Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, guys.
The reason was the sudden heatwave that made it almost impossible for me to sit in front of my computer. But don't worry—I got an air conditioner set up, so chapter uploads will be back to normal from now on.
That's all. Enjoy reading!
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In Igawa Asagi's office at the Anti-Demon Ninja Organization headquarters in Tokyo, Shiranui Mizuki was somewhat displeased that Asagi did not fully trust Yukito and had even arranged for Igawa Sakura to hide within his shadow. Officially, Sakura was there to assist Yukito and Yatsu Murasaki in gathering intelligence and completing the mission, but in reality, she was most likely there to monitor him.
Still, Shiranui Mizuki could not say much.
After all, there were indeed some unusual circumstances surrounding Yukito's identity. He had arrived in this world physically ten years ago.
If he had not appeared as a six- or seven-year-old child and met Shiranui, who kindly took him in and helped him obtain identification documents through various channels, Yukito would probably still be an unregistered person today.
"That child's experiences before the age of seven are completely blank. In other words, before Senior Mizuki brought him home, it was as if he had never existed in this world at all."
"I only want to personally confirm that he has no connection to demons, harbors no hostility toward this world, and won't do anything dangerous."
Seeing Asagi make such a solemn assurance, Shiranui nodded and silently accepted Igawa Asagi's arrangement for her younger sister to secretly observe—or, as Asagi preferred to put it, secretly assist and protect—Yukito.
When Yukito proposed joining the Anti-Demon Ninja Organization, Shiranui had already anticipated that situations like this might arise. Asagi's approach was actually quite restrained and considerate.
Inside the office, Asagi and Shiranui discussed and speculated about the world Yukito had originally come from. The fact that he had awakened a power known as Chakra and possessed those mysterious eyes similar to those of the Fūma Clan suggested that his background in his original world was far from ordinary.
Meanwhile, outside the office, Yukito couldn't care less whether Asagi had secretly assigned someone to follow him.
More accurately, he had already discovered Igawa Sakura's presence the moment he accepted the system quest, "Investigate the Chiba Underground Black Market."
It was not because his senses were sharp enough to detect Sakura hiding in his shadow.
Rather, the system had immediately activated a new party function upon accepting the quest, automatically adding all mission participants to the same team.
"Miss Yatsu Murasaki, there are still three days before the Underground Black Market opens. Are we just going to stay here at the base until then?"
"Are there any other missions that need assistance, or perhaps some monsters specifically captured for combat training? I'd like to take the opportunity to improve my fighting skills."
As they walked through the corridors of the Anti-Demon Ninja Organization base, Yukito suddenly turned toward Yatsu Murasaki and asked with obvious anticipation.
The system's newly unlocked party function had already caught his interest.
At the moment, there were three members in the party. According to the system's description, this should grant him a 10% experience bonus. What he did not yet know was whether experience gained from defeating monsters or demons would be distributed according to contribution, like in a game, or whether everyone would receive full experience.
More importantly, Yukito wanted to know whether he could gain experience from enemies defeated by Yatsu Murasaki while they were in the same party.
If there were enough monsters and Yatsu Murasaki helped him over the next three days, he felt he could easily push his level beyond 90, or perhaps even surpass level 100 and reach the Jonin tier.
"You want practical combat training, and you want to fight real monsters or demons?"
Yatsu Murasaki looked somewhat surprised by Yukito's request.
Although Anti-Demon Ninjas regularly participated in practical combat exercises involving monsters and demons, very few people actively volunteered for them.
Even routine training against demons carried the risk of accidents.
While she suspected that Yukito's goal was not simply to sharpen his combat skills, she still decided to explain the situation after recalling Asagi's earlier instructions.
"There is a special area behind the base's training grounds. It was created by an overlap between this world and the Demon Realm."
"A considerable number of demons and monsters inhabit that area, and we regularly enter it to eliminate them."
