Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 202

Given his personality, knowing the prophecy would probably make him even more eager to be at the forefront, right?

Instead of getting bogged down in prophecies that cannot be disproven, we should focus on the task at hand.

He spoke coldly, interrupting the somewhat eerie atmosphere: "Enough. Whether it's a prophecy or not is not something we should be discussing now."

"The threat of the undead army is imminent. Our mission is to escort the priestess safely to the shrine in the Swamp Kingdom. Let's go!"

Shion's numb and empty eyes seemed to flicker very slightly when she heard Naruto's words.

It was an extremely complex emotion—

There might even be a tiny... extremely faint touch?

But this fluctuation is like a pebble thrown into stagnant water.

In an instant, it was swallowed up by a deeper numbness and despair, disappearing without a trace.

She lowered her head again, reverting to her indifferent demeanor.

With the undead army closing in at the front, the situation is urgent.

Class 7 decided to set off immediately and head to the Swamp Country at full speed.

Sakura took the initiative to carry Shion, who remained silent and seemed to have lost her soul.

Sasuke was in charge of clearing the way, while Naruto used his powerful sensory abilities to cover the rear and scan the surrounding environment.

However, just as they were about to speed up, Naruto sensed something.

A faint yet exceptionally resilient chakra cluster is moving at an almost desperate pace.

Close behind them was Ashiho!

Naruto stopped and looked into the dense forest behind him: "Ashiho-kun is catching up."

Sasuke and Sakura also stopped.

Soon, Ashiho's panting figure came into view.

His wounds were treated briefly by Sakura.

But the intense running made his face even paler, his clothes soaked with sweat, and every step seemed extremely difficult.

He was just a well-trained captain of the guard.

How can physical strength compare to that of a ninja who has undergone inhuman training?

With just a few leaps, Class 7 was able to leave him far behind.

"Lady Shion...Ladies Shion...All ninjas..."

Asui, supporting herself on her knees, was panting heavily and could barely utter a complete sentence.

But his eyes were incredibly firm: "I'm so... sorry... for holding you all back... but... as Lady Shion's guard... I can't... I can't leave her alone... it's my duty..."

His loyalty is truly touching.

However, this loyalty was met with Shion's cold and piercing rebuke:

"Enough! Asahi! Who told you to come along?! Get out of here right now! The farther the better! I don't want to see you!!"

Her voice was sharp and sarcastic, filled with undisguised disgust, as if the foot spikes were something filthy.

Naruto's brows furrowed instantly, a surge of anger rising within him: "Hey! What's wrong with you, woman?!"

"Ashiho risked his life to chase after you and protect you, and instead of being grateful, you insult him like that?!"

Shion suddenly raised her head, her purple eyes staring intently at Naruto.

With a kind of paranoid madness and self-destructive indifference: "What business is it of yours, an outsider, if I'm disciplining my own guards?!"

"He's my man! I can curse at him however I want! What's it to you?!"

Naruto was speechless for a moment, choked by her unreasonable words, and his face turned red with anger.

Sasuke's cool voice rang out, carrying a penetrating calm: "How you treat your guards is, in theory, none of our business."

He abruptly changed the subject, his gaze piercing Ziyuan like a tangible object: "But no matter how many reasons you have, no matter how heavy your destiny is."

"To wantonly trample on the efforts and sincerity others have put in for you is despicable in itself."

"Rejecting other people's intentions will not make your situation better; it will only make you more miserable."

Ziyuan's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

Sasuke's cold yet incisive words seemed to strike a deep, deliberately concealed corner of her heart.

She abruptly turned her head away, presenting the back of her head to the crowd.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, but her voice remained stubbornly cold: "It's none of your business!"

Chapter 227 Behind the Arrogance and Willfulness

Ashiho quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

With a bitter yet sincere smile on his face, he said, "Dear ninjas, thank you so much for speaking up for me."

"But please don't blame Lady Shion. All of this... was done willingly by me."

“Protecting Lady Shion is the destiny of my Ashiho clan, and also my personal choice.”

"No matter how she treats me, it's my duty."

