On the training grounds of the Anti-Demon Ninja Tokyo Headquarters, Yukito noticed Teacher Uehara's eager expression, but he declined her request for a spar.
It wasn't because Yukito thought he was weaker than Teacher Uehara or feared losing to her. Rather, he wanted to spend the next few days hunting demons in the special dimension behind the training grounds, a place where the Demon Realm had merged with the human world, so he could earn experience points and increase his level.
"Miss Uehara... I have some things I need to take care of over the next couple of days. If you want to spar with me and see my strength, let's do it after I finish my mission and return."
Seeing Yukito Mizuki refuse her invitation, Teacher Uehara looked slightly disappointed but didn't press the matter.
She didn't even ask what kind of mission he was about to undertake. Instead, she quietly adjusted her own schedule.
Originally, Teacher Uehara had come during her free time to visit Asagi and to continue guiding Yukikaze, a junior who, like herself, had awakened Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
According to her original plan, she intended to stay for no more than two days before returning to Kyoto. However, after discovering Yukito's existence, she decided to remain in Tokyo for a while longer.
"Yukito-kun, you don't have to call me Miss Uehara so formally. As a matter of fact, Senior Shiranui even visited the Uehara Family before she retired, so our Uehara Family and the Mizuki Family have been close for generations."
"You can simply call me Rin, or even Rin-nee."
"You've only recently joined the Anti-Demon Ninja, haven't you? I'm not sure how much Senior Shiranui and Yukikaze have already told you about the organization, but if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'll be staying here for quite some time."
Teacher Uehara's lips curved into a charming smile as she spoke to Yukito with unusual warmth.
The sudden change left both Yatsu Murasaki and Yukikaze staring at her in surprise.
Yukikaze, in particular, widened her eyes in disbelief.
Although she wasn't especially close to Teacher Uehara, ever since awakening her powers and beginning her Anti-Demon Ninja training, Teacher Uehara had always seemed strict, serious, and professional.
She wasn't harsh all the time, but she had rarely shown such a gentle and affectionate side.
As for the relationship between the Uehara Family and the Mizuki Family being old family friends...
The Anti-Demon Ninja families had histories stretching back hundreds, or even thousands, of years. In a country as relatively small as Japan, there were only a limited number of prominent Anti-Demon Ninja families.
Throughout centuries of history, nearly every one of these families had interacted with, cooperated with, or even intermarried with the others. If that was enough to qualify as old family friends, then practically every Anti-Demon Ninja family could claim the same relationship.
Still, seeing Teacher Uehara's attitude toward her Onii-chan made an uneasy feeling quietly grow inside Yukikaze.
She couldn't help wondering if Teacher Uehara had some ulterior motive toward him. Then she remembered that they had only met today, and there was nearly a ten-year age gap between them. Surely she was just overthinking things.
"Teacher Uehara, you and Yukikaze can continue training here."
"I'll take Yukito-kun to the back mountain. We can look around while clearing out the demons hiding there."
Yatsu Murasaki glanced at Teacher Uehara before looking at Yukikaze. Apparently sensing the unusual atmosphere, she quickly grabbed Yukito and hurried away from the training grounds, leading him into the special dimension hidden within the nearby mountain.
Over the next few days, Yukito spent most of his time leveling up inside the dimensional space where the back mountain overlapped with the Demon Realm. Occasionally, he encountered Yukikaze, Rinko, and several unfamiliar Anti-Demon Ninjas.
There was also the mature and incredibly curvaceous Teacher Uehara, who always seemed to find an excuse to strike up a conversation with him, to the point that Yukito almost began to believe she actually liked him.
This peaceful monster-hunting routine continued for about three days. Thanks to the bonus experience gained from fighting in a party, as well as the shared experience he received whenever his teammates defeated demons, Yukito's strength increased dramatically in only three days, bringing him close to the Jonin level.
Three days later, at the Anti-Demon Ninja Headquarters in Tokyo, reliable intelligence from the Logistics and Intelligence Division confirmed that the Underground Black Market in Chiba would be opening that very night.
After nightfall, Yukito Mizuki changed into a plain white robe with the Uchiha clan crest emblazoned across the back before leaving headquarters alone. He soon arrived at the entrance of an abandoned building near Akihabara in Chiba.
This was the entrance to the Underground Black Market described in the intelligence report.
