"Swish, swish!"
A azure chakra light surged, and two whistling sounds suddenly appeared above the quiet altar.
Orochimaru’s shadow clone, upon seeing the moment his main body and the Nine-Tails emerged from the seal, instantly dispelled his existence with a "poof."
After receiving the memories from the shadow clone, Orochimaru calmly nodded towards Miroku, who had been guarding the altar, and said in a flat tone:
"Priestess, the threat of Mōryō has been resolved."
"The Land of Demons will no longer be bound by the fate of guarding a monster!"
Miroku looked at the sealed gap, which no longer emitted evil purple chakra, and nodded in a daze.
"Yes..."
"So, are you leaving?"
Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then gently placed the Nine-Tails in his arms on the ground. He waved at it, indicating for it to go check on the children.
The Nine-Tails hesitated for a moment, then poked Orochimaru’s calf with its paw.
"Orochimaru, I believe you need to bring this girl back to Konoha!"
Miroku's body trembled, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
Orochimaru blinked, then asked doubtfully:
"Why?"
"Kurama, you know, Tsunade and I..."
The Nine-Tails shook its head vigorously, denying any intention of trying to set up Orochimaru and Miroku.
"Don't overthink it, I'm doing this for the peace of the ninja world."
Looking up at the stunned Miroku and Orochimaru, the Nine-Tails said righteously:
"I can see that the power within this girl originates from the same source as Mōryō. After we leave, the matter of monsters appearing in the Land of Demons will surely attract the attention of other powers."
"If some foolish individuals try to lay claim to the priestess's power, with the current state of the Land of Demons, the outcome would likely be tragic."
Miroku was taken aback. After meeting Orochimaru's complicated gaze, she nodded inexplicably.
"Furthermore..."
The Nine-Tails' expression suddenly became awkward.
"This little girl is the first human I've seen who can communicate with an old man like me, so..."
"Hmm... you should know what I'm thinking..."
Orochimaru fell silent.
The Nine-Tails' first reason was untenable.
As for fearing others coveting the priestess's power, outsiders might not know, but how could Orochimaru not?
The tens of thousands of undead legions buried beneath the Land of Demons, aside from Mōryō's power, could not be commanded by anyone else.
Now that Mōryō's soul had been devoured by the Nine-Tails, and its remaining chakra sealed within his own body.
This meant that in the ninja world, the only ones capable of commanding the undead legions were himself, as the wielder of Mōryō's chakra, and Miroku, whose power originated from the same source as Mōryō.
Under these circumstances, Miroku alone could match an army.
However, Orochimaru could not refute the Nine-Tails' latter reason.
"This matter..."
Orochimaru pondered for a moment and gently shook his head.
"Mōryō's physical body is still in the Land of Swamps. Let's discuss it after Miroku and I completely eliminate the possibility of Mōryō's revival..."
The Nine-Tails nodded, knowing not to push too hard. It chuckled twice and turned to leave the altar.
After the Nine-Tails left, an awkward silence fell upon the altar.
Miroku blushed, twisting the hem of her clothes and not daring to look at Orochimaru's expression.
"Priestess..."
"You can just call me Miroku, Lord..."
Orochimaru's face stiffened, and he nodded slightly.
"Alright..."
"Miroku."
Miroku softly hummed and lowered her head, waiting for Orochimaru to continue.
"Don't take what Kurama said to heart."
Miroku's eyes dimmed, and she suddenly looked up at Orochimaru, her mouth opening as if to say something.
Orochimaru waved his hand, signaling her to listen to him for now.
"I understand your thoughts..."
"I will not approve of such a relationship that lacks a foundation."
"Moreover..."
"My age is enough to be your father."
Miroku bent down, picked up the bell from the altar, and with newfound courage, walked up to Orochimaru, gazing at him with burning eyes.
There weren't many people left in the Land of Demons, and she no longer had to bear the mission of guarding Mōryō's seal.
She wanted to live for herself, and she didn't want to let go of this man who had come into her life guided by destiny.
"The priestess lineage, as long as they do not pass on their power to their descendants, their lives are almost endless..."
"Lord, age cannot be a barrier between us."
"You saved me, you saved the Land of Demons. Even if you don't acknowledge my feelings for you now, I can wait..."
"You have escaped your own destiny, and with your help, I have also escaped mine. Driven by destiny, we are the only equals."
"Moreover, in the entire ninja world, only we two possess the means to wield the power of monsters. Our union is a destined outcome!"
Miroku's eyes flickered with purple light, and images flashed before her.
Among them were scenes of her and him in the future. This was destiny's choice for her.
Although she had already escaped her original destiny, in order to follow her heart, she was willing to heed destiny's guidance once more.
Orochimaru felt a headache, unable to comprehend this child's stubborn thoughts.
His dark sensory perception clearly displayed Miroku's inner turmoil before him, and such naked gratitude and admiration made him quite overwhelmed.
If it were a stranger, Orochimaru wouldn't necessarily kill her, but he certainly wouldn't explain so much.
But Miroku was different. Not to mention that the chakra of Mōryō within him was obtained from the seal she guarded, but even Kurama's ambiguous attitude made Orochimaru have to take it seriously.
However, this kind of drama where a life is saved and leads to overwhelming love shouldn't exist in the ninja world!
Orochimaru's memory did contain similar romantic plotlines from novels and storybooks.
A certain knight saved a maiden in distress, and then the maiden would say: "My life is indebted to you, I can only repay you with myself!"
But this was the ninja world, a world where the law of the jungle prevailed.
A woman without her own value wouldn't even qualify as a tool for Orochimaru to procreate.
"Rescuing the Land of Demons was merely my responsibility as a member of the ninja world. You don't need to dwell on it."
"Miroku, you should know the significance of my identity."
"As the next Hokage of Konoha, every move I make represents Konoha's interests!"
Orochimaru's expression was placid, and he continued in a cold tone:
"My future partner will only be a powerful female ninja like Tsunade, who can provide immense help to me and Konoha, and who shares a deep emotional foundation."
"You..."
"I can!"
Miroku's expression became excited as she interrupted Orochimaru's cold dismissal and took a step forward, clutching the bell tightly to her chest.
"You know! I can!"
"Mōryō is dead, I can help you manage his undead legions!"
"Lord, you will surely not be content with being the Kage of just one village in Konoha in the future. I can lead the undead legions and conquer for you!"
It had to be said, at this moment, Orochimaru was truly somewhat tempted.