"Don't worry about my feelings, please focus on the mission!"

Looking at Ashiho's almost humble loyalty and Shion's incomprehensible willfulness, Naruto felt a headache coming on.

He vigorously rubbed his blond hair, letting out a sigh: "Ugh! This is such a hassle! An even more troublesome client than Princess Xiaoxue!"

Despite the complaints, a task is a task.

Considering Ashiho's physical strength and determination, forcibly driving him away is unrealistic and might even put him in greater danger.

Naruto decisively walked up to Ashiho and squatted down: "Get on, Ashiho-kun! I'll carry you! It'll be faster that way!"

"This...this is too much trouble for you!" Zui was flattered and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Stop talking nonsense! Get up here! Otherwise, that woman will start yelling again!"

Without saying a word, Naruto pulled Shiho onto his back.

Although Azusa was quite strong, she was as light as a feather in front of Naruto's strength.

"Sakura, you're in charge of the shrine maiden. Sasuke, the guard duty is yours!" Naruto assigned.

"Okay!" Sakura nodded and steadily carried Shion on her back.

Sasuke remained silent, his crimson Sharingan scanning his surroundings, an invisible killing intent emanating from him, warning any potential spying.

The three figures transformed into a gust of wind once again, darting through the dense forest at high speed.

Naruto, carrying the tassel on his back, maintained his speed without slowing down; Sakura, carrying Shion on her back, walked steadily; Sasuke, like the most vigilant hawk, sensed every slight movement.

As night fell, the group chose to set up camp and rest in a secluded mountain hollow.

The campfire crackled, dispelling the chill of the night.

Sakura used the dry rations she carried and the wild vegetables she gathered along the way to cook a simple hot soup.

Despite her exhaustion, Shiho carefully ladled out the soup and respectfully presented it to Shion.

"Lady Shion, please have some hot soup to warm yourself up."

However, Ziyuan only glanced coldly at the bowl of steaming soup, and then suddenly waved her hand!

The bowl was overturned on the ground, and hot soup spilled all over the floor, splashing up a few water droplets.

"This is awful! How dare you give me this?! Take it away!" Ziyuan's voice was full of disgust and sarcasm.

The smile on Ashiho's face froze for a moment.

But she quickly regained her composure and silently knelt down to tidy up: "Yes, Lady Shion. What would you like to eat? I'll go get more..."

"Get out of my way! Don't get in my way!"

Ziyuan snapped impatiently, then pointed to her shoulder: "And my shoulder is sore! Come and massage it for me! You useless thing, you can't even do this little thing right!"

Zui quickly put down the half-finished mess and walked behind Shion, carefully beginning to massage her shoulders.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, who were sitting around the campfire, took in all of this.

Naruto clenched his fists, veins throbbing on his forehead, feeling his anger about to burst forth!

This woman is treating Tassels like slaves!

Sakura's brows were also furrowed. As a woman, she felt extremely uncomfortable with Shion's behavior of trampling on the dignity of others.

Even Sasuke, who is usually calm, had a cold look in his eyes that could freeze someone to death, and his fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the kunai.

However, when they saw that Shion remained calm despite Shion's difficult behavior, they were surprised.

Even when Ziyuan closed her eyes to rest, she gave them a bitter smile full of apology and "please forgive me".

The burning anger in the three men's hearts was instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

All that remains is a deep sense of helplessness and... a trace of indescribable sorrow.

What kind of loyalty is this?

What exactly is this distortion?

Late at night, despite her pickiness, Shion fell into a deep sleep in a simple tent under the care of Azusa.

Naruto left behind six shadow clones, like the most loyal sentinels, scattered on high points around the camp, vigilantly monitoring everything in the darkness.

The powerful senses, like an invisible spider web, covered the entire area.

Sasuke leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to rest.

Sakura, meanwhile, quickly adjusted her breathing and recovered her chakra.

Naruto himself wasn't sleepy at all.

He walked to the campfire and saw that Zu Sui was also sitting there, staring blankly at the leaping flames, his face full of exhaustion and an indescribable heaviness.

"Brother Foot Feather,"