Lantern Bearer

After learning about the hidden dangers of relying on Izanagi, Shinji secretly resolved never to use this Dojutsu lightly unless it was a critical moment.

Fate was not something to be toyed with casually.

Composing himself, he slowly rose to his feet.

At that moment, the eyes in his sockets had already returned to their ordinary black color.

But only he knew that after successfully using the Susanoo Lamp to take control of Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan, his left eye now contained Amaterasu, while his right eye contained Izanagi.

Even without using Susanoo, he now possessed formidable killing power.

"I have another way to deal with demons!"

Even if Amaterasu had no special restraining effect on demons, its ability to burn anything and never extinguish until its target had been reduced to ashes made it a deadly weapon against demons with terrifying regenerative abilities.

After clearing away every trace he had left in the cave, he quietly departed the Forest of Death and returned to his apartment.

Based on his previous experience, once the countdown reached 1 and midnight passed, he might have to face the invasion head-on.

And today was the final day of the countdown!

Kunai, Shuriken, Explosive Tags, masks and cloaks to conceal his identity, and various other items were neatly sorted across his bed.

As he checked his ninja tools, he considered the battle ahead that night.

Not only had his Dojutsu increased greatly, but he had also mastered the two Mangekyo Dojutsu, Amaterasu and Izanagi. Whether in strength or experience, he far surpassed the person he had been during his first encounter with an invasion.

Under such circumstances, he naturally began considering ending the invader quickly and earning a higher rating.

"My rating last time was E."

Recalling the previous invasion, he began to analyze it.

The Hand Demon that had invaded last time had nearly slaughtered all the guards within Shion's palace and destroyed more than half of the Land of Demons Miko's palace.

The scale of its impact was evident from the fact that the Land of Demons had immediately sent Shion to Konoha to take refuge afterward.

"It seems the impact an invader has on the Shinobi World is also a factor in the rating."

His gaze sharpened.

After considering it carefully, he reached a conclusion: if he eliminated the invader as quickly as possible and prevented it from having any kind of impact on the Shinobi World, he would most likely receive a high rating.

Things were simple now.

He began methodically stuffing the ninja tools on his bed into his ninja pouch. "I won't be short on Dojutsu for the time being, but as long as I can't replenish it myself, even two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan will eventually run dry. I wonder whether a high rating can reward me with some Dojutsu."

Thinking of rewards, his thoughts began to wander.

The reward last time had been Chakra, which meant Mangekyō Dojutsu could also possibly become a reward.

Taking it a step further, the Mangekyō Sharingan was actually a kind of Chakra organ. Could it also become a reward?

He found himself looking forward to it.

After packing up his ninja tools, Shinji headed to the training ground.

Haku was still being protected by ANBU in the village's safe house, so Shinji had temporarily lost his sparring partner. Thus, he practiced the Breathing Technique while familiarizing himself with his own eyes, which had taken control of another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.

The increase in Dojutsu was not reflected solely in the power of various Dojutsu.

His ability to perceive minute details, track high-speed movements, and even observe the flow of Chakra all improved alongside his Dojutsu.

Shinji's problem now was not that he could not see clearly, nor that he could not aim accurately.

Rather, everything in his field of vision was too clear and too precise. He took in too much information in too short a time, making it difficult for him to grasp the key points at once. As a result, his responses could not keep up with what his Dojutsu captured.

Put simply, the Mangekyō Sharingan might spot an opening on an enemy, but it also captured an overwhelming amount of information at the same time. His brain could not process it quickly enough to immediately filter out the crucial information, causing him to miss the opportunity to defeat the enemy.

In plain terms, he lacked experience.

After all, observational techniques and the ability to filter key information were abilities in themselves!

Eyes were merely hardware. Like even the best graphics card, they needed compatible drivers to fully unleash their performance.

By evening, Shinji stopped training. He filled his stomach on the street, then returned to his apartment to rest and conserve his strength.

Before long, night fell.

After a full day of cleanup, all the areas destroyed by the rampaging Nine-Tails had been cleared, and reconstruction had begun in an orderly fashion.

Glancing at the still-lively streets outside his window, Shinji slowly drew the curtains.

[The plane is under invasion.]

[Countdown: 1]

[Please prepare. You will confront the invasion after midnight tonight.]

Then, that familiar voice sounded beside his ear.

But this time, not only did he not panic, his face was filled with eagerness. His eyes, fixed on the clock hanging on the wall, brimmed with anticipation.

Time slowly trickled away.

Click.

With a faint sound of gears turning, the hour hand finally pointed to twelve.

"It has begun!"

He slowly put on his mask.

He had long since tied his ninja pouch around his waist, changed into clothes without the Uchiha clan crest, and draped a cloak over himself.

Everything was ready. All that remained was to be transported!

[Unknown interference detected.]

Suddenly, the mysterious voice sounded in his ear again.

"Unknown interference?"

He frowned.

[Interference source detected: unknown Lantern Bearer. Target acquisition failed.]

[Target acquisition will resume in twenty-four hours.]

Shinji sat back down on the bed and slowly removed his mask, revealing the grave expression beneath it.

This unexpected development had caught him completely off guard.

The mysterious voice that could silently transport him from Konoha to the distant Land of Demons had actually been interfered with!

"What is a Lantern Bearer? What is the purpose of this interference? And what exactly is invading this time?"

Questions flooded his mind one after another.

He had sensed that something was wrong from the unusually short three-day countdown, but he had never expected something like this to happen.

This mysterious Lantern Bearer instinctively made him uneasy.

And from the mysterious voice's prompt, he realized that Lantern Bearer seemed to be a title rather than a specific person.

The other party appeared to possess some ability to interfere with plane detection.

The mere three-day countdown and this failed target acquisition were likely both the work of this Lantern Bearer.

The other party's abilities exceeded Shinji's imagination.

Thinking of that, he could not help muttering, "What the hell is a Lantern Bearer? Why interfere with the Shinobi World?"

[Reserve Lantern Bearer, your question exceeds your authorization.]

Shinji shot to his feet. "What? I'm a Lantern Bearer too?"

Please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets! New books aren't easy, so please support me, everyone!