As for why Yukito had come alone, despite it originally being agreed that Yatsu Murasaki would accompany him, it was because she explained that too many enemies of the Anti-Demon Ninja already recognized her face, making it impossible for her to openly enter the black market.
Instead, she instructed Yukito, whose face was completely unfamiliar, to enter first while she found another way inside.
Although that was what she claimed, Yukito knew exactly where she was.
Both Yatsu Murasaki and Igawa Sakura were currently hiding inside his shadow using Sakura's Shadow Escape Ninjutsu. They believed Yukito was completely unaware of their presence, never imagining that his system allowed him to detect their exact locations with ease.
Standing before the entrance to the Chiba Underground Black Market, Yukito paused for a moment before forming a series of hand seals and using the Transformation Jutsu to slightly alter his appearance.
Anyone familiar with Naruto would have recognized him immediately.
He now wore the face of Uchiha Itachi.
After all, the first character template he had obtained after transmigrating into this world was Uchiha Izuna, and his own appearance already closely resembled Izuna's.
Taking on Itachi's appearance wasn't strange at all.
As Yukito stepped into the abandoned building, darkness briefly engulfed his vision before light quickly returned.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer inside the abandoned structure.
Instead, he found himself standing on a bustling underground street.
Bright lights illuminated every corner as crowds of people walked back and forth. At first glance, it looked no different from the lively nightlife of Tokyo or Chiba.
Only someone with exceptionally sharp senses would notice the unusual energy filling the air—a strange force resembling either magical power or spiritual energy.
"So this is Chiba's Underground City..."
"It really does look just like a normal city."
Standing amid the bustling streets, Yukito quietly admired the lively scenery before letting out a soft sigh.
At that moment, the system interface appeared before his eyes.
Name: Yukito Mizuki (Character Template: Uchiha Izuna, Second Character unlocked upon breaking through Kage-level)
Age: 17
Level: 92 (Elite Chunin-level) 267665 / 315000 +
Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (Dojutsu Power 4000/4500)+
Skills: Three Body Technique, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Hell Viewing Technique, Shadow Clone Technique…
Items: Soldier Pills ×42, Explosive Tags ×49, Shuriken ×91, Antidotes ×4, Blood Recovery Pills ×8, Sealing Scrolls ×3, Limited-Time Character Experience Cards ×5, Special Aphrodisiacs ×10
Current Quest: Faction Quest: Investigate the Underground Black Market (Reward: 200,000 EXP, 2-Hour Double EXP Cards ×2)
Available Quests:
A-rank: Subdue Fallen Demons
A-rank: Annihilate Demon Stronghold
B-rank: True Ninja
B-rank: Monster Slayer…
After reviewing the information on his status panel, Yukito opened the system map.
It displayed countless colored dots representing people throughout the Underground Black Market, along with the locations of available quests.
Judging by the map, the overwhelming majority of people inside the market appeared as red dots, indicating that they were hostile or belonged to enemy factions.
According to the system's settings, every red dot represented an enemy that could be attacked and defeated for experience.
Looking at the sea of red dots covering the map, ranging from pale red to deep crimson, Yukito couldn't help licking his lips.
In just three days, he had already gained more than twenty levels, bringing himself close to the Jonin rank. During that time, he had almost completely exterminated every demon lurking in the back mountain of the Anti-Demon Ninja Headquarters.
Along the way, he had also triggered and completed several commission quests, earning enormous amounts of experience that allowed him to level up at such an incredible pace.
If he managed to eliminate every hostile target inside this Underground Black Market, he would almost certainly break through the Jonin level and perhaps even approach Kage-level strength.
Although the temptation to wipe out the entire Underground Black Market was overwhelming, Yukito remained rational enough to suppress the reckless thought.
There were countless humans, demons, seductive dark-skinned elves with pointed ears, and fierce beastmen gathered here.
With his current strength, defeating every hostile individual in the city was simply impossible.
Even with Yatsu Murasaki and Igawa Sakura secretly supporting him from within his shadow, his chances of succeeding were still slim.
Unless he opened the Eight Gates.
But Yukito had no intention of exposing such a trump card and attracting the attention of truly terrifying enemies over a little extra experience.
For now, it was better to focus on investigating the market and gathering intelligence regarding artificial demons.
**********
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