Joining Forces

As Senju Kotoha's slash came down, Ueda Shin's head was cut off, bringing the battle to a close.

Senju Kotoha stood with her blade lowered. She had been at a disadvantage at first, but fortunately, she'd caught an opening at the end and landed a fatal blow.

Ito Makoto had watched the entire battle unfold. He now had a rough understanding of both their abilities.

Just as he'd expected, Ueda Shin possessed the Mera Mera no Mi ability from One Piece—the power Ace had wielded. Ueda Shin's own words confirmed it.

As for Senju Kotoha, she had been extremely cautious and hadn't called out the name of her technique at any point during the fight. Only after cutting off Ueda Shin's head did she finally relax and reveal its name.

Water Breathing, Flowing Dance.

It was the ability of Tanjiro, the protagonist of Demon Slayer, and one of the Breathing Techniques capable of slaying Demons.

It seemed Senju Kotoha had mastered the Breathing Techniques from Demon Slayer.

That method of manipulating Natural Energy relied on special breathing to absorb it. What an unusual approach.

In the ninja world, people absorbed Natural Energy by sensing it while still, then using their entire bodies to draw it in.

Senju Kotoha's Breathing Technique, however, disregarded that approach. First, it drew Natural Energy into the body through breathing, then put it to use.

Though Senju Kotoha's method was less efficient—after all, one approach used the whole body to absorb energy, while the other relied only on breathing—the amount drawn in through breathing naturally couldn't compare to using the entire body. But this method allowed her to keep absorbing Natural Energy while moving.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ito Makoto. If he incorporated this Breathing Technique into Sage Mode, the steady supply of Natural Energy from breathing would surely let him maintain Sage Mode for longer.

The thought excited Ito Makoto. During the battle, he had already copied this unusual breathing method with his Sharingan. He'd only copied part of it, but a few practice sessions would be enough to master it. He felt tempted to end the shared vision right away and go practice.

However, the main event wasn't over yet. Ito Makoto had to suppress the urge.

From the Sharingan's perspective, Ueda Shin was still alive. The flames around him hadn't disappeared, either.

"I never thought you'd actually cut my head off." Ueda Shin's voice suddenly rang out, startling Senju Kotoha, who had been about to leave.

She didn't hesitate. Turning around, she used Water Breathing, Flowing Dance once more. Now that the two of them were enemies, she had no intention of holding back. She planned to strike first.

"Hahaha!" Ueda Shin turned into flames and dodged the attack, reappearing in the distance.

"How could you dodge my slash?" Senju Kotoha raised her Ninja Blade and pointed it at Ueda Shin, demanding, "I know my own ability. Even if you have a Logia Fruit, you shouldn't be able to survive having your head cut off by a water-infused attack."

"You're right about that," Ueda Shin said. "I simply turned into flames beforehand and separated my head from my body."

Senju Kotoha angrily flicked her blade. This was the first time she'd lost control of her emotions. Now that Ueda Shin was on guard, he could keep running. She couldn't close the distance, and would eventually be worn down to death.

She considered fleeing. Keeping a wary eye on Ueda Shin, she prepared to make her escape.

"Relax. I won't attack you again," Ueda Shin said.

"What do you mean?" Senju Kotoha frowned, confused by his behavior.

"I only wanted to confirm whether you were a Transmigrator. Now that I've achieved my goal, I'm satisfied." Ueda Shin smiled as if he were the victor. "Your ability is the Breathing Technique from Demon Slayer, right?"

Senju Kotoha bit her lip. She'd let her guard down when she thought she had already killed Ueda Shin.

"Mastering an ability from Demon Slayer is enough to confirm you're a Transmigrator. I've achieved my goal," Ueda Shin said.

"Besides, your Water Breathing seems to counter me. You can even cut me when I'm transformed into flames. But I can run away, and you can't catch me, so there's nothing you can do. Likewise, if you run, there's nothing I can do to you. Since neither of us can do anything to the other, why fight to the death?"

"If you don't intend to fight, then I'll be leaving." Senju Kotoha faced Ueda Shin as she stepped backward.

"Wait. We may have revealed our identities to each other, but there are still two people at the Ninja Academy who might be Transmigrators."

"You mean—" Senju Kotoha didn't name anyone in particular.

"Yamanaka Masami and you, Ueda Shin," Ueda Shin said firmly. "I know the original story inside out. In the original timeline, where did Yamanaka Ino get a sister? And where did Sakura get a childhood friend? One whose name is even Ito Makoto—the guy who got cut down with a kitchen knife? Those two are obviously Transmigrators."

Hiding nearby, Ito Makoto was shocked. He hadn't expected to be suspected just for being near Sakura, despite keeping all his abilities hidden.

"Not necessarily," Senju Kotoha said. "Don't forget the butterfly effect. A butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas, on the other side of the world. The existence of Transmigrators may well have disrupted the world and caused these changes."

"And if someone really were a Transmigrator, they wouldn't name themselves something like Ito Makoto, would they?" Senju Kotoha seemed to be making excuses for Ito Makoto.

"I can understand Ito Makoto," Ueda Shin sneered. "But what about Yamanaka Masami? Did our transmigration somehow affect Yamanaka Inoichi's performance, making him so much more capable that he had another child?"

Senju Kotoha glared at Ueda Shin. He was as unpleasant as ever.

"I'll be straightforward, Kotoha," Ueda Shin said. "I want to join forces with you to determine whether those two are Transmigrators, and to find any others who might be Transmigrators in the future."

"Why me?" Senju Kotoha asked.

"Transmigrators come in all shapes and sizes. Ito Makoto and Yamanaka Masami couldn't even get first place on the entrance test. How could they be my allies? Your ability is enough to threaten me, so you've earned my respect." Ueda Shin lifted his chin arrogantly.

"Besides, I've openly revealed my identity. Yours is practically just as obvious. You're a member of the Senju Clan, and there's one more of you than there should be. Any Transmigrator familiar with the story would realize who you are, just like I did. Both our identities are out in the open, while everyone else is hiding in the shadows, ready to attack us at any moment. Instead of waiting to be caught off guard, we should join forces and bring them all into the open."

Senju Kotoha pondered for a moment, then replied calmly,

"Right now, only you and I have revealed our identities. I can work with you to investigate potential Transmigrators, but let's not call it an alliance. I can't trust you."

"That works, too," Ueda Shin said without arguing.

"And we have to agree not to reveal one another's identity as Transmigrators," Senju Kotoha added.

"Fine. But there's one thing I have to warn you about." Ueda Shin suddenly grew serious.