Off to the instance world!

This time, instead of answering Uzumaki Gamu's question like Director D, the wheel began spinning!

At the sight, Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help quipping, "Wow, this feels like a lucky wheel prize draw... You bastard, don't tell me it really is random?"

The wheel ignored him, finished spinning on its own, then burst into dazzling multicolored effects and all sorts of fireworks-as though he really had hit the jackpot!

...So tacky, Uzumaki Gamu silently disparaged it, speechless.

"Host, please do not disparage these cool effects in your thoughts. They were specially prepared for you!"

"Holy shit, now you can respond? Were you just pretending with that Director D routine earlier?" Uzumaki Gamu rolled his eyes. "Fine, no more mocking the effects. Back to business. Since you've put on this light show, that means the instance has been decided, right? What is it?"

"First world-Demon Slayer. Primary objective-kill Muzan Kibutsuji! Killing additional demons will increase the reward tier for clearing the instance!"

"Ohhh, so that's the kind of instance this is!" Uzumaki Gamu more or less understood how the instance system worked-go to other worlds, kill monsters, level up, and earn prizes... He just didn't know whether those worlds were real other worlds or creations of the system!

"If I ask that question out loud, will you answer?" Since it had already shown that it could read his mind, Uzumaki Gamu couldn't be bothered to repeat his thoughts aloud.

"Hello, I am currently unable to answer that question. Let us discuss another topic."

"...Fuck you!!!" Uzumaki Gamu suddenly felt an urge to smash the wheel to pieces. After several deep breaths to suppress his anger, he calmly asked, "Enough of this nonsense... When do I leave?"

"That is for the host to decide! If you wish, you may depart right now!"

"I'll pass. I still need to prepare~" He hadn't readied any of the supplies he needed for a mission-ninja tools, Soldier Pill Pills, Explosive Tags, rations... Wouldn't charging straight into another world be reckless? Though that world wasn't particularly dangerous to the current Uzumaki Gamu!

If I remember correctly, only the Upper Ranks and Muzan would be any trouble for me now. Everyone else is small fry~~ And even those guys are only troublesome because they're hard to kill. Overall, it should be a pretty easy world! Still, I need to be careful. Even a lion goes all out when hunting a rabbit, let alone a Demon King who's lived for centuries... Especially one with absolutely no pride as a powerhouse, a man who bolts the instant his life is in danger... I need to prepare thoroughly! Uzumaki Gamu thought.

With that in mind, Uzumaki Gamu left the Instance Space and returned to the real world!

Back in the real world, Uzumaki Gamu looked at the crest on the back of his hand. "Does it only activate when I project my mind onto it? Well, that should prevent accidental activation. Come to think of it, does this mean I have my own separate space-time now? Wow, storage just got convenient~" Although this space couldn't combine offense and defense like the Kamui Dimension, being able to carry more supplies was already a great perk!

Now he would have somewhere to store any good things he picked up!

"Man, Uncle Yama has been so good to me. I should set up a shrine for him at home and pay my respects!" Reflecting on Yama's kindness, Uzumaki Gamu returned to the clan grounds!

Mito, who was preparing dinner, saw Uzumaki Gamu return and asked in puzzlement, "Second Brother, why are you back so soon?"

"Well, this time I only went ahead to discuss things. I won't actually leave until everything's ready!" Uzumaki Gamu replied.

"Huh? Second Brother, are you leaving?" Mito asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'm going away to train!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "Come on, let's go tell Father."

"...Okay!" Mito said.

And so, Mito followed Uzumaki Gamu to see Ashina!

After hearing Uzumaki Gamu's plans, Ashina asked, "Why have you suddenly decided to go away to train?"

Uzumaki Gamu delivered the explanation he had prepared beforehand. "After that last battle, I realized how weak I was, how lacking my strength was..."

"Huh? But you weren't even injured, Second Brother, and you defeated the head of the Kaguya clan!" Mito asked, confused.

"That was because someone else got hurt for me!" Uzumaki Gamu explained. "All I really did was build up chakra in the rear, then launch a surprise attack when he wasn't paying attention to me! One-on-one, I was no match for that Kaguya moron! It made me realize just how inadequate my half-baked strength is in this world! I need to become stronger!!"

Ashina nodded in great satisfaction at Uzumaki Gamu's words. "Yes, an excellent attitude! You have your father's support!!" It was rare for his son to say something so serious, and Ashina felt deeply gratified as a father.

Mito, on the other hand, looked utterly unconvinced. There's no way he'd look this happy just because he's going to train. Second Brother must be off to do something he'll really enjoy! As expected of the woman who understood Uzumaki Gamu best, she knew what he was thinking just from his subtle expressions.