"I can take Yukito-kun there for combat training, but before that, let's visit Teacher Kosaka. She can teach you the fundamentals of disguise and infiltration."
"If your Shadow Clones weren't so stiff and unnatural, they would actually be very useful for intelligence gathering."
When Yatsu Murasaki mentioned a special zone connected to the Demon Realm and populated by numerous demons and monsters, Yukito became excited.
He had already imagined himself hunting demons nonstop, gaining experience, and leveling up.
Unfortunately, Yatsu Murasaki intended to take him to Teacher Kosaka first so he could learn proper infiltration techniques for intelligence missions.
While the ninjas of the Naruto world differed significantly from traditional ninja—focusing more on powerful ninjutsu and direct combat—it did not mean they lacked methods of infiltration, assassination, or intelligence gathering.
"If you're suggesting that I learn disguise techniques from Teacher Kosaka to infiltrate the Underground Black Market, I honestly think that's unnecessary."
"No amount of makeup or disguise can compare to my Transformation Jutsu."
Yukito quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Poof!"
A cloud of white smoke instantly engulfed him.
When the smoke cleared, another Yatsu Murasaki stood where Yukito had been moments earlier.
Her appearance, height, and facial features were identical to the real Yatsu Murasaki.
However, unlike the genuine article, this version wore a black-and-white bunny-girl outfit with a revealing neckline, exposing much of her ample chest. Every smile she gave seemed overflowing with seductive charm.
Compared to the usually cool and stoic Yatsu Murasaki, who rarely smiled except around Asagi, the version Yukito had transformed into was undeniably far more alluring.
"Hm?"
Yatsu Murasaki stared at her duplicate in shock, her eyes widening.
She quickly glanced around to ensure no one else was nearby before pulling Yukito into a secluded corner.
Examining him closely, she found that, based on appearance alone, even she felt as though she were looking into a mirror.
The Transformation Jutsu was indeed more convenient and harder to detect than ordinary disguises.
"Judging purely by appearance and physique, it's almost impossible to tell the difference."
"Let me see whether your Transformation Jutsu creates a physical change like the Shadow Clone Technique."
Hidden away in a corner of the corridor, the two identical Yatsu Murasakis stood side by side.
The real Yatsu Murasaki reached directly toward the chest of the transformed Yukito.
"Heh... so the Transformation Jutsu is essentially an illusion."
"It seems it can only imitate someone you've already seen."
The real Yatsu Murasaki squeezed the chest of the transformed version and tugged slightly at the revealing bunny-girl outfit.
It did not take long for her to discover the flaw.
The Transformation Jutsu altered appearance but did not truly change physical structure.
Since Yukito was a boy, he naturally lacked the mature physique possessed by Yatsu Murasaki and Akiyama Rinko.
By physically checking, Yatsu Murasaki immediately noticed the differences.
"My chest doesn't feel like this when touched."
"And there's also a mole on my chest. Since you've never seen it, the version you transformed into doesn't have one."
"Even though your Transformation Jutsu has a few minor imperfections, it's more than sufficient for the mission three days from now."
"So there's no need to visit Teacher Kosaka after all. Let's head directly to the training grounds."
With another puff of smoke, Yukito returned to his original appearance.
Hearing this, Yatsu Murasaki nodded.
However, she remembered the techniques Yukito had used against demons at the abandoned hospital the previous night: large-scale Fire Release ninjutsu and explosive tags powerful enough to rival grenades.
While such abilities were undoubtedly effective against demons and monsters, they were not suitable for use within the base.
As she led Yukito toward the training grounds, she thought for a moment before speaking.
"This is still the Anti-Demon Ninja Organization headquarters."
"When fighting demons, try to keep a low profile and avoid causing too much destruction."
After giving him several reminders, Yatsu Murasaki quickly brought him to the training grounds.
Although they had traveled there via an underground elevator, Yukito was surprised to discover that the Tokyo headquarters contained a vast open area connected to an endless mountain range.
The sight was far beyond what he had expected.