Ch.31 I Didn’t Hear That Clearly

Although Uchiha Shinji was wearing a mask, the Mother Spider Demon was still terrified by his sharp gaze, stumbling back repeatedly.

Shinji didn't immediately extinguish his opponent; instead, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan while walking toward her. "How did you invade this place?"

In an instant.

Under the control of the Mangekyō's dojutsu, the Mother Spider Demon's expression became vacant, and she muttered, "I…"

However, in just the blink of an eye, she regained her senses, her face filled with terror as she looked at Shinji. "W-What… what are you? How can you control me?"

Shinji stopped in his tracks, slightly frowning.

The fact that she had instantly broken free of his genjutsu wasn't normal. It didn't seem like she had broken free on her own but rather as if something had woken her up.

Swish.

At that moment, a shadow appeared beneath Shinji's feet.

Without needing to look up, he knew something was rapidly descending from above. The shadow in front of him was cast by the moonlight on the thing falling toward him, so he leaped backward.

Boom!

Just as he dodged, a massive figure crashed into the spot where he had stood.

With the resounding crash, the ground cracked, and spider-like cracks spread out in all directions, extending more than ten meters.

"There's another demon!?"

Shinji was stunned.

He had thought the invader would only be one, which was why he had held back just now, wanting to use genjutsu to extract some intel. He hadn't expected that another demon was hiding in the mountain.

And just by looking at the figure, he recognized it as the Father Spider Demon from the Mount Natagumo Demon family.

On the other side, from the bushes, a figure slowly emerged.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji caught sight: "A third demon, Sister Spider Demon!"

Swoosh.

From a large tree directly behind Shinji, a human-faced, spider-bodied demon dangled down from a web.

"A fourth demon, Brother Spider Demon!"

Shinji's expression grew even more serious.

Not only had four demons appeared in succession, but they all had strong chakra, indicating they had already consumed life forms from the shinobi world.

Sister Spider Demon covered her mouth and giggled. "Another one walking right into our hands!"

Brother Spider Demon asked, "Why does he smell so delicious?"

The spider-faced, human-bodied Father Spider Demon grinned menacingly. "I can't wait to tear him apart!"

Amid the Father Spider Demon's cackling, the four demons naturally coordinated, subtly surrounding Shinji.

"These demons have no sense of honor!"

Shinji silently complained to himself.

Clearly, this was the shinobi world, which should have been his home turf, and yet he was being ganged up on by these invading demons. Who could he complain to?

Just as Shinji was preparing for an all-out fight, the four demons suddenly turned to look toward the depths of the mountain forest.

Seeing this, Shinji also looked in that direction.

Emerging from the shadows of the forest was a small, slender figure slowly walking toward them.

"Lower Moon Five, Rui!"

This time, Shinji wasn't surprised. After the appearance of the four demons, it was only natural that Rui, the head of the Mount Natagumo Demon family and Lower Moon Five of the Twelve Kizuki, would also appear.

However, to his surprise, the strongest demon to invade the shinobi world so far started trembling the moment he laid eyes on Shinji.

Gone was the calm demeanor with which Rui had walked forward moments ago. Now, he was practically shouting at the four demons. "Quick, block him!"

Father Spider Demon quickly responded, "I can kill him!"

As Rui retreated swiftly into the forest, he screamed, "Fool! He's like the great one, someone infinitely close to being a god. Even if you all are reduced to ashes, you must stall him as long as you can!"

The four demons hesitated for a moment. When they looked back at Shinji, their eyes had all changed.

"This…"

Shinji was also stunned.

The supposedly final boss-like Lower Moon Five, who had entered so confidently, was now fleeing in a panic the moment he saw Shinji.

But he quickly realized that Rui had likely recognized his Lamp Bearer identity.

In other words, Rui hadn't been frightened by his Mangekyō Sharingan but by the fact that Shinji was a Lamp Bearer.

Understanding this, Shinji immediately knew that Rui was the key to getting the information he needed. Without wasting a moment, he activated his Breathing Techniques and chased after him at full speed.

Caught off guard, the four demons were unable to stop Shinji as he broke through their encirclement and raced into the forest.

Heading toward the mountaintop, Rui fled ahead while Shinji chased closely behind.

The four demons, meanwhile, trailed Shinji, trying to slow him down.

However, the four demons couldn't keep up with Shinji, who was fully utilizing his Breathing Techniques. Instead of closing the gap, the distance between them grew wider and wider.

As the chase continued, both Shinji and Rui soon arrived at the mountaintop.

Turning to face Shinji, who was still in pursuit, Rui looked desperate and enraged. "You incompetent fools! You can't do anything right!"

Shinji asked, "Why are you invading here?"

Rui, filled with wariness, seemed to make a decision and suddenly raised both of his hands.

As his hands lifted, a gut-wrenching scream echoed from the four demons in the distance!

Shinji frowned, thinking to himself, "What is he doing?"

At that moment, four pillars of blood shot from the distance, bizarrely merging into Rui's body.

Instantly.

Rui's once-slender body swelled rapidly, growing to over two meters tall. His lower half transformed into a spider's, sprouting eight legs.

He absorbed the power of the four demons? No, the power of the four demons was originally his. He just reclaimed it. He's going all out against me!

Shinji grew more cautious.

Despite Rui's initial fear of him, Shinji did not let his guard down.

Now that Rui had reabsorbed the power of the entire Mount Natagumo Demon family, he was a fully restored Lower Moon Five. Combined with the abundant chakra he now possessed, which was comparable to that of a Jōnin, it was impossible to predict how strong Rui had become.

Perhaps bolstered by his newfound power, Rui, now resolved to fight to the death, roared, "Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Rotation!"

In an instant, countless threads shot from Rui's fingertips, weaving into a massive spinning web in the air, covering the sky and descending toward Shinji.

Wherever the web passed, whether it touched trees or rocks, everything was shredded like tofu, instantly reduced to fragments.

With every dodge, Shinji found his available space growing smaller and smaller.

He tried using a kunai to cut through the blood-colored web and break free, but the steel-forged kunai was severed in an instant upon contact, causing him to immediately abandon any risky moves.

Seeing Shinji trapped in his Blood Demon Art, seemingly about to be killed, Rui was ecstatic. "You're much weaker than I imagined! Looks like I'll be able to earn great merit with the master today!"

Before Rui could finish his gloating.

A yellowish ethereal figure emerged from Shinji's body.

In the blink of an eye, the figure transformed into a half-body giant clad in armor, like a deity, instantly tearing apart the sharp blood web that could effortlessly cut through a kunai.

The giant then reached out, grabbing the stunned Rui in one swift motion, lifting him up and holding him in front of Shinji.

Shinji coldly stared at Rui and said, "What did you say earlier? I didn't hear that clearly."