Still, Mito didn't expose him and let Ashina approve Uzumaki Gamu's plan to train away from home.

Once Ashina agreed, Uzumaki Gamu returned to his room to prepare the equipment he would need.

Mito followed him and asked, "Second Brother, you were lying just now, weren't you?"

"Hmm?" Uzumaki Gamu glanced up at Mito, then said, "You noticed? Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. I just left part of it out... I'm actually going to take a trial. If I succeed, I'll get some rewards. I don't know what they are yet, but they should be things that can make me stronger!"

"A trial? Can I go with you?" Mito asked.

"No!" Uzumaki Gamu patted her little head. "I don't know how difficult this trial will be either. Taking you would be too dangerous. I'm not confident I could keep you safe!"

"...So you think I'm weak?" Mito said unhappily.

"...That's pretty much it." It sounded harsh, but Uzumaki Gamu had no choice but to say it.

After all, this system had only activated once he reached his current level of strength. Taking Mito, who was far weaker than he was now... might genuinely be dangerous.

Uzumaki Gamu didn't want his closest family to face danger... Besides, the system might not even allow anyone else inside!

For now, Uzumaki Gamu didn't want to reveal that he had this system, so he wouldn't find someone to test whether he could bring other people in!

In short, he would wait until he was strong enough before considering any of that!

"Hmph! I don't like you anymore, Second Brother!!" Mito huffed and turned to leave... Smack! Uzumaki Gamu caught her!

"Come on, I'm about to leave. Don't sulk now~" Uzumaki Gamu said helplessly. He might be gone for a year or two, and parting on bad terms would feel awful... Uzumaki Gamu himself didn't mind too much, since he would have things to distract him, but Mito would be staying in the clan and could easily overthink things.

So he needed to clear things up with Mito before leaving.

"Let go of me!!" Mito said unhappily-a rare display of girlish petulance from her.

Uzumaki Gamu brushed a finger across her nose. "Don't be angry. I was only telling the truth. If you really want to come with me, work hard on your training!"

"...I know. I just can't accept it!" Mito said with her head lowered. Then, as though she had made some great resolution, she told Uzumaki Gamu, "By the time you get back, I'll definitely have surpassed you!"

"...That would be great!" Uzumaki Gamu gave her an encouraging thumbs-up!

"Don't underestimate me. I'll definitely be stronger than you!" Mito said, chin raised.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Uzumaki Gamu replied with a smile.

With that, he had made peace with his little sister. After packing everything he needed, Uzumaki Gamu set off on his journey... And so, his first instance world was about to begin!

-Preparing ninja tools-

After entering the system space, Uzumaki Gamu told the wheel, "All right, I'm ready to start the instance now... What do I need to do?"

"Host, please place your hand on the wheel!"

"Okay!" Uzumaki Gamu obediently complied, then... was sucked straight in.

When he came to... he found himself in the pitch-black night sky.

"Shit! Why is the spawn point in midair? Are you trying to make me die on landing?" Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help cursing.

An ordinary person really would have fallen to their death, but fortunately, Uzumaki Gamu was a ninja and could protect himself. Just as mentioned before, he created clones in midair, then jumped off them to slow his descent. As for the clones he stomped downward... they would dispel themselves.

And so, Uzumaki Gamu reached the ground safely!

"All right, I'm in a new world. And... it doesn't really feel any different from my own!" Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help remarking as he looked at the surrounding woods.

Coming to the world of Demon Slayer actually felt rather strange.

The story took place in the Taisho Era... not long after the Industrial Revolution, when most regions were still backward and feudal... There wasn't much to do for fun!

"Well, at least it's better than the Hokage World. Apart from creatures like demons, most places are pretty peaceful... I should be able to find some good food, right?" Compared with completing the mission, Uzumaki Gamu was more interested in exploring this world.

But after just two steps... he sensed something wrong!

Uzumaki Gamu immediately stopped, closed his eyes, and began sensing. "What's this? Such powerful vitality, but... extremely evil! I see, so this is a demon?" He hadn't encountered a single person since landing, but he had already sensed demons!

Recently, Uzumaki Gamu had trained his Mind's Eye of the Kagura to the point where he could sense good and evil.

He had to admit... the system had chosen quite an interesting landing spot!

"...Since I've run into them, I might as well take a look!" Demons were tied to Uzumaki Gamu's mission rewards, so he wasn't about to let them go casually. With his eyes closed, he continued sensing. "Two demons in total. They're heading in a certain direction. Hmm? I can sense a lot of people. Is that a city? Come to think of it, I think I saw lights while falling... So I actually landed near a city?"

