Joining Forces

As Senju Kotoha's strike descended, Ueda Shin's head was severed clean, bringing the battle to a close.

Senju Kotoha stood tall, retracting her blade. She had been at a disadvantage from the start, but she had managed to seize a momentary opening and land a fatal blow.

Ito Makoto watched the entire fight unfold, gaining a rough understanding of both their abilities.

As expected, Ueda Shin possessed the power of Ace from One Piece—the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi. Ueda Shin's own words had confirmed this.

Senju Kotoha, however, remained extremely cautious, never once calling out the name of her techniques during the fight. It was only after she had decapitated Ueda Shin that she finally relaxed and uttered the name of her style.

Water Breathing, Flowing Dance.

This was the ability of the protagonist Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, one of the breathing styles capable of slaying demons.

It appeared that Senju Kotoha had mastered the breathing techniques from Demon Slayer.

The method of mobilizing natural energy through such specific breathing patterns was a novel concept.

In the ninja world, one absorbed natural energy by entering a state of stillness to perceive it, then using the entire body to draw it in.

Senju Kotoha's breathing style, by contrast, was reckless; she used her breath to pull the energy into her body first, then utilized it.

Although her method was less efficient—since one method used the entire body for absorption while the other relied only on breath—the volume absorbed via breathing was naturally lower. However, this technique allowed her to continuously absorb natural energy even while in motion.

Ito Makoto was suddenly struck by an idea. If he could integrate this breathing style into his Sage Mode, the constant supply of natural energy provided by his breath would surely allow him to maintain his Sage Mode for much longer.

At this thought, Ito Makoto felt a surge of excitement. During the fight, he had already used his Sharingan to copy this special breathing method. Although he only had a partial grasp, a few practice sessions would be enough to master it. He felt a strong urge to cancel his shared vision and return home to practice immediately.

However, the drama before him had not yet concluded. Ito Makoto was forced to suppress his impulses.

Through the perspective of the Sharingan, Ueda Shin was not dead. The flames on his body had not vanished.

"I never expected you to actually cut off my head." Ueda Shin's voice appeared abruptly, startling Senju Kotoha, who had been preparing to leave.

Without hesitation, she spun around and unleashed Water Breathing, Flowing Dance once more. Knowing that a grudge had been formed, she had no intention of holding back and prepared to strike first.

"Hahaha," Ueda Shin transformed into flames and retreated into the distance, evading the attack.

"How could you possibly dodge my strike?" Senju Kotoha raised her ninja blade, pointing it at Ueda Shin, and demanded, "I know my own abilities. Even if you are a Logia-type user, it is impossible to survive being decapitated by a technique imbued with water."

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

Senju Kotoha flicked her blade in frustration; this was the first time she had lost her composure. Now that Ueda Shin was on guard, as long as he kept running, she would be unable to close the distance and would eventually be worn down to death.

She began to consider retreating, keeping one eye on Ueda Shin's movements while preparing to flee.

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

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

"I just wanted to confirm whether or not you were a transmigrator. Now, I've achieved my goal," Ueda Shin laughed, appearing as if he were the victor.

"Your ability must be the breathing style from Demon Slayer, right?"

Senju Kotoha bit her lip; she had been careless, assuming she had already eliminated him.

"Mastering the abilities of Demon Slayer is enough to confirm you are a transmigrator. My purpose has been served," Ueda Shin said.

"Furthermore, your Water Breathing seems to counter me, even allowing you to strike me while I'm in flame form. But I can run, and if you can't catch me, you can't do anything to me. Likewise, if you run, I can't do anything to you. Since neither of us can finish the other, why fight to the death?"

"Since you don't intend to continue the fight, I'm leaving." Senju Kotoha faced Ueda Shin and took a step back.

"Wait. Even though you and I have revealed our identities, there are still two people at the Ninja Academy suspected of being transmigrators."

"You mean—" Senju Kotoha did not name them specifically.

"I mean Yamanaka Masami and Ueda Shin," Ueda Shin said firmly. "I am familiar with the original plot. In the original timeline, where did Yamanaka Ino get an older sister? Where did Sakura get a childhood friend? And the name is Ito Makoto? The name of that guy who got killed by a kitchen knife? These two are clearly transmigrators."

Ito Makoto, hiding nearby, felt a chill; he hadn't expected that despite hiding all his abilities, he would still be suspected simply for being near Sakura.

"That's not necessarily true," Senju Kotoha said. "Don't forget the butterfly effect. A butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could trigger a tornado in Texas. The presence of transmigrators likely interfered with the world, causing these changes."

"Besides, if they really were transmigrators, they wouldn't name themselves Ito Makoto." Senju Kotoha's words seemed to be an attempt to deflect suspicion from him.

"Ito Makoto might be excusable," Ueda Shin sneered, "but what about Yamanaka Masami? Did our transmigration somehow affect Yamanaka Inoichi's personal life? Did it boost his performance and lead to him having another child?"

Senju Kotoha glared at Ueda Shin; the jerk's words were as unpleasant as ever.

"Let's be blunt, Kotoha! I want to form an alliance with you to confirm whether those two are transmigrators and to identify any other potential transmigrators in the future."

"Why me?" Senju Kotoha asked.

"Transmigrators have their own hierarchy. That Ito Makoto and Yamanaka Masami couldn't even take first place in the entrance exams—how could they be my allies? Your ability is enough to threaten me, so you have my recognition," Ueda Shin said, lifting his chin arrogantly.

"Besides, my identity is already out in the open, and yours is practically the same. A member of the Senju Clan suddenly appearing—if there are other transmigrators familiar with the plot, they would surely realize who you are, just like I did. Our identities are exposed, while others hide in the shadows, ready to strike at any time. Instead of being passive, we should join forces to flush them all out."

Senju Kotoha pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Only you and I have exposed our identities so far. I can join forces with you to test the potential transmigrators, but an alliance is out of the question. I cannot trust you."

"That works too," Ueda Shin replied, not pushing the issue.

"And you and I must guarantee that we will not leak each other's status as transmigrators," Senju Kotoha added another condition.

"Agreed. But there is one thing I must warn you about." Ueda Shin suddenly wore a serious expression.