou would not have stood a chance against Moryo.

Indeed, Moryo was a beast on par with the Tailed Beasts. If it had successfully absorbed the priestess' power and grown stronger, even ordinary Tailed Beasts wouldn't have been a match for it.

Having watched the story, Shishou knew the connection between the priestess and Moryo.

The priestess' power originally came from a small portion of Moryo's power, which the priestess then used to seal Moryo for the sake of world peace.

And because priestess Miroku had exhausted her strength using the sealing jutsu, she had to be carried out by Shishou.

Having witnessed the priestess' powerful sealing jutsu, Shishou was even more eager to learn it.

Unfortunately, even if he learned the sealing jutsu, he couldn't use it without the priestess' power.

"Thank you, everyone!"

After reuniting with the group, the priestess blushed and got down from Shishou's arms. She bowed deeply to the assembled ninjas, sincerely expressing her gratitude.

Although Shishou had done most of the work, without Kurotsuchi and the others holding off the puppets and cultists, he wouldn't have succeeded.

After the mission, the group rested for a bit. Shishou then summoned the 101 Bus, which had returned to its original size with its shell battered and more than thirty legs broken, to escort the priestess back to the Land of Demons.

Seeing the Red Centipede in such a sorry state, Pakura and the others were astonished, unable to imagine what it had been through.

Upon returning to the Land of Demons, Kakashi, Kurotsuchi, and the others bid farewell to the priestess.

Having completed their mission, they didn't plan to stay any longer.

After leaving Shishou's contact information, Kurotsuchi and Kakashi led their teams away.

For someone as skilled as Shishou, a highly capable freelance ninja, the three great ninja villages simultaneously chose to recruit him.

They hoped to secure his help in the future.

As for Pakura, Shishou persuaded her to stay for a while, playing cards and earning some extra money before she finally decided to leave.

The other two Sand Ninjas, seeing this, could only leave first, as Pakura was now part of the decision-making level in Sand Village and beyond their influence.

After a few more days, during which Pakura won some money, she also took her leave.

She wasn't a gambler by nature, but the need for money and the ease of winning from Shishou had kept her there.

Night fell within the Land of Wind.

Pakura sat alone in the desert, contemplating the campfire before her.

"Aren't you coming out?"

She suddenly looked to the side and spoke with a smile.

"When did you notice?"

Shishou appeared, smiling as he approached Pakura.

Pakura was not surprised by Shishou's presence.

She didn't dislike Shishou.

Firstly, Shishou was not affiliated with any ninja village, so there were no conflicting interests or grudges between them.

Secondly, Shishou's deeds of rescuing many survivors from the puppet army had spread throughout the Land of Demons, and she was a witness, believing he wasn't a bloodthirsty person.

Thirdly, Shishou had deliberately let her win a lot of money, and she wanted to understand his intentions.

"After you intentionally lost so much money to me, I knew you had a motive. I just couldn't figure out what you wanted from me."

"In terms of strength, you're stronger than me."

"In terms of wealth, you're richer than me."

"In terms of beauty, the little girl and the priestess by your side are no less attractive than me."

"So, what exactly caught your attention?"

Pakura spoke candidly, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Shishou.

Would being drawn to your impending tragic fate count?

Shishou thought to himself, then looked at Pakura and said:

"Pakura, if you ever feel lost and have nowhere to go, you can come find me."

He handed Pakura a slip of paper with his address in Fire Source City.

Raising an eyebrow, Pakura casually swatted at a spot where a bug had bitten her.

"You want to recruit me?"

"What makes you think I would betray Sand Village?"

Shishou smiled, leaving her with a parting remark before disappearing.

"Pakura, you'll understand in the future."

Frowning, Pakura confirmed he was truly gone before speaking to herself.

"Such a mysterious guy."

"If it weren't for the money you lost to me, I wouldn't bother with you."

Extinguishing the campfire, Pakura rose and headed back to Sand Village.