Great, both his interests lined up this time-he could kill demons and explore a city. What luck!

Without lingering, Uzumaki Gamu hurried toward the demons.

Soon, he reached his destination. "Still a little farther away... Hmm? Three more? But those three don't feel all that evil... No, one of them doesn't even have any malicious thoughts. Could it be... I've run into the protagonist?"

If there was any demon without malice, it had to be the Demon Slayer protagonist's little sister-Nezuko Kamado.

"Haha, what a coincidence! I'm lucky to get to meet the protagonist... No, the system probably arranged this. Then let's meet him!" Uzumaki Gamu said happily, immediately charging over!

Was it finally time to fight? Come on, let's have a good battle!!!

-Preparing ninja tools-

The male protagonist of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro Kamado, was fighting two demons... So which part of the story was he in right now?

In terms of the anime, it should have been episode nine of the first season, right?

Since some readers might not have seen it, here was a brief explanation.

Tanjiro Kamado was the eldest son of the charcoal-selling Kamado Family. Since his father, Tanjuro Kamado, had died young, he had supported his family by selling charcoal.

Once, on his way home after selling charcoal, certain circumstances led him to spend the night away from home, sparing him from being murdered. When he returned, Tanjiro was horrified to discover that his mother and younger siblings had been brutally killed by a demon. Only his eldest younger sister, Nezuko Kamado, was still warm.

It wasn't simply that his sister had survived. The Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, had turned her into a demon.

Demons were ageless, immortal creatures transformed from humans, possessed immense strength, and craved human flesh and blood. The first demon was Muzan, who had been transformed by a doctor's treatment. Later, Muzan used his blood to turn others into demons, and powerful demons could wield supernatural abilities called "Blood Demon Arts." Their weaknesses were sunlight, which killed them, and decapitation by metal containing the sun's energy, which also killed them. They also dared not approach wisteria. Apart from those, they had no weaknesses!

After becoming a demon, Nezuko attacked Tanjiro. His desperate calls restored his sister's awareness, but Giyu Tomioka, the Demon Slayer Corps' Water Hashira, arrived after hearing the commotion and intended to kill her. Giyu harshly rebuked Tanjiro for abandoning thought and doing nothing but beg. In desperation, Tanjiro devised a plan that nearly brought Giyu down, but Giyu ultimately evaded it. To kill Nezuko, Giyu prepared to deal with Tanjiro first. Then he witnessed Nezuko protecting Tanjiro while retaining her reason despite being a demon. After some thought, compassion stirred in Giyu as well. He decided to spare Nezuko and recommended that Tanjiro study under his master!

After grueling training, Tanjiro officially became a demon-slaying swordsman. He then passed the Demon Slayer Corps' examination and formally joined its ranks. Right now, he was carrying out a mission to kill demons.

Facing his current opponents, Tanjiro gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly and muttered, "Ugh, they're strong!" Fighting two demons at once is exhausting!

The two demons facing him were a male-female pair: the male demon Yahaba and the female demon Susamaru.

Susamaru told Tanjiro, "Hehehe, swordsman with the sun earrings, if you kill yourself now, you can still have an easier death! Otherwise... once we get our hands on you, your death will be very painful!"

Upright as he was, Tanjiro still answered even though the demon hadn't asked him a question. "I refuse! And I won't lose!" She was just threatening him. Why was he answering so earnestly?

"Exactly. Those two demons are the ones who'll lose!" A voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention!

It was Uzumaki Gamu. He stood on a nearby tree with one hand on his hip, watching the whole battlefield with a carefree air!

Tanjiro sniffed, confirmed that Uzumaki Gamu was human, and immediately shouted, "It's dangerous here! Get away!" Tanjiro possessed an unusually keen sense of smell, allowing him to distinguish human emotions by scent, as well as tell humans and demons apart. After training, he could even detect a "thread of opening" in combat-a scent revealing his opponent's weakness.

Hearing Tanjiro, Susamaru laughed. "A human? And just an ordinary one? You actually think we'll lose? How funny..."

"Do you mean you're funny?" Those words suddenly sounded beside Susamaru's ear, and then she felt her head being pierced!

When did he get there!? Yahaba, standing beside Susamaru, thought in shock. In practically the blink of an eye, Uzumaki Gamu had teleported behind them and driven something resembling a dagger-a kunai-through Susamaru's brain from behind!

...Was this guy really human?

