Chapter 170: Meeting Samui Again

The moment Kagefumi Kai appeared, he hadn’t even released a trace of Killing Intent, yet the three enemy ninja felt as though invisible hands had clamped around their hearts.

They could barely breathe.

Their instincts screamed one thing:

This man could kill them with ease.

However, the instant that thought crossed their minds, the chakra belonging to Mōryō inside their bodies suddenly erupted into chaos.

The chakra creatures residing within them burst apart.

An enormous amount of chakra flooded into their bodies, driving them into a berserk state.

Their strength increased once more, but in exchange, their sanity was completely consumed.

With a single strike, they blasted Temari, Samui, and Kurotsuchi away.

Temari was sent flying by the overwhelming force like a cannonball, hurtling straight toward one of the palace pillars.

Just as she was about to crash into it, she instead collided with something soft.

The tremendous impact instantly disappeared.

Turning her head, she found herself cradled in Kai’s arms.

Without sparing her a glance, Kai kept his eyes fixed on the three berserk ninja.

Temari’s cheeks flushed red.

A moment later, Kai gently set her back on her feet.

Temari had been caught by Kai, but Samui and Kurotsuchi weren’t so fortunate.

Both women slammed heavily into the stone pillars.

The impact shattered the pillars completely.

Seriously injured, they collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand.

Standing beside Kai, Temari said gravely,

"Something’s wrong with them. Mōryō must have used some kind of Ninjutsu on them."

Kai remained silent.

The three ninja turned toward him, their eyes glowing blood-red.

Although their consciousness had become muddled, they still understood one thing:

If they didn’t kill this man, they would never be able to assassinate Shion.

"ROAR!"

The three charged at Kai with feral howls.

They were several times faster than before, their movements so swift that they left afterimages behind.

Temari unfolded her giant fan and prepared herself.

But their speed far exceeded hers.

Before she even had a chance to perform a technique, the three had already appeared in front of them.

"This is bad... They’re too fast! I can’t keep up!"

By the time Temari realized it, it was already too late.

The three swung their hands, now transformed into razor-sharp claws, directly at her.

Just as she raised her giant fan to block, the crackling sound of lightning echoed beside her.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Net!"

The next instant, brilliant golden lightning filled Temari’s vision.

Crackle!

BOOM!

Before the three ninja could even react—

They were instantly reduced to ash.

Not even a corpse remained.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning completely incinerated them.

Standing within the protective net of lightning, Temari witnessed the entire scene with perfect clarity.

The sheer spectacle rivaled the battle she had witnessed between Kai and the enemy in Louran.

The lightning net faded as Kai dismissed it.

Looking at the black ash scattered across the floor, Temari swallowed hard.

"Just... how strong is he?"

She knew exactly how terrifying the trio’s speed and power had become after going berserk.

Yet all three had been annihilated without the slightest chance to fight back.

She couldn’t even find words to describe such overwhelming strength.

After eliminating the enemies, Kai walked toward Shion.

Temari quickly came to her senses and hurried after him.

"Wait for me!"

Walking beside him, she couldn’t help stealing glances at him every so often.

When they reached the frightened shrine maiden, Kai stopped before her and spoke gently.

"Lady Priestess, all of the enemies have been dealt with. You don’t need to be afraid anymore."

Hearing his voice, Shion slowly raised her trembling head.

It was the first time she had seen Kai’s face.

"He’s so powerful... Maybe he can really help me seal Mōryō..."

In every future Shion had foreseen, Kai had never existed.

In those futures, she always died while attempting to seal Mōryō.

That was why she had resisted the journey so desperately.

Because she truly would die.

And she would fail.

But Kai’s appearance rekindled a faint spark of hope.

Still trembling slightly, Shion asked,

"A-Are you... the ninja Konoha sent to protect me?"

Kai smiled reassuringly.

"That’s right, Lady Priestess. You don’t have to worry. I’ll escort you safely to the Land of Demons and help you seal Mōryō."

"I promise you’ll be able to complete the seal safely."

Shion shuddered.

No one had ever spoken to her with such confidence.

Because no one else possessed that kind of certainty.

Yet the man before her seemed genuinely capable of fulfilling that promise.

For some reason...

She felt she could trust him.

After a long silence, she asked softly,

"But Mōryō is incredibly powerful... Won’t you die?"

Kai paused before smiling again.

"Don’t worry."

"I’m not someone who dies easily."

"At the very least, as long as I’m still alive, I won’t allow anything to threaten your safety."

Looking into his calm, unwavering eyes, Shion saw nothing but quiet confidence.

That confidence reignited her own courage.

Standing beside Kai, Temari found herself deeply moved.

His words had not only reassured Shion—

They also gave Temari an overwhelming sense of security.

She had already harbored feelings for him before.

Now, those feelings only grew stronger.

Shion nodded earnestly.

"Then... I’ll be in your care."

She hesitated before asking,

"May I know your name?"

Seeing the expression on Shion’s face, Temari frowned slightly and answered before Kai could.

"Lady Priestess, his name is Kagefumi Kai. He’s a Jōnin of Konoha and one of the Hokage’s personal guards."

"He’s an incredibly powerful ninja. With him protecting you, everything will be fine."

Shion paid little attention to Temari.

Her gaze never left Kai.

Smiling gently, she said,

"Lord Kai... then I leave my safety in your hands."

Kai nodded.

"It’s my duty."

Just then, pained groans echoed from the collapsed pillars.

"Could you two stop standing around over there and save us first? We’re about to die!"

The complaint came from Kurotsuchi.

Samui wanted to ask for help as well, but her reserved personality simply wouldn’t allow her to shout like that.

Temari looked toward them with a smile.

"Kai, they’re the ninja sent by Iwagakure and Kumogakure to protect Lady Priestess."

"They’re our allies."

She was deliberately explaining their identities, knowing that relations between the Hidden Villages weren’t always friendly.

Kai nodded.

With a flicker, he appeared beside the two women.

Looking at the blonde beauty lying amidst the rubble, memories from three years ago resurfaced.

"Looks like I’ve changed a lot over the past three years..."

"She didn’t even recognize me."

He sighed inwardly as he looked at Samui.

Then he crouched down and began treating her injuries with Medical Ninjutsu.

Temari walked over, looking surprised.

"Kai, you actually know Medical Ninjutsu?"

Kai looked at her speechlessly.

"Didn’t I already tell you my Medical Ninjutsu was excellent?"

Temari blinked before remembering.

"...I forgot."

Less than a minute later, Samui’s severe injuries had completely healed.

Even Temari, who already knew how skilled Kai was, stood frozen in shock.

"That fast?"

"This isn’t just being good at Medical Ninjutsu anymore..."

"It’s practically miraculous."

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