Breaking Dawn That Drives Away the Darkness!

"Hey, what's this?"

After Shinji had unexpectedly invited Haku out for a late-night snack, Haku returned to the apartment and found a note on the table.

He walked over and picked it up. His expression immediately turned grave.

At the same time,

Karin, who had gotten home late, also found a note on her bedside table.

She hesitated briefly, then stepped forward and picked it up. Her face changed, and she instinctively turned to look at the clock on the wall.

Inside Shinji's apartment,

Just as he had when preparing to repel the last invasion, he neatly laid all his ninja tools out on the bed. He carefully checked them over, then sorted them into his tool pouch.

Then he fastened the Spider Silk he had obtained last time around his wrist and concealed it beneath his sleeve.

When he had finished, he glanced at the clock, then lay down and closed his eyes to rest.

The apartment fell silent, leaving only his gentle breathing and the clock's dull, precise ticking.

Nine o'clock.

Ten o'clock.

Eleven o'clock.

Time passed slowly, and at last the hour hand pointed to twelve.

The instant the clock gave a faint chime, Shinji opened his eyes and sat up.

At that moment,

there was no hesitation or uncertainty in his eyes. He quickly formed Hand Seals and performed the Transformation Technique, making himself as tall as an average adult. Then he donned the black Red Cloud Cloak and put on a mask.

[Invasion area locked]

[Junior Lantern Bearer, prepare to repel the invasion]

As he put on his mask, the voice of the Lantern sounded by his ear.

He slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed with an eerie light in his eye sockets. "Let's go!"

Whoosh!

He vanished from the apartment without a sound.

Whooosh—

The howling wind swept fallen leaves into the air, sending them spinning.

Then a figure appeared out of nowhere.

The swirling leaves seemed startled by the sudden appearance. They fluttered to the ground and merged with the soil.

Shinji stepped forward, crushing a leaf beneath his foot, and looked around. "Where are we?"

Whoosh, whoosh!

Soon, two more figures appeared out of nowhere.

They were undoubtedly Haku and Karin, whom Shinji had recruited as attendants.

Unlike Shinji, who had already experienced this once, Haku and Karin landed on the ground in a daze, their eyes filled with fear and shock.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"

The two of them were still shaken.

In an instant, they had gone from their rooms in Konoha to this stretch of countryside. The only explanation they could think of was Space-Time Ninjutsu.

In the Shinobi World, Space-Time Ninjutsu was extremely rare. You could count its known users on your fingers and still have several left over.

They had only heard their teachers mention it in class.

They never expected to experience it firsthand on their very first mission. Even more baffling, they hadn't noticed when the technique had been used on them.

"Karin!?"

"Haku!?"

The two soon recovered from their shock and recognized each other.

"How did you..." Haku paused, then asked cautiously, "Did you join the organization too?"

Karin nodded timidly.

Shinji tossed two Red Cloud Cloaks and two masks to them and said coolly, "You'll have plenty of time to catch up later."

Feeling the pressure of their leader's presence, Haku and Karin didn't dare say anything more. They hurriedly caught the masks and Red Cloud outfits.

But as soon as they put them on, they realized the clothes were far too big.

"Use the Transformation Technique!"

Shinji gave the instruction, then looked toward the small town obscured by the darkness in the distance.

The town was completely dark. The demons must have already invaded!

Though they didn't understand why their leader had gone to such lengths, Haku and Karin obeyed. They used the Transformation Technique to change their height and build, then put on their Red Cloud Cloaks and masks and obediently stood behind their leader.

The organization's terrifying strength, already on display, left them trembling. They didn't dare defy him.

Seeing that Haku and Karin had recovered from their initial panic, Shinji briefly explained the demons' invasion of the Shinobi World as he watched the distant town.

Haku tensed. "Are you saying there are demons in that town?"

Shinji glanced at Karin.

Karin immediately understood. She closed her eyes and activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Then, with some hesitation, she said, "There are quite a few Chakra signatures in the town, but they're all strange. I've never sensed Chakra like this before."

Shinji spoke slowly. "Demons don't have Chakra. There's only one way they can obtain it: by devouring the living beings of the Shinobi World and forcibly stealing their Chakra!"

At his words, Haku and Karin imagined what that would look like and shuddered.

Shinji emphasized, "Our job is to destroy these invading demons and wipe them out of the Shinobi World for good!"

Haku was surprised. He quickly asked, "Is destroying these demons the mission of the Akatsuki Organization?"

Shinji replied gravely, "That's right. We are the Breaking Dawn that drives away the darkness!"

Haku and Karin exchanged a glance.

Perhaps it was because the organization's mission was to protect the Shinobi World. At that moment, some of the fear and resistance they felt at being forced to join had faded from their eyes, replaced by something they couldn't quite put into words.

As they made their way toward the town, Shinji continued to remind them, "I've already told you that at night, you can barely kill demons. So I'll handle the fighting. Your job is only to cover and support me. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Haku and Karin nodded repeatedly.

As if remembering something, just before they entered the town, Shinji explained the Twelve Kizuki to them.

He concluded with an emphasis: "So looking into a demon's eyes is the simplest way to judge its strength. If a Lower Rank demon hasn't obtained Chakra, its strength is probably around the level of a Chunin, or a little higher. But if it has obtained Chakra, you must treat it as an enemy on the level of a Jonin. Don't let your guard down."

After listening carefully, Haku hurriedly asked, "My lord, what about Upper Moon demons?"

Shinji shook his head. "I haven't encountered an Upper Moon demon yet."

As they spoke, the three entered the town.

The town was unnervingly silent. None of the houses had any lights on, and only the silvery moonlight overhead illuminated their way.

Shinji turned his head and gave Karin a look.

Although Karin was nervous, she quickly understood. She activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura, then pointed toward a nearby corner and whispered, "The strongest Chakra signature is just ahead."

Shinji looked toward the corner. "Haku, protect Karin."

"Yes!"

Haku took out a Kunai and guarded Karin.

But just as the three were about to move forward, a figure suddenly stepped out from around the corner.

The figure saw Shinji and the others and slowly spread its arms. "I can smell your fragrance even from here. What delicious little lambs you are. Now, be good and go to sleep!"

Here's the second update! There'll be a third one later, so please wait a little!