"Damn you!!" Susamaru shouted with her head pierced, then swung her arm backward... and struck empty air.

Uzumaki Gamu had already flickered away!

After flickering a short distance away, Uzumaki Gamu twirled his kunai and said, "Whoa~~ Even a headshot can't kill you, and you regenerate fast. Just like in the anime, you're as hard to kill as cockroaches... Well, that's about your only redeeming feature!"

Uzumaki Gamu's casual remarks ignited both demons' fury. After becoming demons, they had come to regard humans as inferior creatures. The two demons: We don't age, we don't die, and we have the power of Blood Demon Arts. We're beings above humanity! Momoshiki Otsutsuki: ...That's something worth bragging about now? Being mocked by an inferior creature was more than they could bear!!

So Yahaba said, "Hmph, since you want to die first, we'll oblige! Go, Susamaru!"

"Got it!!" Two temari balls, similar to rubber balls, appeared in Susamaru's hands. She hurled them like cannonballs with her bare hands. Those balls were her Blood Demon Art, powerful enough to destroy buildings.

Uzumaki Gamu dodged easily, then quipped, "Only powerful enough to destroy buildings? You couldn't even beat the kids where I come from~"

With her attack casually evaded, Susamaru could only shout, "Tch!! Yahaba!"

"I know!!" Yahaba also used his Blood Demon Art. Using the eyes on his palms, he could control arrow markings invisible to ordinary people to attack his opponents. He could also change the trajectories of Susamaru's balls, making them attack enemies freely.

Their combined Blood Demon Arts amounted to... flying sword control?

No, flying ball control would be more accurate!

Under Yahaba's control, the two balls that had flown past came hurtling back.

Behind them, Tanjiro immediately warned, "Watch out... Where did he go?"

"Right beside you!" Uzumaki Gamu informed him.

Tanjiro jumped in fright, then smelled Uzumaki Gamu beside him before he could even turn his head!

Before Tanjiro could react, he felt someone take the Nichirin Blade from his hand!

"Let me borrow your sword. I'll give it back in a moment!" Leaving those words behind, Uzumaki Gamu vanished again!

"Is... is that guy really human?" Susamaru said fearfully. So far, they couldn't even catch sight of his shadow. It made him seem like the demon and them like the humans!

"Of course I'm human~ All right, off you go. Become my rewards for clearing this instance!" Those were the last words the two demons heard!

Then Uzumaki Gamu cut off their heads with Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade.

As mentioned before, apart from sunlight, demons would only die from having their necks severed by weapons forged from metal containing the sun's energy. This sword was made from precisely that metal-a samurai sword called a Nichirin Blade.

Seeing Uzumaki Gamu kill the demons with such simple swings, Tanjiro exclaimed, "So... so amazing! He feels even stronger than Mr. Giyu!" He had instinctively compared Uzumaki Gamu with the strongest person he currently knew!

At the same time, he was puzzled. Uzumaki Gamu didn't seem to use a breathing technique, so how had he killed the demons so easily?

No, upon sniffing carefully, he sensed unimaginable power within Uzumaki Gamu... What was this?

Just then, Uzumaki Gamu walked over and handed the sword to Tanjiro. "Thanks for lending me your sword... Well, let me introduce myself first. My name is Uzumaki Gamu, and I'm a ninja!"

"A ninja? Ohhh~~ Ninjas really exist? That's amazing!" Tanjiro exclaimed. He was a child from the mountains and had only heard about ninjas in his mother's bedtime stories. The female ninja of the Sanada Ten Warriors, Sasuke Sarutobi, and others... They were all incredibly impressive figures. And now... they were actually real?

"No, no, no. Even if ninjas exist, they couldn't possibly be as strong as him!" A man's voice came from the house behind Tanjiro!

The man's name was Yushiro. Like the woman beside him, Tamayo, he was a demon! However, they were demons who opposed Muzan Kibutsuji, and for now, they were Tanjiro's allies!

Yushiro stepped forward and asked Uzumaki Gamu, "Are you really human?"

"Genuine through and through... But you probably won't just take my word for it... Shall we sit down over some tea and have a proper talk?" Uzumaki Gamu suggested.

For safety's sake, Yushiro wanted to refuse outright.

But the female demon, Tamayo, replied, "Very well... Yushiro, go repair the concealment barrier... Mr. Uzumaki Gamu, please come inside!"

Tamayo was clearly the one in charge between the two, so despite his displeasure, Yushiro obediently did as she said!

Uzumaki Gamu boldly entered the house, ready to taste tea from the Taisho Era!

Surely it would taste better than plain boiled water?